Trades industry news, updated weekly
Sam Reeves

Sam Reeves

Modern Operations Contributor

Millennial electrician who left a 40-person commercial shop to start his own residential service company. Writes about CRMs, online reviews, AI tools, and the operations side most older guys roll their eyes at.

Articles by Sam Reeves
Business TipsJun 28, 2026

Your Job Notes Are Garbage — And It's Costing You

Logging that you did a job isn't the same as logging what you found. Bad job notes cost you on every return visit. Here's how to fix it fast.

Business TipsJun 24, 2026

Maintenance Plans Sound Great. The Math Is Harder Than You Think.

Recurring revenue memberships can trap small shops in low-margin callbacks. Here's how to price and run a maintenance plan that actually works.

Business TipsJun 20, 2026

AI Call Summaries Are Hiding Your Real Intake Problems

AI-generated call notes feel like a time-saver. They're actually filtering out the friction that tells you where your operation is broken.

Business TipsJun 16, 2026

Your Dispatcher Role Doesn't Exist Yet. That's the Problem.

Running dispatch out of your own head is capping your revenue. Here's when and how to make it a real role — before you think you need to.

Business TipsJun 12, 2026

Your Follow-Up Automation Is On. It's Also Not Working.

Automated texts after job close feel like customer care. They're not. Here's why your sequence is broken and how to fix the logic.

Business TipsJun 8, 2026

Your Scheduling Software Isn't the Problem. Your Logic Is.

If your dispatch board stays a mess no matter what software you try, the problem isn't the tool — it's the scheduling logic you never built.

Business TipsJun 4, 2026

Stop Using Multiple Phone Numbers to Track Your Marketing

Call tracking numbers hurt your Google rankings and confuse customers. Here's how to track lead sources without fracturing your phone presence.

Business TipsMay 31, 2026

Your Intake Process Is Losing You Jobs (Not Your Reviews)

Ads and reviews get customers to call. A broken intake process makes them hang up and call your competitor. Here's how to fix the leak.

Business TipsMay 27, 2026

Don't Add a Second Truck Until You Fix Your First One

Adding crew before your systems are solid doesn't scale your business — it scales your problems. Here's the checklist Sam used before truck #3.

Business TipsMay 23, 2026

Your Techs Are Losing 90 Minutes a Day in the Truck

Windshield time is killing your margins and you're not tracking it. Here's how to measure it, price for it, and cut it with smarter scheduling.

Business TipsMay 19, 2026

Stop Quoting Jobs Over the Phone Before You've Seen Them

Phone quotes feel helpful but they're killing your close rate. Here's the intake script that stops price shoppers without losing real customers.

GuidesMay 15, 2026

Your Field Service Software Has a Customer Portal. Use It.

Stop ignoring the customer portal sitting in your field service app. It's already paid for — and it's losing you jobs every week you leave it blank.