AI terms, in plain English
The words vendors use, translated for someone who runs trucks.
AI Overviews
The AI-written answer Google shows at the top of some search results. When a homeowner asks who to call, the businesses named in that answer get the first look.
AI receptionist
Another name for an AI voice agent, usually sold to smaller shops as a replacement for a live answering service. Expect it to handle booking, basic questions and after-hours calls, and to hand off emergencies to a person.
AI recruiter
Software that runs first-round interviews with job candidates, often by voice and at any hour, then passes recordings and notes to a human recruiter. Useful when candidates are technicians who can't take calls during the workday.
AI voice agent
Software that answers your business phone in a natural voice, understands what the caller wants, and books, reschedules or routes the call. Unlike an old phone tree, the caller just talks. Most connect to your scheduling software so they book real time slots.
Automated review request
A text or email asking for a Google review that goes out automatically when a job is marked complete. The shops with the biggest review counts send several reminders, not just one.
Booking rate
The share of inbound calls that end in a booked job. It's the number to compare when you test an AI agent against your CSRs or answering service. Home service shops in the entries on this site report AI agents booking 80 to 90% of the calls they handle.
Cost per lead (CPL)
What you spend on advertising divided by the number of leads it produced. It only means something if you also track which leads turned into booked jobs.
Days sales outstanding (DSO)
The average number of days between finishing a job and getting paid for it. Same-day invoicing and pay links are the fastest way to bring it down.
Generative engine optimization (GEO)
Making your business easy for ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews and similar tools to find, understand and recommend. In practice: clear answers to real customer questions, consistent business details everywhere, and naming the specific areas you serve.
Google Business Profile
Your free listing on Google Search and Maps. AI search tools lean on it to confirm where you are and what you do, so a missing or unverified profile can keep you out of AI answers entirely.
Missed call text back
An automatic text sent to anyone whose call you didn't answer, so the conversation keeps going by text instead of the caller moving on to the next company in the search results.
No-show
A booked appointment where the customer isn't there or cancels at the door. Each one costs a truck roll and a technician's time. Automated confirmations the day before are the usual first fix.
Speed to lead
How long it takes your business to respond after someone fills out a form, texts, or misses you on the phone. The first company to reply often gets the job. AI agents can reply in seconds, at night and on weekends.
Text to pay
Sending an invoice by text message with a link the customer taps to pay by card or bank. It replaces mailed invoices and phoned-in card numbers.