AI for contractors in 2026: what two new surveys say, and where I'd start
Is your competition already using AI? Maybe one in four of them. Maybe one in two. It depends which 2026 survey you believe, and the gap between them is the interesting part.
ServiceTitan's 2026 Residential State of the Trades survey, with more than 1,000 residential contractors, puts it at 25%. Housecall Pro's survey of 248 home service pros, run in May and June, puts it at 48%. Different samples, different ideas of what "using AI" means. Either way, most of the trades isn't there yet.
What's holding people back
The ServiceTitan numbers are honest about this:
- 53% say it feels complicated or they don't know where to start
- 43% don't trust what AI puts out
- 32% worry about data security and privacy
- 29% point to cost
None of those are silly concerns. I'd worry about the same things.
What early users say
Among contractors already using it, ServiceTitan found people linking AI to productivity gains (48%), time savings (45%) and a better customer experience (32%).
In the Housecall Pro survey, the most common change AI users reported was faster responses and fewer lost leads (40%). Customer communication and follow-up was the top use, at 52% of AI users.
My take: start where your customers start
If "I don't know where to start" is the biggest barrier, here's a simple answer. Start with the first contact.
ServiceTitan found that 60% of first customer contacts still happen by phone, compared with 13% through online booking. And only 52% of contractors respond to new leads within an hour.
So before any fancy tool, the most useful question is: when a homeowner reaches out, does someone answer right away? Evenings and weekends included?
That's also the easiest place to handle the trust concern. Give AI a small, clear job:
- Answer the call or message
- Get the name, address and what they need
- Book the visit or hand it to you
Don't let it quote prices or diagnose problems. Read through what it handled for the first couple of weeks. You'll know fast whether it's doing the job.
What homeowners think
Housecall Pro's 2025 homeowner survey found 53% of homeowners are comfortable with AI handling the first inquiry. That's about half. So whatever you set up, always leave an easy path to a real person.
Three questions for this week
- How many calls went to voicemail last week? (Your phone log knows.)
- How long did it take you to call those people back?
- What do callers ask most often, and could anyone answer it, not just you?
Full disclosure: at Octosona we build AI front desks for contractors and other local businesses, so I'm biased. But the order of operations above holds whether you ever talk to us or not.
Sources
- ServiceTitan, 2026 Residential State of the Trades, as reported by The ACHR News, April 13, 2026
- Housecall Pro, AI in the Trades survey, 2026 (248 home service pros, May to June 2026; the homeowner figure is from its 2025 homeowner survey)