Two kinds of information
Field service and project management platforms are very good at fields and forms: job numbers, dates, line items, statuses. They store information that already has a shape.
Most of what eats office time has no shape. A note typed on a phone between inspections. A forty email thread about a change order. A spec book with the one requirement you need buried on page 312. Software can store those things. It cannot read them, reorganize them, or write the reply.
What AI handles well
- Reading a long document and answering a specific question, with the exact wording quoted
- Turning messy notes into a clean, organized update
- Drafting a first version of an email, proposal, or report
- Summarizing a meeting or thread into action items with owners
- Pulling consistent information out of documents that all look different
They work better together
The strongest setups do not replace your existing software. They connect to it. Automation platforms like Make and Zapier can pass information between AI and the tools you already run, including field service platforms like ServiceTitan. A note becomes a structured record. A form submission becomes a drafted reply.
Where to start
Look for the task where someone reads something unstructured and then types it into a structured place. That handoff is almost always the best first workflow.
Common questions
Do I have to replace my current software to use AI?
No. The best results usually come from connecting AI to the software you already use rather than replacing it.
What is the best first AI workflow for a contractor?
Usually a task where someone reads unstructured information, like notes or emails, and retypes it into a structured system.
Can AI connect to ServiceTitan?
It can be connected through automation platforms and APIs, depending on your account and what you need to move between systems.
Stockton Dunkley is a project manager in the mechanical and plumbing trade and the founder of Dunkley AI Consulting in Logan, Utah. He builds custom AI workflows for contractors and leads AI implementation for a large contractor's new construction department.