The Future Is Automated: How AI and Smart Software Are Rewriting the Playbook for Cleaning Businesses
Welcome back to another episode of the Five Door Media Podcast. This season, we’re diving headfirst into one of the biggest shifts the cleaning industry has ever seen: the rise of AI, automation, and software that make cleaning companies run faster, leaner, and smarter.
Our guest this week, Roland Ligtenberg, isn’t just talking about that future, he’s helping build it. As Co-Founder and SVP of Growth & Innovation at Housecall Pro, Roland has spent the last decade helping home service pros simplify their operations and scale their businesses through technology that actually works.
From AI “team members” to data-driven coaching and recurring service plans, Roland shares how the pros who lean into automation now will outpace everyone else tomorrow.
Here’s what we learned.
AI Isn’t Coming, It’s Already on the Job
For years, “AI” sounded like a buzzword. Today, it’s answering calls, analyzing performance, and helping business owners make smarter decisions in real time.
Roland sees it firsthand: cleaning and service companies are now using AI daily, not just as owners, but across their entire teams.
“Technicians, office workers, they’re interacting with AI team members just like their own employees,” he explains. “They’re operating like bigger companies without adding extra resources.”
That’s the magic. AI isn’t replacing people; it’s buying back time and cutting operational waste.
Housecall Pro’s CSR AI, for example, acts like a 24/7 customer service rep that lives inside your account. It knows your customers, your schedule, and your crews, meaning it can answer calls and book jobs instantly. No missed leads. No middle-of-the-night call centers.
The companies that have embraced this? They’re already seeing higher revenue with lower overhead.
The Data Advantage: Why Smart AI Outperforms Cheap AI
Everyone’s rushing to bolt “AI” onto their business but not all AI is built the same.
Roland explains that Housecall Pro’s edge comes from data - millions of jobs, transactions, and customer interactions across its user base. That means when Housecall Pro’s AI analyzes your business (pricing, call performance, or lead sources), it’s comparing your results against a massive, real-world benchmark.
Instead of generic advice, you get insight. It’s like having a CFO in your pocket, whispering:
“Hey, your average ticket’s down 5% this month. Adjust your pricing.”
“Your closing rate dropped. Go talk to your sales guy.”
That’s not sci-fi. That’s happening right now.
The Compounding Power of Service Plans and Reviews
If there’s one piece of advice Roland gives every service pro, it’s this: start building recurring revenue yesterday.
Whether you call them memberships, service agreements, or subscriptions, recurring service plans are the fastest way to stabilize cash flow, especially in seasonal industries.
“The earlier you start, the better,” Roland says. “Those plans compound over time. That’s why software companies are valued the way they are — because it compounds.”
Pair that with consistent review generation, and you’ve built a compounding growth engine. Reviews feed visibility. Visibility feeds jobs. Jobs feed reviews. It’s a self-sustaining cycle that AI and automation can help accelerate.
If you haven’t started yet? The best day to start was yesterday. The second-best is today.
From Chaos to Clarity: Why Simplicity Scales
One of the biggest mistakes Roland sees?
“People try to cobble together a bunch of apps - one for invoicing, one for scheduling, one for marketing - and then wonder why everything’s broken.”
Sound familiar?
Too many tools lead to disconnected data, duplicated work, and constant frustration. The irony? In the home service world, business owners tell their clients not to DIY things yet many try to DIY their software stack.
His advice is simple:
Pick a system of record that can handle your core operations.
Avoid chasing every “shiny new AI tool” at trade shows.
Train your team well on one platform, and make it part of your culture.
Because as Roland puts it:
“Long-term, great AI isn’t about fancy features; it’s about large, private data sets and network effects.”
Automation That Feels Human
At its core, great software should make your business more human, not less.
Housecall Pro’s earliest innovation was deceptively simple: a text that says, “On my way.” Inspired by Uber, that single automation built trust between pros and homeowners and set a new expectation for service transparency.
Now, automations like digital payments, review requests, and reminders all build on that same idea: make it effortless for your customers to spend money with you.
As Roland puts it:
“When a customer saves their card on file, that’s not just convenience, it’s trust. And trust is the real currency of the home service world.”
The Mindset Shift: From “Nice to Have” to “Can’t Grow Without It”
Not long ago, adopting software was seen as optional, a “someday” project. That window is gone.
Between AI embedded in every major platform and shifting consumer expectations, the gap between “maybe I’ll try it” and “I can’t grow without it” has never been shorter.
And it’s not just about efficiency. It’s about visibility.
AI tools, from ChatGPT to Google Gemini, are already scanning customer reviews and online data to recommend local businesses. If your company isn’t actively generating fresh, positive reviews, you’re invisible to those systems.
The takeaway? Automate review requests. Collect feedback. Let AI find you.
Measure What Matters: Dollars, Not Clicks
Roland doesn’t mince words here:
“Stop asking for cheaper leads. Start tracking which leads make you the most money.”
AI-powered analytics now make it possible to measure revenue by lead source, not just cost per lead.
It’s a mindset shift every home service business needs:
Pay $300 for a lead that brings $3,000 in jobs? Smart.
Chase $20 “cheap” leads that never close? Costly.
AI analytics helps you see that difference and hold your marketing partners accountable with real data, not guesswork.
Where AI Is Headed Next
So where’s it all going? Roland sees AI taking over the sitting jobs - data entry, reporting, scheduling - and freeing up pros to focus on the standing ones: the work only humans can do.
He puts it simply:
“We want our pros to operate like $100 million brands even if they’re small businesses. That’s what AI and automation make possible.”
The future isn’t about replacing people. It’s about multiplying their output and giving them time back to grow, serve, and lead.
Final Thought: Simple Systems. Smarter Growth.
At Five Door Media, we talk a lot about growth, but not just any growth. Sustainable, strategic, smart growth.
And if there’s one message from this episode, it’s this: Stop doing it all yourself. Stop overcomplicating it. Start using the tools that buy you time and clarity. AI isn’t the future, it’s the present. And it’s quietly transforming the businesses that are willing to lean in.
