When Information Is Free, Experience Has to Be Visible.
I saw something this week that every appliance repair and service business owner should pay attention to.
My neighbor built a custom AI agent for each of his appliances, trained on the actual owner manuals and other relevant context. He also used AI to map out boiler valve rewiring without digging through forums or calling a buddy.
And at CES in Las Vegas this week, the signal was clear:
AI is moving out of the lab and into real-world problem solving.
Not someday.
Now.
So let’s address the questions that come to mind.
What happens to home service companies when the “information advantage” disappears?
This, of course, is NOT the end of the trades.
AI can read manuals.
It cannot:
diagnose based on sound, smell, vibration, or context
make judgment calls under pressure
take responsibility when something goes wrong
The trades are not being replaced.
But we are being exposed.
The real problem: too many companies sell “knowing stuff”
For years, a lot of service businesses leaned on a quiet assumption:
“We know things customers don’t.”
That worked when information was scarce.
It does not work when:
manuals are searchable
forums are indexed
AI can summarize 400 pages in 10 seconds
Your customer no longer believes you’re the only one who “knows.”
And here’s the truth most owners don’t want to hear:
If your value proposition depends on mystery, you don’t have a value proposition.
What CES made obvious this week
The big takeaway from CES wasn’t robots fixing furnaces.
It was this:
AI is becoming an interface, not a novelty
Consumers expect explanations, not authority
“Show me” is replacing “trust me”
Smart appliances, predictive maintenance, self-diagnosing systems, etc, means homeowners will show up:
more informed
more confident
more opinionated
Sometimes wrong.
Always certain.
The adjustment smart service companies will make
This is where the opportunity is if you’re paying attention.
1. You stop selling “the fix”
The fix is assumed.
You start selling:
judgment
risk reduction
decision-making under uncertainty
In plain language:
“Anyone can read the manual. We know how easy it is to misinterpret the manual.”
That’s the business.
2. You train techs to explain, not defend
The worst response to:
“I read online that…”
…is defensiveness.
The best response is leadership:
“Here’s why that advice exists.”
“Here’s what it doesn’t account for.”
“Here’s what changes once we open it up.”
This is a trainable skill, and most shops ignore it.
The ones who don’t will win.
3. You sell pattern recognition, not information
Anyone can look up instructions.
Experience is knowing how problems repeat.
Show customers:
where failures cluster
what breaks next
why shortcuts backfire
AI summarizes information.
You recognize patterns.
That’s the gap.
4. You become the interpreter, not the explainer
When information is everywhere, the most valuable person isn’t the one who knows the most — it’s the one who can interpret what matters.
Homeowners don’t need more data.
They need someone to tell them:
which advice applies
which advice is dangerous
which advice to ignore
Position your company as the one that translates information into decisions.
That’s not marketing.
That’s authority.
The profitable conclusion
AI isn’t coming for good service companies.
It’s clearing the field.
It makes lazy positioning obvious.
It exposes businesses that hide behind jargon or authority instead of explaining their value.
And it rewards companies that:
think clearly
communicate plainly
aren’t afraid of informed customers
This isn’t about resisting technology.
It’s about using it as a filter.
Do that right, and AI won’t replace you.
It’ll send you customers who already know they need a professional.