Operations systems for home services contractors

Built to make your team stronger. Not smaller.

TextThread is the operator brain underneath your shop — catches the calls you miss, drafts your quotes, runs your follow-up, briefs you at 6:30 AM, wraps you at 6 PM. SMS-first — most of your team never logs in. Dashboards where text isn't the right tool. Built by a ten-year home-services operator. Audit-first.

Book a 30-minute call Or call (443) 491-9049

The problem

You're not losing leads because your marketing is bad.

You're losing them because by the time you finish a job, eat lunch standing up, return three calls, and send a quote, it's 8 PM. The next day someone else got to them first.

The job is decided at the dial tone.

78%

of inbound roofing leads go to whichever shop answered first. By the time you call back, the deal is already gone.

5 min

puts you 21× more likely to win it. The industry average response is 47 hours.

27%

of home-services calls go unanswered. Over 80% of those callers never leave a voicemail — they dial your competitor instead.

What that costs a $3M roofing operation.

3missed calls per week
×78%go to whoever answered first
×28%close rate
×$15,000average roof
=$510,000per year, lost

That's not a marketing number. That's a phone-answering number. Some other shop is winning that revenue from you every Tuesday.

What catching every call wins back.

A voice agent answers overflow and after-hours calls — gets the story, books the appointment, texts your team. For anything that slips past, an auto-response inside 15 seconds — opened by 98% of recipients, replied to by 30% — pulls the job back. Roughly 13 of those jobs a year. ~$195,000 in year one. Without you picking up the phone.

And that's the floor. Catching the call is the table-stakes layer of what TextThread does. The rest of the system is what happens after the lead is in the door — the quote draft, the follow-up sequence, the briefing at 6:30 AM, the reroute at 8 PM. The phone answering is the part you stop thinking about.

Sources: 411 Locals / AIRA small-business call study, 2024; Invoca Home Services Call Analytics Report, 2024 (27% home-services miss rate); Lead Response Management Study (Dr. James Oldroyd, MIT / InsideSales.com — 5-minute rule, 21× qualification rate, 78% first-responder rate); ServiceTitan call booking benchmarks; JLC Cost vs. Value Report 2025; SMS engagement benchmarks (Falkon SMS, Sender, MessageDesk 2025–2026).

The interface

6:30 AM. The day already moved.

One text. By the time you pour coffee, your business has rerouted around an overnight emergency — and it's asking before it commits.

For most of your team, this is the interface.

What this actually is

An operations system. Not software, not a tool.

TextThread is an operations system for home services contractors. It handles the admin layer that buries great teams in work nobody hired them to do. The engine inside is Cortex: pre-seeded with the operator wisdom of top home services contractors, then trained on your specific shop. By day 91 it knows your business better than anyone on your team.

01

It runs your back office.

The calls, the quotes, the follow-up, the day brief, the evening wrap. The work that buries good office managers — handled around the clock. Not by replacing her. By taking the work off her plate.

02

It runs through text.

Most of your team never logs in — no app, no learning curve. The roles that need a screen get a clean dashboard, built around what they actually do.

03

It gets sharper every month.

Day one: the playbooks of top contractors. Day ninety-one: your patterns, your customers, your carriers, your crews — and the patterns nobody on your team has time to find.

Cortex is the brain. TextThread is what it runs through. The audit is how we figure out what to build first.

See what gets built → Or book a 30-minute call →

What gets built

The four integrations contractors don't believe exist until they see them.

Every TextThread build includes the standard automations every contractor wants — the ones you've been chasing GoHighLevel resellers to set up. Those are the floor. These four are what people remember.

01

Handwritten thank-you letters.

Every completed job triggers a real handwritten note — actual pen on actual cardstock — mailed to the customer within three days. $3–5 per letter, all-in. Review rates triple. Referral rates double. The customer keeps the letter on the fridge. Their neighbor sees it.

02

Storm-triggered outreach.

A storm rolls through your zip code Saturday night. Monday morning, every past customer in the affected area gets a text: “Heavy wind hit your neighborhood — want a free roof inspection this week?” One storm = roughly 600 texts = about $30 in carrier fees. The phone rings all week.

03

Inspection report generator.

Your rep takes photos and notes on the roof. Cortex hands back a clean, homeowner-ready PDF — EagleView measurements pulled in, damage flagged, all branded to your shop. Two hours of office work becomes five minutes. Across a busy week that’s a full day of admin back.

04

Insurance policy walkthrough.

Drop a 70-page homeowner’s policy in. Cortex hands back a one-page breakdown — what’s covered, what’s excluded, deductibles, supplement-friendly clauses, and the exact policy language to quote when the adjuster pushes back. Your rep reads it in 90 seconds and walks in armed. Across a claims-heavy season, that’s a working week of rep time back.

Plus the standard stuff every contractor wants.

Voice agent answers overflow and after-hours calls — gets the story, books the appointment, texts the team. Missed-call text-back inside 15 seconds for anything else. Quote drafts from photos. Appointment confirmations 24 hours and 1 hour out. Follow-up sequences on day 3, 7, 14, and 30. Review requests 2 days post-install. Your CRM updating itself with every call and text. The 6:30 AM brief and the 6 PM wrap. One urgent flag per day when something genuinely needs you. Table stakes. Already included.

All of it builds on your existing accounts — your Twilio, your CRM, your tools. If you cancel, the automations keep running on your stack. Only the Cortex brain goes dark.

What's underneath

Enterprise-grade safety, without the enterprise IT team.

Every Cortex install ships on top of AgentMarshal — the governance and compliance layer that Fortune 500 companies pay seven figures a year to build for themselves. SMBs almost never have access to anything like it. You do, because we built it that way.

01

Phishing & BEC protection, on every email.

Every email that lands in your inboxes runs through pattern detection. Fake invoices, vendor impersonation, business-email-compromise attempts — the scams that cost SMBs billions every year — get flagged before your team sees them.

02

Cortex stays in its lane.

Every action Cortex takes — every text, every quote, every CRM update — runs through governance rules. Hard limits on what it can touch and what needs your sign-off. It can’t drain your bank account. It can’t burn through your customer list. It can’t text customers at 3 AM. By design.

03

Full forensic audit.

Every decision Cortex makes is logged with the reason it made it. If anything ever goes wrong — wrong message sent, wrong customer billed, wrong reschedule — you can see exactly what happened, when, and why. Most SMBs have no version of this.

This is what enterprise security teams build for billion-dollar companies. We ship it as the substrate underneath your install — not because we have to, but because shipping AI to small businesses without it is reckless.

AgentMarshal is the open-source governance layer underneath every Cortex install. Learn more →

Seat by seat

A Tuesday in your shop. Before and after.

Seven roles. Seven different versions of the same Tuesday. The same call answered. The same job tracked. The same quote drafted. The same crew dispatched. What changes is who has to do it — and how late they’re up doing it.

Owner

A Tuesday before Cortex

  • 6:47 AM — wake up to 12 missed texts and an unread quote from yesterday. No idea which leads slipped overnight.
  • 11:30 AM — get pulled out of the kitchen-table appointment to handle a billing question. Quote walks out the door.
  • 6:15 PM — drive home with the day’s loose ends rolling in your head. Forget to call Mrs. Patel back about her supplement.
  • 9:40 PM — open the laptop after dinner to write quotes for tomorrow. Wife asks why you’re still on the phone.

A Tuesday after Cortex

  • 6:30 AM — open one text. Day briefed, overnight handled, one decision to confirm.
  • 11:30 AM — appointment runs uninterrupted. Cortex texts the billing answer to the customer from your number.
  • 6:00 PM — wrap text lands. Three quotes signed today, two follow-ups fired, one job needs your sign-off in the morning.
  • 9:40 PM — phone is in the drawer.

Office Manager

A Tuesday before Cortex

  • 7:55 AM — beat the owner to the office to pull yesterday’s voicemails. Three of them. Two are leads, one is a callback you’ll forget about by lunch.
  • 10:15 AM — chase a sales rep for the inspection photos so you can close the file. He’s on a roof and won’t answer.
  • 2:00 PM — start drafting the week’s review request emails. By Thursday you’ll still be on it.
  • 4:30 PM — try to figure out which of the 14 missed calls from the morning actually got returned. No way to tell.

A Tuesday after Cortex

  • 7:55 AM — open the brief. Every overnight lead is already in the CRM, every callback already scheduled, every review request already sent.
  • 10:15 AM — Cortex pulls the inspection photos off the rep’s phone the moment he uploads them. File closes itself.
  • 2:00 PM — work on the supplements queue. Cortex sent the week’s review requests at the 2-day mark on autopilot.
  • 4:30 PM — every call from the day is logged, tagged, and answered. You leave at 5.

Sales Manager

A Tuesday before Cortex

  • 7:30 AM — pull yesterday’s revenue from the CRM by hand. No clue why Mike’s close rate just fell off.
  • 11:00 AM — supposed to sit in on a rep’s appointment. Get pulled into a vendor dispute. Coaching skips again.
  • 2:30 PM — three quotes from last week haven’t moved. You don’t remember which reps own them.
  • 9:00 PM — laptop open, commission spreadsheet, calculator. Wife’s asleep.

A Tuesday after Cortex

  • 7:30 AM — yesterday’s revenue is in the brief. Mike’s down 18% this week — Cortex caught the pattern Tuesday.
  • 11:00 AM — coaching prompt: “Mike’s last three quotes used the same opener. None closed. Here’s another rep’s recording from a similar customer profile.”
  • 2:30 PM — stuck-deal queue on your phone. Five quotes untouched 7+ days. Three follow-up drafts approved, two skipped.
  • 9:00 PM — commission report landed at 6 PM. You signed off after dinner.

Sales Rep

A Tuesday before Cortex

  • 9:00 AM — three appointments on the calendar. No idea which ones are tire-kickers.
  • 10:30 AM — at the kitchen table, customer asks what her policy covers for hail. You don’t know. You’ll “get back to her.”
  • 1:45 PM — finish the second roof. Open the Notes app to write up the inspection. It’s going to take 90 minutes tonight.
  • 7:30 PM — at home, still writing the inspection PDF. Tomorrow’s appointment confirmations didn’t go out yet.

A Tuesday after Cortex

  • 9:00 AM — open the brief. Three appointments. Each one tagged with lead source, rough budget, and the customer’s last interaction with your shop.
  • 10:30 AM — pull up the policy walkthrough on your iPad. One page. You answer the hail question in 15 seconds.
  • 1:45 PM — snap the photos. Cortex builds the inspection PDF before you reach the truck.
  • 7:30 PM — you’re at dinner. Tomorrow’s confirmations already went out.

Production Manager

A Tuesday before Cortex

  • 6:00 AM — call each crew lead to confirm load-outs. Three of them already left without the right materials.
  • 9:30 AM — get pinged by an install foreman about missing trim. Drive across town to the supply house.
  • 12:00 PM — try to figure out which of yesterday’s jobs got punched out and which didn’t. Half the photos never made it back.
  • 4:45 PM — chase three crews to confirm tomorrow’s start times. Two text back. One doesn’t.

A Tuesday after Cortex

  • 6:00 AM — load-out manifest is in every crew lead’s text thread. Cortex flagged the two jobs needing extra trim last night.
  • 9:30 AM — your day stays at the shop. Crews are equipped.
  • 12:00 PM — every punch-out photo lands in the job file the moment the crew lead snaps it. You see status in real time.
  • 4:45 PM — every crew confirms tomorrow’s start before they leave the site. No chasing.

Install Manager

A Tuesday before Cortex

  • 7:00 AM — site walk on yesterday’s install. Customer texts asking when the inspector is coming. You don’t know who scheduled it.
  • 11:00 AM — supply house calls about a backorder. You text three crew leads to find out who needs that material first.
  • 2:30 PM — pulled into a callback on a six-month-old job because nobody documented the warranty terms.
  • 5:30 PM — head home, then remember you forgot to send tomorrow’s permit paperwork to the township.

A Tuesday after Cortex

  • 7:00 AM — site walk. Customer’s already been texted by Cortex with the inspector’s window.
  • 11:00 AM — Cortex flags which crew needs the backordered material first based on job sequence.
  • 2:30 PM — warranty terms are in the customer’s file, attached to the install record, already sent by Cortex.
  • 5:30 PM — permit paperwork was queued, signed, and submitted by 4 PM.

Crew Lead

A Tuesday before Cortex

  • 6:30 AM — show up at the shop, dig through the dispatch board to find today’s job address.
  • 8:45 AM — get to the house. Customer asks what time the install starts. You realize the office never confirmed.
  • 12:30 PM — punch-out photos: you take them, then forget to send them until 9 PM when you’re at home.
  • 4:00 PM — wrap up. Drive past the supply house. Wonder if you grabbed tomorrow’s caulk. Probably not.

A Tuesday after Cortex

  • 6:30 AM — your text thread has the address, the job notes, the customer’s name, and what’s loaded on the truck.
  • 8:45 AM — customer already got the “we’re 10 minutes out” text from your number.
  • 12:30 PM — snap the photos. They drop into the job file automatically. You’re done at done.
  • 4:00 PM — Cortex texts the tomorrow load-out list before you leave the site.

Same team. Doing the work you hired them for. The admin layer underneath them, finally handled.

I’m not here to gut the soul of your company. I’m here to make it stronger and do more.

What we actually do

Three steps, one system, your life back.

Phase 01

Audit.

Two days, mostly remote. We map your operation — roles, tools, handoffs, the work that’s burying your team. You get a written report and a build scope. The audit deliverable is yours regardless of what you do next.

Audit fee credits 100% toward your build invoice within 60 days.

Phase 02

Build.

One to two weeks. We configure Cortex profiles for every role on your team and wire them to the tools you already use. Mostly remote — intake calls with you and each team member, deep data ingest from your CRM and accounting.

Phase 03

Cortex.

The platform goes live. First 90 days are complimentary. Daily briefs, automated follow-up, decision support — primarily through SMS. The few roles that need a screen get one, built around what they actually do. Day 91, retainer billing begins.

Who this is for

Honestly — this isn't for everyone.

This works for you if…

  • You’re in roofing — or another home services trade (plumbing, HVAC, electrical, GC)
  • You have 1 to 50+ employees
  • You use a CRM like Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, Jobber, AccuLynx, or at minimum QuickBooks
  • You’re the decision-maker, or comfortable bringing your partner into the call
  • You want your team’s output to scale — not your team to shrink. Cortex amplifies the people you already hired.
  • You have at least 12 months of clean data in your CRM and accounting

This isn’t a fit if…

  • You’re looking for marketing, leads, or SEO — I don’t do any of that
  • You’re pre-revenue — call me when you’re drowning in calls
  • You’re using AI to cut your team — Cortex isn’t built for that

Pricing

What this costs.

Three pieces — audit, build, retainer. The audit decides which roles get a profile, what tier each one is, and what the build and retainer cost. We don’t hide pricing.

1. The audit

TierProfile typesAudit price
T1 1–2 $1,500
T2 3–7 $5,000
T3 8–15 $10,000
T4 15+ Custom from $15,000

Audit fee credits 100% toward your build invoice within 60 days.

We figure out your tier in the first 15 minutes of the call. No commitment to find out where you land.

2. The build

An 8-person roofing operation — owner, office manager, sales manager, 3 sales reps, production manager, crew lead — typically runs $33,000 to build. $1,425 per month after the 90-day complimentary period.

Builds run $10,000 to $53,000 depending on shop size.

3. The retainer

$750 to $2,500+ per month, depending on how many profiles run live and how much call volume the voice agent handles. Anything above $2,500 is custom-scoped. First 90 days are complimentary — billing starts on day 91.

Cancel anytime — 15-day notice. Your automations stay on your stack.

See full pricing detail

Build — full matrix

Base infrastructure: $5,000 one-time. Covers your Cortex setup, the SMS infrastructure, every integration into the tools you already use, Cortex pre-loaded with the playbooks of top contractors, your last 2 years of data fed in, and 90 days of hands-on support after launch.

Per-profile build:

ProfileBuildWho it’s for
Light $2,000 Crew leads, helpers, the guys on the roof. Sees the day’s jobs, where to be, materials, the next stop. Light reply for status and confirmations.
Standard $3,500 Office manager, dispatcher, sales reps, production manager. Books jobs, fires follow-ups, keeps the inbox from burying you.
Heavy $5,000 Owner, GM, ops manager, sales manager. Sees across the whole shop — sales, install, money, where it’s leaking. Strategic-thinking partner.

Retainer — full matrix

Base: $600/month. Covers Cortex staying online, SMS infrastructure, the voice agent capacity that handles overflow and after-hours calls, the database we host for you, ongoing knowledge updates as the industry shifts, and standard support.

Per-active-profile:

ProfileMonthlyWhat it covers
Light $75/mo Briefs, info, light replies for the role
Standard $100/mo All of Light + full task handling across your tools
Heavy $150/mo All of Standard + cross-shop pattern recognition

More worked examples

Solo operator (owner only)
$5K base + 1 Heavy profile
$10,000 build · $750/month
4-person roofing crew (owner-operator + office + crew lead)
$5K base + 1 Heavy + 1 Standard + 1 Light
$15,500 build · $925/month
15-person roofing operation
$5K base + 2 Heavy + 7 Standard + 3 Light
$45,500 build · $1,825/month
25-person roofing operation
$5K base + 2 Heavy + 8 Standard + 5 Light
$53,000 build · $2,075/month

Payment & delivery

50% to start, 50% on delivery. Net 7. Builds run one to two weeks, mostly remote — intake calls with each team member, deep data ingest from your CRM and accounting.

Cancellation

15-day notice, any time. Your automations stay on your stack and keep running. Only the Cortex brain — the daily briefs, decision support, cross-shop pattern recognition — goes dark.

Book a 30-minute call

30 minutes. No commitment. We figure out your audit tier and walk through what your install would look like. If it’s not a fit, you’ll know inside 15.

About

Who you’re hiring.

Conner with his wife Taylor and their daughter on their front porch

I spent 10 years in sales — 5 of those in home services and construction. Sitting across the kitchen table from homeowners, watching contractors lose deals because they couldn’t respond fast enough, quote clearly enough, or follow up consistently.

Last year I started building operations systems to fix those problems. Now I do it full-time.

Every AI company I’ve watched build for home services has come at this with the same pitch: cut your team, save your money. That’s not what I built.

I spent ten years sitting at kitchen tables watching contractors lose deals — and watching their best people quit because the work that built the business stopped using their judgment. The admin layer ate them alive. I built Cortex to take that layer off.

Your team stays. Your business gets stronger. That’s the lane I’m in.

Anyone telling you AI in your business means firing people is selling you the wrong thing.

— Conner

FAQ

Questions people ask.

Next step

30-minute call. No pitch deck. Just a conversation.

Pick a time below. I'll tell you within 15 minutes whether this is a fit for your business — and if it isn't, I'll tell you who to call instead. Or just call (443) 491-9049.

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