What Homeowners Expect and How HVAC and Plumbing Businesses Can Keep Up

Homeowners today make decisions about hiring home services providers faster than ever. They expect clear information, fast communication, and a simple path from their first search to a scheduled job.

To better understand how these expectations are changing, Scorpion surveyed 2,000 homeowners and ~1,000 home services leaders across the United States. The results show a widening gap between what customers expect and what many home services businesses can provide with their current systems and processes.

This article outlines the key trends shaping customer behavior and what local services companies can do to stay competitive in a market that rewards speed, trust, and convenience.

Homeowners Are Expecting More and Wanting It Faster

One of the clearest signals from the research is that the homeowner journey is no longer a simple Google search followed by a phone call. It has become a fast, multi-step process anchored by convenience and trust.

Homeowners rarely rely on a single search anymore. They look at Google, review social and reputation platforms, get referrals from neighborhood groups, watch YouTube videos, and ask different AI tools before choosing who to contact. A homeowner dealing with a leak, a broken appliance, or an unexpected repair may move between several of these sources in just a few minutes. Is your business showing up in all these places people are searching?

Trust also carries more weight. Our survey found that 87 percent of homeowners will not consider a business with less than a four star rating. Many look closely at the recency and frequency of reviews and favor businesses that use real photos over stock images. Younger homeowners also rely heavily on visual content (videos and photos) when trying to understand a home issue or compare providers.

Speed plays a major role as well. Nearly 9 in 10 homeowners expect a response within 24 hours, and urgent-need customers often make a hiring decision within hours (or even minutes). A slow response isn’t just a bad customer experience, it can cost a business the job.

(Courtesy of Scorpion)

What this means for businesses:

Homeowners want convenience, quick replies, and proof that your business is trustworthy before they decide to hire you.

Key takeaways:

• Make sure your business shows up in all the channels where customers search
• Replace stock imagery with real photos of your techs, trucks, and jobs
• Emphasize video on your website and social media accounts
• Automate review requests after every job
• Offer multiple communication channels such as chat, phone, email, and text… ideally 24/7
• Set a goal for response times measured in minutes, especially for time-sensitive jobs

Are Outdated Systems and Processes Holding Your Business Back?

Many companies are trying to meet modern expectations with outdated systems and disconnected processes. Home services business leaders are being pushed more than ever to compete, but many feel they are falling behind the increasing expectations of today’s consumer.

A majority of businesses say they struggle to differentiate themselves. In the research, 55 percent of business leaders said they feel like they blend in with competitors.

Many companies rely on multiple vendors or platforms, which creates inconsistent messaging and makes it hard to understand what marketing efforts actually drive revenue. Teams want visibility into true performance, but often operate with a variety of reports from multiple vendors and not one clear single source of truth.

Some businesses use AI chat, automated follow up, and integrated CRM systems to communicate faster and track conversions more accurately. While others depend heavily on manual processes that slow down response time, increase errors, and make it easy for leads to fall through the cracks.

About two-thirds of leaders say they cannot clearly connect marketing spend to revenue. This makes it difficult to invest confidently or shift strategy when the market changes.

(Courtesy of Scorpion)

What this means for businesses:

Many companies are trying to meet modern expectations with outdated systems and disconnected processes.

Key takeaways:

• Use fewer disconnected tools and look for integrated platforms that streamline operations and centralize data
• Make it easy for people to do business with you through options like online chat and scheduling
• Leverage technology and automation to reduce follow-up response times
• Track the impact of your marketing, from initial search to completed jobs, using full-funnel analytics

Closing The Gap Between What Homeowners Want and What Your Business Can Deliver Will Be The Key To Success

The businesses that succeed in 2026 will be the ones that align their marketing and operations while keeping the customer experience front and center enabling them to not only deliver on, but exceed, homeowner expectations.

What alignment looks like:

• Clear tracking between marketing activity and booked revenue
• Visible presence across the channels where homeowners search
• Frictionless, fast communication at any time of day or night
• Consistent collection of recent reviews
• Real photos and videos showing their team
• A convenient experience for homeowners from first search to completed treatment

When these pieces work together, it builds trust with homeowners and gives them the confidence to hire your business. When these pieces aren’t aligned, homeowners move on to the next business.

Conclusion: Where Growth Will Come From in 2026

Homeowners expect a faster, clearer, and more reassuring experience than ever before. They look for reliable information before they call, they want quick responses when they reach out, and they want simple ways to book an appointment when they need help. For home services businesses, the path forward is not about doing more, but doing the right things in a connected and consistent way.

Growth in 2026 will come from alignment across every stage of the homeowner hiring journey. That means showing up where customers search, responding quickly through the communication channels they prefer, and using data to understand which marketing efforts drive the best jobs.

Scorpion creates that connected experience for home services companies. Our approach brings marketing and technology together so businesses can reach homeowners more effectively, convert more opportunities without adding more work to their team, and invest their budget toward what’s working to give them the best return.

To explore what this could look like for your business, visit scorpion.co/achr.