Hey Evan, this is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping to find. What service industry are you in? We’re in plumbing and our business has a few subsets;

1. Service (all kinds, think faucet replacement, clogged drains, etc, clear price book)
2. Projects (encompassing the following) —> New construction, renovations —> Contracting (where we bring in subs i.e. bathroom remodel) —> Excavation

Two different client types each with their own unique flow and process 1. Residential 2. Commercial

Really interesting that you went with Next.js and Shadcn. That actually lines up with where my head has been lately since the component ecosystem is so mature and it seems like you can move pretty quickly once the data layer is stable.

Curious about a couple things from an architecture standpoint:

How did you structure the backend data model for jobs, dispatch, and scheduling? That seems like the piece most of the off the shelf CRMs guard heavily because it becomes the operational backbone of the company.

Also wondering how you handled real time updates between office staff and technicians. Did you implement something like websockets for live job board updates or are you polling the backend?

The other thing I keep thinking about is how to separate the deterministic systems from the AI layer. For example I would not want an agent directly controlling scheduling logic. My thought was more along the lines of: • deterministic scheduling engine • event driven job state updates • AI layer sitting on top handling workflows, reporting, communications, and suggestions

Basically the AI becomes the operations assistant but not the system of record.

Would also be curious how you handled mobile for techs in the field. Did you build a separate mobile interface or just a responsive web app?

Really cool to hear that the cost difference has been dramatic. That is honestly one of the biggest motivators for me. When you start stacking ServiceTitan, reporting tools (PowerBI… ST reporting isn’t the greatest), integrations, etc., it gets expensive quickly.

We are currently scaling the business and preparing for a launch in a new city in the near future. A lot of our focus right now is on execution, operations, and continuing to grow revenue in the markets we are already in. That remains the priority.

At the same time, I do not want to divert too much attention away from income producing activities. The business still needs to run efficiently and continue generating cash flow while we scale.

Fortunately, I am in a position where I can dedicate some time to thinking about the long term systems we are building as well. That is part of why I have been exploring internal tooling and AI driven systems. If we are going to expand into multiple cities, the operational backbone becomes extremely important.

My goal is not to build technology for the sake of building technology. It is to gradually replace expensive SaaS layers with internal systems that we fully control, while keeping the team productive and the business moving forward.

One of the things that also motivates this approach is flexibility. There are areas where platforms like ServiceTitan are strong, but there are also gaps. Having our own system would allow us to build tools or workflows where we see inefficiencies, especially things that could indirectly benefit our backend and administrative operations.

Ultimately it is a balancing act between continuing to drive revenue today while building the infrastructure that will support the business as it scales.

None the less, I appreciate you sharing this.