Running an HVAC, plumbing, or electrical business? See our complete HVAC automation guide with pre-built ServiceTitan workflows.
- ServiceTitan is powerful but most contractors only use the basics: scheduling, dispatch, and customer records.
- The automation gap: After-hours calls, estimate follow-ups, pre-appointment reminders, and job alerts still require manual work or third-party tools.
- Top 5 automations: After-hours call capture, unsold estimate follow-up, appointment confirmations, review requests, and dispatch overtime alerts.
- Best tools: ServiceTitan API + Make.com for custom logic, Zapier for simple triggers, or voice AI platforms for call handling.
- What not to automate: Complex dispatching, customer complaints, and relationship-driven sales.
What ServiceTitan Already Does (Built-In)
Before we talk about what to automate, let's acknowledge what ServiceTitan already handles out of the box. If you are on the Pro or above plan, you have access to:
- Job scheduling and dispatch board: Visual drag-and-drop scheduling with zone-based routing and technician assignments.
- Customer history and tags: Every job, invoice, and interaction logged in one place with custom tagging for segmentation.
- Technician mobile app: Field techs can view job details, capture photos, collect signatures, and process payments on-site.
- Basic booking forms: Embed a form on your website that creates leads directly in ServiceTitan.
- Memberships and recurring jobs: Set up maintenance plans and auto-schedule recurring service visits.
- Pricebook management: Centralized pricing with materials, labor, and markup all configured in one system.
This is solid infrastructure. Most field service businesses would kill for this level of integration. But here is the problem: ServiceTitan handles the work that happens inside your four walls. It does not handle the work that happens in the gaps between customer touchpoints.
The Automation Gap (What ServiceTitan Doesn't Do)
ServiceTitan is a system of record, not a system of automation. It tracks what happened, but it does not proactively do things on your behalf unless you configure workflows or connect external tools. Here is what still falls through the cracks:
- Answer your phones at 2am: ServiceTitan does not pick up the phone. After-hours calls go to voicemail or an answering service you pay for separately.
- Follow up on unsold estimates: You can see opportunities sitting in "Estimate Sent" status, but ServiceTitan will not automatically nudge the customer 3 days later.
- Send pre-appointment reminders automatically: ServiceTitan has basic SMS reminders, but they are limited. You cannot build conditional logic like "send different messages for emergency vs. routine jobs."
- Push job notes to Google Sheets or accounting systems: ServiceTitan integrates with QuickBooks, but custom workflows (like logging job profitability to a dashboard) require API work.
- Alert on jobs going past estimated time: If a 2-hour job is now on hour 3, ServiceTitan does not automatically ping the dispatcher or text the customer with an update.
- Auto-assign jobs based on technician skills, not just zones: ServiceTitan can route by location, but matching jobs to certifications (like "needs backflow certification") requires manual checks or custom scripting.
These gaps are where revenue leaks. A missed after-hours call is a lost job worth $500 to $2,000. An unsold estimate that never gets followed up on is a 15-25% close rate improvement left on the table. This is where automation pays for itself.
5 ServiceTitan Automations Worth Building
After-Hours Call Capture
A voice AI agent answers after-hours calls, qualifies the emergency, collects customer details, and creates a ServiceTitan job automatically with full call notes and transcription. The on-call technician gets a text alert with the job link, customer info, and problem summary.
ROI: Recover $500-$2K per emergency job you would have otherwise missedUnsold Estimate Follow-Up
When an estimate sits in "Opportunity" status for 3 days without being sold or declined, trigger an automated text and email sequence. First message: "Still thinking it over? Here's what we can do for you." Second message 2 days later: "We have availability this week if you'd like to move forward."
ROI: Close rate improvement of 15-25% on warm estimatesPre-Appointment Confirmation
Send an automated SMS 24 hours before the scheduled appointment: "Your HVAC tune-up is tomorrow at 2pm. Reply YES to confirm or CALL to reschedule." Then send a second reminder 2 hours before arrival: "Your tech will arrive in the next 2 hours. His name is Mike and here's his photo."
ROI: Reduce no-shows from 20-30% down to under 5%Job Completion to Review Request
When a job status changes to "Completed" in ServiceTitan, wait 2 hours, then automatically send the customer a text: "Thanks for choosing us! Mind leaving a quick Google review?" Include a direct link to your Google Business Profile review form.
ROI: Build your reputation automatically without manual outreachDispatch Alert on Overtime
Monitor job duration in real-time. When a job runs 30 minutes past the estimated completion time, send an automatic alert to the dispatcher and a proactive text to the customer: "Your tech is working through a complexity with your system. He'll need about 30 more minutes. Thanks for your patience."
ROI: Prevent complaints and improve customer satisfaction on long jobsHow to Build These (Tools)
You have four main options for building ServiceTitan automations. Each has trade-offs in flexibility, cost, and setup time.
For most contractors, the winning combination is Make.com for workflow automation + voice AI for call handling. You get the best of both: intelligent call routing and human-like conversations on the phone, plus custom logic for everything that happens after the call ends.
What NOT to Automate in ServiceTitan
Automation is not a blanket solution. Some parts of your business still need human judgment, relationship skills, or real-time decision-making. Here is what you should leave to your team:
- Dispatching complex jobs: Zone logic plus skill matching plus travel time plus customer priority equals a decision that still benefits from human judgment. Automation can suggest options, but your dispatcher should make the final call.
- Customer complaints: If a customer calls angry about a job gone wrong, they need a human who can listen, empathize, and problem-solve in real time. Do not route complaint calls to a bot or automation sequence.
- New membership sales: Selling a recurring maintenance plan is relationship-driven. Customers want to ask questions, negotiate terms, and feel confident in the commitment. Automate the follow-up reminders, but keep the sales conversation human.
The rule of thumb: automate the repetitive tasks that do not require empathy or judgment. Everything else should stay with your team.
Getting Started (3 Steps)
If you are ready to build your first ServiceTitan automation, here is how to start without getting overwhelmed:
- Audit your current ServiceTitan usage: What tasks are you doing manually that could be automated? Look at your call logs, estimate pipeline, and job completion workflows. Identify the biggest time sinks and revenue leaks.
- Pick one automation to start: Do not try to automate everything at once. Start with the highest ROI opportunity. For most contractors, that is after-hours call capture because it directly recovers lost revenue on emergency jobs.
- Connect your tools: If you are building custom workflows, sign up for Make.com and connect it to ServiceTitan via API. If you are automating call handling, evaluate voice AI platforms that have pre-built ServiceTitan integrations. Test thoroughly before going live.
Give yourself 2-4 weeks for the first automation. Once it is live and working, you will have the template and confidence to build the next one faster.
Real Example
One HVAC client we worked with was manually logging 40-50 calls per day into ServiceTitan. Their office manager would listen to voicemails, transcribe the details, and create job records by hand. We built a Make.com scenario that pushed call transcripts from their phone system directly into ServiceTitan as new jobs, complete with customer name, callback number, and problem description. The automation saved 2 hours per day and eliminated transcription errors that used to cause dispatch confusion.
If you miss 10 after-hours calls per month at an average job value of $800, that is $8,000/month in lost revenue. A voice AI agent that captures those calls costs $297-$497/month. Even if you only recover half the missed calls, you are looking at a 8x ROI in month one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ServiceTitan have an open API?
Yes. ServiceTitan provides a robust REST API available on Pro and above plans. The API gives you access to customer records, job data, appointment scheduling, pricebook items, and more. It supports both reading data and creating/updating records, which makes it suitable for two-way integrations with automation platforms.
Can I connect ServiceTitan to Make.com?
Yes. You can connect ServiceTitan to Make.com in two ways: using Make's built-in ServiceTitan modules (which provide pre-configured actions for common tasks) or via webhooks and direct API calls for more complex workflows. Most contractors use a combination of both depending on what they are automating.
How long does a custom ServiceTitan automation take to build?
Simple automations like SMS reminders or estimate follow-ups typically take 1-2 days to build and test. Multi-step workflows that involve conditional logic, data transformation, or multiple system integrations usually take 1-2 weeks. The timeline depends on complexity, how many systems you are connecting, and how much testing you want before going live.
Related Resources
- HVAC Automation Services - Pre-built ServiceTitan workflows and voice AI integrations
- Workflow Automation Guide - How to choose the right automation platform for your business
- Integration Hub - Connect ServiceTitan to 1,500+ business tools
- Make.com vs n8n in 2026 - Which automation platform is right for field service companies