The Silent Growth Blocker in Home Services

In this episode, John Wilson sits down with Daryna Kulya, co-founder of Quo (formerly OpenPhone), to unpack one of the most underappreciated growth levers in home services: how you communicate as you scale. What starts as “one tech, one phone, one truck” quickly becomes a bottleneck once you’re trying to hire CSRs, build a call center, and stop missing leads. Daryna shares the real story behind Quo’s rebrand, why they’re building for the long term, and how modern phone + text workflows are evolving with AI. They dive into the hard operational truth most contractors learn too late: you don’t feel the communication pain until your customers already do. From missed calls, speed-to-lead, shared inboxes, and staffing by the hour (not the day), to AI call agents that outperform voicemail 3x, this is a tactical conversation for any operator trying to grow past the owner-operator stage. If you’re scaling HVAC, plumbing, electrical, restoration, or any service trade — and you want to stop leaking revenue through missed calls and messy handoffs — this one’s a must-listen. What You’ll Learn - Why Quo rebranded from OpenPhone — and what that signals about the future of communication - The hidden scaling trap of using your personal cell number - When contractors hire CSRs too late (and step out too early) - Why staffing by the day hides the real missed-call problem 🎙️ Hosts & Guest Host John Wilson — x.com/@WilsonCompanies Guest Daryna Kulya — Co-Founder, Quo (formerly OpenPhone) Website: quo.com ⏱️Brought to you by The Military Veteran If you’re running a home service business and hiring feels slow, risky, or you’re just not seeing the leadership talent you need, TMV can help. They connect companies like yours with exceptional military veteran leaders, people who’ve already proven they can execute, adapt, and lead under pressure. And they do it fast, with a white-glove process that saves you weeks and avoids costly mis-hires. Want to see who’s out there? Book a Free Coaching session Below 🔗 https://themilvet.typeform.com/to/BDwkmCU0?typeform-source=www.themilvet.org 💼 Shoutout to PayPerCall.io Stop paying for leads that don’t convert. With PayPerCall.io, you only pay when your phone rings with a qualified customer. Real calls. Real results. 👉 Book your free call: https://www.paypercall.io 💼 Shoutout to ReferPro! Want more high-converting referral leads without the manual tracking and check-cutting? ReferPro helps home service companies generate, track, and reward referrals automatically—so you capture the revenue you’re already leaving on the table. 🔗 Book a demo: https://calendly.com/murphyreferpro/referpro-demo?month=2025-10 ⏱️ Episode Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and Mission 00:40 Rebranding Journey: From Open Phone to Quo 08:06 Challenges and Insights in Business Communication 25:10 Scaling Your Business: The Importance of Early Hiring 31:36 Maximizing Efficiency with AI and Data Insights 42:49 Quick Fire Questions and Final Thoughts 🔍 Keywords Quo, OpenPhone, home service communication, HVAC call center, contractor phone system, business texting, shared inbox for contractors, speed to lead HVAC, missed calls home services, ai call answering, ai voice agent, home service tech stack, call tracking HVAC, CSR training, contractor operations, plumbing business growth, electrical contractor scaling, service business scaling, Owned and Operated podcast 🏷️ Tags #HomeServiceGrowth #HVAC #Plumbing #Electrical #Contractors #CallCenter #CustomerExperience #AI #OwnedAndOperatedPodcast #quotes 📌 Disclaimer Some links include UTM tracking. This episode includes paid sponsors, but all opinions are our own. Always do your own due diligence before making business decisions.