Senior Correspondent
Marcus Cole covers AI and automation in field-service operations for The Operations Review, with a focus on dispatch, scheduling, and service-agreement economics. His reporting draws on implementation work inside Blackstar Systems’ Orbit deployments across HVAC, plumbing, and electrical operators.
Across the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical trades, a quiet transformation is underway. AI dispatch systems are replacing whiteboard schedules and gut instincts with route optimization, predictive availability, and dynamic job assignment.
Marcus Cole • May 12, 2026 • 5 min read
Service agreements — maintenance contracts, preventive service plans, extended warranties — represent the most durable revenue in the trades. AI is now reshaping every dimension of that business, from dynamic pricing to predictive fulfillment triggers.
Marcus Cole • May 8, 2026 • 4 min read