Automate response and follow-up before anything creative: instant lead acknowledgment with a real expectation, missed-call text-back, the new-lead email sequence, review asks at job completion, and appointment reminders. These win because speed and consistency ARE the value. A machine's punctuality beats your best intentions.
Second wave, the plumbing: forms into the CRM with source attached, monthly report assembly, next-service reminders. Boring, compounding, zero-judgment tasks. Automation's natural diet.
Keep human longest: anything mid-conversation (replies pretending to be you erode exactly the trust that closes), pricing decisions, and the monthly reallocation call. Automate delivery of your judgment, never the judgment.