Supportiyo, co-founded by Ashar Ahmad, is transforming the home service industry by providing small businesses with an AI-driven digital workforce to enhance operational efficiency and reduce missed calls.
In an exclusive interview, Ashar Ahmad, co-founder and CEO of Supportiyo, discusses how the startup is revolutionizing operations for small businesses through applied artificial intelligence (AI).
Supportiyo, co-founded by Ahmad, is an applied AI startup focused on creating a digital workforce specifically for home service businesses. Unlike most AI tools that cater to large enterprises or technical users, Supportiyo aims to bridge the gap for small businesses that seek effective outcomes rather than complex tools.
The platform functions as a vertical AI phone agent for home service businesses, addressing one of the industry’s significant revenue leaks: missed calls. Supportiyo answers calls instantly, comprehends trade-specific language, manages customer objections, and books jobs directly into company calendars. This solution emerged from the collaboration between Ahmad, an AI engineer, and Ahmad M.S., a trades business owner who experienced firsthand the operational challenges faced by small businesses.
In the interview, Ahmad elaborated on Supportiyo’s mission and core purpose. “Supportiyo is an applied AI company building a digital workforce for home service businesses,” he explained. “Today, most advanced AI and automation tools are built for enterprises, engineers, or power users. Small business owners don’t want tools, workflows, or configuration platforms. They want work to get done.”
Ahmad emphasized that Supportiyo’s purpose is to transform existing AI capabilities into autonomous AI workers that take ownership of essential business functions. “These aren’t tools that merely assist people; they’re systems designed to actively perform work inside a business,” he noted. By identifying core workflows in home service businesses, Supportiyo creates AI workers capable of managing responsibilities from start to finish, delivering real return on investment without requiring business owners to learn new software or alter their operations.
When asked about the inspiration behind Supportiyo, Ahmad shared that the company was born out of a specific problem: missed calls. “As a builder and AI engineer, I saw how much capability already existed and how poorly it translated into real outcomes for small businesses,” he said. “When Ahmad, who was running a home service business at the time, became our first customer, the problem became very concrete. His business was losing revenue simply because calls were missed while technicians were in the field.”
Ahmad pointed out that the home services sector is one of the most underserved markets when it comes to technology solutions. While industries such as hospitality, banking, and education have access to various tools, home services have lagged behind. “Supportiyo exists to close the gap between modern technology and practical execution,” he added.
Supportiyo’s unique approach to trades businesses sets it apart from generic call-handling solutions. “We combine deep technical capability with real domain expertise,” Ahmad explained. “Most platforms give businesses ingredients—tools, workflows, prompts, and integrations—that owners are expected to assemble themselves. We take a different approach.” Instead of providing a kitchen full of tools, Supportiyo offers prebuilt, industry-specific AI workers that understand trade language, objections, scheduling logic, and operational nuances.
Feedback from early adopters has been overwhelmingly positive, with users expressing relief and trust in the system. An HVAC business owner noted that handling calls while working in the field was a significant challenge. After implementing Supportiyo, every customer was attended to and scheduled promptly, allowing the owner to step in only when necessary. A local food business shared that language barriers had previously hindered customer interactions, but Supportiyo learned their full menu and preferences, enabling smooth conversations and allowing the team to focus on their core work.
Ahmad highlighted that Supportiyo now manages close to 80% of inbound calls for some service business owners, providing them with more time to concentrate on growth. “Owners often describe Supportiyo not as software, but as an extra worker they can rely on,” he said.
When discussing how the AI handles objections and nuanced customer queries, Ahmad explained that the AI operates with full business context rather than relying on scripts or hardcoded prompts. “Each AI worker understands the specific business it represents, including services, pricing logic, availability, and policies,” he stated. This capability allows the AI to respond based on real business rules and past outcomes, ensuring accountability and effective resolution of customer inquiries.
Building Supportiyo has not been without its challenges. Ahmad noted that educating potential customers about AI’s capabilities is crucial before selling the product. “We first have to explain what AI can realistically do, what it replaces, and what outcomes owners should expect,” he said. Trust has also been a significant hurdle, as the AI category has been marred by flashy products that fail in real operations. Supportiyo addresses this by focusing on reliability, narrow responsibilities, and maintaining tight feedback loops with customers.
Ahmad described a typical customer journey, which has evolved from a hands-on onboarding process to a more streamlined experience. “Today, onboarding is fast and simple. A customer creates an account, selects their industry, connects their website, and activates an AI worker. Within minutes, calls are being handled,” he explained. For those seeking guidance, assisted onboarding allows customers to go live in under ten minutes. “The core principle is that the AI adapts to the business. The business does not adapt to the AI,” he added.
Looking ahead, Ahmad envisions Supportiyo becoming the default AI workforce for home service businesses within the next five years. “Platforms like Jobber and ServiceTitan helped move the industry from paper to software. Supportiyo moves it from software to autonomous AI workers,” he said. The goal is not to replace people but to alleviate operational burdens, allowing humans to focus on judgment, relationships, and growth. “Home services are just the beginning. The mission stays the same as we expand: applied AI that takes responsibility for real work and delivers measurable impact,” he concluded.
According to The American Bazaar, Supportiyo is poised to make a significant impact on the home service industry by providing small businesses with the tools they need to thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape.