Connect local inquiries to a business ready to respond.

A clearer route from customer interest to useful work.

The proposed engagement brings three connected parts into one reviewable plan. A business-owned campaign and a disclosed referral network are different arrangements; neither should be disguised as the other.

Adaptiv Stratum builds the application logic and integrations around the agreed operation. Third-party advertising, telecommunications, voice and cloud services remain part of the system; an in-house application is not ownership of those underlying networks.

Why the route to the customer matters.

A local service request can first reach a marketplace or a larger service group, not the independent business that eventually performs the work. Angi's service-professional FAQ describes matching requests with multiple professionals and does not guarantee the amount of work generated. A paid introduction can be useful, but it is not a customer or a completed job.

Claims about sourcing deserve scrutiny. In April 2023, the FTC finalized a HomeAdvisor consent order settling allegations about lead marketing, with up to $7.2 million in redress and restrictions on misleading claims. This is historical context, not a claim about every provider or its current practices.

A marketplace that supplies introductions is also different from a group that owns service companies. Oak Hill's November 2022 Wrench Group announcement documents investment and a digital-growth strategy. It is not a statement of current ownership or scale, and ownership alone does not establish service quality. The practical questions are who controls acquisition, who receives the inquiry and what the arrangement costs.

From discovery to an accountable handoff.

1. Define the work and the represented business

   Agree service areas, accepted work, exclusions, hours and response capacity. A business-branded advertisement represents that business. A referral site must disclose that it connects callers with participating providers, not impersonate a contractor or invent a local office.

2. Establish the facts that affect the response

   Gather the service, actual service location, timing and whether this is a new or existing-customer matter. Google's geographic targeting uses signals and is not perfectly accurate; an advertising location setting is not proof that a caller is within the service area.

3. Apply the approved connection rules

   For a disclosed network, only eligible participating businesses can be considered under the agreed hours, availability and priorities. For a business-branded call, preserve the represented business and channel restrictions. A missed call is not permission to send its customer to an unrelated competitor.

4. Record what happened and what remains open

   A connection attempt, an accepted handoff and an actual connection are separate events. If no eligible destination can be reached, use only an approved alternate or clearly explained message process. Do not invent a fallback, promise dispatch or describe an attempt as an appointment.

See the intelligent call-routing explanation for the boundaries between conversation, business rules and authorized handoffs.

Agree ownership, representation and costs before activation.

• Financial terms: advertising spend, management fees, software and usage charges, any referral charge and exactly what qualifies as chargeable.
• Routing terms: service eligibility, priority, whether an opportunity may be shared and whether any exclusivity applies.
• Control and continuity: account access, domain and phone-number control, reporting access, export arrangements and the agreed exit process. Ownership is documented, not assumed.
• Customer information: who collects it, who receives it, why it is shared and how repeat or existing-customer calls are handled.

A star average is not enough to qualify a provider for every request. Proposed screening considers relevant experience, review history, licensing or insurance where applicable, actual service coverage and response capability. Claims such as highly rated, reviewed or verified need a documented meaning. Paid participation is disclosed, not treated as proof of quality.

Measure the outcome, not just the activity.

Illustration, not a market-rate estimate: a $2,000 campaign producing 20 inquiries has a $100 cost per inquiry. If five attributable new-customer jobs are completed, acquisition cost is $400 per completed job before performing the work. Whether that is worthwhile depends on job value, margin and attribution quality.

Advertising, software and telecommunications still cost money. We do not promise a lead volume, ranking, acquisition cost or return. The reporting scope and available evidence should support a decision about what deserves continued investment.

Start with a bounded, validated implementation.

Review the current customer sources, desired work, service area and capacity. Confirm channel rules, participating businesses, account responsibilities and commercial terms. Then test representative inquiries, ineligible requests, unavailable recipients and failure handling before agreed activation.

Screening criteria, campaign scope, integrations, routing features, ownership arrangements and partner availability must be confirmed for that engagement. A limited rollout can be reviewed before any expansion; the page and an available login screen do not activate a service.

Sources and market context.

1. Angi Leads - Service Professional FAQs. Provider's description of advertising, multiple-professional matching, and lead fees; reviewed September 6, 2026.
2. Google Ads - About advanced location options. Geographic targeting and accuracy limitations; reviewed September 6, 2026.
3. Federal Trade Commission - Final HomeAdvisor consent order announcement. April 21, 2023.
4. Oak Hill, Wrench Group investment announcement (2022). November 9, 2022; historical ownership and footprint context, not a statement of current scale.
5. Google - Third-party advertising policies. Transparency and account-management requirements; reviewed September 6, 2026.
6. Google - Local Services Ads requirements. Lead-selling and representation restrictions; reviewed September 6, 2026.

External sources document market examples and platform rules, not Adaptiv Stratum's capabilities or performance. Historical examples are identified as such. Named organizations do not endorse this service.