AI receptionist
AI receptionist for plumbers, electricians, and trades
Answers the phone while you are on a job, books site visits and quotes, flags real emergencies, and texts you the details.
- Fixed build price
- Prototype in days
- You own it
If you are under a sink, up a ladder, or driving between jobs, you cannot answer the phone. The caller does not leave a voicemail. They ring the next number on the search results, and that job is gone.
An AI receptionist answers every call in plain speech, finds out what the job is, where it is, and how urgent it is, books a visit or a quote if you want it to, and sends you a short summary by text. You ring back the ones worth ringing back, when you have a minute.
Calls it handles
What the agent does on the phone
New job enquiries
Gets the type of job, the address and postcode, access details, photos by text if useful, and the best time to call back, then sends it to you as one tidy message.
Emergency callouts
Recognises a real emergency, such as a burst pipe or no heating for a vulnerable customer, and calls or texts you straight away instead of waiting for the summary.
Quote and survey bookings
Books a visit into your calendar or job management software, using the areas and days you cover, and confirms it with the customer by text.
Out-of-area and wrong-fit calls
Politely turns away work outside your area or outside what you do, so your callbacks are only for jobs you actually want.
Existing customer questions
When you are arriving, what to prepare, how to pay, and warranty questions, answered from information you set up once.
Safety-critical calls routed correctly
A caller who smells gas is told to leave the property and ring the National Gas Emergency number on 0800 111 999 before anything else. Safety messages like this are fixed and tested, never improvised by the AI.
In detail
Doing it properly
Why a message service is not enough
A basic answering service takes a name and number. You then have to ring back to find out the job is in a postcode you do not cover or is a two-minute fix someone else will do today. An AI receptionist asks the questions you would ask, so the message you get is enough to decide whether to call, and what to quote.
Working with your job software
If you run a job management app or a shared calendar, the agent can book quote visits into it directly where the software has an API. If you work from a paper diary or your head, it texts you the details and you confirm with the customer. Both work. The second costs less to build.
Off-the-shelf or built for you?
For a sole trader who wants calls answered and messages texted, a ready-made AI receptionist subscription for a few tens of pounds a month is the sensible choice, and we will say so. A custom build pays off for firms with several engineers, a job management system, emergency rotas, or call volumes where per-call pricing adds up.
FAQ
Trades and home services questions
Can it tell a real emergency from a routine job?
Yes, using rules you set: what counts as an emergency for your trade, and who to alert. Safety-critical cases such as a gas smell always get a fixed, tested safety message first, and the AI never improvises safety advice.
Will it book jobs into my calendar?
If you use a calendar or job management software with an API, it can book quote visits directly using the areas and days you cover. Otherwise it texts you the details and you confirm.
Can I keep my mobile number?
Yes. You set your phone to forward calls you do not answer to the AI receptionist. Customers keep ringing the same number and you can still pick up when you are free.
How much does it cost for a small trade business?
For a sole trader, a ready-made subscription is often enough, typically tens of pounds a month. A custom build has a fixed build price plus usage costs per minute of calls, and makes sense for firms with several engineers or software to connect to.
Next step
Stop missing calls
Tell us how many calls you get, when you miss them, and which systems you use. You get a written plan, a fixed build price, and an estimated monthly running cost before anything is built.
Usually within one working day