AI Receptionist for trades
A tradie answering service that books the job, not just a message.
You cannot answer the phone from under a sink or up a ladder. A managed AI receptionist picks up, qualifies the job, books approved work and texts you the details, so the caller does not ring the next tradie on the list.
In short
A tradie answering service takes calls when you are on the tools. Most take a message. A managed AI receptionist can go further: ask what the job is, check it is within your service area and the work you do, book approved job types into your diary and send you a summary before you are back at the van.
It works within rules you set. Complex quotes and anything it is unsure about stay with you.
- Answers while you are on the job, overflow and after hours.
- Qualifies by job type, location and urgency, so you are not chasing work you do not take.
- Books approved work directly, or captures a complete callback request.
- From A$390 a month, with a 14-day pilot and no management fee while you test it.
Hear it first
Call the demo line and talk to the AI receptionist yourself. A demonstration, not a business line.
Why a missed call costs a tradie more than most
A caller with a leaking tap or a dead switchboard usually rings several businesses. The first one to answer tends to get the job. Voicemail loses a lot of those calls, because people with an urgent problem do not wait for a callback.
The number that matters is yours: how many calls you miss each week, how many were genuine enquiries and what an average job is worth. The missed-call cost calculator turns your own figures into a monthly estimate.
What it handles for a trades business
- Answers when you are on a job, driving, or after hours.
- Asks the right questions: what the problem is, where the job is and how urgent it is.
- Checks the request against the services and suburbs you cover.
- Books approved job types into the availability you set.
- Texts or emails you a clean summary: name, number, address, job and urgency.
- Escalates emergencies and anything outside its remit under rules you agree up front.
Built for plumbers, electricians, builders and other service trades
The set-up is built around how your business actually takes work: which jobs you accept, what you do not do, where you travel and how you want urgent calls handled. A plumber, an electrician and a landscaper each get their own call flow rather than a generic template.
Booking is limited to approved services, areas and availability. It will not quote a complex job or commit you to a price unless you have approved that.
How it compares with a traditional answering service
A traditional answering service is a person taking a message, usually priced per call or per minute. It is a good fit if all you need is a message passed on.
A managed AI receptionist can book the job as well, is not limited by a roster, and is supervised by us. The flip side is that it works best when your job types and service area are clear, which we settle with you before it goes live.
How it works
From first conversation to live calls.
- 01
Talk it through
A free 30-minute conversation with Alban about your calls, your team and what a good outcome looks like. No obligation.
- 02
Agree the rules
We set the services, areas, hours, approved answers and escalation rules the receptionist works within. Anything outside them goes to your team.
- 03
Run a 14-day live pilot
Your first 14 live days carry no management fee. You pay actual call usage at cost, so you can judge it on real calls.
- 04
Keep, adjust or stop
Choose the plan that fits what the pilot showed. Each month we review calls, fix what needs fixing and report what happened.
Pricing
Start small, or start with booking.
Choose how much the receptionist does. Begin with message capture as a safety net, or go straight to callbacks and direct booking. You see the plan and price in writing before anything is agreed.
From A$390 a month
Message capture
Collects the caller's name, number and message and notifies you straight away.
Callback
Qualifies the job and sends you an actionable callback request, including after hours.
Self-booking
Books approved job types into your diary, with a callback as the fallback.
Guaranteed
Self-booking, priority support, monthly optimisation and the outcome guarantee.
- All prices are in Australian dollars. Excelsior AI is not currently registered for GST.
- Each plan includes a monthly allowance of voice minutes. Extra minutes are A$0.35 each.
- There is no separate set-up fee; implementation is covered by the monthly fee. Initial terms run 6 to 12 months depending on the plan, then month to month.
- The top plan carries an outcome guarantee: if fewer than 80% of eligible calls produce a useful outcome in a month (with at least 30 eligible calls), the following month's management fee is credited, up to twice in a 12-month term. Full terms are in the written agreement.
What is it costing you?
Run the maths in ten seconds.
Missed calls quietly become lost customers. Drag two sliders to see the lifetime value going to voicemail each month.
Free tool
What are missed calls costing you?
Two sliders. A live answer.
Total revenue a typical customer brings over the years, not one job.
Lost
$5,196 /month
in customer lifetime value. About $2,598 of it is profit.
Test every assumption in the full calculatorExample for trades & home services: 50% of missed calls genuine, you win 30%, 50% margin. Placeholders, not a forecast.
FAQ
Questions.
What is a tradie answering service?
A service that answers your calls when you cannot, so customers are not sent to voicemail. Traditional services take messages. A managed AI receptionist can also qualify the job and book approved work.
Can it book jobs straight into my diary?
On the self-booking and guaranteed plans, yes, for the job types, areas and availability you approve. Where it cannot book, it takes a complete callback request instead.
What about emergencies?
Urgent and emergency calls are handled under escalation rules we agree with you before go-live, such as ringing your mobile or giving the caller your on-call details.
Will it quote jobs?
Not complex ones. Quotes, prices and commitments stay with you unless you approve something specific, such as a standard call-out or inspection booking.
I only get a few calls a week. Is it worth it?
Possibly not yet. Use the missed-call cost calculator with your own numbers. If the estimate is small, the honest answer is to wait.
How much does it cost?
Plans for trades start at A$390 a month. Your first 14 live days carry no management fee, and you pay actual call usage at cost.
Keep exploring
Related.
By Alban de Vaucorbeil, Geelong. Reviewed . Guidance, not a guarantee of results.
Be the tradie who answers.
A free 30-minute conversation about your calls and jobs. If an AI receptionist is not worth it for you yet, Alban will tell you.
For established, multi-employee businesses.