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Intact Media

Tradies

AI receptionist and missed call text back for NZ tradies.

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Plumber under a kitchen sink with hands full while a phone lights up on the floor beside the toolbox

Tradies

The problem we see most

Trade businesses live on the phone, but the person who answers is usually the person doing the work. You can't pick up with a grinder in your hand, on a roof or in a client's ceiling space, and by the time you call back on your break, the customer has booked someone else.

Hiring an office person is a big step for a one to five person crew. A connected AI receptionist and text back setup covers the gap for a fraction of the cost, and it works at 7 pm when the hot water cylinder fails.

Three situations, and what changes

  • 01

    On the tools all day

    Calls come in while you're mid-job. You see three missed calls at lunch and no idea which are urgent.

    With automation

    The AI answers, finds out what the job is and where, and texts you a one-line summary. Urgent ones are put straight through.

  • 02

    After-hours emergencies

    Burst pipes, no power, a leaking roof in a storm. The first tradie who answers wins the job.

    With automation

    After hours, the receptionist handles the call, applies your emergency rules and either books a callout or pages your on-call phone.

  • 03

    Quotes that go quiet

    You spend an evening pricing a job, send it, and never hear back. Chasing feels awkward and gets forgotten.

    With automation

    Automatic, polite follow-ups at day two, five and ten stop the moment the customer replies or accepts.

Example maths

Worked example: a three-person plumbing business

Ten missed calls a week at a 30% booking rate is three jobs. At $480 each that is about $1,440 a week, or roughly $6,200 a month of work that might have gone to a competitor. If a text back and AI receptionist win back even a third of that, the system has a strong case. Example numbers only. Use the missed call calculator with your own figures.

Missed calls a week
10
Share that would have booked
30%
Average job value
$480

Example inputs, not client results.

Works with the tools you already use

We work alongside the job management and accounting tools NZ trades already use. Some connect directly, some through an automation layer, and we confirm what is possible for your account before we build anything.

Product names are trademarks of their owners. We are not affiliated with them.

  • ServiceM8

    Job management popular with NZ trades

  • Tradify

    Quoting, scheduling and invoicing

  • Fergus

    Job management built in NZ

  • Simpro

    For larger trade and service teams

  • Xero

    Accounting and invoices

  • MYOB

    Accounting and payroll

What does the AI say when it answers?

Something like: "Kia ora, you've reached Ridgeline Plumbing. I'm the AI assistant, the team are out on jobs. Is this an emergency, or would you like to book a time?" It then asks for the address, what the problem is and a good time, and books a quote visit or callout based on your rules.

Can it give prices?

Only the way you want it to. Many tradies are happy for it to quote a fixed callout fee or say "quotes are free for jobs in our area", but not to price custom work. We write that language with you.

What about my apprentices and subbies?

Calls and texts can be routed to the right person based on job type or area, and everyone sees the same customer history in the CRM app. No more "who spoke to this customer?"

Services for tradies

FAQ

Tradies: common questions

Ask us something else
Will it work with my mobile?

Yes. Your mobile forwards calls you don't answer after a few rings. Customers keep calling the number on your van.

Does it work with ServiceM8 or Tradify?

Bookings land in your calendar and CRM. Pushing jobs into ServiceM8, Tradify or Fergus is often possible through their integrations or an automation tool. We test it for your account first and tell you exactly what will and won't sync.

Can it tell an emergency from a routine job?

Yes. We set keywords and questions that define an emergency for your trade, and what should happen: live transfer, an urgent text to you, or an after-hours callout booking.

What if a customer just wants to talk to me?

The AI offers to take a message or book a callback, and you get the details instantly. Nobody is forced to talk to a bot.

Is it worth it for a one-person business?

Often it suits solo operators best, because nobody else is there to answer the phone. Start with missed call text back, then add the AI receptionist if call volume justifies it.

Find out where your leads are slipping through.

Answer a few quick questions, one at a time, about how calls, messages, quotes and bookings move through your business. You get an automatic summary of where automation could help, as a starting point. No obligation, no hard sell.

Get a free process audit See how we work