AI for trades and home services
When you are on a job, you cannot reply to a quote request or answer website questions. The next firm on the list can. We set up AI that answers enquiries on your website, sorts the emergencies from the quotes, and chases the paperwork you never get round to.
Your business
Website assistant, replies instantly
Do you cover my area?
I can help with that. Could I take your name and email, so the team can confirm the details for you?
Sure, it’s Sam, sam@example.com
Thanks, Sam. I’ve passed this to the team, and they’ll reply first thing tomorrow.
Enquiry captured and sent to the team
The problem
Most tradespeople don't lose jobs on price. They lose them because nobody got back in time.
You're under a sink, on a roof or driving between jobs. The phone rings and goes to voicemail. Plenty of callers won't leave a message. They just ring the next number.
A form says "need a new boiler, please call". You ring back three times to find out the address, the current boiler and when they're free. Then the quote sits in a notebook until Sunday night.
A flooded kitchen and someone asking about a garden wall next spring arrive the same way. You can't tell which needs you now until you listen to every voicemail.
You send a quote and hear nothing. You mean to follow up but there's always another job. Reviews never get asked for either, even from happy customers.
What we set up
We have a separate page on the Website Chatbot. This page covers the full set, because the website is only one way work comes in.
Automation
Fixed quote
It answers website enquiries day and night. It asks what the problem is and flags anything urgent, so you get an email straight away and can decide whether to down tools.
Website Chatbot
Price on application
It answers questions about your services, areas covered and how you work. Then it gathers the details for a quote: postcode, type of job, rough size and when they'd like it done. If it doesn't know, it says so.
Integrations
Fixed quote
Calls, chats and enquiries from sites like Checkatrade or MyBuilder can land in one place. We can connect to the system you already use, where it allows integrations (an API). Common examples are Tradify, ServiceM8, Fergus and Powered Now.
Integrations
Fixed quote
When you mark a job as finished, a thank-you and review request goes out. Annual reminders can go to past customers for things like boiler services or gutter clears.
AI training
One-off
A live remote session built on your own quotes, enquiries and reviews. We show you how to turn rough site notes into a clear written quote. You keep the prompt library afterwards.
Day and night
Answered from your own information, by chat or by phone. Anything it cannot answer comes to you.
With it running
This is an illustration of how it might work for a small plumbing and heating firm.
A landlord messages on your website late at night about a tenant with no hot water. The chatbot takes the address and tenant's number and marks it Urgent. You read the alert over breakfast and fit it in before your first job.
Someone asks the chatbot about a new boiler. It checks the postcode is in your area and asks what they have now. It collects photos and books a survey for Friday morning.
The lead and photos are waiting in your job software.
A quote you sent last week gets a polite follow-up email. Two customers whose jobs you closed this week get review requests. You didn't have to remember any of it.
Built carefully
It handles enquiries and admin. The trade itself, and anything about safety, stays with you.
Your questions answered
A website chatbot for a plumber or electrician answers questions on the firm's website when the tradesperson can't reply, such as when they are on a job or driving. It asks the visitor what the problem is, takes the address and contact details, and sorts the enquiry by how urgent it is. The tradesperson then gets a summary straight away and can decide whether to call back now or later. Automation, such as a missed-call text-back, can point callers to the website too. It does not replace the tradesperson's judgement, but it makes sure the enquiry isn't lost.
Read our guide: What can an AI website assistant do for a small business?
A website chatbot can flag emergency enquiries for a plumber, but it should pass them on rather than deal with them itself. Using rules the plumber sets, it can mark enquiries such as a burst pipe, a flood or no heating for an elderly person as an emergency and alert the plumber at once. It should not talk the visitor through any repair. If a visitor says they smell gas, it should tell them to ring the National Gas Emergency number, 0800 111 999, straight away. The plumber still decides whether to take the job.
A website chatbot can save tradespeople time, because it answers the same first questions every time and does more than take a message. It can ask the questions the tradesperson would ask, sort emergencies from routine jobs and pass on requests for site visits. It works on the website, not the phone, so it suits customers who would rather type than ring. Automation can send each enquirer an instant reply and add the job to one list. The right choice depends on how many enquiries come in and how much detail is needed before calling back.
Read our guide: How much does AI automation cost for a small business?
Most customers contacting a tradesperson mainly want their details taken and a quick callback, so many don't mind using an AI chatbot. What annoys people more is no reply, a form that goes nowhere or being asked the same thing twice. It is best for the chatbot to say it is an automated assistant, answer in the firm's name and keep the questions short. Some customers will still want a person, so the summary should reach the tradesperson quickly. A prompt callback matters more than who answered first.
Read our guide: How to use AI for customer service without annoying your customers
A website chatbot can work with trade job software such as Tradify, ServiceM8, Fergus or Powered Now where the software allows integrations through an API. With a link in place, a new chat or form enquiry can create a lead or job with the customer's details already filled in. Where a direct link isn't available, tools like Zapier or Make, or a simple email in a set format, can do a similar job. It is worth checking what your own software and plan support before choosing a setup.
Read our guide: Zapier, Make or a custom integration: which should a small business use?
No, an AI chatbot should not give quotes for trade jobs it hasn't seen, because the price depends on things only a site visit or photos can show. It can share fixed charges the tradesperson chooses to publish, such as a callout fee or a day rate. For everything else, it should collect the details needed to price the job: postcode, type of work, rough size, photos and timing. The tradesperson can then send a proper quote quickly. AI can also help turn rough site notes into a clear written quote.
Read our guide: AI for quotes and proposals: how to price and quote work faster
A website chatbot can be used by a small trade business under UK GDPR if visitors are told how their details are used and the data is kept secure. Trade firms collect names, addresses and phone numbers, and sometimes details about tenants or vulnerable people, so care is needed. The firm should mention the chatbot and how conversations are logged in its privacy notice, and check the provider's data storage and processing terms. Conversation logs should only be kept as long as they are needed. The ICO's website has guidance for small businesses.
Read our guide: AI and GDPR: what UK small businesses must know before using AI tools
How it starts
A managed service. We build it, connect it and keep it tuned.
We talk through how work comes in now: calls, your website, Facebook, Checkatrade or word of mouth. We agree what counts as an emergency for you.
We teach the tools your services, areas, hours and the questions you always ask. We set which calls wake you up and which can wait.
Where your job software or calendar allows it, we link it up. The Website Chatbot is usually live within a few weeks.
Everything goes live. You get texts, a monthly call report and recordings, and we adjust things as you go.
FAQ
Keep reading
Websites and marketing for the same businesses, related sectors, and our guides to AI in practice.
External sites open in a new tab. We link to regulators, trade bodies and primary sources only.
Next step
Tell us how enquiries reach you today. We will suggest one clear first step and give you a fixed price.
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