AI for tradies: missed calls, quotes and follow-ups

What can AI take off your plate this week?

Five jobs, in rough order of how quickly they pay back your time:

• Missed calls. A text goes back automatically, or an AI answers and takes the details.
• Quote drafts. Your rough notes become a tidy scope description for you to price and check.
• Follow-ups. A polite message to someone who has not replied to a quote.
• Review replies. A draft thank-you, or a calm response to a complaint.
• Scheduling. Suggested times based on who is free.

A lot of this now sits inside job management apps built for trades. As one documented example, ServiceM8's AI page describes an AI phone agent, quote and invoice drafting, reply suggestions for client messages and scheduling suggestions. We have not tested it hands-on and it is not the only option. Check the app you already use first, because it may have similar features.

None of this replaces your licence, your eye on site or your word to the customer.

How do missed-call text-back and call answering work?

There are two levels.

Missed-call text-back is the simple one. When you do not pick up, the caller automatically gets a text. For example: 'Sorry we missed you, we are on a job. Reply with your suburb and what you need and we will call back today.' It is a rule, not really AI, and it is often enough.

AI call answering goes further. The AI picks up, asks what the job is, takes details and can pass urgent calls to you. ServiceM8's help centre, for example, describes modes for business hours, after hours and voicemail replacement, with transfers for emergencies.

Before you switch either on:

• Write down what counts as urgent, such as a burst pipe or no power.
• Make sure the AI says it is an AI assistant and whether the call is recorded.
• Ring it yourself from a noisy site and see how it copes.

Our guide to AI receptionists for small business covers privacy, handover and cost questions in detail.

Can AI draft a quote from job notes and photos?

It can draft the words. You supply the price and the judgement.

From notes: you dictate or type what you saw, and the AI turns it into a clear scope description. ServiceM8 says its quoting feature uses the job card and your job history to generate a draft quote, and that you can dictate notes by voice. Other job apps and general chat assistants can do a similar tidy-up of rough notes.

From photos: general AI assistants can describe what is visible in a photo, which can help you write up a job later. They cannot measure accurately, see inside a wall or roof space, or judge compliance. The trade software page we read does not describe an AI photo feature, so do not assume your app has one.

Keep these rules:

• Never send an AI-priced quote without checking it line by line.
• Add your own exclusions and assumptions.
• Leave customer names and addresses out of public chat tools. The OAIC recommends this as best practice.

How do you follow up quotes without annoying people?

Most tradies do not follow up at all, because there is no time. AI helps by drafting the message, and your job app or calendar can remind you to send it.

A good follow-up is short and useful. For example: 'Hi Sam, just checking you received the quote for the deck repair. Happy to answer any questions or adjust the scope. No rush.' One follow-up a few days after the quote, and perhaps one more a week later, is plenty.

Keep the difference between a follow-up and marketing clear. Replying about a quote someone asked for is part of the job. Sending promotions to past customers is marketing, and Australia's spam rules apply. The ACMA says you must have consent, identify your business and make it easy to unsubscribe, and that unsubscribe requests must be honoured within 5 working days.

So do not load every old customer into an automatic SMS blast. Ask permission first, and always include a way to opt out.

Should AI reply to your Google reviews?

It can draft them. You should read and post them yourself.

Replies matter because they are public. Google's help page on replying to reviews notes that the person who wrote the review is notified when you reply.

For a good review, ask AI for a short, specific thank-you that mentions the job. For a bad one, ask for a calm draft that acknowledges the problem and invites the customer to call. Then check the facts and take out anything defensive. Do not include details about the customer's home or job that they did not share publicly.

There is a firm line here. The ACCC states it is against the law for a business to create fake or misleading reviews or arrange for others to do so. Never use AI to write reviews of your own business, and do not offer rewards only for positive ones.

If reviews and search visibility are a priority, our SEO service covers your Google Business Profile.

A worked example: a plumber's Tuesday

This is an illustration, not a client result.

For example, a plumber could be under a house at 10 am when two calls come in. The first caller gets the missed-call text and replies with 'leaking tap, Carlton, any day this week'. The second call goes to the AI assistant. The caller says water is coming through the ceiling. That matches the written urgent rule, so the call transfers to the plumber's mobile.

At lunch he dictates notes from the morning job: replaced a section of copper under the bathroom, access was tight, recommend replacing the old flexi hoses. The app turns that into a tidy description. He adds the price, an exclusion for tiling and sends it.

Before knocking off, he approves two drafted follow-ups for last week's quotes and a thank-you reply to a new review.

He typed very little. He still made every decision about price, urgency and what was promised.

When should you leave AI out of it?

Some things stay with you.

• Safety and compliance. Certificates, test results and anything your licence depends on. AI can state wrong information confidently, as the ACSC warns.
• Emergencies. Gas, fire, live electrical faults and flooding need a person, and 000 when there is danger.
• Pricing complex work sight unseen.
• Disputes about money or workmanship. Pick up the phone.
• Anything where you would need to paste in a customer's personal details.

Also skip it if you only get a few enquiries a week. A saved text template will do.

Be realistic about limits. AI will mishear a suburb now and then, and a drafted quote can miss something obvious to you. It saves typing. It does not save you from checking.

If you want this set up around the way you already work, see our AI automation service or ask us a question.

Common questions