# An AI Receptionist That Answers Every Call You Miss on the Tools > AI receptionist for Australian tradies. Answers after hours and on the tools, triages urgency, texts back missed calls and books jobs into your software. Canonical page (authoritative, may be newer than this text): https://www.ential.com/ai-receptionist-for-tradies --- Ential sets up an AI receptionist for trade businesses across Australia. It picks up when you can't, works as an after hours answering service and a daytime backup, sorts the burst pipe from the quote request, takes the details and books the job into your calendar or job management software. Answers after hours, on weekends and while you're up a ladder Texts back every missed call with a link for the address and photos Hands emergencies to whoever is on call tonight Learn more See it on a real job Works with the tools you already run ServiceM8 simPRO Jobber Tradify AroFlo Fergus Google Calendar Illustrative example. Yours is built on your rates, your wording and your approval points. ## The Phone Rings When Your Hands Are Full You can't answer a call from a roof, under a house or halfway through a switchboard. The office shuts at 5. The customer with water coming through the ceiling rings the next number on Google. ### Calls Go to Voicemail While You Work Plenty of callers won't leave a message. They hang up and try someone else, and all you see is a missed number when you climb down. ### After Hours Calls Have Nowhere to Go Evening and weekend calls are often the urgent ones. Without cover they wait until morning, or ring your personal phone at dinner. ### Urgent and Routine Calls Look the Same A missed call about a burst pipe and a missed call about a quote for next month look identical on your screen. You can't tell which to ring back first. ### Details Get Lost Between the Call and the Job Addresses, access notes and what the customer actually said end up on a docket or in your head. Someone has to type it all in later. ## How the AI Receptionist Handles a Call Step 1 ### It Answers in Your Business Name The assistant picks up with your greeting and sounds like your business. It tells callers it is your assistant, so nobody wonders who picked up. Step 2 ### It Works Out How Urgent the Job Is It asks the triage questions you set. Is water still running? Is anyone without power? Anything that matches your emergency rules goes to your on-call person straight away. Step 3 ### It Collects the Job Details Name, address, access and the problem in the customer's words, plus photos sent through an SMS link. It never quotes a price you haven't given it. Step 4 ### It Books the Job or Hands It Over Routine work goes into the open slots in your calendar or job management software. Anything outside your rules lands on your phone to approve. ## What Changes When Every Call Gets Answered ### Every Missed Call Gets a Text Back If a call drops or rings out, the caller gets a text from your business number with a link to send the address, the problem and photos. ### Emergencies Reach the Person on Call Burst pipes, power outages and roof leaks in a storm go to whoever is rostered on, with the address and notes already attached. ### Quote Requests Arrive Ready to Price Scope, photos, access notes and any measurements the customer knows come through as a single job record instead of a rambling voicemail. ### Your Calendar Fills Without Phone Tag Routine bookings go into the slots you have opened, and the customer gets a confirmation text with the day and arrival window. ### After Hours Calls Stop Landing on Your Mobile Evening and weekend calls are answered and sorted, so you only get the calls that can't wait until morning. ### Callers Hear Your Business Name and Your Script The greeting, the questions and the tone follow the way you already talk to customers. You approve the script before it goes live. ## Set Up for Your Trade [Roofers](/industries/roofers) [Painters](/industries/painters) [Builders](/industries/builders) [Plumbers](/industries/plumbers) [Electricians](/industries/electricians) [Pool Care Businesses](/industries/pool-care) [Cleaning Services](/industries/cleaning-services) [Pest Control Businesses](/industries/pest-control) [Carpenters](/industries/carpenters) [Handyman Services](/industries/handyman-services) [Mechanics](/industries/mechanics) [Fencing Contractors](/industries/fencing) [Landscapers](/industries/landscaping) [Air Conditioning Businesses](/industries/air-conditioning) [Solar Panel Installers](/industries/solar-panel-installers) [Lawn and Garden Care](/industries/lawn-and-garden-care) [Pressure Cleaning Businesses](/industries/pressure-cleaning) [Window Cleaning Businesses](/industries/window-cleaning) [Carpet Cleaning Businesses](/industries/carpet-cleaning) [Asbestos Removal Businesses](/industries/asbestos-removal) [Renovation Businesses](/industries/renovations) [Tiling Businesses](/industries/tilers) [Concreting Businesses](/industries/concreters) [Skip Bin Businesses](/industries/skip-bins) [Earthmoving Contractors](/industries/earthmoving) [Locksmiths](/industries/locksmiths) [Glaziers](/industries/glaziers) ## AI Receptionist FAQs ### Is this an AI receptionist for tradies, or a general answering service? It is an answering service for tradies, set up with your business name, your service area and your call rules. Unlike a message service, it asks the questions a plumber or sparky would ask, works out how urgent the job is and books it into your job software. ### Will callers know they are talking to an AI answering service? It sounds like your business, but it doesn't pretend to be a person. The assistant says up front that it is your assistant, then gets on with taking the job details. ### How does AI phone answering handle an emergency call at night? You decide what counts as an emergency. When a call matches, the assistant takes the address and key details, then passes the call or a summary to whoever is on call. The customer is told what happens next and who will call them back. ### How does missed call text back work? If a call rings out or the caller hangs up, they get a text from your business number. It says who they reached and includes a link to send their address, the problem and photos. The reply lands in your job software or on your phone. ### Does it work with ServiceM8, simPRO, Jobber or Tradify? We connect to the tools you already run, including ServiceM8, simPRO, Jobber, Tradify, AroFlo and Fergus. We confirm the integration path for your account during the audit, before anything is built. ## More Jobs to Hand Over [AI QuotingTalk the job through as you leave site and a draft quote comes back to your phone to check.](/ai-quoting-for-tradies) [Quote Follow-upA quote with no reply can still turn into a job.](/quote-follow-up-automation) [Job SchedulingRain on Thursday means outdoor jobs to move, customers to tell and a crew to reshuffle before 7 am.](/job-scheduling-automation) [Owner ReportingYou shouldn't need to log into 3 systems on a Sunday night to know how the week went.](/trade-business-reporting) ## You Approve Anything a Customer Sees Tell us how the business runs today and we'll show you what to hand over first. These controls are agreed in writing before anything is switched on. You set the greeting, the triage questions and what counts as an emergency It never quotes a price or promises a time you haven't approved You choose whether calls are recorded, and every call gets a written summary Pricing, scope and anything unusual go to you or your on-call person to decide Every call summary and text is logged against the customer in your job software First name Last name Email Mobile Business name What software do you use in the business? Pick all that apply. ServiceM8 simPRO Jobber Tradify AroFlo Fergus Google Calendar Buildxact Xero MYOB QuickBooks Spreadsheets or paper Something else Which AI tools have you used? Pick all that apply. ChatGPT Claude Gemini Microsoft Copilot Grok Perplexity None yet How are you using AI in the business today? Not yet Trying it for myself Using it for a few tasks Built into how we work What would you hand over first? (optional) Send my enquiry --- Ential Pty Ltd (ABN 30 408 729 275) · hello@ential.com · https://www.ential.com