Call answering
Under a sink when the phone rings? Don't lose the job.
AI call answering for your business, whatever software you use. I choose a UK answering service, write the wording for your trade, set it up and test it on your number.
Example call
08:12 · Call coming in
Boiler banging, PO19
You are on a job. The phone answers using your greeting and rules.
Message ready
Mrs Hart · Call back
Name, postcode and job details sent to your phone, email or job software.
Example only. Your wording, your hours, your rules.
Sound familiar?
The phone rings at the wrong time
On the roof
You see the missed call at 4pm. By then they have rung someone else.
An empty voicemail
A beep, then silence. You never find out what the job was.
Evenings and weekends
Customers ring when they are home. You are off, and so is your phone.
What can be set up
A call answered, a message you can use
If you already use ServiceM8, its own Phone Agent is the best fit: calls land on your job cards. Otherwise, I set up a ready-made UK AI answering service and send messages to your phone, email or job software. I match the service to how you work and test the features you need.
- Answers in business hours, after hours or when nobody picks up
- Takes the name, number, postcode and job details
- Answers the questions you have given it
- Can text a link to your booking form
- Can pass urgent calls to you and filter sales calls
- Sends a message to your phone, email or job software
Example call
From a ring to a call back
1. You are on a job
You don't pick up, so your phone sends the call on to the agent.
2. The agent answers
It gives your greeting, says it is an assistant and tells the caller the call is recorded.
3. It takes the details
Mrs Hart says her boiler is banging. It asks for her name, number, postcode and when it started.
4. It explains the next step
It only gives a time or price if you have told it to. Your rules decide what it can promise.
5. You check the message
You get the details on your phone, by email or in your job software, then call her back.
Call answering
Set-up quoted first. Monthly running costs.
Call answering set-up
from £395
I choose and set up a UK AI answering service to suit how you work. A fixed quote before I start.
- Your greeting and wording for your trade
- Up to 15 common questions and up to three answering modes
- Recording notice and rules for urgent calls
- Your phone set to send missed calls to the agent, done with you
- About ten test calls before it goes live
- One review of the first week's calls and a round of fixes
Optional
Call check
from £30 a month
Up to 20 minutes a month of checking call summaries and fixing the instructions. I tell you what callers asked that it could not answer. Bigger changes are quoted first. Month to month.
You can keep using the set-up without this check.
I'm not VAT registered, so there's no VAT to add.
If something I set up doesn't work as agreed, I put it right free for 30 days after handover.
Monthly running costs: You also pay the answering service each month, on your own account. Most cost about £25 to £100 a month for a small trade, depending on how many calls you get. I tell you the exact cost for your set-up before you agree to anything.
If you use ServiceM8, its Phone plan with the agent is £25 a month for 500 minutes, then 3p a minute, on top of your software plan (November 2026).
Moving a number across fully, rather than diverting it, is quoted separately. If your booking form needs extra work, I quote that first too.
Before I start
What you need
I check your number and agree the call handling with you before I start.
- A phone number you can divert
- About 30 minutes to go through your common questions
- Your rules for urgent calls
Honest limits
A phone call still needs your judgement
Tested before you switch it on
I check your answering service, number and devices first, then test the agreed call types with you before it goes live.
It can mishear names and postcodes. I check the first week's calls with you and fix the wording where needed.
Your prices. Your rules.
It will not give prices or promise a booking time unless you have told it to. Urgent transfers depend on your phone being available.
It is not an emergency service. I include instructions to tell callers in immediate danger to ring 999. It handles incoming calls, not sales calls out.
Questions
Questions about call answering
Does it sound like a robot?
It sounds like a computer voice, and it tells callers it is an assistant. You choose its name and wording. I write the wording to suit your trade.
What if it gets something wrong?
It can mishear a name or postcode. I show you how to check the call details in your answering service. In the first week I review the calls with you and fix the instructions. If something I set up doesn't work as agreed, I put it right free for 30 days after handover.
Do callers have to be told it is recorded?
Every call the agent answers is recorded. I set up a line at the start telling callers, and give you wording for your website privacy notice. You and I agree how long you keep recordings before it goes live.
Do I need ServiceM8?
No. If you use ServiceM8 I can use its own phone agent so calls land on your job cards. If not, I set up a separate answering service and send each message to your phone, email or job software.
What does it cost each month?
You also pay the answering service each month, on your own account. Most cost about £25 to £100 a month for a small trade, depending on how many calls you get. I tell you the exact cost for your set-up before you agree to anything. If you use ServiceM8, its Phone plan with the agent is £25 a month for 500 minutes, then 3p a minute, on top of your software plan (November 2026). My optional Call check is from £30 a month for up to 20 minutes of checking and fixes. Bigger changes are quoted first. Month to month.
Can I keep my number?
Yes. Your mobile or office phone has a call divert setting, usually 'divert when busy or not answered'. You point it at your answering service number, so customers still ring the number they know and the agent picks up when you don't. I set it up with you and test it. Some providers charge for diverted calls, so I check your plan first. Moving a number across fully takes longer and I quote that before I start.
Can I do this myself?
Yes. Answering services have their own set-up guides. I do it for owners who would rather be on the tools: the wording for your trade, the test calls and the first week checked.
Next step
Missed calls cost real jobs. Let me look at yours.
I will tell you plainly if it is worth it for a firm your size.