Trades & home services
AI receptionist for builders
The short answer
Last updated
For builders
Stop losing site visits to tyre-kickers.
Builders spend hours on quotes that go nowhere, while real clients wait for a call back. On lead sites like Builderscrack, several builders often reply within a couple of hours, so speed matters too.
- Enquiries rarely say whether there are plans, a consent, a budget or a timeframe
- Free quotes eat into weekends and evenings
- Existing clients ring "just checking in" while you're on site
- Supplier, sub and customer calls all land on the same mobile
How FirstVoice fixes it
FirstVoice answers every enquiry fast and asks the questions that sort serious projects from price shoppers, before you drive anywhere.
- Asks the project type, and whether they have plans or a consent
- Asks for a rough budget and when they want to start
- Can text a link for photos of the site
- Books a site visit only when the job fits what you do, and texts a confirmation
- Takes progress questions from current clients and passes them to you in one summary
Try it
Ring a building business and hear it answer.
Play a customer calling Ridgeline Builders. Ask for a quote, book a job, describe something urgent, or ask if it’s a robot. It's the same setup your own callers would get, with your prices, hours and rules.
Live demo: building
Ring Ridgeline Builders, an example building business, and play a customer. Hear how Mark handles it, right here in your browser.
Try saying
- “We want a quote for a new deck”
- “We're thinking about an extension”
- “A tree came down on our fence in the storm”
Uses your microphone. Demo calls are recorded and last up to ten minutes. It never asks for card details. Ridgeline Builders is made up for the demo, and anything you book with it is pretend.
Calls we handle
Calls builders get, answered.
Answered day or night, with the caller's details sent straight to you.
- Renovation or extension enquiry
- Deck quote
- New build enquiry
- Existing client calling about progress or variations
- Subcontractor and supplier calls
- Insurance or earthquake repair work
- Leak and weathertightness repairs
Urgent calls
Escalated to you.
These don't wait for the end-of-call summary. You're told straight away.
- Structural damage after a storm, earthquake or vehicle impact.
- Safety incident on site.
- Rain getting into open works.
- Neighbour reporting a site hazard.
Software
Works with Fergus, Google Calendar, WorkflowMax (BlueRock), Xero and more.
Fergus
Books directlyYes. FirstVoice connects straight to Fergus, finds returning customers, creates the enquiry or job and books it into your Fergus calendar.
How it connects to FergusGoogle Calendar
Books directlyYes. FirstVoice connects to Google Calendar, checks when you're free and books appointments straight into your calendar during the call.
How it connects to Google CalendarWorkflowMax (BlueRock)
Syncs every callWorkflowMax's documented API lets us create leads, add job notes, and look up clients for job-costing workflows - it is explicitly not a scheduler, so bookings/appointments still need a separate calendar.
How it connects to WorkflowMax (BlueRock)Xero
Syncs every callCan create or update a Xero contact record straight from the call using Xero's public API (Xero has no scheduling/availability of its own).
How it connects to Xero
Also: Quotient, Tradify, NextMinute, Buildxact.
What a missed call is worth
Typical prices for builders in NZ.
Rules we script around
Regulations for builders.
General information, not legal advice.
What does FirstVoice do with urgent calls for builders?
It follows the urgent-call rules you set and flags those calls to you straight away, or transfers them live on Growth and Scale. For builders that usually means calls like structural damage after a storm, earthquake or vehicle impact; safety incident on site; rain getting into open works. Life-threatening emergencies are directed to 111.
Does FirstVoice work with Fergus?
Yes. FirstVoice connects straight to Fergus, finds returning customers, creates the enquiry or job and books it into your Fergus calendar. It also works with Google Calendar, WorkflowMax (BlueRock), Xero and Quotient.
How much does an AI receptionist cost for builders?
Connecting Fergus is included from Growth at $597 a month. Starter is $297 a month with calendar booking.
Free 2-week trial for builders
Try it free for two weeks, on your real calls.
We set everything up for you and connect it to your calendar and the tools you already use. Then it answers your real customers for two weeks. No credit card, nothing to pay. If it's not for you, walk away.
- 01We build it for youYour greeting, your questions, your prices and your booking rules. You don't touch a thing.
- 02Connected to your systemBookings go into your calendar or job system, and summaries come to you by text or email.
- 03Live on your real callsForward your number and it answers your customers for real, day and night, for two weeks.
- 04No card, no costYou don't pay anything for the trial. Keep it after that from $297 a month, month to month, or walk away.