JDCS
The quick summary AI for tradies, in one page.
Two big drains: after-hours admin (often around 10 hours a week of repetitive quoting and invoicing) and missed calls. Most trades miss about 1 call in 3, and roughly 85% of callers who hit voicemail never ring back. Missed calls are usually the biggest leak and the cheapest to plug.
A quote that took 45 to 60 minutes can be done in 10 to 15. Snap photos and notes on site; the software drafts a tidy, priced quote you read and send. ServiceM8 (Auto-Quote, Xero-native) and Tradify suit smaller teams; simPRO and AroFlo suit larger ones. Always check the price and scope before you send.
- Missed-call text-back: an instant SMS when you can't answer, so no caller hits a dead end. Cheapest, highest-return fix in the course. Tools like ClickSend handle the SMS.
- AI receptionist: answers after-hours and weekend calls in your business's wording, takes details and books jobs. Found money while the competition goes to voicemail.
- The hard line: keep AI on calls, texts, quoting and admin only. Never on safety-critical trade work. That stays with you.
- Group jobs by area to cut drive-bys; let customers book and confirm without phone tag.
- Reminders the day before cut no-shows and wasted call-outs.
- Set recurring work (services, safety checks) to book itself: reliable income on autopilot.
- Invoice same-day from the job; let automatic reminders chase overdue accounts politely.
- Add a "pay now" link so they can tap and pay on the spot.
- Ask every happy customer for a review automatically. More reviews, higher in local search, more work.
- 1. ......................................................
- 2. ......................................................
- 3. ......................................................
One fix at a time. Plug the biggest leak first (usually missed-call text-back), prove it pays, then add the next. Small steps, real results.