AI answering service for contractors and construction companies
The AI answering service for contractors that books the estimate while you're on the job
Optimal Automations builds and runs an AI receptionist for your company, and you keep your number. Yours picks up when you are on a roof, in a trench or up a ladder. It asks what the project is, states your estimate policy and puts the visit in your calendar. It sorts suppliers and subs from customers, quotes no price you didn't write and promises no start date. Yes, it's an AI, and it says so in its opening greeting.
Free, no card, about 5 minutes. You enter your contact details, then your estimate policy and rules, and call your own AI receptionist from your browser. Andrei or Konnor may follow up.
- From $497 a month, $997 setup, month-to-month
- Live in about a week. You keep your number.
- 5 booked jobs in your first 30 days live, or month 2 is free Conditions apply.
- Customer
- Dana
- Project
- Kitchen remodel, open to dining room
- Size
- About 12 by 14 ft
- Home
- Owned, two decision-makers
- Wants to start
- Spring
- Permit, claim
- Permit unsure, no claim, 1 other bid
- Address
- 92 Linden Ave
- Estimate visit
- Tue 10:00am, free, with Sam
What is an AI answering service for contractors?
An AI answering service for contractors is an AI voice assistant that answers the calls you can't take, asks what the project is, states your estimate policy and books the estimate visit on your calendar. It quotes no price you didn't write. Fire, gas, carbon monoxide and medical emergency calls get fixed 911 messages, and the call ends.
- It states the estimate policy you set and quotes no price you didn't write. You price the project after you see it.
- It sorts customers from suppliers, subcontractors, past clients and sales pitches before it asks a project question.
- The greeting says it is an AI assistant and that the call is recorded, so a homeowner knows who is on the line before describing the project.
- It books into Google Calendar today. If you schedule in Buildertrend, JobTread, Jobber or Housecall Pro, you add each job from the call summary.
The call comes in while you are on a roof or in a trench
Invoca reports that 52% of home service callers reach a person (65% for calls longer than 15 seconds) and that 55% of the home service businesses it covers don't ask a lead to book or buy (Invoca). The June 2022 ServiceTitan figures cover over 3,000 plumbing, electrical, HVAC and similar trade companies across the US and Canada that use its software. In that data, the call booking rate was 24% at companies with fewer than five technicians and 59% at companies with at least 25 (ServiceTitan). Neither is remodeling-only and neither says why, but a fair guess is that a small crew's owner is the estimator, the foreman and the front desk at once.
The calls that land at the wrong moment
- The call from the roof. You are on a ladder, in a trench or behind a running saw, and the phone rings. In Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies estimates, almost 70% of remodeling businesses were self-employed in 2012 (Harvard JCHS). When you are the crew and the front desk, the person calling about a kitchen gets your voicemail.
- The storm week. After heavy rain or wind, the leak calls bunch up. WebFX's analysis of US search data from 2023 and 2024 reported seasonal surges of +70% for "emergency roof repair" and +69% for "roof leak repair", tied to heavy rain and storms (WebFX via KTVZ). That is search volume, not calls, and the article gives no baseline.
- The call that isn't a customer. The lumber yard. A sub confirming Thursday. A vendor selling leads. Last year's client with a punch-list item. Each needs a different answer, and none of them needs an estimate visit.
- The kitchen caller. The Journal of Light Construction's 2025 Cost vs Value report puts the national average cost of a midrange minor kitchen remodel at $28,458 (JLC). That is not a first-call decision. The sale runs through an estimate visit and a bid, so the call has one job: get that visit on your calendar.
Example call
A kitchen caller asks the price first. It books the estimate instead.
Here is a kitchen call to an invented company. The caller asks the price right away. The AI gives no number, asks the project questions in order, states the estimate policy and books the visit. It promises no start date.
Hear your remodeling receptionist
Made-up company, made-up caller. The free demo call has no live calendar and no texting; on your real line the AI checks your Google Calendar and asks about texts. When you build yours, it answers as your business, with your prices.
After a call like this, the owner sees it on an example remodeling and construction dashboard. Made-up business, made-up numbers, no sign-in.
- AIThanks for calling Sample Remodeling Co., this is Jess, an AI assistant. This call is recorded. How can I help you today?
- CallerHi, we want to redo our kitchen. What does that usually run?
- AII can't give a price by phone, since Sam prices every project after he's seen it. What's making you want to redo the kitchen now?
- CallerThe cabinets are falling apart, and we'd like to open it up to the dining room. It's about twelve by fourteen.
- AIGot it. What's the address of the house?
- Caller92 Linden Avenue, in Round Rock. We own it, and my husband and I decide together.
- AIThanks. When would you like to start?
- CallerSpring, if we can.
- AII'll pass that to Sam, though I can't promise a start date. Is a permit, an HOA or an insurance claim part of this?
- CallerNo claim and no HOA. Not sure about a permit. We've had one other bid.
- AIThe estimate is free and takes 60 to 90 minutes, and Sam can come within five business days. Does Tuesday at ten or Wednesday at one-thirty work better?
- CallerTuesday.
- AIPerfect, Tuesday at ten. What's your first name?
- CallerDana.
- AIThanks, Dana. What's your mobile number?
- Caller512-555-0164.
- AIThat's five one two, five five five, zero one six four. What email should I put on the booking?
- Callerdana.r@example.com.
- AIThanks. Is it OK if we text you reminders?
- CallerSure.
- Booked estimate: Tue 10:00am · 92 Linden Ave · kitchen remodel · owner, two decision-makers · 1 other bid · no price given · owner notified
- AIYou're all set, Dana. Sam will see you Tuesday at ten at 92 Linden Avenue.
The intake
What it asks a homeowner who wants an estimate
It works down the same list a sharp office manager would: who is calling, what the project is, where it is, who signs, then the visit. One question at a time, in plain words.
- Who's calling
- Customer, supplier, subcontractor, past client or a sales pitch? It works out which in the first exchange. Only a project inquiry gets the questions below.
- The project
- What they want done, in their words, and what is driving it now. A kitchen coming apart, a house going on the market, a storm last week.
- Type and size
- The kind of project, and a rough size. Kitchen, bath, basement, addition, deck, roof or paint, whatever is on your list. A small repair hears that you will confirm whether the team takes jobs that small.
- Where, and who owns it
- The job address, matched to the area you serve, and whether the caller owns the house or rents it.
- Who signs
- Who makes the decision, and whether anyone else needs to be at the visit.
- Start
- When they would like to start. It writes the wish down and promises no date. If the caller raises money, it asks whether they have a rough number in mind, and never pushes.
- Permits and claims
- A permit, an HOA or an insurance claim in the picture? Anyone else bidding? It notes the answers for you and promises nothing about permits or claims.
- The visit
- Your estimate policy, who comes and how long, then two windows inside your hours. Last comes a first name, a mobile number and an email, with the number read back before the call ends. It doesn't ask for photos or plans to book. If your estimate starts from photos, you ask the homeowner by your own text or email.
Your rules
Your estimate policy, your minimum, your money talk
Every rule below starts from how you already run estimates. If one changes, send us the change and we update it. We tune it through your first month.
Estimate policy
A free in-home estimate, a paid consultation credited if they hire you, or a free estimate from photos first and then a visit. You pick one, add the fee if there is one, and say how soon you can come and who attends. It says all of that before it books.
Money talk
By default the AI gives no price by phone, because you price the project after you see it. Sharing a typical range is your choice: pick Only my listed ranges in the builder, type your ranges, and it repeats only those. A range is never a firm quote, and it says the final price is confirmed after your visit.
Small jobs and your minimum
Give us your minimum project size and the work you decline, such as new construction, commercial jobs or insurance-only claims. A caller with a small repair hears that you will confirm whether the team takes jobs that small, and the AI takes the details.
Roof leaks and storm damage
After its short stay-off-the-roof line, it takes the address and what is happening right now, marks the call urgent and tells the caller you will call back. It names no callback time and never promises an insurance outcome.
Suppliers, subs and past clients
Suppliers and subs get a message taken, with no prices or schedules shared. A past client with a problem gets the issue written down, with no admissions and no free-rework promises, and goes to you. Sales pitches and robocalls get a short message, and the call ends.
Callers who want you
A homeowner who wants the person who will be in their house can ask for you once. If you have switched transfers on, that caller is connected to your cell phone during working hours. If not, you get a callback request. Complaints are handled the same way.
Where it stops
It books the estimate. It doesn't bid the job.
On a contractor's line, the costly mistake is a promise you didn't make. These limits are built in.
Danger calls and roof leaks
- When a caller reports a fire, sparks, smoke or the smell of gas, the AI drops the project questions and says message 1 below. The call then ends, with no booking, diagnosis or advice.
- A carbon monoxide alarm gets message 2, and someone who is hurt, in danger or has a medical emergency gets message 3. Both of those calls end there.
- A leaking roof or storm damage gets message 4, a shorter line about staying off the roof, and the conversation goes on. The AI takes the address and what is happening now, marks the call urgent and says you will call back, with no time promised.
The four messages, word for word. Message 1: "That sounds unsafe. Please hang up and leave the house right now, without touching any light switches. Once you're outside and away from the building, call 911 and your gas company's emergency line. Stay safe." Message 2: "Get everyone outside into fresh air right now and call 911 from outside. Don't try to find the source. Stay safe." Message 3: "Please hang up and call 911 right now." Message 4, in two sentences: "Please stay off the roof and stay clear of wet electrical areas." Then: "If anyone is in danger, call 911." Message 1 matches the steps a gas utility such as Black Hills Energy gives its customers, message 2 follows Health Canada on a carbon monoxide alarm, and message 3 agrees with 911.gov's advice to dial 911 immediately in an emergency. Message 4 is our own caution, with no public source behind it. Before the line goes live, show all four to your own lawyer or insurer.
What it never does
- Quote a firm project price, or promise a start date. You price the project after you see it.
- Promise a permit approval or an insurance outcome. It records what the caller says and leaves the decision to you.
- Diagnose, or advise on a fix. It doesn't say what is wrong with a roof, a wall or a floor, or how to tarp, patch or shut anything off.
- Vouch for your credentials. It states a license number, a bond or insurance coverage only when you give it the exact sentence to say.
- Take a card number, bank details or a deposit on the phone.
Reminder texts
An estimate takes a chunk of your day. Reminders help protect it.
- When the call ends: you get a short summary of the call, by email until texting is approved and by text after. If the homeowner said yes to texts, they get a confirmation text with the visit's day, time and address.
- The day before and the morning of: reminders from 4 p.m. and 8 a.m., such as the day-before text: "Sample Remodeling Co.: Reminder - your estimate visit is tomorrow, Tue Oct 13, 10am-11:30am at 92 Linden Ave." It asks the homeowner to reply C to confirm or R to reschedule, and says how to stop the texts. The morning text is a short heads-up that you are coming at the time they booked. A reminder is skipped when the visit was booked less than six hours before it was due.
- If they never confirm, you get one email about two hours after a reminder goes unanswered, and one call can save an hour of driving to an estimate nobody is home for.
- Questions and photos: if a homeowner replies with a question or a photo, you get an email about it and they get a short automatic note that you will follow up.
- A homeowner who texts R pauses that job's reminders. The automatic reply promises a text from you soon about a new time or a cancellation, and you get an email, since choosing the new time falls to you.
- If you reschedule a visit on your calendar, the pending reminders adjust to the new time. The homeowner is not told automatically, so message them yourself.
- One catch: the phone carriers must approve your business texting number before any text goes out, and approval usually takes one to four weeks after we file. The reminder emails wait too, since they follow the texts. Calls and estimate bookings work in the meantime, and each call summary reaches you by email.
Compare
How we compare with voicemail, live operators and AI receptionist apps
Voicemail costs nothing, and every callback is yours to make. A live answering service relays what the caller said, and calling back is still your job. An AI receptionist app can book visits, provided you write its script and maintain it. We build yours around your estimate policy and tune it through your first month, and we are not the cheapest option.
| Feature | Optimal Automations | Voicemail | Live answering service | AI receptionist app |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answers when you are on a roof or in a trench | Yes, 24/7 | Takes a message only | Usually | Yes |
| Tells a homeowner from a supplier, a sub or a sales pitch | Yes, each gets its own path | No, one mailbox | They take a message for each | If you set it up |
| Asks the project questions: size, ownership, permits, claims | Yes, your intake | No | Depends on their script | If you write it |
| Roof leak and storm damage calls | Fixed safety line, details taken, marked urgent | Waits for your callback | Depends on their script | If you write it |
| Books the estimate visit during the call | Yes, into open Google Calendar windows | No | Often just takes a message | If you connect a calendar |
| Price | $997 setup, then $497 or $797 a month | Free | From $250 a month for 50 minutes (Ruby) | From $49 a month for 250 minutes (Rosie, price shown) |
Ruby and Rosie prices are as shown on their own pricing pages on October 8, 2026. Rosie shows monthly and annual billing, and $49 is the price shown. By "live answering service" we mean a company whose operators pick up your calls. Features vary by provider and plan.
Pricing
What it costs, next to a part-time receptionist
Starter is $497 a month plus $997 once to set up, month-to-month, with no per-call fees. At the median wage, a receptionist working 20 hours a week costs about $1,583 a month in wages alone (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). The terms of the 5-job guarantee are below.
Starter
$497/ month
Up to 1,000 AI minutes, about 500 two-minute calls. Answering, booking, call summaries and, once your number is approved, reminder texts.
Pro
$797/ month
Up to 2,500 AI minutes and everything in Starter, plus a monthly call review with Andrei or Konnor.
One-time setup
$997
We build it from your own prices and rules, test it on a full call checklist and tune it during month one.
What you commit to: $1,494 to start on Starter ($997 setup plus the first month) or $1,794 on Pro. After that it is month-to-month: cancel before your next billing date and you owe nothing more, apart from $0.25 for each minute over your plan.
What we need from you: answers to a few questions about your fees, service area and schedule, access to your Google Calendar, call forwarding from the number you already use, and the business details the phone carriers ask for before texting starts. We build, test and tune it.
Extra minutes past your plan are $0.25 each. No per-call fees. The same done-for-you setup is built for AI receptionist for handyman services, AI receptionist for plumbers and other home service trades. See the full list.
The 5-job guarantee
If your AI receptionist doesn't book at least 5 jobs in its first 30 days live, your second month is free. "Free" means we waive your plan fee for month 2. The $997 setup fee is not refunded.
- What counts as a booked job: a real customer's booking, visit or estimate that the AI put on your calendar. Test calls don't count.
- When the 30 days start: the day it starts answering your calls.
- What we need from you: your calls forward to the AI for the full 30 days, at least whenever you can't answer and after hours. Your calendar has at least 10 open job windows a week.
- Enough calls to judge it: at least 40 calls from potential customers reach the AI in those 30 days, as shown in the call log with recordings. If fewer come in, the guarantee doesn't apply. On the demo we look at your call volume and tell you if it is likely too low.
- How to claim: after your first 30 days live, email hello@automateai.agency. We go through the call log with you, and if the conditions above were met and fewer than 5 jobs were booked, month 2's plan fee is waived.
Who you'll work with
Two founders. No call center.
We're Andrei and Konnor. We build every AI receptionist ourselves and test it before it takes a customer's call. We tune it through your first month; after that you send us a change and we make it, and Pro adds a monthly call review. You talk to one of us on the demo, and after launch you reach one of us directly, not a support queue.
We are new. There are no customer reviews or case studies to show yet, and we won't invent any. What we can show: you hear your own receptionist before you pay, every number on this page links to its source, and the guarantee puts our month-2 fee on the line.
Email us anytime: hello@automateai.agency
Andrei
Co-founder
Konnor
Co-founder
Questions
Questions contractors ask before they sign up
Updated
Is an AI answering service for contractors the same as a regular answering service?
No. A traditional answering service for construction companies puts a live operator on your line to write down a message, and the return call is still yours. The AI handles the call itself: it asks the project questions, states your estimate policy and puts the estimate visit into an open Google Calendar window while the caller waits.
Will it give a caller a price, or book the whole project?
No, an AI receptionist for contractors books the estimate visit, not the project. Every project is priced after you see it, so by default it gives no price and promises no start date. If you choose to list typical ranges, it repeats only those, never as a quote. It doesn't ask for photos or plans; if your estimate starts from photos, you ask the homeowner.
How does the AI respond when a caller reports danger or a leaking roof?
A fire, sparks, smoke or the smell of gas gets a fixed message to leave and, from outside, call 911 and their gas company's emergency line. Two more fixed messages cover a carbon monoxide alarm and someone who is hurt or in danger. All of those calls end there. A leaking roof gets a short stay-off-the-roof line, and the AI takes details.
Sources: Black Hills Energy, what to do if you smell natural gas, Health Canada, carbon monoxide: preventing exposure, 911.gov, frequently asked questions
Can it tell a supplier or a subcontractor from a customer?
Yes. In the first exchange the AI works out whether the caller is a homeowner with a project, a supplier, a subcontractor, a past client or a vendor with a pitch. Homeowners get the estimate questions. Suppliers and subs leave a message with no prices or schedules shared, and past clients go to you with no admissions.
What does it say when someone asks if I do small jobs?
It says what you set. A caller with a small repair hears that the owner will confirm whether your crew takes jobs that small, and the AI takes the details. If you list small repairs or projects under your minimum as work you decline, it says no kindly instead. Either way, it quotes no price.
Does it work with Buildertrend, JobTread, Jobber or Housecall Pro?
Not directly. Today, bookings land in Google Calendar, and a Google Sheet holds a row for every call, recording included. The AI receptionist doesn't create leads, projects or schedule items inside Buildertrend, JobTread, Jobber or Housecall Pro, so you add the job from the call summary. Name your software during the demo, and you'll hear straight what can and can't connect.
What does it say when a caller asks if I'm licensed and insured?
Only what you give it. If you want that question answered, send us the sentence to use, plus a license number if you have one, and the AI receptionist repeats it word for word. Without that, it says the owner will confirm and takes the caller's details. It never invents a credential for your company.
How much is an AI receptionist for construction companies per month?
Setup is $997 once. Starter then costs $497 a month with a 1,000-minute AI allowance, enough for around 500 two-minute calls, and Pro costs $797 a month with a 2,500-minute allowance and a call review each month with Andrei or Konnor. It's month-to-month with no long-term contract or per-call fees, and each minute beyond the plan costs $0.25.
Will homeowners know it's an AI, and can they still reach me?
Yes. The greeting itself says this is an AI assistant and that the call is recorded. A Gartner survey of 5,728 customers (released July 2024) found that 64% would prefer companies keep AI out of customer service; the top worry was that reaching a person would get harder. Callers who ask for you get a callback or, if you allow it, a transfer.
Source: Gartner, July 2024
Free 20-minute demo
Hear it book an estimate visit for a company like yours
20 minutes on Zoom with Andrei or Konnor. You'll leave with:
- A live call: we put the AI on speaker and let it answer a call like one of yours.
- Your missed-call math, worked out with your weekly calls and average job.
- A straight answer on whether it's worth it for you, what it costs and when it could start.
If you go ahead and it doesn't book 5 jobs in its first 30 days live, your second month is free. Conditions apply: see the terms.
No long-term contract. If it's not a fit, we'll tell you on the call.
- 1Your details
- 2Pick a time
Thanks, there. Pick a time for your 20-minute Zoom.
Calendar not loading? Open it in a new tab or email hello@automateai.agency.