AI Phone Answering for Trades and Service Businesses
HelloBack is an AI phone answering service built specifically for trades and service businesses—plumbers, electricians, builders, decorators, locksmiths, and more. It answers every call 24/7, captures job details, books callbacks, and routes urgent enquiries, even when you're on a job, up a ladder, or driving between sites. HelloBack is not voicemail, not call forwarding, and not a generic chatbot—it's an intelligent phone agent that understands trade enquiries and takes action so you never lose a job to a missed call.
Built for Trades Like Yours
Plus: Plasterers, Roofers, Carpenters, Gas Engineers, HVAC Technicians, Window Fitters, and more.
The Real Cost of Missed Calls
How many calls do you miss per week?
If you miss just 5 calls per week, and each one is worth an average of £150, that's £750 in potential lost revenue. Over a year, that's nearly £40,000 walking straight to your competitors.
Real Scenarios, Real Solutions
Plumber on a call-out
You're under a sink fixing a leak. Your phone's in the van. Three calls come in—all potential jobs worth £200+ each.
With call forwarding, they all go to voicemail. Two don't leave messages.
HelloBack answers all three, books two callbacks, and captures the third's details for you to review.
Electrician up a ladder
You're rewiring a consumer unit. It's dangerous work—you can't stop to answer calls.
Your phone rings six times during a two-hour job. You miss them all.
HelloBack handles every call. Emergency rewires get flagged as urgent. Routine quotes are scheduled for callback.
Builder on site
You're managing a team, talking to clients, coordinating deliveries. Your phone never stops.
You answer some calls, miss others. Important ones get lost in the noise.
HelloBack qualifies every call. VIP clients get through. New enquiries are captured and prioritised.
Emergency vs Routine Handling
Not all calls are equal. HelloBack understands the difference between an emergency burst pipe at midnight and a routine quote request for next month's kitchen refit.
⚠️ Emergency Calls
- Flagged as high priority
- Immediate SMS/notification to you
- Option to transfer to your mobile
- Customer told you'll call back ASAP
🕐 Routine Enquiries
- Details captured in full
- Callback scheduled for convenient time
- Added to your job queue
- Customer receives confirmation
"I was missing 8-10 calls a day when I was on jobs. Now HelloBack handles them all. I've picked up at least 15 extra jobs this month that I would have lost."— Electrician, Essex
What You Get
Out of Hours Call Answering for Trades and Small Businesses
Out of hours calls represent some of the most valuable enquiries a trades business receives. A homeowner calling at 9pm about a burst pipe isn't shopping around — they need help now. If you don't answer, they'll call the next plumber on the list.
HelloBack provides out of hours call answering specifically designed for trades and small businesses:
- 24/7 coverage at no extra cost — evenings, weekends, and bank holidays are included in your plan. No premium out-of-hours rates
- Instant answering — no voicemail, no "we're closed" message. HelloBack picks up and engages the caller naturally
- Emergency detection — HelloBack assesses urgency based on your defined criteria and flags genuine emergencies for immediate attention
- Job detail capture — every out-of-hours call is logged with full details (name, location, issue, urgency) so you're prepared when you follow up
- Callback scheduling — routine enquiries are scheduled for your next available callback window
For many trades businesses, out of hours calls account for 30-40% of their total enquiries. Missing these calls means losing jobs worth hundreds or thousands of pounds to competitors who answer.
Can Out of Hours Call Answering Services Handle Emergency Calls?
Yes — and this is where HelloBack's AI-powered approach is significantly better than traditional answering services or voicemail. When an emergency call comes in after hours, HelloBack:
- Recognises the urgency — keywords like "flood", "no power", "locked out", "gas smell" trigger emergency protocols
- Sends immediate notifications — you receive an SMS and push notification within seconds, with full caller details
- Reassures the customer — HelloBack tells the caller that you've been notified and will call back as soon as possible
- Offers transfer options — for critical emergencies, HelloBack can attempt to transfer the call directly to your mobile
- Captures full details — even if you can't take the call immediately, you have everything you need to respond effectively
Routine after-hours enquiries — such as quote requests for future work — are handled differently. HelloBack captures details, confirms receipt with the caller, and schedules a callback for your next working day. This ensures emergencies get urgent attention while routine enquiries don't disrupt your evening.
Never Miss a Job Again
Start your free trial today. Be answering calls in under 24 hours.