What the agent handles
- Qualifies renovation leads
- Books site visits and estimates
- Explains the permit process generally
- Gives job schedule updates
- Takes change order requests
Trades and industrial
AI receptionist for general contractors and renovation
Qualifies renovation leads by scope, budget and timing, books site visits, and keeps active clients posted on schedules and trades.
CallerWe want to redo the whole kitchen and take out a wall. Is that something you do?
CallerThe drywallers didn't show today. Is anyone coming?
CallerDo we need a permit for a basement apartment or do you handle that?
Where calls go
EstimatorProject managersSite supervisorsOffice
Warm transfer: When a current client calls about a problem on site, like a delay or an unexpected cost, the agent warm-transfers to their project manager.
What it books
Site visits and estimates
Why general contractors miss calls, and what an AI receptionist changes
A general contractor's phone lives in a pocket full of drywall dust. During the day the owner is walking a framing inspection, chasing the electrician or loading a trailer, and the calls keep coming: a couple who want to open up their kitchen, a client asking why the tilers didn't show, a sub confirming Thursday. Leads call back once, maybe twice, and then hire the renovator who answered.
A RealVoice AI receptionist for contractors handles the first conversation properly. It asks about scope (kitchen, bathroom, basement finish, an addition, a wall that might be load-bearing), the budget range the homeowner has in mind, when they want to start, whether they have drawings, and whether they live in the house. Serious projects are booked for a site visit or estimate; small jobs you don't take are told so politely.
Current clients are handled like current clients. A delay, a missing trade or a surprise cost on site is warm-transferred to that client's project manager with a short private summary, and change order requests are written up for the PM instead of being agreed to over the phone. The agent explains the permit process in general terms from your information, but it never says whether a specific job needs a permit, never promises a start date and never guesses at a renovation cost.
Example call, start to finish
- CallerHi, it's Amanda Kowalski on Fernbank Road in Kanata. The drywallers were supposed to start this morning and nobody's here.
- AI receptionistThanks for calling, Amanda. Your job schedule has the drywall crew starting this morning, so something has changed. Steve is your project manager and he'll know what happened. Let me check whether he can take the call.
- CallerOkay. While I have you, we decided we want pot lights in the basement ceiling after all. Is it too late?
- AI receptionistI'll pass that to Steve as a change order request, since adding lights before the drywall closes is something he'll want to price and schedule. How many lights were you thinking, and in which rooms?
- CallerSix in the rec room, maybe two in the hallway.
- AI receptionistGot it. Steve is picking up now, one moment.
- AI receptionist(privately, to Steve) Amanda Kowalski, Fernbank Road. Drywall crew didn't show this morning. She also wants eight pot lights added in the basement before drywall: six rec room, two hallway. Connecting.
After the call: Steve answers already knowing about the no-show and the change order, and the change order request is also emailed to him in writing. The full call summary and recording are kept in the RealVoice portal so the office has a record of what the client asked for and when.
How it fits your day
- On site all day
- New renovation enquiries are qualified and booked for site visits while you're on a job, instead of piling up as voicemails to return at 8 p.m.
- Evening planning calls
- Homeowners call about their dream kitchen after the kids are in bed. Those calls are answered and booked for an estimate the same night.
- Change orders
- Requests for extra outlets, a different tile or a moved wall arrive at the project manager as a written note with the client's words, so nothing is agreed to by accident.
- Winter booking season
- January to March is when families plan their summer renovation. The agent fills your estimate calendar while you finish the indoor jobs on the go.
Your software
Today it books site visits and estimate appointments into the RealVoice schedule in the portal, keeps lead notes, client messages and recordings there, and texts each homeowner a confirmation. If your company runs JobTread, Jobber, Housecall Pro or Service Fusion, the team can set up a connection to it; custom integrations are quoted separately.
What a missed call costs
A mid-range kitchen renovation can run $60,000 or more, and plenty of contractors sign one project for every four site visits. Miss three good leads a week through a busy spring and you are giving away the equivalent of a kitchen job every two or three weeks. Run your own average project value through the missed-call calculator on our homepage.
Questions general contractors ask
Can it screen out leads that aren't a fit?
Yes. You tell it the work you take on, your service area and any minimum project size, and it qualifies every caller against that before booking a site visit.
Will it tell a client when the trades are coming?
Yes. As part of setup, the team connects it to your project management software, so it can read a client the dates on their job schedule, such as when the electrician or tilers are booked. If a date has slipped or the client wants it changed, it puts them through to their project manager or leaves a detailed callback note.
Can it answer permit questions?
It explains the general process the way you describe it, such as who applies and roughly what's involved. Whether a specific project needs a permit is a question for you, and the agent says so.
How do change orders reach my project manager?
The agent writes down exactly what the client asked for, which room and any deadline, and sends it to the PM by text and email. It never approves a change or quotes the cost.
Can an AI answer my contracting calls while I'm on site?
That's the main reason contractors use it. You can forward your line full-time or only when you don't pick up, and calls you need to take are transferred to your cell with a private summary first.
Hear it as your own general contractor's front desk
Request a free demo call and the agent will phone you, set up as a business like yours.