Built for the trades
The AI Receptionist Built For The Trades. It Books The Job.
Miss a call on a job site and that customer dials the next company on the list. Inboxsmith answers every call for you — a done-for-you AI receptionist for home-services contractors:
- ✓Every call answered 24/7 — booked, not just taken as a message
- ✓One flat monthly price with the calls included — no per-call pricing, no overage surprises
- ✓Done for you — we build it, tune the triage for your trade, and run it every month
Keep your number · No risk · Cancel anytime
Watch A Missed Call Get Saved
Sixty seconds, start to finish — sound on.
The Play-By-Play
Every beat of an after-hours call — the caller’s side, and the dispatch side working behind it.
Example — how a typical after-hours call goes.
8:12 PM · 📞 Call · Incoming · Saturday night
Inboxsmith: Thanks for calling Beacon Home Services. I’m the automated dispatcher, and this call is recorded. What’s going on?
Caller: There’s water dripping through my kitchen ceiling — right under the upstairs bath. Can someone come tonight?
8:12 PM · 📞 Call
Inboxsmith: That qualifies as an emergency — what’s the address?
Caller: 88 Birchwood Lane, Milford 08848 — the gray house on the corner.
8:13 PM · 📞 Call + 🛠️ Dispatch
Inboxsmith: Got it — I’m pinging the on-call tech right now. They’ve got 60 seconds to respond, so hang tight. If they’re free, they head your way tonight.
To Sam · on-call tech: Emergency: water through the kitchen ceiling at 88 Birchwood Lane, Milford 08848. Can you take it tonight? 60 seconds to claim it.
System: Waiting on Sam to confirm — 0:60 ⏳
8:13 PM · 📞 Call · During the wait
Inboxsmith: While we wait — what’s your first name, and the best number to reach you?
Caller: Marco. 555-0177.
8:14 PM · 🛠️ Dispatch → 📞 Call
Sam: I’ll take it. 25 minutes out from Birchwood.
Inboxsmith: Good news, Marco — Sam’s on the way, about 25 minutes out. You’re set for tonight.
8:14–8:15 PM · 📞 Call + 🛠️ Dispatch
Inboxsmith: Any special directions or notes for Sam — anything that’d help them find you easier?
Caller: Park in the driveway, not the street — and the doorbell’s broken, so knock.
Inboxsmith: Confirmed — Sam’s en route, ETA ~8:40 PM. Marco’s number and directions are on their phone; call summary emailed to the office.
If Sam doesn’t respond in 60 secondsThe dispatcher asks the caller right on the line: “Are you available between 8 and 10 tomorrow morning?” — and books the first morning window. Your office confirms.
If Sam frees up a few minutes lateThey’ve already got Marco’s name and number — they call him directly and still take the job tonight.
$397/mo flat
Everything included — booking, transfers, triage
600 calls
Approx. per month, based on average call times (about 1,800 minutes included)
24/7
Nights, weekends, and overflow answered
The Calls That Decide Your Month
Answered while everyone else’s phone goes to voicemail.
2:14 AM · After hours
Burst pipe, shut-off valve stuck
2:14 AM · 📞 Call
Answered & triaged as an emergency
Name, address and the problem captured
2:15 AM · 🛠️ Dispatch
On-call plumber pinged
60 seconds to claim it — job details on their phone
2:19 AM · 🛠️ Dispatch
Plumber confirms — heading out tonight
Nobody free? First morning window, office confirms
July heat wave · Overflow
No AC, office line busy
11:02 AM · 📞 Call
Overflow answered while your line is busy
Caller never hits voicemail
11:04 AM · 📞 Call
Same-day window offered
Your office confirms the time
11:05 AM · 🛠️ Dispatch
Your office pinged with the job details
Saturday · New customer
Weekend quote call
Sat 3:40 PM · 📞 Call
Answered — job details captured
Instead of your competitor’s voicemail
Sat 3:43 PM · 📞 Call
Monday-morning window offered
Your office confirms Monday
Mon 8:00 AM · 🛠️ Dispatch
Your office opens with the job details waiting
Want the real thing? Start the free 7-day pilot and hear it on your own line.
What Happens To The Calls You Can’t Answer?
Every shop already handles missed calls one of four ways:
Answer everything yourself
Every ring interrupts a job, and after 6 PM the phone keeps going. You didn’t start a business to be chained to it.
Jobs lost every time you’re under a sink or up on a roof.
Let it go to voicemail
A caller with an emergency doesn’t leave a message — they hang up and dial the next company on the list.
The job is gone before you even hear the voicemail.
Hire a per-call answering service
A message-taking service bills per call, and booking and overage often cost extra on top.
The busier your month, the bigger the bill.
Set up a DIY AI tool yourself
The self-serve AI receptionists work — if you spend nights configuring greetings, calendars and routing, then keep tuning them.
Your evenings — and calls handled wrong while you tinker.
The fifth way: done for you.
Inboxsmith is built, tuned and run for you. It answers 24/7, books the job into a window your office confirms, and pings your on-call tech in under a minute — for one flat price, with the calls included.
Simple, Flat Pricing
One flat, done-for-you plan — we build it, tune it, and run it for you. Calls, transfers and booking included; no per-call fees.
The done-for-you plan
Done-for-you
$397/mo
We build your receptionist, tune the emergency triage for your trade, and run it for you every month — you configure nothing. Includes ~600 calls, live transfer to your crew, and in-call booking.
Start my 7-day pilotOne-time setup fee
- Annual contractSetup fee waived — best valueFree
- 6-month term50% off the $997 setup$498.50
- Month-to-monthNo commitment$997
Sign an annual contract and the $997 setup is waived entirely.
No self-serve tiers and no per-call plans — one done-for-you service, built and run for your shop.
We size the bucket so a typical shop won’t hit overage — ~1,800 minutes is about 20 three-minute calls a day. If a blockbuster month happens, it’s a flat $0.20/min — never per-call billing.
AI Receptionist Questions
What is an AI receptionist?+
An AI receptionist — sometimes called an AI virtual receptionist or AI answering service — is software that answers your business phone with a natural voice. It greets callers, answers common questions, captures the details, and books the job. Inboxsmith is one built specifically for home-services contractors, with emergency triage tuned to your trade.
How much does an AI receptionist cost?+
Inboxsmith is one flat, done-for-you price: $397 a month with approx. 600 calls included, based on average call times (about 1,800 minutes). Live transfer to your crew, in-call booking and emergency triage all come with it — no per-call fees. There’s a one-time $997 setup, waived on an annual contract, and overage is a flat $0.20 a minute.
How is an AI receptionist different from an answering service or IVR?+
An answering service takes a message that someone still has to call back; an IVR makes callers press buttons through menus. An AI receptionist holds a real conversation: it picks up 24/7, sorts an emergency from a routine job, captures the name, address and issue, and books a time window your office confirms.
Can it book appointments automatically?+
Yes — it books appointments and schedules jobs the way you choose. Out of the box, it offers a time window and your office confirms. Prefer it to commit firm appointment times, or quote from your approved price list? We set that up for you during onboarding. The one thing that never changes: it won’t invent a price or a time it wasn’t given.
Can it handle several calls at once?+
Yes — it answers many calls at the same time, so a storm week, a heat wave or a marketing push never hits a busy signal. Every caller gets answered like they’re the only one on the line, and your office gets a summary of each call.
What happens after hours and on weekends?+
That’s where it earns its keep. It answers, routes a true emergency to your on-call tech — who gets 60 seconds to claim it — and books everything else into a window your office confirms in the morning. Nights, weekends and holidays all work the same way.
Will it work for my trade?+
Inboxsmith is built for home-services contractors: HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Roofing, Pest Control and Garage-Door Service. The emergency triage is tuned to your trade — a burst pipe at 2 a.m. reads very different from a quote request. If you’re not in the trades, we’re probably not your best fit.
How fast can I go live?+
Most shops are live in a few days: one short kickoff call, we build and tune your receptionist, you approve a few sample calls, then we flip your call forwarding. You configure nothing — and you keep your existing business number, so nothing on your trucks, cards or listings changes.
Do I get to hear what it said?+
Yes. Every call is recorded (with disclosure), transcribed word-for-word, and summarized to your office — caller, issue, and what was booked. Nothing happens in a black box.
Is there a free trial?+
Yes — a free 7-day pilot on your overflow and after-hours calls, up to 7 days or 300 minutes, whichever comes first. A card on file verifies you’re a real business; you’re never charged during the pilot. You get a full report of the calls it answered, so you can hear it on your own line before you commit.
Stop Losing The Calls You Can’t Answer.
See what Inboxsmith looks like on your phones with a free 7-day pilot — we answer the overflow and after-hours calls you’d otherwise lose and send you a full report of the missed calls that came in.
Keep your number · No risk · Cancel anytime
The free pilot runs up to 7 days or 300 minutes, whichever comes first. A card on file verifies your business — you’re never charged during the pilot.