AI RECEPTIONIST FOR CONTRACTORS

An AI receptionist that actually books jobs for your contracting business.

After-hours leads represent 25–45% of inbound volume for most contractors. Without intake, they go to voicemail and call the next company. An AI receptionist with industry-specific triage captures 70–90% of them and routes emergencies to your phone in 30 minutes.

Get the After-Hours Kit — $47 → Or have us install it ($750+)

Definition

An AI receptionist for contractors is a voice agent that answers calls after hours (or when crews are unavailable), captures caller name / address / issue / urgency, escalates emergencies, and logs everything into the current tools. It works alongside an existing human team, not as a replacement. For contracting businesses, an AI receptionist routinely captures 30–60% more after-hours leads than voicemail-to-callback alone.

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This is install help — not a hosted AI service.

Skerva configures the AI receptionist workflow in your phone system. The AI service itself is a third-party voice-tool subscription you pay separately. Typical add-on costs:

Goodcall — $50–100/mo (easiest entry, plug-and-play setup)
Aircall + AI add-on — $75–200/mo (full VoIP replacement)
Custom Twilio + OpenAI Realtime API — $30–80/mo in API costs (cheapest, requires custom config — what we install in the Setup Sprint)

If you want a fully hosted, no-third-party-needed AI receptionist, that's not what we sell yet. What we sell is templates + install help so you can run one cost-effectively in YOUR stack.

What an AI receptionist actually does (and doesn't)

An AI receptionist answers your business phone when humans can't. It takes the caller's name, phone, and reason for calling, then either dispatches an emergency, books a routine visit, or queues a morning callback. The technology is mature — Twilio, Goodcall, and Aircall all have stable AI voice agents for small business.

What it doesn't do: replace your sales team. It captures structured information for humans to act on. Think of it as a smart voicemail with triage built in — not a salesperson.

Why contractors specifically benefit

For roofers, HVAC, plumbers, and remodelers, after-hours leads represent 25–45% of inbound volume. Emergency leaks, no-heat calls, storm damage, blocked drains — these happen at 9pm, on weekends, and during holidays. The crew is asleep. The phone goes to voicemail. The customer calls the next company in their search results.

An AI receptionist closes that gap. Even for non-emergency calls, having any human-feeling intake is dramatically better than voicemail — which most callers skip entirely.

70–90%

After-hours leads captured (vs. voicemail-only)

The 3 things every AI receptionist needs to know

Emergency keywords

Per industry: "leak," "no heat," "no AC," "broken pipe," "storm damage." These trigger immediate owner alert.

Required intake fields

Caller name, callback phone, address, brief description. Confirmed back digit-by-digit.

Response promise

Emergency: human callback within 30 min. Routine: morning callback at 8am next business day.

Industry-specific configuration

An AI receptionist for a roofer should NOT have the same script as one for a dentist. Each industry has different emergency definitions, different routine flows, and different upsell paths.

Skerva ships starter prompts for:

Roofing — storm damage + leaks as emergency, free inspection booking for routine
HVAC — no-heat in winter + no-AC in extreme heat as emergency, tune-up booking for routine
Plumbing — active leak + sewer backup as emergency, service-call booking for routine
Electrical — power outage + sparking + smell-of-burning as emergency
Med spa — no emergency (consult booking flow only)
Dental — pain level > 7 as emergency, routine booking for cleanings

What it costs

Three paths from cheapest to most polished:

$0/mo — DIY voicemail with structured greeting + morning SOP. Free. Capture rate ~40%. Use the After-Hours Lead Capture Kit ($47) for templates.
$50–150/mo — Goodcall or similar AI receptionist tool. Quick setup, decent capture. Use the starter prompt in the Skerva kit.
$750+ one-time — Skerva Setup Sprint. We install the AI receptionist directly into your phone system, configure industry-specific routing, and test end-to-end before handoff.

The 4-week ramp

Week 1: Install After-Hours Lead Capture Kit. Configure auto-text and voicemail. No AI yet.
Week 2: Track call volume + missed-call rate. Establish baseline.
Week 3: Add AI receptionist (Goodcall or similar). Use the Skerva starter prompt as your config.
Week 4: Refine emergency keywords + escalation paths based on actual call patterns. Lock in.

Most contractors are fully ramped in 3–4 weeks. Capture rate goes from ~40% to 70–90% by week 4.

Common questions

What does an AI receptionist do for a contracting business?

An AI receptionist answers your business phone when humans can't — after hours, on weekends, during peak call volume. It takes structured intake (name, phone, address, reason), determines if the call is an emergency or routine, and either alerts the owner immediately (emergency) or queues a callback for the next morning (routine). Replaces voicemail with a much higher capture rate.

How is this different from a regular answering service?

Traditional answering services use humans, cost $200–800/mo, and have variable quality. AI receptionists cost $50–150/mo, run 24/7 without coverage gaps, follow the script exactly, and integrate with your current tools. The trade-off: AI doesn't sell, doesn't handle complex conversations, and works best as a structured intake tool.

Which AI receptionist tool should I use?

Goodcall is the easiest entry point ($50/mo, plug-and-play setup). Aircall and CloudTalk have AI add-ons for $75–200/mo if you also need a full VoIP. For deep integration with an existing phone system, Skerva installs a custom Twilio + OpenAI setup as part of the $750 Setup Sprint.

Can the AI receptionist handle emergencies?

It can triage emergencies and route them to a human. The Skerva starter prompts include industry-specific emergency definitions (active leak, no heat, sewer backup, etc.) and immediate owner-alert escalation via SMS + phone call notification. Owner calls back within 30 minutes — the AI does intake, not response.

What does AI receptionist setup cost?

$0/mo if you DIY with the After-Hours Lead Capture Kit ($47 one-time) and your existing voicemail. $50-200/mo if you use a voice tool like Goodcall. $750+ one-time if Skerva installs a custom configuration as part of a Setup Sprint.