# AI Phone Answering for Home Services in Ireland: Never Lose a Job Lead Again
You're under a sink in Sandymount. Your phone rings. It's a new customer wanting a quote for a boiler service in Blackrock. You can't answer — your hands are covered in pipe compound and the stopcock won't budge.
That call goes to voicemail. The customer calls the next plumber on Google. You lose a €200+ job you'll never know about.
Irish tradespeople lose an estimated 30–40% of new job leads to unanswered calls. When you're on-site, you can't answer the phone. When you're driving, you shouldn't. And when you finally check your voicemail at 7pm, half those callers have already booked someone else.
VoiceFleet answers every call, captures job details, books callouts, and sends you a summary — all while you focus on the work in front of you.
Try VoiceFleet free for 14 days →
Why Home Services Have the Worst Missed-Call Problem
Dentists and restaurants miss calls too — but they usually have someone at a front desk. Tradespeople are different:
- You ARE the business. Most Irish plumbers, electricians, and builders are sole traders or small teams. There's no receptionist.
- You're always on-site. You physically cannot answer the phone while running cable, fitting a bathroom, or on a roof.
- Urgency drives the market. When someone's boiler breaks in January or their toilet is flooding, they call 3 plumbers and book the first one who answers. Not the best one. The first one.
- Evenings are peak inquiry time. Homeowners get home from work, notice the problem, and start calling at 6pm — after you've knocked off.
| The Problem | What It Costs You | |-------------|-------------------| | Miss 5 calls/week while on-site | €500–€1,500/week in lost jobs | | No after-hours answering | 40% of leads calling between 6pm–9am | | Voicemail (80% won't leave one) | 4 out of 5 missed callers gone forever | | Callback delays (2+ hours) | Customer already booked a competitor |
How VoiceFleet Works for Tradespeople
1. Answers Every Call — You Set the Rules
When a call comes in and you can't answer, VoiceFleet picks up within two rings. The AI greets the caller professionally:
"Hi, thanks for calling [Your Business Name]. I can help you with that. Can you tell me what you need done and your location?"
The AI captures:
- What they need (boiler repair, rewire, leak, etc.)
- Their location (address or area)
- Urgency (emergency vs. can wait)
- Contact details (name, number, email)
- Preferred timing (ASAP, this week, flexible)
You get an instant SMS and app notification with the full summary. Reply when you're ready — the lead is captured, not lost.
2. Handles Emergency Triage
Not all calls are equal. A dripping tap can wait until Tuesday. A burst pipe at 2am cannot.
VoiceFleet's emergency triage identifies urgent calls and can:
- Text you immediately with an URGENT flag
- Offer the caller an estimated response time based on your settings
- Provide basic safety advice ("Turn off the water at the stopcock, which is usually under the kitchen sink")
- Route to your emergency number if you want direct transfer for genuine emergencies
3. Books Callouts and Quotes
If you use a scheduling system (Jobber, ServiceM8, Tradify, or even Google Calendar), VoiceFleet can book callouts directly. The caller gets a confirmed time, you get it in your calendar.
No scheduling system? No problem — VoiceFleet captures the details and you confirm manually. Either way, the lead is secured.
4. Sends Follow-Up Messages
After capturing a lead, VoiceFleet can automatically:
- Send the caller an SMS confirming you'll be in touch
- Send you a daily summary of all calls and leads
- Follow up with unclosed leads after 24–48 hours
See how VoiceFleet works for tradespeople →
Built for Irish Tradespeople
Local Irish Numbers
Your AI receptionist answers with an Irish number — 01, 021, 061, whatever matches your area. Customers see a local number, not a foreign one.
Understands Irish Accents
"The immersion is banjaxed" isn't in most AI vocabularies. VoiceFleet's speech models are tuned for Irish English — including colloquialisms, place names (Dún Laoghaire, Ráth Cairn, Béal an Mhuirthead), and the way real Irish customers describe problems.
GDPR Compliant
All call data stays in the EU. Full GDPR compliance with consent management. Important when you're handling people's home addresses and contact details.
RECI / Safe Electric / RGII Aware
VoiceFleet can be configured to ask relevant trade-specific questions. For electricians: "Is this a new installation or a repair?" For gas engineers: "Is there a smell of gas?" This helps you prioritise and prepare before you arrive.
What It Costs (vs What You're Losing)
| Option | Monthly Cost | What You Get | |--------|-------------|-------------| | Voicemail | Free | 20% of callers leave a message. The rest are gone. | | Answering service | €200–€500 | Scripted message-taking. No booking. No triage. €1–3/call. | | Part-time receptionist | €1,200–€1,800 | 20–30 hours/week. No evenings. No weekends. PRSI on top. | | VoiceFleet Starter | €99/mo | 24/7 answering, lead capture, triage, SMS summaries, booking integration | | VoiceFleet Growth | €299/mo | Multiple lines, unlimited calls, multi-trade routing, priority support |
If VoiceFleet captures even 2 extra jobs per month that you'd have otherwise missed, it pays for itself several times over.
Start your 14-day free trial → No credit card required
Real Results from Irish Tradespeople
"I was losing jobs every single day — I could see the missed calls on my phone but I was always on-site. VoiceFleet caught those calls from week one. I reckon it's bringing in an extra €1,000–€1,500 a month in jobs I would have lost."
— Plumber, South Dublin
"The emergency triage is brilliant. It texts me straight away if someone has an actual emergency, and for normal inquiries it takes the details so I can call back between jobs. My customers love that they get through to something instead of voicemail."
— Electrician, Cork city
"I run a small painting and decorating crew. We're always on ladders or in rooms with no reception. VoiceFleet means we never miss a quote request. Honestly don't know how we managed without it."
— Painter & decorator, Galway
(From VoiceFleet pilot programme — names withheld pending permission)
Getting Started: 15 Minutes, No Tech Skills
- Sign up at voicefleet.ai/demo — 2 minutes
- Choose your trade and services — VoiceFleet pre-configures questions for plumbing, electrical, gas, building, painting, gardening, and more
- Connect your calendar (optional) — Google Calendar, Jobber, ServiceM8, or Tradify
- Get your Irish number and start forwarding calls — instant
No contracts. No setup fees. Cancel anytime within 14 days and pay nothing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will customers know they're talking to an AI?
VoiceFleet is transparent — callers are informed the call is handled by an AI assistant. In practice, most customers don't mind. They'd rather give their details to an AI than leave a voicemail nobody listens to.
Can I still answer calls myself when I'm free?
Absolutely. Set VoiceFleet to answer only when you don't pick up — after 3 rings, 5 rings, whatever you prefer. When you're between jobs or in the van, answer normally. VoiceFleet is your backup, not your replacement.
What if the AI can't understand the customer's request?
If VoiceFleet can't confidently handle the call, it captures basic contact details and flags it for your personal callback. You get the lead either way.
Does it work for multi-trade businesses?
Yes. If you offer plumbing, heating, and bathroom fitting, VoiceFleet can route and categorise calls by trade type. The Growth plan supports multi-trade and multi-person routing.
Can I use it alongside my existing phone?
Yes. The simplest setup is call forwarding — your existing number forwards to VoiceFleet when you can't answer. No number change, no disruption. Customers call the same number they always have.
What about quoting and pricing over the phone?
You can configure VoiceFleet to give standard pricing ranges ("A boiler service is typically €80–€120") or take details for a custom quote. Your choice — full control over what the AI says about pricing.
Every Missed Call Is a Job You'll Never Get Back
You didn't become a plumber or electrician to sit by the phone all day. VoiceFleet means you don't have to — and you still capture every lead.
Try VoiceFleet free for 14 days → Built for Irish tradespeople
VoiceFleet is Ireland's purpose-built AI voice agent for home services, dental practices, salons, and restaurants. Learn more →
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