An AI chatbot for home service businesses that sorts emergencies from quotes and gets the job details right
For plumbers, electricians, HVAC, cleaning, landscaping and other trades, a website chatbot does three jobs: confirms whether you cover the visitor’s area, separates urgent jobs from routine quote requests, and collects the details you need to price the work. Urgent requests are shown your phone number straight away and alert whoever is on call; routine ones arrive in your inbox ready to quote.
How does it handle an emergency versus a quote?
- 1
Is it urgent?
Asked once, plainly. Water leaking, no heat, power out. For anything dangerous, such as a gas smell, it shows the safety message you approve before anything else.
- 2
Do you cover them?
A ZIP or postcode check against your service area. Outside it, the visitor is told kindly and early.
- 3
What is the job?
The same questions you would ask on the phone: what is happening, where, how long, any access issues.
- 4
How to reach them
Name, phone, address or ZIP, and the best time to call.
- 5
Hand off
Urgent jobs: your number on screen and an alert to whoever is on call. Routine jobs: a summary in your inbox or job software.
What should it ask for each kind of job?
Starting points. You replace them with the questions you actually ask, and the chatbot asks them one at a time.
| Job type | Questions it asks |
|---|---|
| Plumbing repair | What is happening, where in the property, whether the water is shut off, how long it has been going on |
| Heating and cooling | Heating or cooling, roughly how old the system is, what it is doing, any error code on the display |
| Electrical | What stopped working, part or all of the property, any burning smell or sparks (treated as urgent) |
| Cleaning | Property type and size, one-off or recurring, preferred days |
| Landscaping and building work | Scope of the job, rough size, timing, whether materials are already chosen |
What will it not do?
- Quote a price, unless you publish set prices and ask it to repeat them.
- Promise an arrival time. It says when you will call back, which you control.
- Diagnose a fault as certain. It describes what it was told and leaves the diagnosis to your technician.
- Give repair instructions for gas or electrical work.
- Answer the phone. It is a website chat; it does not take calls, so your number stays prominent for people who prefer to ring.
Does it work with my job management software?
Many field service tools have an API, and where yours does, an enquiry can be created there directly or through a workflow automation with the conversation attached. Where it does not, the enquiry arrives by email and the on-call alert by text message to your own team.
If you want visitors to book a slot themselves, see the appointment booking chatbot, which explains the three levels of booking and when each makes sense for a trade business.
Free for founding partners
Trades and home service businesses are a strong fit for the Founding Partner Program: a free website with a service area page and a chatbot that captures jobs, with hosting and API usage free for the first month.
Apply for a founding placeFrequently asked questions
Can it tell customers my prices?
Only prices you publish and approve, such as a call-out fee. Everything else is explained as "we quote after seeing the job" and the details go to you.
Does it handle after-hours emergencies?
On your website, yes: it recognises urgent jobs, shows your emergency number and can alert whoever is on call. It does not answer phone calls.
Can it check whether I cover someone’s area?
Yes, from the list of ZIP codes, postcodes or towns you give it. Visitors outside the area are told early so neither side wastes time.
Can customers book a visit through the chat?
It can send them to your booking link or collect a booking request for you to confirm. Direct booking into your schedule is possible where your software has an API.
What if it records the job details wrong?
It reads a summary back for the customer to confirm before sending, and the full conversation is attached so your team can see exactly what was said.
Will it work on phones?
Yes. Most people looking for a trade are on a phone, so the chat and the call button are both designed for small screens.
Related pages
Start with a free website and chatbot
HeliumSol will build and host your website, add a knowledge-base chatbot trained on your business, and set up email on your domain. Hosting, chatbot API usage and email are included for the first month. One short form, and a person reads it.
Why free? It is part of the Founding Partner Program: a small number of businesses, honest feedback in return, everything in writing first.