AI for leads and enquiries: every new enquiry followed up within minutes

The short answer

AI for leads follows up every new enquiry within minutes, while the customer is still keen. LeadAI’s Emily follows up web forms, ad enquiries and missed calls, asks the qualifying questions you’d ask, books the job or site visit into your calendar and keeps following up until it’s a yes or a no. Anna answers the phone 24/7, so the enquiry is caught in the first place. Both are on the Growth plan: 5 AI staff for $950 a quarter or $3,040 a year + GST, about $253 a month paid yearly.

A web form, a missed call or an ad enquiry sits until you get to it that night. By then the customer has rung two other tradies and booked whoever got back first. Here’s what the research says about speed, where tradies’ leads leak, and how AI follows them up without you stopping work.

Emily, New Jobs & Quotes, is on Growth and up, alongside Anna, SAM, Carol and Jenny: $950 a quarter or $3,040 a year + GST. See all plans

By the LeadAI team, Melbourne · Updated

What your AI staff do

  • AI for new enquiries and leads

    A web form, a missed call or an ad enquiry sits until you get to it that night. By then they’ve booked someone else.

    • Follows up new enquiries within minutes
    • Asks the qualifying questions you’d ask
    • Books the job or site visit straight into your calendar
    • Keeps following up until it’s a yes or a no

    Emily, New Jobs & Quotes. Growth and up.

  • AI reception and missed calls

    The phone rings while you’re on a roof, under a house or at dinner. Most people who reach voicemail don’t leave a message. They ring the next business on the list.

    • Answers every call and text, 24/7
    • Works out what the call is about and takes down the details you need
    • Books or routes the next step where you’ve set that up
    • Texts you straight away when it’s urgent

    Anna, Personal Receptionist. On every plan, from Starter.

How it works

  1. Step 1

    Tell us where your enquiries come from

    Your phone, your website form, your ads. Tell us the questions you ask every new customer, the jobs and suburbs you want, and when you do site visits.

  2. Step 2

    We set Emily and Anna up

    We set your AI staff up around your business and your rules. There’s no dashboard for you to learn.

  3. Step 3

    Every enquiry gets followed up

    Anna answers calls and texts 24/7. Emily follows up new enquiries within minutes, asks your questions and books the job or site visit straight into your calendar.

  4. Step 4

    You turn up and price it

    You do the site visit and set the price. Talk SAM through it and he writes the quote while you talk. Emily then follows the quote up until it’s a yes or a no.

Why LeadAI for following up leads and enquiries

  • Every enquiry followed up within minutes

    Emily follows up web forms, ad enquiries and missed calls within minutes, asks your qualifying questions and books the job or site visit into your calendar. In Harvard Business Review’s 2011 audit of 2,241 US firms, those that replied within an hour were nearly 7 times as likely to qualify the lead as those that waited an hour longer.

  • Followed up until it’s a yes or a no

    Emily doesn’t stop after one message. She keeps following up until the customer says yes or no, and anyone who says no or opts out comes off the list.

  • The call is caught in the first place

    Anna answers every call and text 24/7, so the enquiry doesn’t die in voicemail before anyone can follow it up. Growth and up include unlimited inbound calls (fair use).

  • Follow-up at the hours you choose

    You choose the days and hours follow-up calls and texts go out, and we set it up with you to fit Australia’s telemarketing and spam rules. When a customer says no, the follow-up stops.

  • Outbound hours stated up front

    Growth is $950 a quarter or $3,040 a year + GST for 5 AI staff, and includes 6 to 8 outbound hours a month for follow-up calls. Past that, outbound calls are $0.55 a minute, billed per second, so you know what following up costs before you start.

Why minutes matter

Customers shop around. Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading tells people to “always get at least three written quotes”, so assume every lead has rung at least two other businesses. The one that gets back first, while the customer still wants it done, has the best shot.

The research on speed is old and mostly American, but it all points the same way. In the Lead Response Management study (Dr James Oldroyd with InsideSales.com, 2007, 15,000+ leads), the odds of qualifying a lead were 21 times higher when it was contacted within 5 minutes rather than 30, and four times higher at 5 minutes than at 10. Harvard Business Review’s 2011 study “The Short Life of Online Sales Leads” found most companies respond far too slowly.

Customers expect it too. In Jobber’s 2026 survey of US home service businesses, more than 55% of customers expected a reply within an hour and more than 70% the same day. Closer to home, 45% of Australian construction businesses in OpenAI-commissioned research reported in September 2026 said they had lost work because of slow response times.

Where a tradie’s leads leak

Where enquiries go cold, and what your AI staff do instead
The enquiryWhat usually happensWhat your AI staff do
A missed callGoes to voicemail, and the caller rings the next businessAnna answers it, 24/7, and takes the details
A web formSits in your inbox until tonightEmily follows it up within minutes
An ad enquiryPaid for, then answered hours laterEmily follows it up within minutes, while the customer is still keen
A textRead on site, forgotten by knock-offAnna answers texts as well as calls
A lead that went quietNever chasedEmily keeps following up until it’s a yes or a no
A quote you’ve sentNever chasedEmily follows up every quote you’ve sent
You choose which enquiries Emily follows up and what she asks. Pricing, scope and discounts always stay with you.

Qualifying the lead and booking the site visit

Emily asks the qualifying questions you’d ask, so you don’t drive across town for a job you’d never take. You set the questions. For example:

  • What’s the job, and how big is it?
  • Where is the property, and is it in your service area?
  • When do they want it done? Is anything urgent?
  • Is it their own home, a rental or a business?
  • When can someone be there for a site visit?

Then she books the job or site visit straight into your calendar. Confirmation and reminder texts are part of the follow-up today, and Rachel, a dedicated appointment confirmations staff member, is rolling out on Growth and up.

Following up inside the rules

Fast isn’t the same as pushy. Whoever does the follow-up, these are the rules it has to meet.

  • Spam Act 2003: a commercial text or email needs consent, must say who it’s from and must have a free, working opt-out. Opt-outs must be honoured within 5 business days. Someone who asked you for a quote has usually given consent for that job.
  • Calls: the telemarketing industry standard allows calls from 9am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, and not on Sundays or national public holidays, unless the customer agreed to that time.
  • When the customer says no, the follow-up stops.

This is general information, not legal advice.

What lead follow-up costs

Most AI receptionist apps, at about A$49 to A$399 a month, answer the call that comes in and book a time. Few ring the lead back or chase the quote. An answering service takes a message for $2.60 to $4.10 a call and leaves the follow-up to you.

Growth is 5 AI staff for $950 a quarter or $3,040 a year + GST. Paid yearly that’s about $253 a month. Paid quarterly it’s about $2.08 a day per AI staff member. That covers Emily following up enquiries and quotes, Anna answering every call and text, SAM, Carol and Jenny. Growth includes 6 to 8 outbound hours a month, and past that outbound calls are $0.55 a minute, billed per second.

Where your AI staff stop, and you stay in charge

  • Emily never writes, sends or prices a quote, and never offers a discount.
  • Emily never scopes technical work or promises work you haven’t approved.
  • You decide which jobs and areas you want. Anything outside your rules comes back to you.
  • Anyone who says no or asks to opt out is taken off the follow-up.
  • Urgent calls are texted to you straight away.

Questions people ask

Can AI follow up leads for tradies?
Yes. LeadAI’s Emily follows up new enquiries within minutes, asks the qualifying questions you’d ask, books the job or site visit into your calendar and keeps following up until it’s a yes or a no. She’s on the Growth plan, about $253 a month paid yearly for 5 AI staff.
How fast should a tradie reply to a new enquiry?
Within minutes if you can. In the Lead Response Management study, the odds of qualifying a lead were 21 times higher at 5 minutes than at 30. Customers often ring three businesses, and the first to get back has the best shot.
Can AI reply to website and ad enquiries?
Yes. Emily follows up new enquiries from your web form, your ads and missed calls within minutes. We set it up around the way your enquiries reach you.
Can AI book site visits into my calendar?
Yes. Emily books the job or site visit straight into your calendar once the customer has answered your qualifying questions. Calendar integration is part of Growth and up.
Will the AI give my prices to a new lead?
No. Emily never writes a quote, sets or changes a price, or offers a discount. You price the job; she follows up the quote once you’ve sent it.
Is it legal for AI to text and call leads in Australia?
Yes, inside the rules. Texts and emails need consent, your business name and an easy opt-out under the Spam Act, and calls should stay within the telemarketing standard hours of 9am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays. When a customer says no, the follow-up stops.
What if the enquiry isn’t a job I want?
You set the jobs, areas and times you want. Emily asks your qualifying questions, and anything outside your rules comes back to you to decide.
Does the AI keep chasing leads that go quiet?
Yes. Emily keeps following up until it’s a yes or a no, so enquiries don’t quietly go cold. Anyone who says no or opts out is taken off.
Can I hear it before I buy?
Yes. Ring Emily, one of LeadAI’s AI staff, on 0468 199 598 any time and talk to her like a customer would. If it’s a fit, book a quick screen share with the team.
What happens when a customer wants to talk to a person?
Your AI staff work to your rules. Anything urgent is texted to you straight away, and anything outside what you’ve approved, like pricing, discounts, disputes or a technical call, comes back to you.
What does it cost per month?
Growth is 5 AI staff for $950 a quarter or $3,040 a year, plus GST. Paid yearly that is about $253 a month. Paid quarterly it is about $2.08 a day per AI staff member. Starter is 1 AI staff member (reception) for $750 a quarter or $2,400 a year, plus GST.
Are call minutes extra?
Growth and up include unlimited inbound calls (fair use) and set outbound hours each month. Starter includes 250 inbound conversations a month. Past that, calls are $0.35 a minute inbound and $0.55 a minute outbound, and phone numbers are $12.50 a month per agent with the first month free.
Is there a lock-in contract?
No. There is no 12-month contract and no exit fee. You pay quarterly or yearly, and paying yearly saves 20%.
Where is my customers’ data stored?
Primary storage of customer data is in Australia. LeadAI Pty Ltd is an Australian company based in Melbourne, VIC.
Do I have to set it up myself?
No. We set your AI staff up around your business: your information, your rules, what they can say and where they have to stop. There is no dashboard for you to learn.

Ring Emily and hear it for yourself

Emily is one of our AI staff. Ring her like a customer would and judge for yourself. If it's a fit, book a quick screen share and we'll set your team up around how you work.

Emily answers LeadAI’s own line, any time. We look forward to speaking with you.