LeadAI

AI receptionist for tradies: every call and text answered, 24/7

The short answer

An AI receptionist for tradies answers every call and text, 24/7, including while you’re on the tools, after hours and on weekends. LeadAI’s Anna works out what the call is about, takes down the details, books or routes the next step and texts you straight away when it’s urgent. Starter (Anna on her own) is $750 a quarter or $2,400 a year + GST, about $200 a month paid yearly. Growth adds four more AI staff who follow up enquiries and quotes and chase invoices, for about $253 a month paid yearly.

The phone rings while you’re on a roof, under a house or at dinner. Plenty of callers who reach voicemail just ring the next business on the list. An AI receptionist picks up instead. Here’s what it does with each kind of call, what it costs next to a receptionist, an answering service or a VA, and where it hands back to you.

Ring Emily: 0468 199 598Book a demo

Anna, Personal Receptionist, is on every plan, from Starter at $750 a quarter + GST. Zoe, for existing customers’ questions, is on Scale and up. See all plans

By the LeadAI team, Melbourne · Updated

What your AI staff do

  • 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.

  • AI for existing customers’ questions

    Existing customers ring with the same questions all day: when you’re coming, where the job is up to, can they move the time. Every one pulls you off the tools.

    • Answers existing customers’ questions from your job information
    • Passes on updates and changes
    • Sends anything that needs you back to you

    Zoe, Office Receptionist. Scale and up.

How it works

  1. Step 1

    Ring Emily first

    Emily answers LeadAI’s own phone, 24/7. Ring 0468 199 598 and talk to her like one of your customers would. Then decide.

  2. Step 2

    Tell us what to do with each call

    On a screen share, tell us your services, area and hours, what counts as urgent, what to book, what to pass to you, and what Anna should never say.

  3. Step 3

    We set Anna up

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

  4. Step 4

    Every call gets answered

    Anna answers calls and texts day and night, takes the details and books or routes the next step. Urgent calls are texted to you straight away, and you decide what happens next.

Why LeadAI for answering a tradie’s phone

  • Every call and text, 24/7, public holidays included

    Anna answers calls and texts day and night, on weekends and on public holidays, at the same plan price. There are no penalty rates or after-hours surcharges, and urgent calls are texted to you straight away.

  • No counting minutes on incoming calls

    Growth and up include unlimited inbound calls (fair use), so a busy week doesn’t mean a bigger bill for answering the phone. Starter includes 250 inbound conversations a month, then $0.35 a minute, billed per second.

  • Costs a fraction of a receptionist, for all 168 hours

    A full-time Clerks Award Level 2 receptionist costs about $66,500 a year with super, leave loading and workers comp, and covers 38 of the week’s 168 hours. Starter, with Anna answering around the clock, is $2,400 a year + GST paid yearly. A receptionist can also do in-person office work that Anna can’t.

  • The call gets followed up, not just answered

    On Growth, Emily follows up the enquiry and the quote, SAM writes the quote while you talk, and Carol chases the invoice. All five AI staff are $950 a quarter or $3,040 a year + GST.

  • Published limits on what Anna will say

    Anna doesn’t give technical advice, scope jobs, give prices or make commitments outside your rules. Those limits are written down on our AI staff page, so you know what your customers will and won’t hear.

Why tradies miss calls, and what it costs

Most trade businesses are small. ABS counts at 30 June 2025 show 89.2% of plumbing businesses and 88.6% of electrical businesses have fewer than 5 staff. So when the owner is on the tools, there’s usually nobody else to answer.

Slow answers cost work. In OpenAI-commissioned research reported in September 2026, 45% of Australian construction businesses surveyed said they had lost potential work because of slow response times.

Ringing back that night is a long shot. Hiya’s State of the Call 2026, a survey of more than 12,000 consumers in six countries, found 86% of calls from unknown numbers go unanswered. The fix is to answer the first time.

What Anna does with each kind of call

How an AI receptionist handles a tradie’s calls
The callWhat Anna does
A new job while you’re mid-jobAnswers, works out what the job is, takes the name, address and details you need, and books or routes the next step where you’ve set that up.
An urgent call (burst pipe, no power, a gas smell)Takes the details and texts you straight away. You decide whether to head out.
“How much will it cost?”Takes the details so you can price it. Anna never quotes or gives prices. On Growth, SAM writes the quote as you talk and Emily follows it up.
After hours, weekends and public holidaysExactly the same, 24/7. No penalty rates and no after-hours surcharge.
A text instead of a callAnna answers texts as well as calls.
An existing customer: “When are you coming?”Anna takes the message and passes it on. On Scale, Zoe answers from your job information and passes on changes.

AI receptionist vs receptionist, answering service and VA

Ways to answer a tradie’s phone, Australia 2026
OptionTypical costHours coveredWhat happens to the call
Employed receptionist (Clerks Award Level 2)About $66,500 a year, about $5,545 a month (estimate)38 of 168 hours a week, less leaveAnything you train them to do
Answering service, messagesFrom $25 a month, plus $2.60 to $4.10 a callUsually 24/7A message or a transfer. You ring back
Answering service, booking jobs$2.50 to $2.99 a minuteUsually 24/7Booked into your diary while on the call
Offshore virtual assistant, full timeAbout A$865 to A$1,876 a monthSet shifts, plus their own leavePhones and admin, trained by you
Australian virtual assistantAbout $31 to $36 an hourThe hours you bookPhones and admin, trained by you
AI receptionist appsAbout A$49 to A$399 a month24/7Answered and booked. Few follow up
LeadAI Starter$750 a quarter or $2,400 a year + GST (about $200 a month paid yearly)24/7, including public holidaysAnna answers, takes details, books or routes, texts you when urgent
LeadAI Growth$950 a quarter or $3,040 a year + GST (about $253 a month paid yearly)24/7, including public holidaysAll of Starter, plus enquiry and quote follow-up, invoices, reviews and SAM
Prices exclude GST unless stated. The receptionist figure is our estimate at the award minimum: wages, 12% super, leave loading and workers comp, no overtime. Offshore VA prices converted from USD at the RBA rate on 10 November 2026.

After hours is where a person gets expensive

From 1 July 2026, a Level 2 receptionist on the Clerks Award earns at least $1,119.10 a week ($29.45 an hour). That buys 38 ordinary hours, which is about 23% of the week.

Cover outside that costs more. Under the award, full-time staff are paid 125% on Saturday mornings, 200% on Sundays and 250% on public holidays, and overtime starts at 150%. Those early, late and weekend hours are often when a tradie can’t get to the phone either.

Anna answers nights, weekends and public holidays at the same plan price. Starter includes 250 inbound conversations a month. Growth and up include unlimited inbound calls (fair use). Past the included amount, inbound calls are $0.35 a minute, billed per second.

Answering is only half the job

An AI receptionist that only answers still leaves you the follow-up: ringing the enquiry back, chasing the quote, chasing the invoice. That’s where most of the work is lost and most of the evenings go.

On Growth, Anna works with four more AI staff. Emily follows up new enquiries within minutes and books the site visit, then follows up the quotes you send. SAM writes quotes and invoices while you talk. Carol chases deposits and overdue invoices. Jenny rings after the job to check the customer is happy. It’s $950 a quarter or $3,040 a year + GST for all five.

Where your AI staff stop, and you stay in charge

  • Anna doesn’t give technical advice or scope jobs. Those stay with you.
  • Anna doesn’t create prices, give quotes or negotiate. A caller who wants a price gets their details taken for you.
  • Anna doesn’t make commitments outside the rules you’ve approved.
  • Urgent calls, like a burst pipe or no power, are texted to you straight away. Safety calls stay with you.
  • Disputes, complaints and anything unusual come back to you.

Questions people ask

How much does an AI receptionist cost in Australia?
Most AI receptionist apps cost about A$49 to A$399 a month. LeadAI’s Starter plan, one AI receptionist, is $750 a quarter or $2,400 a year + GST, about $200 a month paid yearly. Growth, with five AI staff that also follow up quotes and chase invoices, is about $253 a month paid yearly.
Can an AI receptionist answer calls after hours and on weekends?
Yes. Anna answers every call and text 24/7, including nights, weekends and public holidays, at the same plan price. There are no penalty rates or after-hours surcharges.
Will an AI receptionist give my customers prices?
Not with LeadAI. Anna doesn’t create prices, give quotes or negotiate. She takes the details so you can price the job, and on Growth SAM writes the quote while you talk it through.
What happens when an urgent call comes in?
Anna takes the details and texts you straight away. You decide whether to head out. You set what counts as urgent for your trade, like a burst pipe, no power or a gas smell.
Is an AI receptionist better than an answering service?
It depends what you need. A message-taking answering service is cheap per call, from $2.60 to $4.10, but you still ring everyone back, and booking jobs costs $2.50 to $2.99 a minute. An AI receptionist answers 24/7 for a flat plan price and can book or route the next step.
Can an AI receptionist answer texts too?
Yes. Anna answers calls and texts, 24/7, and works out what each one is about before she takes the next step.
How many calls does the Starter plan include?
Starter includes 250 inbound conversations a month. Growth and up include unlimited inbound calls (fair use). Past the included amount, calls are $0.35 a minute inbound, billed per second.
Is an AI receptionist worth it for a tradie?
It’s worth it if calls go to voicemail while you’re on the tools, after hours or on weekends, because that caller can ring the next business. Count the calls you miss in a normal week and what an average job is worth to you. If one saved job a month is worth more than about $200, LeadAI Starter covers its cost, and there’s no lock-in contract if it doesn’t.
AI receptionist vs a human receptionist in Australia: which costs less?
An AI receptionist costs far less. A full-time receptionist at the Clerks Award Level 2 minimum costs about $66,500 a year with 12% super, leave loading and workers comp, before recruitment and overtime, and covers 38 of the week’s 168 hours. LeadAI Starter is $2,400 a year + GST for Anna answering 24/7, and Growth is $3,040 a year + GST for 5 AI staff. A person can still do hands-on office work that AI can’t.
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.

Sources

  1. 1. ABS, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, Jul 2021 to Jun 2025 (Data cube 2, at 30 June 2025)
  2. 2. Dynamic Business, CommBank and OpenAI are betting AI can fix the tradie admin problem (September 2026)
  3. 3. Hiya, State of the Call 2026
  4. 4. Squire Patton Boggs, 2026 Annual Wage Review decision
  5. 5. RosterElf, Clerks – Private Sector Award pay rates 2026
  6. 6. Virtual Headquarters, Call answering pricing
  7. 7. OfficeHQ, Pricing
  8. 8. VirtualStaff.ph, Pricing
  9. 9. PayScale, Virtual assistant hourly rate (Australia)
  10. 10. Talent.com, Virtual assistant salary (Australia)
  11. 11. Reserve Bank of Australia, Exchange rates
  12. 12. LeadAI guide, Receptionist, answering service, VA or AI: what each costs (AI receptionist range from published Australian price lists, checked 10 November 2026)
  13. 13. LeadAI, Pricing

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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.
Ring Emily: 0468 199 598Book a demo

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