What “AI for trades” actually means
There are three kinds of AI for tradies on the market. The first is an AI feature inside software you already use, like writing a job description or tidying a quote. You still run it. The second is an AI receptionist: it answers the phone and books a time, and the follow-up is still yours.
The third is AI staff. Each AI staff member has one job, like reception, quote follow-up or invoice chasing, and does it from start to finish inside the rules you set. You don’t operate them; you tell them what you want, the way you’d brief a new office person. That’s what LeadAI builds.
The office work is real. In OpenAI-commissioned research of more than 1,000 Australian small and medium business owners, reported in September 2026, 62% of construction respondents said quoting, invoicing or scheduling takes up more of their week than the work itself. And 45% said they had lost potential work because of slow response times.
Every office job, who does it and on which plan
| Job | Who does it | Plan | What stays with you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every call and text, 24/7 | Anna, Personal Receptionist | Every plan, from Starter | Technical advice and the calls you decide to take |
| New enquiries and site visits | Emily, New Jobs & Quotes | Growth and up | Which jobs you want |
| Writing quotes by voice | SAM, Personal Assistant | Growth and up | The price, the scope and any discount |
| Following up quotes you’ve sent | Emily | Growth and up | Pricing, discounts and commercial terms |
| Writing invoices by voice | SAM | Growth and up | What you charge |
| Deposits, reminders and overdue invoices | Carol, Invoices & Payments | Growth and up | Disputes, payment plans and write-offs |
| Booking confirmations and reminders | Part of follow-up today. Rachel, a dedicated staff member, is rolling out | Growth and up | How your diary runs |
| Job notes, materials and what’s outstanding | SAM | Growth and up | Commercial decisions |
| Existing customers’ questions | Zoe, Office Receptionist | Scale and up | Anything that needs a decision |
| Service reminders and repeat work | Mia, Reactivation & Follow-Up | Scale and up | What you offer and when |
Why trades need this more than most
Most trade businesses have nobody in the office. ABS counts at 30 June 2025 show that in every major trade, more than 8 in 10 businesses have fewer than 5 staff, and many have none at all. When the owner is on a roof or under a house, nobody picks up the phone, and nobody chases the quote that went out last Tuesday.
| Trade (ABS class) | Businesses | Fewer than 5 staff |
|---|---|---|
| House construction (3011) | 66,002 | 93.2% |
| Electrical services (3232) | 48,279 | 88.6% |
| Cleaning services (7311) | 45,217 | 92.3% |
| Plumbing services (3231) | 31,380 | 89.2% |
| Painting and decorating (3244) | 24,357 | 96.1% |
| Landscape construction (3291) | 19,283 | 89.9% |
| Concreting (3221) | 16,129 | 89.9% |
| Air conditioning and heating (3233) | 7,481 | 82.9% |
What it costs compared with the other options
Here’s what each way of covering the office costs a month, using published Australian prices and the 1 July 2026 award rates.
| Option | Typical cost a month | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | Your nights and weekends | Calls missed while you work, quotes and invoices done after hours |
| Employ a receptionist or admin person (Clerks Award Level 2) | About $5,545 (estimate: wages, 12% super, leave loading, workers comp) | Anything you train them to do, 38 of the week’s 168 hours |
| Answering service | From $25, plus $2.60 to $4.10 a call for messages, or $2.50 to $2.99 a minute to book jobs | A message or a booking. You still ring back and follow up |
| Full-time offshore virtual assistant | About A$865 to A$1,876 | Admin and phones in set shifts, trained and managed by you |
| AI receptionist apps | About A$49 to A$399 | Calls answered and booked. Few follow anything up |
| LeadAI Starter (1 AI staff) | About $200 paid yearly ($750 a quarter + GST) | Anna: every call and text answered, 24/7 |
| LeadAI Growth (5 AI staff) | About $253 paid yearly ($950 a quarter + GST) | Calls, enquiries, quotes and quote follow-up, invoices and payments, reviews, and SAM |
Growth includes unlimited inbound calls (fair use) and 6 to 8 outbound hours a month. Past that, calls are $0.35 a minute inbound and $0.55 a minute outbound, billed per second. Phone numbers are $12.50 a month per agent, first month free.
The maths on one job
You don’t need a big number to make this add up. Airtasker puts the median electrician job at $210 (October 2026) and the median air conditioner repair at $190 (June 2025). A split system supplied and installed runs from about $1,263 to $6,562 (August 2026).
Growth, paid yearly, is about $253 a month for five AI staff. That’s plain arithmetic, not a promise: if answering the phone and following up the quote wins you a couple of small jobs a month you’d otherwise have lost, it has paid for itself. Check it against your own call log and job values.
Where your AI staff stop, and you stay in charge
- Pricing, scope, variations and discounts stay with you. Emily follows quotes up; she never writes, sends or prices one.
- Disputes, payment plans, refunds and write-offs come back to you. Carol doesn’t make financial decisions.
- Technical advice, scoping and safety calls stay with you and your licence. Anna doesn’t give technical advice.
- SAM works to your instructions and doesn’t make commercial, financial or legal calls on your behalf.
- Anything urgent is texted to you straight away, and anything outside the rules you’ve approved comes back to you.
- Unhappy customers come straight back to you. Nobody asks them for a review.