For plumbers, electricians, lawn care and other local service businesses
When you can't pick up, we do.
An AI phone assistant answers the calls you miss, takes the details and texts them to you. Callers who hang up first get a text right away.
You keep your number and never log in to anything. We set it up and run it.
- Today 10:42 AM
From your ServiceKiln number: AI call from Jane Smith (555) 123-4567: wants a quote to replace a water heater. Urgency: this week. Address: 12 Oak St.
You reply: Hi Jane, it's Mike with Acme Plumbing. I can come take a look this week.
From your ServiceKiln number: Jane Smith (555) 123-4567 #12: Can you come Thursday?
You reply: Thursday at 9 works. See you then.
You miss calls because you're working.
You're under a sink or up a ladder when the phone rings. You can't stop to answer, and the person calling can't wait. So they try the next business on the list, and the job goes with them.
How it works
The calls you miss go somewhere useful.
Calls you don't answer forward to your ServiceKiln number.
You keep your number. You turn on "forward when unanswered" with your phone carrier once. Calls you pick up work the same as now.
The assistant answers, or the caller gets a text.
It asks for their name, what they need, a callback number, the address and how urgent it is. If they hang up before giving their details, they get a text right away.
Caller gets, after the call (example)Thanks for calling Acme Plumbing! We got your message and will get back to you soon.
Caller gets, if they hung up first (example)Hi, this is Acme Plumbing. Sorry we missed your call! How can we help? Reply STOP to opt out.
You get the details by text and reply from your phone.
The summary comes from your ServiceKiln number. Reply to it, and your answer goes to the customer from that number, not your cell. Each customer has a tag like #12: start a reply with it to answer that customer instead.
What's included
Five services, set up and run for you.
Each one is on or off for your business. We set them up with you and keep them running.
AI phone assistant
Answers the calls you miss. It asks for the caller's name, what they need, a callback number, the address and how urgent it is, then texts you a summary. It never claims to be a person and never quotes prices.
Missed-call text-back
Callers who hang up before giving their details get a text from your business right away, and you get a text saying so.
Website lead form and “Text us” button
One line of code adds both to the website you already have: WordPress, Squarespace, Wix and others. New leads reach your phone as a text.
This site uses the same form.
Lead follow-up
By default, new leads get three follow-up texts, on days 1, 4 and 11, between 9am and 8pm your time. They stop when the lead replies, books, opts out or becomes a customer, or when you reply.
Google review requests
When a job is marked done, the customer gets your Google review link by text 2 hours later by default (between 9am and 8pm), and one reminder 3 days after that. It stops when they click or reply. Jobs can be marked done from your private link, by us, from a spreadsheet, or through Zapier or Make.
Two add-ons
Off unless you ask for them.
Add-on
AI text replies
An AI answers your customers' texts. It never claims to be a person, and you get a copy of every reply. Once you or our staff text a customer, it stays out of that conversation for 6 hours.
Add-on
AI booking
The assistant books on-site visits into arrival windows, within your hours, crews, job length and blocked time. The customer gets a confirmation text and a reminder the day before. You get a text for each booking, a calendar feed for Apple, Google or Outlook, and a private link to move or cancel visits and block time.
Customer gets (example)Hi Jane, you're booked with Acme Plumbing for Tue, Nov 10 between 8 and 10am. Reply here if you need to change it. Reply STOP to opt out.
Connect Google Calendar
If you use Google Calendar, you can connect it from your private link. ServiceKiln adds a separate visits calendar to your Google account and only writes to that one. It checks when you're busy on your main calendar, without reading what your events are, and counts each busy time as one crew taken. Move or delete a visit in Google and ServiceKiln updates it, then texts the customer the change 10 to 15 minutes later, so you can undo a mistake first. You can disconnect at any time.
Who does what
We run it. You answer your customers.
What we do
- Get your ServiceKiln number.
- File the carrier registration for business texting (10DLC), and publish the privacy policy, SMS terms and opt-in page it needs.
- Set up the assistant with what it needs to know about your business.
- Set up your lead form and “Text us” button, and give you the line of code for your website.
- Run the follow-ups and review requests, and adjust the wording with you.
- Keep track of your calls, leads, reply times and review clicks, and show you the numbers.
What you do
- Send us your business details.
- Turn on call forwarding with your phone carrier.
- Answer your texts.
- Mark jobs done from your private link, so review requests go out.
FAQ
Questions owners ask
Will callers know it's AI?
The assistant never claims to be a person. If a caller asks, it says it's your business's virtual assistant. The standard greeting doesn't say it's AI. If you'd like it to, we'll change the greeting.
Does it quote prices?
No. It never quotes prices. It takes the caller's details so you can follow up. It doesn't promise a time either, unless you have AI booking, and then it only offers the open windows on your calendar.
Do I change my number?
No. Customers keep calling the number they have now. You set it to forward calls you don't answer to your ServiceKiln number, usually with a short code from your phone carrier, and we send you the steps. On an iPhone, Live Voicemail has to be off and Screen Unknown Callers set to Never, or the phone handles the call before it forwards.
Is there an app?
No app and no login. Everything reaches you as a text from your ServiceKiln number, and you reply from your phone's own messages. For the few things that aren't a text, like marking a job done, you get a private link to bookmark on your phone.
What about my calendar?
Without AI booking, ServiceKiln doesn't touch your calendar. With AI booking, your visits come in a calendar feed you can add to Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. If you use Google Calendar you can also connect it, so your busy times count when the assistant books and visits you move there update in ServiceKiln. Outlook and iCloud get the read-only feed: there's no direct connection to them or to job-management software. How we handle Google data.
What does it cost?
A monthly fee based on the services you want, with voice minutes over the included amount billed per minute. We'll give you the number on our call.
How do opt-outs work?
Anyone who texts STOP (or UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT and the like) gets one confirmation and no more texts from your number, and their follow-ups stop. You get a text telling you. If they text START, they're opted back in. We publish your texting privacy policy, SMS terms and opt-in page for you.
When does it go live?
Business texting needs carrier registration (10DLC) first. We collect your details and file it, but approval is up to the carriers, so we can't promise a date. We'll tell you where it stands.
Who is it for?
Local service businesses in the US: plumbers, electricians, lawn care, cleaning, HVAC and similar trades. It isn't available outside the US, and it isn't set up for healthcare.
Request a call
Tell us your trade and city, and we'll get back to you to set up a short call. We'll ask about the calls you miss and which services fit, and tell you what it costs.
This is ServiceKiln's own lead form. If you agree to texts, our reply comes from our ServiceKiln number, the way your customers would hear from you.
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