AI phone assistants for tradies
Products and prices checked 2026-11-13
You can't answer the phone from the top of a ladder. A phone assistant answers for you, takes the job details and gets them to you, so the caller doesn't ring the next tradie on the list.
What a tradie needs from the phone
A missed call from a new customer is often a lost job. They rarely leave a voicemail. A phone assistant for a trade business has four jobs:
- Answer every time, including when you're driving, on a roof or with a customer.
- Get the job details: name, number, address and suburb, what the job is, and how urgent it is.
- Tell the caller what happens next, such as "the boss will call you back this afternoon".
- Get the details to you in a form you'll actually read between jobs.
Booking straight into your calendar is useful but optional. Many tradies prefer to look at the job before they commit to a time.
Four options that fit trade businesses
Johnni: the Australian all-rounder
Johnni's Solo plan is pitched at "one tradie who can't answer on the tools". It answers 24/7, including public holidays, in what it calls "natural Aussie and Kiwi voices". It gives you your own local number, checks the caller's suburb against your service area, can warm-transfer a call to you, and has a scheduler that syncs with Google Calendar or Outlook. Prices are in AUD ex GST: on annual billing, Pay As You Go is A$44 a month (60 minutes) and Solo is A$134 (200 minutes). Monthly billing starts at A$49. SMS is an add-on at A$50 a month.
Sophiie: phones plus the office work
Sophiie calls itself an "AI Operating System for service businesses" and says it is "purpose built for trades and services". The receptionist answers, books or takes a message, and transfers. From the Growth plan it also handles quotes, invoices and payments. It lists Xero, ServiceM8 and Google Calendar as integrations (Google Calendar is limited on the base plan). Receptionist Plus is A$299 a month ex GST for 250 minutes with no setup fee. Growth is A$399 a month for 500 minutes plus an A$800 setup fee. Sophiie doesn't state that it provides Australian local numbers, so ask.
Goodcall Starter: the US option for one person
Goodcall pitches its Starter plan at the "solo operator who misses calls while on the job". It costs US$79 and covers 100 unique callers, and Goodcall says it never meters minutes, so a long chat about a complicated job costs no more. It can book, take messages and transfer. You can use a local number or forward your own. Australian numbers aren't mentioned.
Trillet Juney: the simplest set-up
Juney answers on your existing number and sends you the details. On the Pro plan (US$99, 800 minutes) it books into Google Calendar. Starter is US$49 for 200 minutes. No transfers or SMS are stated, and it stops answering when your minutes run out, so buy top-ups (US$20 per 100 minutes) before a busy month.
Getting the job details right
The assistant is only as good as the questions it asks. Before you switch one on, write down what you need on every new-job call. A plumber needs to know if water is running. A sparky needs to know if power is off. Set up the assistant to ask those questions, and make test calls to check it does.
- Service area: Johnni checks the caller's suburb against your service area, which saves you calling back people you can't help.
- Job software: Johnni connects to ServiceM8, simPRO, ServiceTitan, HubSpot and others as a paid add-on, quoted per business. Sophiie lists ServiceM8 and Xero. If you use other software, ask the vendor before you buy.
- Getting it to you: check how the summary arrives. Johnni's SMS is a paid add-on. Rosie can send texts during calls. Trillet says it sends you the details but doesn't say how.
After the call: quoting and follow-up
Answering the call is half the job. The work is won or lost in what happens next: the site visit, the quote, and chasing the quote a few days later. Of the products here, only Sophiie offers quotes, invoices and payments itself, from its Growth plan. With the others, the details go to you, and your job software or your own routine has to do the rest.
A simple test: look at the last ten new-job calls you did answer. How many got a quote within two days? If the answer is "not many", a phone assistant alone won't fix it. Plan the follow-up at the same time.
What it costs a small trade business
| Plan | Included | Price as published |
|---|---|---|
| Johnni Pay As You Go | 60 min | A$44/mo ex GST, annual billing |
| Johnni Solo | 200 min | A$134/mo ex GST, annual billing |
| Sophiie Receptionist Plus | 250 min | A$299/mo ex GST, no setup fee |
| Goodcall Starter | 100 unique callers | US$79 |
| Trillet Juney Starter | 200 min | US$49 |
If you have more than one crew or the phone rings all day, see the high call volume page.
Questions people ask
Which AI phone assistant is best for a sole trader in Australia?
Johnni is the strongest fit on the published facts: it's Australian, prices in AUD ex GST, gives you a local number and has a Solo plan aimed at one tradie on the tools. Trillet Juney is a simpler alternative if you're happy to pay in USD and keep your existing number.
Can it put an urgent call through to me?
Johnni offers warm transfer, and Sophiie and Goodcall offer transfers. Trillet doesn't state transfers for Juney. Set clear rules for what counts as urgent so you're not pulled off the job for every call.
What happens when I run out of minutes?
It varies. Trillet Juney stops answering until you top up. Sophiie charges 30c a minute over your allowance. Check the overage terms of any plan before you choose it.
Does it work with ServiceM8?
Sophiie lists ServiceM8 as an integration. Johnni connects to ServiceM8 and other job software as a paid add-on, priced per business. Ask the vendor exactly what it writes into ServiceM8 before you pay.
Will customers mind talking to an AI?
Some will. A quick, clear call that ends with a callback time beats a missed call or a full voicemail box. Make test calls yourself and listen to how it sounds before customers hear it.
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