Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers to the questions tradies ask most about AI automation.
AI automation costs depend on how much you want to automate:
Most tradies see the investment pay for itself within 4 to 6 weeks through time savings and fewer missed leads.
Yes. AI quoting works by using your rate cards, materials pricing and standard job templates. You input the job details, the AI calculates costs, applies your margins and generates a professional branded PDF that goes straight to the customer.
It works for plumbing, electrical, HVAC, painting, landscaping, roofing and most other trades. The quotes are accurate because they use your real pricing data, not generic estimates.
Yes. AI voice agents answer calls 24/7, take job details, qualify leads, handle common questions and book callbacks. They sound natural and professional. Urgent calls are escalated immediately.
Research shows tradies miss 62% of calls during work hours. Each missed call is a potential customer going to a competitor. AI phone agents eliminate this problem completely.
No. The best AI tools for tradies run in the background with minimal interaction. A consultant handles all the setup, integration and configuration. Once it is running, it just works.
If you can use a smartphone and email, you have all the tech skills you need. Many of our most successful clients would describe themselves as "not a computer person" and that is totally fine.
AI integrates with the tools you already use:
If you use it in your business, there is a very good chance we can connect AI to it.
AI replaces tasks, not people. It handles the repetitive, low-value admin like data entry, payment reminders and scheduling confirmations. Your office staff can then focus on customer relationships, complex problem-solving and business development.
Most trades businesses that implement AI grow without needing to hire additional admin. Some redeploy existing staff into more valuable roles. Nobody gets replaced.
Simple single-process automations (like automated invoicing) can be live within 3 to 5 business days. A comprehensive package covering quoting, scheduling and invoicing typically takes 2 to 4 weeks from start to finish.
You will see time savings from the very first week. Most tradies notice the difference within the first few days as the manual tasks they used to do start happening automatically.
Yes. All AI tools used are enterprise-grade with proper security measures: encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access controls and compliance with the Australian Privacy Act.
Your customer data is never used to train AI models. It stays within your business systems and is only accessed by the automations you have approved.
Absolutely. AI phone agents are programmed to recognise emergency keywords: burst pipe, no power, gas leak, flooding, sparking. These calls bypass the normal callback queue and get escalated immediately to the on-call tradie via SMS and direct call.
Non-urgent enquiries get queued for next business day. This means your customers always feel looked after, and genuine emergencies never get missed.
All sizes benefit, but the sweet spot is businesses doing $500K to $10M in annual revenue. Solo tradies save 5 to 10 hours per week on admin. Teams of 5 to 20 see even greater gains because admin multiplies with each employee.
If you are spending more than 5 hours a week on quoting, scheduling, invoicing or customer communication, AI will make a meaningful difference to your business.
Yes. We always recommend starting with a single high-impact automation to prove the value. Pick your biggest pain point, whether that is quoting, invoicing or missed calls, and automate that first. Measure the results. Then decide whether to expand.
No large upfront commitments required. Start small, prove it works, scale what delivers.
Yes. AI works equally well for commercial trades. In fact, commercial work often involves more complex quoting, compliance documentation, project reporting and subcontractor coordination, all areas where AI delivers even greater time savings than residential work.
Flowtivity offers free consultations for trades businesses exploring AI. No pressure, just honest advice.
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