Ansela / Who it’s for / Builders
For builders
Footings half dug, and someone wants an extension priced. She books the survey.
Ansela answers while you’re on site, takes what the caller wants built, where and roughly when, and books the survey visit into your diary for you to price.
£1.99 your first month, including VAT, then from £99 a month + VAT. 60 minutes in month one. No contract.
Set up in about 15 minutes.
Ansela is a Bookeasy.ai product. You sign up at ansela.bookeasy.ai, and you’ll see BOOKEASY.AI on your card statement.
Can an AI receptionist answer the phone for a builder?
Yes. Ansela answers in your firm’s name while you’re on site, takes what the caller wants built, where and roughly when, and books the survey visit into your Ansela diary for you to price. Plans start at £99 a month + VAT.
01
The call she took while the mixer was going
A kitchen extension that might be a utility, and a planning question she hands back to you. It ends in Tuesday’s diary with the questions noted.
Example call; Harland Building Services and the caller are made up.
This call may be recorded. Thank you for calling Harland Building Services. Please hold for a moment while I connect you.Recorded, and played before she picks up.
Harland Building Services, Ansela speaking. How can I help?
Hi. We’re after a quote for an extension. Single storey at the back, for the kitchen. Or a utility, we haven’t decided. About four metres out.
Paul can come and have a look. Have you got drawings yet, or is it still an idea?
Still an idea. My brother-in-law reckons we won’t need planning. Is that right?
That’s one for Paul when he’s there, I can’t advise on planning. What’s the postcode?
NG5 2DF.
NG5 2DF. Paul can come Friday at four or next Tuesday at ten.
Friday’s no good, I’m away. Tuesday. Ten’s fine.
Tuesday at ten. Can I take a name and a number for Paul?
Chris Okafor. 07700 900518.
Thanks Chris. You’re booked for Tuesday at ten, and Paul has the details now.
02
What she does for a builder, and what she won’t
She works from what you’ve told her: the work you take on, the area you cover, and how far ahead you’re booked.
- Survey and quote visits, booked into your diary.
- What they want built, roughly how big, and when they want it done, written up before you go.
- “Do you do loft conversions?” and “How far ahead are you booked?” answered from your own answers.
- The customer on your current job ringing about the skip, taken while you’re on the trowel.
- Won’t give a price for a build. She books the survey.
- Won’t comment on planning, permitted development or building regs. She notes the question for you.
03
What happens when a builder misses an enquiry call?
Most calls to a builder are someone with a job half-formed in their head: an extension, a loft, a kitchen knocked through. They’re ringing three or four firms. The first to answer and offer a visit usually gets to price it.
You’re on the scaffold, mixing, or in the middle of a pour. The call comes at the worst time, and an enquiry that sits on your phone until teatime has often gone elsewhere by then.
04
What does she ask someone who wants a quote?
What they want built, roughly how big, where, and when they’d like it done. Whether they have drawings or it’s still an idea. Whether they own the property. Then she offers the survey slots you’ve set, takes the name, number and postcode, and you get the lot in a written summary.
Builder calls ramble, and the caller often changes their mind mid-sentence. She follows, notes both versions, and brings them back to the visit. She sticks to what you’ve told her rather than talking through the whole job, which also keeps the minutes down.
05
What about planning, building regs and prices?
She gives no advice on planning, permitted development or Building Regulations. When a caller asks, she says that’s one for you at the survey and notes the question. She doesn’t price a build either. Only figures you’ve given her, like a survey charge, are said out loud.
Membership of a body such as the Federation of Master Builders is something only you can claim. Add a line for her if you want callers told.
06
What about customers on my current job?
You tell her which callers to put through. Anyone you’re currently building for, or a supplier or a subcontractor, can go straight to your mobile. Everyone else gets a survey booked into your Ansela diary. You can also tell her how far ahead you’re booked, even if it’s spring, and she still takes the details. Roofers set theirs up much the same way.
Plans start at £99 a month + VAT: see what each plan includes. Paying a per-call service now? See how Ansela compares.
07
Where the phone usually is while the mixer’s going
We built Ansela because we kept ringing tradespeople who couldn’t pick up, and then booking someone else. She isn’t a call centre. She answers in your name, says what you’ve told her to say, and writes down what the caller wanted.
If she gets a call wrong, forward us the recording.
Ansela[email protected]
08
How do you set up Ansela?
You choose a plan before your number goes live.
For builders: keep your current number and divert it to Ansela, or take a new UK business number for your website and cards, or use both.
- Give her your website. She reads it and comes back with the work you take on, your area and how far ahead you book for you to check.
- Tell her how you book surveys and try her. Set the slots you keep for looking at jobs, then have the extension call above with her in your browser.
- Divert your mobile. We give you a UK number. One short code diverts your mobile to it when you don’t pick up. Another turns it off.
09
What does Ansela cost? Three plans, no contract
Starter for a builder running one site at a time. Team when there’s a second gang and a second diary.
Ansela is a Bookeasy.ai product. You sign up at ansela.bookeasy.ai, and you’ll see BOOKEASY.AI on your card statement.
| Plan | A month + VAT | Minutes | Calls at once |
|---|---|---|---|
| StarterSole traders, one or two vans | £99 | 600 | 1 |
| TeamDiaries for up to 10 people | £279 | 1,800 | 3 |
| ScaleSet up with you, not self-serve | £499 | 3,500 | 3 |
Minutes are time she spends on the phone with callers. Extra minutes are 20p each, up to a limit you set.
First month £1.99 including VAT, with 60 minutes, on Starter. Card needed; nothing else to pay in month one. Cancel from your billing page and it stops at the end of the month you’ve paid for. Plan prices exclude VAT.
Not VAT-registered? With VAT that’s £118.80 a month on Starter, £334.80 a month on Team and £598.80 a month on Scale.
Scale is set up with you. Need her plugged into your own systems? Talk to us about Enterprise.
10
Questions builders ask
Enquiry calls can be long. Does that eat minutes?
They can. She sticks to what you’ve told her and books the survey rather than talking through the whole job. Your minutes and call lengths are in the app.
Can she tell people we’re booked till spring?
Yes, if you tell her. She’ll say it and still take the details so you can get back to them.
What if a customer on a live job needs me?
Tell her which callers to put through, like anyone you’re currently building for, and she puts them through to your mobile.
Will she tell someone they don’t need planning?
No. She gives no advice on planning or building regs. She notes the question and you answer it at the survey.
Do I have to change my number?
No. We give you a UK number and you divert your own to it with a short code (codes by network). Turn the divert off whenever you like.
What is a minute, and can she take two calls at once?
A minute is time she spends on the phone with callers. Starter includes 600 a month, extra minutes are 20p each up to a limit you set, and Starter takes 1 call at a time. A caller who rings while she’s busy can leave a voicemail, which doesn’t use your minutes.
Is there a contract, and what happens after the £1.99 month?
No minimum term. After the first month it carries on at your plan price plus VAT unless you cancel, which you can do from your billing page at any time.
Keep laying. She’ll take the enquiry.
Ansela is a Bookeasy.ai product. You sign up at ansela.bookeasy.ai, and you’ll see BOOKEASY.AI on your card statement.