Why home services bleed margin on slow follow-up

Plumbers, electricians, HVAC, and pest control teams rely on messy inbound: calls, WhatsApp/text, Facebook lead ads, and website forms. A lead that waits more than a few minutes is already shopping the next contractor. CSRs churn, after-hours calls bounce to voicemail, and quoting consistency varies by rep. Every one of those leaks piles up into missed bookings and thin margins.

What AI Lead Machine does (built for trades, not generic chatbots)

  • Instant reply + routing: Under-60s responses across chat, SMS, WhatsApp, and lead forms. Books directly into your calendar/CRM.
  • Quote-ready intake: Captures address, job type, urgency, photos/video, validates service area, and checks dispatch fit.
  • Proof drops that de-risk the choice: Sends local reviews, licenses, and before/after photos to close the trust gap.
  • Dead-lead revive: Drip sequences re-engage missed calls and cold quotes for 7–14 days.
  • Ops guardrails: Trades-specific safety rules (gas-safe, electrical compliance, no dangerous jobs) with human-in-loop escalation.

Outcome math: from 18% to 30–35% conversion without adding headcount

Assumptions: £450 average ticket, £90 margin, 120 inbound leads/month, 18% baseline conversion. With faster replies, proof drops, and revive flows, conversion rises to 30–35%. That’s ~38 jobs/month and ~£17,100 margin—an uplift of ~£7,200/month (72% increase) without hiring another CSR.

How the intake works in the real world

Speed to lead: The system answers within 30–60 seconds across every channel, so the first touch happens before the prospect calls your competitor. Structured triage: It collects address, job type, urgency, and media to qualify fit and prep pricing. Trust packet: It immediately sends proof—reviews near the customer’s postcode, license/insurance badges, before/after galleries—to make choosing you feel low risk. Booked and logged: Confirmed slots drop into your calendar/CRM, with transcripts and media attached for the tech.

10-day deployment plan (so you’re live next week)

  1. Days 1–2: Connect phone system, CRM, calendars; ingest FAQs, pricing rules, and service map.
  2. Days 3–5: Train the quote-ready intake; wire WhatsApp, SMS, web chat, Facebook/Google lead forms.
  3. Days 6–7: Assemble proof bundle (reviews, badges, galleries) and escalation rules.
  4. Days 8–10: Live shadow on real traffic, tighten scripts, and enable the 7–14 day revive sequences.

Why this beats generic AI or more headcount

  • Revenue-first: Optimized for booked jobs and margin, not ticket deflection.
  • Trades guardrails: Knows the difference between a gas leak, a panel upgrade, and a blocked loo—and when to escalate.
  • Human-in-loop by default: Edge cases route to humans with context, not blind handoffs.
  • Consistency at scale: Every caller gets the same high-quality intake and proof, even at midnight.

How to price and prove ROI fast

We run a 14-day “Lead Surge” pilot with £0 setup. Success is measured as booked jobs per 100 leads versus your baseline. Because every step is logged, you see exactly where conversion lifts: response time, proof drops, and revived leads. If it doesn’t move the needle, you walk.

Deployment checklist for owners and ops leads

  • Map service areas and blackout zones to avoid unprofitable dispatches.
  • Standardize photo/video asks per job type (e.g., panel photos for electricians, vent photos for HVAC).
  • Codify pricing guardrails and upsell triggers (after-hours surcharges, membership plans).
  • Define escalation rules: dangerous jobs, warranty disputes, VIP customers.
  • Connect proof sources: review links, license numbers, before/after galleries.

What you get by the end of week one

A multi-channel intake that answers every lead, routes to the right dispatcher, drops proof automatically, and revives the stragglers—all while handing humans the edge cases. No extra headcount, no more cold leads, and a margin lift you can see in the logbook.