Who it is for / Handymen and property maintenance
An AI receptionist for handymen.
Small jobs add up, but only if you catch the calls. While You Work answers the calls you miss in your business name, finds out what needs doing, where and when, and sends you the details a minute later.
Hear a sample call free, no card needed, and you keep your own number. Ready to put it on your own line? Start a free 7-day trial, no card.
The first 50 UK businesses get Pro for £49 a month plus VAT for their first 12 months, then £69. Plans start at £39. Your line switches on as soon as you finish the set-up form, with a 7-day free trial first and a 14-day money-back guarantee once you pay.
On every call
What your receptionist asks
- What needs doing, even if it is several small jobs
- Where it is, at least the postcode or area
- When they would like it done
- The best number to ring back, read back to check it
- Your hourly rate, only if you have set one and they ask
Urgent jobs
Jobs that cannot wait go to the top
- A door or window that will not lock
- A leak or damage that is getting worse
- A caller who says it cannot wait
On Pro and Business, urgent calls are texted to you straight away, and every call is emailed to you.
An example week
A week of calls to a handyman
Handyman calls are small, frequent and time-sensitive. Each one is worth less than a trade job, but there are more of them, and they repeat.
- Monday: a landlord with a list: dripping tap, loose towel rail, blind to fit. All three in the message.
- Tuesday, 10am: an elderly caller whose smoke alarm will not stop chirping. Reassured, details taken, marked as same-day if you can.
- Wednesday: a letting agent with a check-out list for a flat, wants it done before Friday. Deadline noted.
- Thursday, 6.30pm: flat-pack furniture assembly, three items, Saturday morning. Details taken.
- Friday: a caller asking if you do small plumbing and electrical. Question noted for callback.
The maths
What a missed call costs handymen
Say you miss 5 calls a week and two in five of those callers would have booked a half-day of odd jobs worth about £120.
5 calls × 40% × £120 = £240 a week. × 52 weeks ÷ 12 = £1,040 a month of work going to someone else. An example: put your own numbers into the missed-call calculator.
Small jobs go to whoever answers. A missed handyman call rarely leaves a voicemail; it leaves a review for someone else.
Setting your own prices? See what handymen charge in the UK, with rates and job prices from published price guides.
Timing
When a handyman's phone rings
Monday mornings after the weekend list has been written, and evenings when tenants report faults to agents. You are usually in someone's loft or under their sink.
What callers hear
An example call, word for word
The receptionist asks one thing at a time, checks the number back and never makes up a price. The details reach you by email a minute after the call, and by text straight away when it is urgent, on Pro and Business.
Emailed to you a minute later
Joan, 07700 900274, EX4 Exeter. Curtain pole, dripping tap and a shelf, any day next week.
Receptionist: Hi, you’re through to Fix It Frank. Frank is out on a job, so I’m the automated assistant taking the details for a call back. Calls are recorded so nothing gets missed. What’s your name?
Caller: It’s Joan. I’ve got a list: a curtain pole to put up, a dripping tap and a shelf.
Receptionist: Thanks, Joan. I’ve got all three. When would you like it done?
Caller: Any day next week.
Receptionist: What’s your postcode?
Caller: EX4, in Exeter.
Receptionist: And what’s the best number for Frank to ring you on?
Caller: 07700 900 274.
Receptionist: So that’s 07700 900 274. Is that right?
Caller: Yes, that’s right.
Receptionist: Thanks, Joan. Frank will ring you back to arrange a day, and I’m sending you a text now to confirm.
Set up
Three steps, and you keep your number
Tell us about your business
A short form made for handymen:
- Your business name and first name
- Working hours and the area you cover
- What you do, in plain words
- Your call-out fee, only if you want callers told
- Whether you take emergencies out of hours
- Anything else callers should know
- The jobs you take and the ones you do not, in plain words
- Whether you work for letting agents and landlords
- Your minimum charge or hourly rate, if you want callers told
Switch on divert
One code on your mobile sends calls you do not answer within 20 seconds to your While You Work line. Turn it off whenever you like.
Get the details in a minute
Every caller is greeted in your business name. You get the details a minute later, and the caller gets a text saying you will ring back.
Questions
Questions from handymen
Does it handle a list of small jobs?
Yes. It writes down every job the caller mentions, in their words, so you can plan the visit before you ring back.
Can it book jobs into my diary?
Yes, on the Business plan. It offers the caller your real free times, books the job and texts them a confirmation, with your deposit link if you take deposits. On Pro it can text the caller your booking link instead, and on Starter it takes the details and tells the caller you will ring back.
How much does it cost?
Starter is £39, Pro £69 and Business £129 a month + VAT, for 50, 150 or 400 calls a month. The first 50 UK businesses get Pro for £49 a month + VAT for their first 12 months. There is no contract, and if you cancel within 14 days of your line going live you get a full refund.
Can it take a whole list of jobs from one caller?
Yes. It asks what needs doing and writes every item down as the caller describes it, so a landlord with five small jobs gets one clear message to you.
Will it turn away jobs I do not do?
If you tell it in set-up what you do not take, such as gas or roofing, it says so politely and suggests the caller finds a specialist, then still takes their details in case.
More detail: how the AI receptionist works, the call answering service behind it, what a virtual receptionist does, what to charge as a handyman, what a missed call costs, UK call answering prices and how we compare.
Source: Fix Radio survey of more than 220 UK tradespeople, reported by PHAM News, October 2022.
Try it on the calls you miss this week
Free for 7 days, no card, and you keep your own number. The next time you are under a sink or up a ladder, your receptionist takes the call and the details are in your inbox before you have washed your hands. Plans from £39 a month plus VAT after that, and the first 50 UK businesses get Pro for £49 plus VAT for 12 months.
Also set up for pest control, window cleaners, removal companies, mechanics and garages, plumbers and heating engineers, electricians, and for every other kind of business.