Who it is for / Roofers
An AI receptionist for roofers.
You cannot take a call halfway up a ladder. While You Work answers the calls you miss in your business name, finds out what the roofing job is, where it is and how urgent it is, flags leaks and storm damage, 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 the job is, in the caller’s own words
- Where it is, at least the postcode or area
- How urgent it is, and whether water is coming in
- The best number to ring back, read back to check it
- Your call-out or survey fee, only if you have set one and they ask
Urgent jobs
Leaks and storm damage go to the top
- Water coming through a ceiling
- Tiles or slates blown off in a storm
- 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 roofing firm
Most of what rings a roofer is either weather or a survey. The receptionist sorts one from the other before you have climbed down.
- Monday, 8.10am: a landlord whose tenant has water dripping through a bedroom ceiling after the weekend rain. Marked urgent, postcode taken, texted to you.
- Tuesday, lunchtime: a homeowner wants a quote for replacing a flat garage roof. Not urgent, address and best time to visit taken.
- Wednesday, 6.40pm: ridge tiles blown off in the wind, caller worried about the neighbour's car. Urgent, and the caller is told you will ring back tonight.
- Thursday: a scaffolding company confirming a delivery slot. Taken as a message, not an enquiry.
- Friday, 4.55pm: gutter and fascia replacement, three quotes being gathered. Details taken so you can ring first thing Monday.
The maths
What a missed call costs roofers
Say you miss 4 calls a week and two in five of those callers would have booked a typical repair worth about £450.
4 calls × 40% × £450 = £720 a week. × 52 weeks ÷ 12 = £3,120 a month of work going to someone else. An example: put your own numbers into the missed-call calculator.
Storm damage does not wait for a callback. The caller with water in the loft rings the next roofer on the list within minutes.
Setting your own prices? See what roofers charge in the UK, with rates and job prices from published price guides.
Timing
When a roofer's phone rings
The morning after heavy rain or a named storm, and again in the first dry week of spring when people finally look up. Both are times you are already on a roof with your hands full.
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.
Texted to you straight away on Pro and Business
URGENT. Karen, 07700 900731, LS12 Armley. Tiles lost in the wind, water coming into the loft.
Receptionist: Hi, you’re through to Pete’s Roofing. Pete 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 Karen. We’ve lost some tiles in the wind and there’s water coming into the loft.
Receptionist: Thanks, Karen. I’m sorry to hear that. With water coming in I’ll mark this as urgent so Pete sees it first. What’s your postcode?
Caller: LS12, in Armley.
Receptionist: And what’s the best number for Pete to ring you on?
Caller: 07700 900 731.
Receptionist: So that’s 07700 900 731. Is that right?
Caller: Yes, that’s right.
Receptionist: Thanks, Karen. Pete will ring you back as soon as he can, 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 roofers:
- 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
- Whether you attend storm damage out of hours
- Roof types you work on: pitched, flat, slate, lead work
- Whether you offer free surveys or charge a survey fee
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 roofers
Does it flag storm damage?
Yes. Water coming in, tiles or slates blown off and anything the caller says cannot wait are flagged as urgent and, on Pro and Business, texted to you straight away.
Will it quote for roofing work?
No. It gives your call-out or survey fee if you have set one and the caller asks, and says you will quote after seeing the job. It never makes up a price.
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 tell the difference between a leak and a quote request?
Yes. It asks what the job is in the caller's own words and whether water is coming in. Anything with water coming in or tiles off is flagged urgent and texted to you; everything else is emailed as a normal enquiry.
What does it say about scaffolding or access?
Nothing it has not been told. If you add a note in set-up that scaffolding is quoted separately, it will say so when asked. It never invents access costs.
More detail: how the AI receptionist works, the call answering service behind it, what a virtual receptionist does, what to charge as a roofer, 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 locksmiths, carpenters and joiners, painters and decorators, landscapers and gardeners, tilers, plasterers, and for every other kind of business.