AI receptionist for handymen. “A few odd jobs” becomes a list you can quote.
ChatLead talks to customers on your website and answers the calls you forward when you can’t pick up. It works out what the jobs actually are, and saves a tidy list for you with the location, timing and contact details.
Free 7-day website trial. No card needed.
Customer: Hi, I’ve got a few odd jobs around the house. Can you help?
Two Hands Handyman assistant: Happy to help. What are the jobs? A quick list is perfect.
Customer: A flat-pack wardrobe, a door that sticks, and two shelves to hang on a plaster wall.
Two Hands Handyman assistant: Thanks. Which suburb is the house in?
Customer: Coburg. Weekends are best. I’m Jess, on mobile number (hidden in this example)
Two Hands Handyman assistant: Thanks, Jess. I’ve passed your list to Marco so he can come back to you about timing and a quote.
Demo note: Lead saved for Marco. Marco takes it from here
The problem
Vague requests take time to untangle
Handyman enquiries are often a mix of small jobs squeezed into one sentence. Before you can price anything, you’re on the phone asking what, where, how many and when. ChatLead does that first round of questions for you.
“How much to put up some shelves and fix a door that sticks?”
Enquiry scenarios
Four handyman enquiries, and how ChatLead handles each one
- 01
Several small jobs in one visit
A homeowner has a sticking door, two shelves to hang and a wardrobe to assemble.
What ChatLead covers
- Every job on the list, one at a time
- Materials they already have, like shelves and brackets
- Wall types, if they know them
- The suburb and which days suit
What you get
You can estimate your time on site and decide whether it’s a half day or a full day.
- 02
Flat-pack furniture assembly
Someone’s bought a wardrobe and a desk that arrive next Friday.
What ChatLead covers
- What the items are, and how many
- Which room, and whether there are stairs
- The delivery date, so the job happens after it arrives
- Whether anything needs anchoring to the wall
What you get
You know roughly how long it’ll take and when it can be done.
- 03
Maintenance for a rental property
A landlord needs a few things fixed between tenants.
What ChatLead covers
- The property’s suburb
- The list of repairs
- Who will provide access, and when
- The best way to reach them
What you get
You get a clear scope and the access details without chasing them across emails.
- 04
A property manager calls after hours
At 7:30 pm a property manager rings about a rental: the back door won’t lock, and the tenant doesn’t want to leave it overnight.
What ChatLead covers
- The property address and what’s broken
- Who gives access: the tenant or the agency
- Any work order or reference number they have
- Puts the call through if you’ve switched on urgent transfer, or takes a message for the morning
What you get
You get the address, the access contact and the reference in one summary. Whether it’s a job for tonight is your call, and ChatLead doesn’t promise anyone a time.
More enquiries
Other handyman enquiries ChatLead handles
Furniture assembly
Wardrobes, desks and bed frames. ChatLead asks what’s being built, which room it’s going in and whether there are stairs.
Minor repairs
Sticking doors, loose handles and patched plaster. It turns a vague request into a short list of what’s broken and where.
Property maintenance
Rental turnovers and regular upkeep. It collects the address, the list of jobs, who provides access and when.
Example conversation
A full conversation with Two Hands Handyman
Two Hands Handyman is a fictional business. The “Answer from” notes are added for this demo to show which of the business’s own information each reply uses. Customers don’t see them.
Two Hands Handyman assistant: Hi, you’ve reached Two Hands Handyman. I’m the AI assistant. What needs doing?
Customer: Hi, I’ve got a few odd jobs around the house. Can you help?
Two Hands Handyman assistant: Happy to help. What are the jobs? A quick list is perfect.
Customer: A flat-pack wardrobe, a door that sticks, and two floating shelves for the lounge.
Two Hands Handyman assistant: Thanks. Do you already have the shelves and brackets?
Customer: Yes, both. The wall is plaster, I think.
Two Hands Handyman assistant: Good to know. Which suburb is the house in?
Customer: Coburg.
Two Hands Handyman assistant: Coburg is in the area Marco covers. Which days suit you best?
Demo note: this answer uses the business’s Service area
Customer: Saturdays ideally. I’m Jess, on mobile number (hidden in this example)
Two Hands Handyman assistant: Thanks, Jess. I’ve passed your list to Marco so he can come back to you about timing and a quote.
Demo note: Lead saved for Marco. Marco takes it from here
What you receive
The enquiry, ready to act on
Instead of “a few odd jobs”, you get a list you can price, with the conversation behind it.
New lead
Two Hands Handyman · ChatLead dashboard- Name
- Jess
- Phone
- Hidden in this example
- Needs
- Assemble a flat-pack wardrobe, fix a sticking door, hang two floating shelves (supplied, plaster wall). Coburg
- Timeline
- Saturdays preferred
- Source
- Website chat
- The customer’s name and how they’d like to be contacted
- What they need, with the details ChatLead asked for
- The full conversation, so nothing is lost in a summary
- An email or text as soon as a website enquiry becomes a lead
Pricing and time on site stay with you, since you know how long jobs really take.
When they call instead
A call you’d have missed, turned into a job
When you’re up a ladder, the phone can wait. ChatLead answers as Two Hands Handyman, gets the jobs, the walls and the suburb, and texts you the lot.
- Keep your number. Forward calls to ChatLead only when you can’t pick up.
- It collects the list of jobs, where they are and which days suit.
- You get a text summary and the caller is saved as a lead.
You keep your number and forward calls to ChatLead. Australian businesses can set up a local phone number in the app. If your business is in the US, Canada, the UK or New Zealand, contact us about phone answering.
Note: Forwarded from Two Hands Handyman’s number
ChatLeadHi, you’ve reached Two Hands Handyman. This is the AI receptionist. What can I help with?
CallerCould someone mount a TV and hang two big mirrors?
ChatLeadMarco can help with that. Do you know what the walls are made of?
CallerPlasterboard, I think. We’re in Northcote.
ChatLeadThanks. Which days suit you?
CallerAny weekday afternoon. It’s Grace.
ChatLeadThanks, Grace. I’ve passed this to Marco so he can call you back about a time and a quote.
Note: Call ended
Questions
Questions about ChatLead for handymen
Can ChatLead estimate how long a job will take?
You decide what it says. We suggest letting it collect the details and leaving timing and pricing to you, since you know how long jobs really take.
What if a job is outside what I do?
List the work you take on and the work you don’t. ChatLead can then tell customers when a job is outside your services, such as anything that needs a licensed trade.
Can it handle a list of different jobs in one conversation?
Yes. It asks about the jobs one question at a time and saves them as a single lead, with the full conversation.
Can customers book a time?
No. ChatLead doesn’t book jobs or show your calendar. It records the days that suit the customer, and you confirm a time with them.
Can it take after-hours calls from property managers and landlords?
Yes. You choose what happens outside your hours: answer as normal, take a message only, put calls through to you, or tell callers you’re closed and when to call back. If you switch on urgent transfer, a call about a rental that can’t be secured can come straight through to you. Otherwise ChatLead takes the address, access details and any reference number, and you follow up in the morning.
How much does ChatLead cost?
Plans are monthly, and every plan has the same features. They differ in how many businesses, phone numbers and team seats they include, and in their monthly allowances. You can start with a free 7-day website trial with no card needed, and the 7 days start when the chat goes live on your site. Phone answering has its own low-cost 7-day trial, credited if you subscribe. See plans and prices.
Where do the enquiries go?
Into your ChatLead dashboard. When a customer leaves their name, number or email, the enquiry is saved as a lead with what they need, and you can get an email or text as soon as a website chat becomes a lead. Website conversations and call transcripts are saved too, so you can see exactly what was said before you call back.
Will it work with my website?
ChatLead adds a chat window to your site with one short snippet of code. The dashboard has instructions for WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Shopify and other common platforms, and the chat window shows your business name and colour.
Can ChatLead answer my phone as well?
Yes. You keep your existing number and forward calls to your ChatLead number, for example only when you can’t pick up. ChatLead answers with your greeting, collects the caller’s details, saves them as a lead with a transcript of the call, and can text or email you a summary. If you switch on urgent transfer, urgent calls can be put through to a number you choose. Australian businesses can set up a local phone number in the app. If your business is in the US, Canada, the UK or New Zealand, contact us about phone answering. Contact us about phone answering.
Turn the next “few odd jobs” into a list
Mia, ChatLead’s setup assistant, walks you through setup and can suggest your services and hours from your website. Your 7 days start when the chat goes live on your site.
Free 7-day website trial. No card needed.
ChatLead for other trades
Each trade gets different enquiries. See what ChatLead asks for theirs, or how it works for tradies in general.