The best jobs ring when your hands are full.
Aroha is an AI receptionist for tradies. Aroha answers your phone, works out how urgent it is, books the job and texts the customer. It books while the caller is on the line, texts the caller and the owner, and gets the owner for urgent jobs. You can talk to Nina at Harbour Plumbing, a demo receptionist for a made-up business, free in your browser.
A day of calls, answered.
- 7:10am, driving to the first job: "A landlord rings about a dripping tap at a rental."
- Booked Thursday morning, with the tenant’s number and the lockbox code on the job.
- 11:40am, under a house: "A new customer wants a quote for a bathroom renovation."
- Took the scope, asked for photos of the room and booked a quote visit for Friday.
- 3:15pm, hands full on site: "A regular’s hot water has gone cold."
- Recognised her from last winter’s call, booked the first slot tomorrow, texted her the time.
- 9:14pm, home with the family: "Water is pouring through a kitchen ceiling."
- Told them to turn the mains off, texted you EMERGENCY, and rang you when you did not reply.
It already knows how these calls go.
This is the setup you get on day one, and you can read and change every word of it.
- Captures the urgency
- Burst versus drip, water still running or contained. Uses your escalation rules, not a guess about dispatch.
- Takes the access details
- Gate codes, dogs, where the toby is, whether anyone is home. On the job card before you drive.
- Quotes the callout, not the job
- States your callout fee and rate, and stops short of pricing what is behind the wall.
- Explains your after-hours policy
- Uses the callout rates and conditions you have approved. Unknown prices stay unknown.
- Leaves room between jobs
- Use your calendar’s booking rules and buffers, then verify the available slot before confirming.
- Gets you for real emergencies
- A burst pipe or sparking switchboard texts you straight away, then rings you if you do not reply.
- Asks for a photo
- The caller snaps the cylinder label or the leak. It reads the make, model and age back before the call ends.
- Remembers the customer
- Returning callers are greeted by name, with their address and last job already on file.
Job Board, built for tradies.
Every call as a job card: emergencies first, with the photo and the access notes. It is sorted by what each call needs from you, most urgent first, and you can ring or text anyone straight from their card. It fills itself from what callers told the receptionist, so nothing is typed in.
- Quotes
- Send quotes and let Aroha follow up the ones that go quiet.
- Approvals
- Check quotes and messages before they go out.
When it cannot wait, it gets you.
You choose what counts as urgent. By default it is the calls a tradie would drop everything for.
Urgent by default: A burst pipe or water that will not stop; Sewage coming up; No power, sparking or a burning smell (after the safety advice); A big commercial job. Aroha texts the owner straight away, rings them if they do not reply, and tells the caller the answer.
See the job before you load the van
With the caller’s yes, it texts a link. They photograph the cylinder label, the switchboard or the leak, and the make, model and age land on the booking with the photo. It describes what it sees and never prices the job.
Works with what you already use.
Google Calendar connects directly. Bring your customers and jobs in from ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus, simPRO or Jobber by spreadsheet, and connect anything else through Zapier.
What it costs
Start free. Plans from NZ$79.99 a month, or pay as you go at NZ$0.59 a minute plus NZ$5 a month for a number. Month to month, no contract.
Questions
Will it quote a job it should not?
No. It states your callout fee and hourly rate if you give it those, and refuses to price the job itself, because it cannot see what is behind the wall.
What about a gas leak at 11pm?
It tells them to leave the property and ring the gas emergency line, and it does not book anything. Same for sparking or water near a switchboard.
Can it tell a burst from a drip?
It asks whether water is still running and whether the mains are off, then books tonight or first thing tomorrow by your rules.
Will it wake me up for every call?
No. Only the calls you mark as urgent text you, and it only rings you if you have not replied within the time you set, from one minute to half an hour.
Can a customer be put through to me?
Yes, when you switch it on. It rings your mobile, tells you who it is and what they need, and connects them when you press 1. If you do not, it takes a proper message.
Does it work with ServiceM8, Tradify or Fergus?
It books into Google Calendar or its own calendar, and you can import your customers from ServiceM8, Tradify or Fergus by spreadsheet. Every call arrives written up, ready to drop into the job.
Can it see the problem?
Yes, if the caller is on a mobile. It offers to text them a link, they photograph the cylinder label or the leak, and it reads the make, model and age back before the call ends. It still never prices the job.