You're flat out on a roof. Phone rings. You let it go to voicemail. The caller hangs up and rings the next sparkie on Google. You lose the job before you even knew it existed.

Most tradies lose 20-30% of inbound leads this way. The fix is a 24/7 AI receptionist that answers every call, qualifies the job, and books it straight into ServiceM8 while you're still on the tools. No assistant to hire. No calls to return at 6pm when you're covered in dust. This playbook shows you how to wire it up in under half an hour.

What you'll need before you start

Open ServiceM8 on your phone or laptop. Go to Setup, then Add-ons, then API. You need an active API key. If you don't see one listed, tap Generate New Key and copy it somewhere safe.

Next, write down your service categories exactly as they appear in ServiceM8. If you've got "Emergency callout", "Routine service", "Install", write those down word for word. Capitals, spacing, everything. The AI will map what callers say to these categories, and if the label doesn't match, the job won't land in the right queue.

Finally, make sure your calendar is clean. Block out the times you don't work. The AI won't offer a 7am Sunday slot unless you've marked it available.

Connect the API in four clicks

Sign up free at app.voxreach.com.au/signup. No card required. You get 30 minutes of call time to test the system.

Once you're in, go to Integrations and find ServiceM8. Paste your API key. Hit Connect. The platform pulls your job categories, staff list, and calendar in about ten seconds.

Now choose which categories the AI can book without human approval. Most tradies enable "Routine service" and "Quote" but leave "Emergency callout" flagged for manual review. You'll see a toggle next to each category. Flip them to match your workflow.

Map caller words to ServiceM8 categories

This is where most setups fall over. A caller says "my hot water's gone cold" and the AI needs to know that maps to "Hot water service" in your system, not "Plumbing general" or "Emergency callout".

In the VoxReach platform, click Service Keywords next to each category. Add plain-English phrases your customers actually use. For example:

• Hot water service: "no hot water", "hot water system", "cold shower", "hot water tank"
• Install: "new", "fit", "put in", "installation"
• Emergency callout: "urgent", "right now", "emergency", "flooding"

Be specific. If you do both residential and commercial aircon, split the keywords so "office aircon" lands in a different queue to "home aircon". The AI picks the best match from what the caller says in the first 20 seconds.

One plumber in Penrith told us he lost three jobs in his first week because he'd labelled everything "Service call" in ServiceM8 but customers were saying "tap repair" and "blocked drain". He added those exact phrases as keywords and bookings jumped the next day.

Set your AI voice and script

Pick an Australian voice persona. Most tradies choose the neutral professional tone. You can test each one by clicking Play Sample.

Write a 2-3 sentence greeting. Keep it short. "G'day, you've reached [your business name]. I'm here to help book your job or answer a quick question. What can I do for you today?" works fine. The AI expands from there based on what the caller says.

Under Advanced, toggle on "Ask for site access details" if you do residential work. The AI will ask whether there's a dog, a gate code, or parking restrictions. That data goes straight into the ServiceM8 job notes so your bloke on the road isn't guessing when he arrives.

Route your business number

The platform gives you a dedicated Sydney or Melbourne number, or you can forward your existing 1300 to it. Most tradies forward their mobile during work hours and switch it back after knock-off until they trust the system.

If you forward part-time, set the AI's operating hours to match. No point answering calls at 9pm if you're not taking bookings then.

Test it with a real call

Ring your number from a mobile. Pretend you're a customer. Say something like "Yeah, my ducted aircon isn't cooling, can someone come Wednesday arvo?"

The AI should ask for your address, confirm the job type, offer available slots from your ServiceM8 calendar, and send you an SMS confirmation. Check ServiceM8. The job should appear under the right category with all the details attached.

If it books into the wrong category, go back and tighten your keywords. If it doesn't capture the address properly, make sure your ServiceM8 site field is labelled "Address" or "Site Address", not something custom.

What to do in the next 48 hours

Leave the AI running for two days. Listen to the call recordings in the VoxReach dashboard. You'll hear where callers get confused or where the AI misses a detail. Adjust your script and keywords based on real conversations, not guesses.

Most tradies tweak the greeting once and the keywords twice in the first week, then leave it alone. After that it's just watching jobs appear in ServiceM8 while you're on the tools.

Sign up free at app.voxreach.com.au/signup and connect your ServiceM8 account in under 30 minutes. No credit card, no lock-in, and your first half-hour of calls are on us.