The first contractor to answer wins the job, and SMS gets you there in 15 minutes, not hours.View as Markdown

Trades contractors lose jobs to faster competitors every day. High-intent leads arrive during busy field hours, calls go to voicemail, and callbacks happen hours later, by which point the homeowner has already hired someone else. Without a way to capture and respond in minutes, contractors lose 20-30% of high-intent traffic.

A simple text-keyword sign-up (for example, Text PLUMBER to your number) featured on the website, Google Business Profile, and Yelp captures leads and sends an instant auto-reply confirming receipt and response time. The sales team is alerted immediately to follow up within 15 minutes with a quote or scheduling text.

1. A homeowner texts a trade keyword (PLUMBER, HVAC, ELECTRIC).
2. Send an instant auto-reply confirming receipt and a 15-minute response time.
3. Tag the contact as a hot lead and capture the job type.
4. Route the lead to the dispatcher or sales team via the Team Inbox.
5. If no follow-up is sent in 15 minutes, send an escalation or callback offer.

New customers are anxious when hiring a contractor. They do not know your process, timeline, or how to prepare their home, and that uncertainty creates friction: repeated questions, unrealistic expectations, and surprise at pricing. The first impression sets the tone for the whole job.

A three-message automated sequence sent after scheduling and before arrival explains what to expect during the visit, how to prepare the work area, and how to reach the team. A company overview and service guarantee build confidence, reduce no-shows, and cut on-site surprises.

1. An appointment is booked via the sign-up form or scheduling webhook.
2. Send a welcome plus service overview with a team photo (MMS).
3. Send a prep checklist 24 hours before the visit.
4. Send the technician name, vehicle, and ETA range 2 hours before arrival.
5. Wait for reply and route questions to AI Reply or the Team Inbox.

Technicians write an estimate on-site, email a PDF, and then wait. Homeowners need time to review, get a spouse sign-off, or compare quotes, and days pass. By the time they reply yes, the crew is booked elsewhere and the estimate is lost or superseded. Approval taking 3-5 days is the industry norm, and many take a week or more.

The technician completes the estimate on a tablet, and the system texts the customer a summary, a Text-to-Pay deposit option, and a one-tap e-signature link. The customer can approve and pay in seconds, the technician is notified instantly, and for large jobs a deposit locks in the date with the balance settled at completion.

1. An estimate is generated in the field software (webhook).
2. Send the estimate summary with e-signature and Text-to-Pay deposit links.
3. Wait for reply for up to 48 hours.
4. On approval or signature, confirm the schedule and alert accounting and the calendar.
5. On no reply after 24 hours, send a gentle follow-up; on decline, ask for feedback.

Customers wait at home unsure when the technician will arrive and block off a whole morning or afternoon. When the tech is delayed by a previous job, traffic, or equipment, the office often stays silent, the customer grows frustrated and leaves, and the job gets rescheduled. Dispatch also lacks real-time visibility to re-route crews.

When the technician departs, the customer gets an ETA text. The field app updates location, and if the tech runs more than 20 minutes late an automatic alert texts the new ETA. The customer can reply with gate codes, parking, or access notes, cutting friction and anxiety and improving the on-time experience.

1. The dispatcher marks the tech en route or the field app clocks in.
2. Send the initial ETA and vehicle description to the customer.
3. Pull updated location every 10 minutes.
4. If the tech runs more than 20 minutes late, auto-send the new ETA.
5. On arrival, send a we-are-here note and accept access instructions by reply.

The trades are feast-or-famine: HVAC is slammed in spring and fall, plumbing spikes in winter, and roofing surges after storms, leaving crews idle between peaks. Customers do not think about maintenance until a crisis hits, even though preventive service is far cheaper than an emergency repair.

Launch a targeted seasonal campaign 4-6 weeks before peak: schedule your fall furnace tune-up now and save. Use contact segmentation (by equipment and service type), timing (send in August for fall maintenance), urgency (limited slots), and educational content to smooth demand and fill off-peak capacity.

1. A scheduled send fires 4-6 weeks before peak season for the matching segment.
2. Send educational content on why pre-season maintenance matters.
3. Send the offer with urgency and a booking link.
4. Send social proof, then a last-chance reminder as slots fill.
5. Track appointments booked and confirm each with prep instructions.

Trades contractors live and die by reviews, but a customer with a great experience rarely thinks to leave one. Competitors with 50-plus five-star reviews dominate Google Maps and Yelp while contractors with few reviews get buried, and no reviews means no visibility, no search leads, and stagnant revenue.

Right after job completion, send a one-tap review link led by a simple question: how was your experience? A positive reply gets the review link; a negative reply routes to a manager for resolution before it becomes a public review. Track review growth and correlate it with lead volume.

1. A job is marked complete in the field software (webhook).
2. Wait one hour, then send a simple satisfaction question.
3. On a positive reply, send the one-tap Google or Yelp review link.
4. On a negative reply, escalate to a manager via the Team Inbox before any public review.
5. On a review posted, send a thank-you and track weekly review metrics.

Field technicians constantly need the office: running late, equipment failure, a customer change order, or a needed part. Phone calls interrupt dispatchers, messages get lost, and there is no record. Customers also have on-site questions about access or scope but cannot reach the office while the tech is busy.

Enable two-way SMS between technicians, the dispatcher, and customers through a shared Team Inbox. The tech texts the office (running 30 min late, customer wants an extra outlet), the dispatcher texts back approvals, and simple customer questions route to the right person. The Team Inbox consolidates every thread and keeps a history.

1. A technician texts the office (delay, change order, or part needed).
2. AI Reply handles common questions; the rest land in the Team Inbox.
3. The dispatcher approves change orders or reassigns work by reply.
4. Customer access questions route to the tech or office by role.
5. Every thread is archived by job for QA and dispute resolution.

Large jobs need multiple technicians (electrician plus HVAC on new construction, plumber plus general contractor on a remodel), and coordinating who brings what and when is messy. Foremen text everyone manually, and upsell opportunities get missed because the lead tech does not have the service menu at hand.

When a multi-technician job is scheduled, dispatch broadcasts the crew a job summary: who is assigned, arrival time, site address, contact number, and upsell prompts to mention during the visit. The lead tech coordinates in a group thread, and an upsell opportunity can be approved in real time.

1. A multi-technician job is scheduled.
2. Broadcast the crew a job brief: assignments, arrival time, address, and scope.
3. Include upsell prompts for the lead tech to mention on-site.
4. The crew coordinates arrival and hand-offs in a group thread.
5. An upsell opportunity is approved in real time and marked as a change order.

Your best customers often know others who need the work, a neighbor with a plumbing issue or a friend with an HVAC problem, but contractors rarely ask for referrals systematically. Word of mouth happens organically, yet a simple mutual incentive can amplify it several times over.

Run a quarterly referral promotion by SMS: refer a friend and you both earn a service credit, with no limit. A unique referral link tracks who referred whom, both customers are auto-credited when the friend signs up, and top referrers are celebrated monthly until referrals become a steady acquisition channel.

1. Send the quarterly referral promotion to high-satisfaction customers.
2. Each customer gets a unique tracking link to share.
3. A friend signs up through the referral link.
4. Both customers are auto-credited via the accounting integration.
5. Celebrate top referrers monthly and track link clicks and conversions.