Odenia Systems · AI receptionist
What does an AI receptionist do for a plumber, and when does it pay for itself?
The missed call is the leak
A third of UK micro businesses fail to answer their incoming calls, and 69% of callers who reach voicemail hang up without leaving a message.
(Moneypenny, Small Business Call Report, 300 micro businesses and the call data of 10,000 businesses, UK, January 2020)
37% of UK consumers would ring a competitor if their call is not answered within 60 seconds. Only 6% would leave a voicemail.
(YouGov for Answer4u, 2,046 UK adults, June 2026)
70% of UK consumers say they are likely to choose the business that responds first. Only 23% would keep trying after no response, while 77% of businesses assume they would.
(Moneypenny, Customer Experience Divide, Censuswide, 5,001 UK consumers and 2,000 decision-makers, January 2026)
These are surveys of UK consumers and small businesses in general, not of plumbers alone. A customer with a leak on the other end of the line is, if anything, less patient.
Sources: https://www.moneypenny.com/uk/resources/news/small-business-call-report/ · https://pressat.co.uk/releases/one-in-three-uk-consumers-will-call-a-competitor-if-a-business-fails-to-answer-the-phone-within-60-seconds-4230b0516a07ab26be312329d1b20678/ · https://www.moneypenny.com/uk/resources/blog/cx-divide-uk/
What it actually does
- 1
Picks up when you cannot. Your number stays. Calls forward to the assistant when you are busy, or after a number of rings you set.
- 2
Asks your questions. Type of job, postcode, when, how urgent, and a photo by text if that helps you quote.
- 3
Sorts the call. Emergency: it reaches you or your on-call number now. Quote: it books a slot or promises a callback within the time you set.
- 4
Texts you the brief. Name, number, job, address, urgency. One message, not a voicemail to decode.
- 5
Follows up the ones that went quiet, in your words, until they book or say no.
What it does not do
It does not quote prices you have not given it. It applies your rules, or says you will confirm.
It does not pretend to be human. It says it is your assistant. In the EU, Article 50 of the AI Act requires that since August 2026; it is good practice everywhere.
It does not replace a receptionist you already have. It takes the calls she cannot: evenings, weekends, the second line ringing while she is on the first.
What it costs, and when it pays
The pilot is €490 for thirty days, refunded if you are not convinced. Then a fixed monthly fee, never billed per call, no long contract. The break-even is one job: if your average repair is worth more than a month of the assistant, the first saved call pays the month.
your questions
What plumbers ask us first
It sounds like a calm receptionist who knows your trade. Callers are told it is an assistant. During the pilot we tune the voice, the greeting and the questions with you before it takes a single live call.
Yes. Nothing changes for your customers. Your mobile or landline forwards to the assistant when you are busy, after a set number of rings, or outside the hours you choose.
You set the rule. A burst pipe at 11 pm can ring you directly, ring your on-call engineer, or take the details and promise a call within ten minutes. The assistant follows the rule, every time.
Set-up in seven days: your greeting, your questions, your rules, call forwarding, the text summary to your phone. Thirty days live. If you are not convinced, the €490 is refunded.
Yes. A plumbing and heating company in Hauts-de-France runs it with its new website and quote agent. The same assistant answers in English for plumbers and heating engineers in the UK.