Answering service for contractors, after hours and on the job site
An answering service for contractors picks up the calls you can't take, in the evening, on weekends and while you're on a job site, gets the homeowner's name, number, address and what they want done, and books the estimate visit or passes the call to you. Voxlivo costs from $49 a month for 100 minutes (about 40 calls), and Growth at $99 a month also rings your phone for the urgent calls you list, like storm damage or a problem on an active job.
Homeowners call about a remodel at 8 PM, after the kids are in bed, or while you're on a ladder with a saw running. If it rings out, they try the next contractor on the list. Voxlivo is the after-hours and overflow line for owner-run contractors and remodelers, built for the calls you can't take. It picks up in about two seconds in your company's name, finds out what the homeowner wants done, books the estimate visit on your calendar and emails you the details. You keep your number and keep answering the calls you can. Anyone who mentions a gas smell, fire or flooding is told to call 911 first.
Receptionist: Thanks for calling Ironwood Builders. I'm the virtual assistant, and this call may be recorded. How can I help?
Caller: Hi, we want to redo our kitchen and I'd like someone to come take a look.
Receptionist: We'd be happy to. Can I get your name and the best number to reach you?
Caller: Laura Bennett, 919 555 0148.
Receptionist: Thanks Laura, that's 9-1-9, 5-5-5, 0-1-4-8. What's the address, and roughly when are you hoping to start?
Caller: 112 Willow Drive. Sometime this spring, once we've had a few bids.
Receptionist: Got it. I can book an estimate visit Tuesday between 12 and 5. The contractor will walk the kitchen with you and price the job after seeing it.
Why contractors and remodelers use an AI receptionist
- You're on a ladder, running a saw or walking a client through a job. Stopping for every call slows the work down, and voicemail loses the lead.
- Homeowners planning a remodel usually call a few contractors. The one who answers and books a time to look at the job gets the chance to bid.
- Your phone mixes new leads, current clients, subs, suppliers and inspectors. The receptionist asks who's calling and why, so you can see at a glance which calls need you first.
Calls it handles
- ✓Kitchen and bathroom remodel inquiries
- ✓Additions, basement finishes, decks and porches
- ✓Estimate and site-visit requests
- ✓Repairs and smaller jobs, like drywall, doors and trim
- ✓Current clients asking about their project or schedule
- ✓Subcontractors, suppliers and inspectors who need a callback
- ✓Questions about licensing, insurance and warranties, from the answers you give us
What it asks every caller
- ✓Name and best callback number, read back digit by digit
- ✓Project address, and whether they own the property
- ✓What they want done, in their own words, and which rooms
- ✓When they're hoping to start: soon, this season or just planning
- ✓Budget range, if you want it asked
- ✓How they heard about you, and the best time for a site visit
Storm damage and job-site problems reach you
If a caller mentions a gas smell, fire, smoke, sparks or flooding that's actively spreading, the receptionist tells them to hang up and call 911 first. For the urgent calls you list, such as storm damage that needs boarding up or a problem on one of your active job sites, it marks the call urgent and, on Growth and above, transfers it to your phone. A new remodel inquiry waits for you in the summary email.
How booking works
Estimate visits go into your Google Calendar in the windows you set, for example weekday afternoons or Saturday mornings. You decide which projects it books on its own and which it takes as a lead for a callback, such as commercial work or jobs outside your area. It never gives a ballpark unless you hand it one word for word. Otherwise it tells the caller you'll price the job after you've seen it.
What it costs
Plans start at $49 a month for 100 minutes, about 40 calls. For most contractors and remodelers we recommend Growth: $99 a month for 200 minutes, with text summaries and live transfer of urgent calls. Every plan includes 24/7 answering, Google Calendar booking, recordings and transcripts, and setup done for you. See all plans.
Answering service for contractors: voicemail, live operators or AI?
Contractors usually weigh three options for the calls they miss on site: voicemail, a live answering service, or an AI receptionist. Here's what each one costs and what a homeowner gets when they call about a project.
Voicemail
Included with your phone line
A greeting and a beep. Urgent problems wait until someone checks messages, and new callers often try someone else instead.
Live answering service
Ruby: $250 a month for 50 minutes
A trained person answers and takes a message or schedules. Priced by the minute, so a busy month costs more. Ruby's most popular plan is $720 a month for 200 minutes.
Per-call AI receptionist
Smith.ai: $150 a month for 75 calls
AI answers every call, priced per call: $2.00 a call on Pro (75 calls). Wrong numbers and quick questions cost the same as a booked job.
Voxlivo
From $49/mo for 100 minutes
AI answers in about two seconds, 24/7, books into Google Calendar and sends you every call. Growth ($99/mo, 200 minutes) adds text summaries and live transfer of urgent calls.
Competitor prices from their public pricing pages, checked October 29, 2026: Ruby pricing · Smith.ai AI Receptionist pricing and FAQ. Side-by-side details: Voxlivo vs Ruby, Voxlivo vs Smith.ai, and our guide to AI receptionists, answering services and voicemail.
Questions contractors and remodelers ask us
How much does an answering service for contractors cost?
Voxlivo starts at $49 a month for 100 minutes, about 40 calls. If you want urgent calls put through to your phone, we recommend Growth: $99 a month for 200 minutes, about 80 calls, which adds live transfer and text summaries. Live answering services usually charge by the minute at a much higher rate. Ruby, for example, lists $250 a month for 50 minutes on its public pricing page.
Is an AI answering service as good as a live operator for contractor calls?
For estimate requests, booking site visits and taking messages from subs and suppliers, it asks the same questions every time, never puts anyone on hold and books straight into your calendar, with a recording and transcript of every call. A person is still better for a long conversation about design ideas or an unhappy client mid-project, which is why Growth and above can transfer those calls to your phone.
Will it give homeowners a ballpark price?
Only if you give us one to say, word for word, such as your estimate fee or a starting price you're comfortable with. Otherwise it tells the caller you'll price the job after you've seen it, and offers to book the estimate visit.
Can it turn away jobs I don't take?
Yes. Tell us your minimum project size, the work you don't do and your service area. It tells those callers politely, still takes their name and number, and never promises you'll take a job.
Can it answer only after hours and when I'm on a job site?
Yes. You decide which calls reach it. Most contractors forward only the calls they don't pick up after a few rings, plus everything after closing time and on weekends, and keep taking the rest themselves. You keep your number, and a person sets up the script with you so you can hear it before it goes live.
Does it work with Buildertrend, JobTread or Jobber?
Not directly. It books into Google Calendar and emails you a full summary of every call, so you or your office can copy the lead into your project software in a few seconds.
Also built for
Hear it answer like your front desk would.
Call the two-minute demo and play a customer, or tell us about your business. A person sets it up, and you can be live in about a day.