Question 1

What's included in each plan?

Accepted Answer

All three plans include 24/7 AI call answering, job booking into your calendar, ballpark pricing quotes, SMS summaries after every call, emergency triage and immediate alerts, your dedicated AU mobile number, and a 7-day setup week. The Pro plan adds ServiceM8/Tradify integration, custom caller intake fields, and priority same-day support. Premium adds a dedicated account manager, multi-trade configuration, custom reporting dashboard, and white-glove onboarding.

Question 2

What does the setup fee cover?

Accepted Answer

The one-time setup fee covers everything we do in your 7-day setup week: configuring the AI for your specific trade and business, loading your price book, setting your emergency rules and business hours, integrating with your calendar and job management software (Pro and Premium), testing the AI with real call scenarios, and getting you live. It's a genuine service, not just an account activation charge.

Question 3

Can I cancel any time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All plans are month-to-month with no lock-in contract and no cancellation fee. Cancel any time and your subscription ends at the close of your current billing period. The setup fee is one-time and non-refundable — it covers the configuration work we do before you go live.

Question 4

What's the difference between Starter, Pro, and Premium?

Accepted Answer

Starter is the full AI receptionist — answers every call, books jobs, quotes pricing, SMS summaries, 24/7 — at the base price. Pro adds direct integration with ServiceM8 or Tradify so jobs are created automatically when a call is booked, plus priority support. Premium adds a dedicated account manager, multi-trade configuration, and a custom reporting dashboard. Most sole traders and small teams start on Starter and upgrade if they want the integration.

Question 5

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

Yes — we offer a 14-day free trial. Your card is saved but not charged for 14 days. If you cancel before day 15, you pay nothing. After 14 days the subscription begins automatically at your chosen plan rate.

Question 6

Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan?

Accepted Answer

Upgrade any time — the new plan starts immediately and you're billed the pro-rated difference. Downgrading takes effect at the end of your current billing month. If you're not sure which plan you need, start on Starter and upgrade once you see the call volume — you can change at any time.

Question 7

Does it sound like a real person?

Accepted Answer

Yes — and we encourage you to call the demo line (+61 468 096 380) right now and hear for yourself. The AI uses a warm, conversational Australian voice and pauses naturally between sentences. Most callers don't realise they're talking to AI until the end of the call — and many don't care at that point because their problem has been sorted. If asked directly, the AI discloses honestly that it's AI.

Question 8

What if it doesn't know the answer to something?

Accepted Answer

It takes a message and promises a callback within 30 minutes. It never makes things up, never bluffs when it doesn't know something, and never commits to a price or timeline it can't back up. If something falls outside its knowledge, it says so naturally and collects the caller's details for you to follow up.

Question 9

Are calls recorded?

Accepted Answer

Yes — all calls are recorded via Retell AI and accessible through your dashboard. The AI mentions at the start of each call that it's being recorded for quality. Recordings are stored securely and retained according to the Retell data storage policy. You can access recordings any time.

Question 10

How accurate is it when quoting prices?

Accepted Answer

The AI quotes from a price book we configure for your business — your callout fee, your standard job rates, your after-hours premium. It always gives a range ('between $180 and $450') never a firm single price, and always adds 'that's a ballpark — exact price confirmed on site before any work starts.' You control the price book and we update it whenever your rates change.

Question 11

How does it book jobs into my calendar?

Accepted Answer

On the Starter plan, the AI checks your calendar availability (via a calendar integration we set up during onboarding) and offers two available slots to the caller. When confirmed, it creates the booking and sends a confirmation SMS. On Pro and Premium, confirmed bookings also create a job record in ServiceM8 or Tradify automatically.

Question 12

How long does setup take?

Accepted Answer

Seven days from sign-up to live. Day 1–2: you fill in one form and we confirm setup details. Days 2–4: we build and train your AI. Day 5: you test it with a set of real call scenarios. Day 7: you go live. Most customers are live within the week.

Question 13

How does number forwarding work?

Accepted Answer

You get a dedicated AU mobile number. You either start using this number for new marketing and give customers the new number, or you forward your existing business number to it — callers dial the same number they always have, the AI picks up. Forwarding is set up on your phone in about 2 minutes. We walk you through it.

Question 14

Can I keep my existing phone number?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The simplest option is conditional forwarding — your existing number rings to you first, and if you don't answer within a set number of rings (you choose — usually 2 or 3), it forwards to the AI. You stay in full control. Callers always reach a response; you get the ones you're available for.

Question 15

What do I need to provide during onboarding?

Accepted Answer

We ask for: your trade, your service area (suburbs or regions), your business hours, your callout fee and standard job rates, your emergency handling preference (SMS, call-through, or forward), your calendar details, and any job types or pricing exceptions. Most of this is on one short form. We do the rest.

Question 16

What happens on go-live day?

Accepted Answer

You activate forwarding on your number (we show you exactly how — it takes 2 minutes) and the AI starts answering calls. The first real call feels slightly odd — you'll probably want to test it one more time. After that, you'll start receiving SMS summaries after every call. Most customers stop thinking about it within a week; it just works.

Question 17

Which trades are supported?

Accepted Answer

BackOnTools currently supports: plumbing, electrical, HVAC/air conditioning, painting, roofing, tiling, carpentry, cleaning, and landscaping. Each trade has its own trained AI with trade-specific diagnostic questions, pricing knowledge, emergency protocols, and terminology. More trades are added regularly.

Question 18

Does it handle commercial job calls?

Accepted Answer

Commercial jobs are always routed to a callback rather than booked directly — the AI says 'for commercial jobs, [owner] likes to scope it with you directly' and takes the caller's details. This is intentional: commercial jobs have more variables than standard residential work and usually need a human conversation to scope correctly.

Question 19

Can it actually quote prices, or does it just take messages?

Accepted Answer

It quotes prices from your price book. For jobs in the price book, it gives a low–high range immediately ('between $180 and $450') with the standard caveat. For jobs outside the price book (switchboard upgrades, full reroofs, commercial work), it offers a free on-site quote. It never refuses to quote a standard job.

Question 20

How does it handle emergency calls?

Accepted Answer

Emergency calls are handled differently from standard bookings. The AI identifies emergency keywords (burst pipe, sparks, gas smell, etc.), shifts to a calm reassuring tone, gives immediate safety instructions, collects address and mobile fast, and alerts you immediately by SMS — without waiting for a callback schedule or booking system. You get the alert within seconds of the call ending.

Question 21

Can I configure it for multiple trades?

Accepted Answer

Multi-trade configuration is available on the Premium plan. It allows your AI to handle calls for multiple trade types — plumbing and gas fitting, carpentry and roofing, or any combination — with each trade having its own configuration, pricing, and diagnostic knowledge. On Starter and Pro, one trade is configured per account.

Question 22

How do I change settings after go-live?

Accepted Answer

Email us at hi@backontools.com.au with the change and we implement it — usually within 24 hours. Common changes: updated callout fee, new service area, new job type added to price book, updated emergency handling preference, business hours change. On Pro and Premium plans you can also make some changes through the dashboard.

Question 23

What's the support SLA?

Accepted Answer

Starter plan: email support with a 24-hour response target on business days. Pro plan: priority support with a same-day response (we aim for a few hours). Premium plan: dedicated account manager with direct contact details and a response within 2 hours during business hours. All plans have access to the same underlying infrastructure and reliability.

Question 24

Is there phone support?

Accepted Answer

Premium plan customers have a direct line to their account manager. For Starter and Pro, support is via email. We respond faster than you might expect — we're a small team and every customer matters. If something is broken in a way that affects your call answering, we treat it as an emergency regardless of plan level.

Question 25

What happens if the AI makes a mistake?

Accepted Answer

It happens occasionally — wrong price range, misheard a suburb, booked the wrong day. When a caller reports it, we investigate using the call recording and correct the configuration if there's a systematic issue. For individual errors, the AI always gives callers your name and mobile as a fallback, so no one is ever truly stuck.

Question 26

How do I test it before going live?

Accepted Answer

During your Day 5 testing session, we send you a set of 10 scenarios to call through. You experience exactly what your callers will experience. If anything sounds off, we adjust before go-live. You can also call your AI number any time after go-live — most customers do a monthly test call just to make sure everything is still dialled in.

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