WhatsApp AI agent for home services: get the address, the problem and the photo, then book the visit
A plumber on a ladder cannot type. A homeowner with water on the floor will not wait. Home services live and die on the first reply, and the first reply is always the same four questions: what is the problem, where are you, how urgent is it, can you send a photo. An AI agent asks them, books the visit, and the tradesperson climbs down to a job that is already qualified.
Quick answer
Route your service number to a WhatsApp AI agent that answers fixed-price services (aircon service, standard cleaning, call-out fee), asks for the problem, a photo, the address and urgency, and books a site visit into real slots. Keep quotes for anything not fixed-price, emergencies and complaints with you. ReplyKit does this from $29 a month with the job details saved on the lead's card.
Four questions before every job
Every home-service enquiry needs the same information before anyone can quote or schedule: the problem, the location, the urgency and ideally a photo. Collecting that by phone takes five minutes a job and only happens when you are free. An agent collects it in the first minute, whenever the customer writes, and the job arrives in your inbox ready to price. The response-time argument is the same as everywhere else, the HBR study found response within the hour is worth several times the conversion, but for a leak or a dead aircon in July the customer's patience is measured in minutes.
What the agent handles
Automate
- Fixed-price services from your list: aircon chemical wash by unit count, standard cleaning by home size, call-out fee, pest control packages.
- The intake: problem, photo, address or area, urgency, best time. All saved to the lead's card.
- Coverage: which areas you serve and any travel surcharge.
- Site-visit booking into real slots, with a reminder the day before.
- What to prepare: clear access, switch off the unit, keep pets away.
- Payment methods and whether you invoice.
- Voice notes and Malay, English or Chinese.
Keep with a person
- Quotes for anything not fixed-price: renovation, rewiring, big leaks. The agent collects details and says a person will quote.
- Emergencies: it gives your emergency line and hands over immediately.
- Complaints, warranty on previous work, disputes about a bill.
- Jobs outside your coverage area you might still take for the right customer.
The intake script that gets a job ready to price
- "What's the problem? A photo or short video helps a lot."
- "Which area are you in?" then the full address once a visit is agreed.
- "Is this urgent, or can it wait for a scheduled slot?"
- "I can send someone Tuesday morning or Wednesday afternoon. Which works?"
Put these in the agent's instructions under "Do", one at a time, after answering whatever the customer asked. Photos are described by the agent and kept on the conversation, so you see the burst pipe before you leave. Our guide to lead qualification on WhatsApp has the general version.
Setup for a small trades business
- Use a dedicated number. ReplyKit connects your number through Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform: keep the number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app and the agent works alongside it, or add a dedicated number. Personal WhatsApp numbers cannot be connected. Keep your long-standing number out of it; details in Meta's messaging limits explained
- Write your fixed-price list as text or PDF, with what is included and what is extra.
- Write coverage and policies: areas, call-out fee, cancellation, payment.
- Add visit slots as services: a 60-minute aircon service, a two-hour cleaning, a 30-minute inspection. Set working hours by day.
- Instruct the intake and the boundaries: always collect problem, area and urgency; emergencies go to your number; no quotes for non-fixed work.
- Connect the number through Meta's sign-in and test with a photo of a leak. It should ask where you are and offer a slot, not estimate the repair.
Frequently asked questions
Can the agent quote a repair?
It quotes fixed-price services you have listed. For anything else it collects the problem, photo and address and tells the customer a person will quote.
Does it collect the address and photo?
Yes. It asks for them in order, describes the photo, and saves everything to the lead's card so the job arrives ready to price and schedule.
What about emergencies?
Instruct it to give your emergency line and hand over immediately for anything urgent, and it will.
Can it book site visits?
Yes. Set visit types as services with durations and your working hours; it offers real slots, books and reminds.
How much does it cost?
From $29 a month for one number, one agent and 1,000 replies, with booking and a leads list included. 7-day free trial.
Have the job qualified before you climb down
Add your price list and visit slots, connect your number through Meta's sign-in. 7-day free trial.
Sources and further reading
- Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (Oldroyd, McElheran, Elkington, 2011) · firms that responded within an hour were about seven times more likely to qualify the lead
- Lead Response Management Study (2007) · the five-minute window for contacting a new lead
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy · opt-in, opt-out and prohibited-use rules every business must follow
- ReplyKit, Will WhatsApp ban my number for automation? · how Meta's messaging limits and quality rating work
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. This article is general guidance for running a small business, not legal, financial or regulatory advice.