A WhatsApp AI agent for roofing and exterior contractors: answer the first questions, collect photos and property details, qualify insurance and storm-damage leads, and book the inspection

Roofing leads come in waves: a hailstorm, a windstorm, a season. The day after, the phone has eighty messages and the crews are on roofs. Every lead not answered within the hour is answered by the next contractor's truck, which is already in the neighbourhood.

By Ritchie, ReplyKit · Published 5 October 2026 · 6 min read

The intake the agent runs

1. What the issue is: leak, missing shingles, storm damage, age, a quote for replacement.
2. Photos of the roof, damage or the house from the street; the agent describes what it sees.
3. Property address and whether the person is the owner.
4. Roof age and material if known.
5. For storm damage: date of the storm and whether an insurance claim has been opened; the agent explains your process for working with adjusters in general terms, without promising coverage.
6. Then it offers inspection slots and books one, with a reminder the day before and a note that the homeowner need not be on the roof.

The questions it answers

• Materials and warranties. Summaries you write: shingle types, metal, manufacturer warranty lengths, your workmanship warranty.
• Timelines. Inspection within {n} days, estimate within {n} days, typical install duration.
• Financing. That options exist and how to ask, without quoting terms.
• Licence and insurance. Your licence number and insurance status, stated plainly; customers ask.
• Price ranges. Only if you choose to publish them; many contractors give a per-square range with a heavy caveat, and the agent quotes it exactly as written.
• Service area. Declines outside it.

After a storm

Pair extra numbers before the season and keep them warmed up; each answers up to 200 replies a day, and a storm week can need three or four. Put a number on each lead source (door hangers, local ads, referral partners) so the lead list shows which source paid. The agent books inspections in arrival order into your crew leads' calendars, which turns a chaotic week into a schedule. Planning for peaks is in seasonal businesses and peak days, and the per-number limits in the daily limits guide.

What the estimator keeps

What stays with a person:

• The estimate and any price beyond a published range.
• Insurance claim strategy and conversations with adjusters.
• Anything about structural damage or safety; the agent tells people not to go on the roof.
• Scheduling crews.
• Complaints and warranty claims on past work.

Everything else, which is most of the volume, the agent handles, and when it is unsure it says so and offers a human rather than guessing; see why the agent says it is not sure.

One honest note before the setup. ReplyKit connects to your number by QR pairing, the same linked-device mechanism as WhatsApp Web. It is live in minutes and needs no Meta approval, but Meta does not sanction automation this way, so a number can be restricted. We enforce limits of 30 replies an hour and 200 a day per number with a warm-up ramp for new numbers, reply to inbound messages only, and recommend a dedicated number rather than your main line. The full picture is in our ban guide.

Starter at $29 a month covers one number, one agent, one website assistant and 1,000 AI replies; Growth at $49 adds two more numbers, five agents and follow-up nudges; the 7-day free trial needs no card. Replies you receive and messages you send yourself are free; only the agent's own messages count. Pricing is in USD and the service works in any country where WhatsApp does. What it costs in practice.

Frequently asked questions

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.