Is this just voicemail that types out the message?
No. It holds a conversation. Because it knows your hours, areas, prices and usual questions, it can answer the caller rather than only recording them.
Do I have to change my number?
No. You keep the number you've always used and the one on your van. One short code tells your network where to send calls you don't pick up.
What if it's a real emergency?
You decide what counts as one for your trade. When it hears one, it tries to put the caller straight through to you before it does anything else.
Can it book jobs into my diary?
If you want. You set which jobs it may book and when, and it offers only slots that fit. Prefer to ring people back yourself? Leave booking off.
What if I get more than 30 calls in a month?
We keep answering. Your calls are never cut off for going over. That would break the one thing you're paying for, in your busiest month. Extra calls are R12 each, and your bill is capped: a month can never cost more than R899 no matter how many calls come in. If you're regularly over, we'll move you to a bigger plan, because at that point it's cheaper for you than the extras.
What happens during load shedding?
It keeps answering. The assistant doesn't run on your power or your premises. It runs in the cloud, so an outage at your place doesn't stop a caller being answered. Your own phone might be off; the calls still get taken and you still get the lead when you're back.
Will it sound South African?
Yes. Your customers shouldn't get an American call-centre voice when they phone a plumber in Bellville.
What about callers who switch between languages?
It's built for how people actually speak here. Where it isn't sure it asks again rather than guessing, especially with phone numbers.
Are calls recorded, and who sees them?
Callers are told before recording starts, as POPIA requires. Your leads, transcripts and account details are stored in South Africa, in Google's Johannesburg region. Answering the call itself uses specialist speech providers outside the country, so the audio and what was said pass through them while the call is happening. We say exactly who, and what they may do with it, in our privacy policy. Ask us to delete everything and we will.
