Smoko AI
Aussie AI receptionist app that answers missed calls, quotes from your price list and books jobs.
Our verdict
A missed call is a missed job, and this is a very tradie-specific fix at a clear price. It's new, so test it with your own number before you rely on it.
Best for: Sole traders who can't answer the phone on the tools
What it does
Smoko is an AI phone receptionist app built for Australian tradies by Local Voice AI Pty Ltd. It works through call forwarding on your existing number and answers in natural Australian English. It works out the job, quotes from your price list, books into Google Calendar and sends you a summary by push, SMS and email. Callers are told they're speaking with an AI and that the call is recorded.
AI features
- AI voice receptionist
- Quotes from your price list
- Call recordings, transcripts and summaries
Other voice notes & admin tools
ChatGPT
General AI assistant for emails, quote wording, SWMS drafts, voice chat and photo questions.
Verdict: The best general-purpose AI to start with. Never send its SWMS or contract wording without checking it, because it can sound confident and still be wrong.
Price: Free plan. Plus A$30/month. Business A$28/seat/month billed annually (min 2 seats).
Chime Labs
Sydney-built AI receptionist for trades that answers calls and books jobs into your job system.
Verdict: A well-priced, AU-built AI receptionist with a real free tier, so you can test it before paying. Booking straight into ServiceM8, Simpro or Fergus needs the A$399 Pro plan, so check which tier you actually need.
Price: Free plan (test calls, built-in diary, 5 quotes a week). Essential A$99/month + GST (100 minutes, then A$0.25/min). Pro A$399/month + GST (uncapped minutes, job-system booking). Enterprise on contract. No lock-in.
Claude
AI assistant that's strong at long documents: contracts, specs and tender packs.
Verdict: Great for reading the fine print in builder contracts and specs. It's not legal advice, so get a lawyer for anything serious.
Price: Free plan. Pro A$34/month incl GST (or A$340/year).
Spotted something out of date? Tell us. Vendors can't pay for a better verdict.