Voicemail
It can save a message. It cannot answer “Do you cover my area?” or “When can you come?” You still have to make the call back, if they leave a number.
For plumbers with their hands full
Stay on the job. Find out if the next one is worth taking.
You cannot stop every time the phone rings. Bludge answers, asks what needs fixing and takes the details. You get on with the job, then choose who to call back first.
- Says it’s an AI in the first sentence of every call.
- You set the rules, and can change them any time.
You are under a sink. Your phone is in the van.
It is Tuesday morning. You are fitting a new kitchen tap. The old nuts are stuck, the cupboard is tight and the customer needs the water back on. Your phone rings outside.
You could crawl out, wash your hands and get to the van. By then, it may have stopped. You keep working.
The caller has a hot water unit that no longer heats. There is no leak or sign of danger. She wants to know if you work in her area and can look at it this week.
She gets voicemail. She needs a plan, so she calls another plumber. Someone answers, takes the details and says a plumber will call to discuss a visit.
When you ring back at half past eleven, she has already arranged the next step. You never found out that the house was two streets from your next job.
You did the right thing by the customer in front of you.
Your name on the van, your website and a good word from a past customer can all help the phone ring. None of them can answer it when your hands are full.
Not every missed call is a lost job. It might be a job you want, one outside your area or a quick question from a regular. A missed number cannot tell you which.
Bludge answers and asks. You get the details to make a choice, while the caller gets a clear next step.
Already flat out? Find out which jobs are worth your time.
A full diary does not mean every job is a good one. You may want more hot water work nearby, fewer long drives or more room for regular customers. You may also want your evenings back.
Tell Bludge the jobs you take, the areas you cover and the questions to ask. It can explain a call-out fee you have approved and take the details you need. You choose which work to follow up.
The aim is simple: spend your time on the work that suits your business, with fewer calls to sort through after dinner.
Help the next caller without leaving the job in front of you.
“Why not just let it go to voicemail?”
You can. But a beep cannot ask where the job is, find out what went wrong or answer a question. Here is what to weigh up.
An answering service
A person can answer for you, take messages and, with some services, book times or put calls through. Check which tasks the price covers and what you pay as calls grow.
A UK answering provider: from £25 a month. Moneypenny's advertised UK AI receptionist price, gathered 9 September 2026. Usage, human receptionists and tailored packages are quoted separately, so this is a starting price rather than a bill. The published rate card.
Hiring someone
A good receptionist can take calls and help run the office. If you have enough work for a new team member, that may be a good fit. You also need cover for breaks, leave and calls after hours.
Answering it yourself
You know plumbing. You can ask the right questions. But answering means leaving the job, cleaning your hands and finding your place again. A quick call can break the flow of your work.
With Bludge, you choose the jobs you take, the questions it asks and when to put a call through. It handles the call using those rules.
Same tap. Same call. This time, someone answers.
You keep working under the sink. Bludge answers the call and says it is an AI answering for your plumbing business.
It asks what has happened, where the property is and what type of hot water unit she has. It follows the questions and call rules you set.
In this example, the job fits your area and there are no signs of danger. Bludge takes her name, number and address. It explains your callback hours and says you will need to confirm a visit.
When you finish the tap, you have the details. You know what she needs and that the job is nearby. You can call back with a useful question, instead of starting from scratch.
You still decide whether to take the work. Now you have something better than a missed number to go on.
This is a made-up example with your questions and callback hours set. It shows how a call could go, not a real customer result.
Your calls. Your rules. Useful details to act on.
Whether you want to fill a gap or be more choosy, the call needs to answer one question: is this work for you? Here is what Bludge puts to work for your business.
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Keep the call moving.
Bludge starts to get a reply ready while the caller speaks. It can use an answer you have approved, or give a brief “mm-hm” while it works on a new one.
See the phone test result
In one US phone test, the median time to the first spoken response was 0.59 seconds across eight calls. That first response may be an acknowledgement. This is a test result, not a promise for every call.
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Give callers your answers.
Set your greeting, hours and business details. Bludge can explain how to get a quote or share a price you have approved. Saved answers, called Ready Replies, use the same voice as new replies.
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Find out if the job fits.
Ask whether it is a blocked drain, a hot water fault or a planned fit-off. Check the address and when help is needed. A repair nearby and a quote miles away need different next steps. You set those rules.
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Know what happened without chasing the story.
See who called, what they need and what they were told. Read the notes before you ring back, so you can start with the job instead of “What was this about?”
Bludge can recognise someone who has called before. It checks who they are before using past call details. This is on by default, and you can switch it off.
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Answer a new question once. Use it again.
Review the draft reply to a new question, change it if needed and approve it. Bludge can use that answer next time. You choose what gets saved.
Finish the job in front of you. Know what the next customer needs.
Put it through the calls you get.
This sample uses AI voices and a made-up design studio. It shows the steps: answer, ask about the job, check the calendar and agree on a time. It makes no real booking.
Listen first. Then try it with your own business details and ask the questions you hear each week.
“Do you come out to my area?” Try a place you cover, then one you do not. Does it follow the rules you gave it?
“How much will it cost?” Ask about a job with no set price. Does it explain the next step for a quote?
“Sorry, I gave you the wrong address.” Change a detail. Does it listen and check the new one?
These are the calls it needs to handle for you. Hear the answers before you decide.
You’re busy. Bludge takes the next call.
Fieldwork Studio
Tessa · Bludge AI
Hi, you've reached Fieldwork Studio. I'm Tessa, the AI receptionist. How can I help?
Jess · Customer
I need a new logo and website. What does a consultation cost?
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Example result · For the owner
Jess wants a logo and website; consultation Thursday at 11.
“Sounds useful. But what about my business?”
“My customers will hang up on a robot.”
Some callers may want a person. Bludge says it’s AI, then gets on with helping. You choose when it should put someone through or take a message.
We do not yet have enough real customer calls to say how often people hang up. Start by hearing it yourself, then try the questions your callers ask.
“What if it promises something I can’t deliver?”
You supply the areas you cover, the work you take and the hours people can reach you. Bludge uses those details and is told to say when it doesn’t know. Your team can confirm the job and agree on a time.
The price rule is on from the start. Bludge is told to quote only prices you have supplied. If there is no price for that job, it offers the next step for a quote.
AI can make mistakes. Try the questions your customers ask before it goes live, and keep key decisions with your team.
“What about a real emergency?”
You can choose a set of urgent call rules for plumbers, or write your own. Calls that match can skip the usual questions. Bludge takes the key details and follows your transfer rules. If it spots danger, it gives the safety message set for that case and flags the call for you.
You choose which numbers to try. A team member hears who is calling and can accept the call. If no one picks up, Bludge tells the caller it could not reach anyone and takes a message.
Transfers follow the hours you set. Outside those hours, Bludge takes a message and explains what happens next. It does not replace emergency services.
“I’ll lose touch with my customers.”
You get a short note and a written record of each answered call. You can see what people asked and what Bludge said.
A weekly email links to questions that need a new prepared reply. You can check and approve the answers. If there are no new questions, no email is sent.
“I haven’t got an afternoon to set it up.”
Start with your website. Bludge makes a draft for you to check. Then hear the greeting, choose a number and try a call. We check the phone setup and call rules with you before it goes live.
You can save your progress and come back later.
“Will it understand my callers?”
You can add the names and terms callers use in your trade. A poor line or loud noise can still make speech hard to follow. Check key details in the call record before you act on them.
“What if something goes wrong? And where does the audio go?”
If you use up your plan, new calls go to the backup route agreed at setup. Nothing extra is charged unless you approve it. AI calls stop at five minutes unless you approve more. A long call cannot quietly run up a bill.
Read our privacy notice to see who handles call data, where they handle it and how long it is kept.
Hear it handle your questions before it takes your calls.
Start with your website, then check the draft. Try a job you want, one you would turn down and a question about price. You can hear how it responds before you put it on your business line.
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Your business
Start with your website. Check the draft greeting, services and questions. Change anything that is wrong or does not sound like you.
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Voice and greeting
Hear Bludge read your greeting. Check the words before callers hear them.
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Your number
Take a local number. The monthly price is shown before you take it.
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Where leads come from
Choose how new leads reach Bludge: your web form, customer list or a spreadsheet.
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Call me now
Try a call on your phone. Ask a few real questions and check the answers.
Keep your business number. Usually that’s done with call forwarding, and we’ll help check the options with your phone provider.
Checked before it goes live. We check your phone setup, calendar and call rules with you before it starts taking customer calls.
Put it to work. Judge it on your own calls.
Tell us which calls you need help with and the work you want. We’ll discuss UK availability and pricing before you make a choice.
UK pricing is coming soon.
Our launch plans cover Australia, the United States and Canada. Tell us what you need and we’ll discuss availability for your business.
Ask about the UKSee what Bludge could do for you.
Pick a job you want more of and one you would turn down. Tell us what Bludge would need to ask to tell them apart. We’ll arrange a walkthrough of your call rules and setup.
P.S. You may want more work. You may want fewer interruptions. Either way, start with the call you find hardest to handle. Hear how Bludge responds before you decide.