If you're a domestic electrician missing several genuine calls a week, on jobs that leave £170 or more after costs, I think one will probably pay for itself. That's my judgement, not a measured result. If you're a contractor living off a few regular clients, it probably won't. Everyone in between should try something cheaper first.
Full disclosure: we sell one, and it's not the cheapest. The cheaper ones are named below. If you end up on a free text-back or a rival product, I'm fine with that.
The short version
- Count missed calls for two weeks first, leaving out power cuts and spam.
- Missing a handful a month? A missed-call text may be all you need.
- UK products start at around £30 to £50 a month.
- On the example figures below, one extra job a month covers ours in year one, even if you can't reclaim VAT. Usage above the included credit is extra.
- If three builders and a letting agent give you most of your work, don't buy one.
It depends what kind of electrician you are
The type of work matters more than the price.
| Your work | My view |
|---|---|
| Domestic faults and small jobs | Strongest case. The first to respond often wins, and your hands are full. |
| Planned domestic: consumer units, rewires, EV chargers | Useful for catching the enquiry. Nobody spends thousands without speaking to you. |
| Landlord EICRs | Mixed. A form and a text may do. Agents want a named person. |
| Commercial and subcontract | Weak. They've got your mobile, and they won't want a robot. |
| Emergency call-outs | Give these a separate number that reaches you. The AI takes enquiries only. |
Those are my judgements. I found no UK research on results for electricians.
The alternatives
| Option | Published UK price | Good at | Weak at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voicemail | Free | Costing nothing | Only 6% of people say they'd leave a message |
| Missed-call text | Often part of a phone or CRM plan. Ours is one offer from £99 a month. | Replying in seconds | Relies on the customer replying |
| Human answering | Around 60p to £1.50 a minute, by Moneypenny's market estimate | A real person, good with tricky calls | Dearer as you get busier, and may only take a message |
| AI receptionist | From about £29 to £99 a month, usage varies | Answering every call, any hour | Some callers dislike it, and safety calls need care. See what can go wrong. |
What providers charge
From each provider's own page, read on 6 November 2026. Powered Now, Fasthosts and ours exclude VAT, and Trade Receptionist says none is added. I couldn't confirm VAT for the ServiceM8 and Moneypenny prices. Allowances differ, so compare carefully.
| Provider | Monthly price | Calls or usage | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powered Now Receptionist | £29 speech, £39 speech and text | See provider | Add-on to Powered Now, which also offers electrical certificates |
| Fasthosts | £39, £69 or £99 | 30, 100 or unlimited calls | One-month trial. Scheduling from the middle plan. Doesn't record calls. |
| Trade Receptionist | £49, £89, £159 or £249 | 50, 150, 350 or 600 calls | 14-day trial, card needed. Books through Google Calendar. |
| Moneypenny AI Receptionist | From £49 | See provider | Books appointments, hands complex calls to a human |
| ServiceM8 Phone Agent | Included in the £119 Phone plan | See provider | For ServiceM8 users |
| Pay Monthly Webs | £39 add-on | See provider | Add-on to its trade websites. We didn't check what it does. |
| Real Business Systems | £99, £149 or £199 by team size | £10, £15 or £20 of usage included | Plus £500 set-up, or £990, £1,490 or £1,990 a year with none. 30-day money-back guarantee. Doesn't book on this plan. |
Jobber has a receptionist add-on at $29 a month with 30 conversations. It offers UK numbers, but its pages don't confirm the product's sold here.
Why does ours cost more? We set it up and make the changes, and it comes with a CRM and one inbox on your phone, holding calls, texts and enquiries together. If you already run Powered Now or ServiceM8 and don't mind setting things up, an add-on could suit you better, because your jobs and certificates already live there. Better you hear that from me now.
The sum that decides it
Price matters less than how many extra jobs would cover it.
Worked example (made-up figures)
Say an average job brings in £320, with £170 left after materials and direct costs.
| Option | Monthly cost | Extra jobs a month to cover it |
|---|---|---|
| £29 a month tool | £29 | Less than a fifth of a job |
| £99 a month tool | £99 | Just over half a job |
| Ours, first year on monthly billing | About £141 (£99 + £500 ÷ 12), or about £169 with VAT if you can't reclaim it. Any usage above the included credit is extra. | Just under 1, either way |
Against that, suppose you miss 12 calls a month, 4 are genuine new enquiries and you'd win 1. That's about one job.
So it stacks up with regular missed calls and a decent margin. It collapses if those calls are mostly spam, existing customers, power cut calls or people you'd turn down. Be strict when you count. I'd expect a storm week to look busy and bring in very little.
From year two the set-up fee's gone, leaving £99 a month plus any extra usage. Annual billing is £990 with no set-up fee.
Good fit
- A one or two-person domestic business, on the tools all day.
- Several genuine calls missed each week.
- Jobs where the quickest electrician often gets the work.
- Willing to set the safety wording, test it and review it.
- Happy to ring people back the same day.
Bad fit
- Booked for weeks. Extra enquiries become people to disappoint, so put your prices up.
- Your phone's already answered well.
- Your work comes from builders, agents or commercial clients who expect you personally.
- You want one number for emergencies and everything else. Split them, or skip the AI.
- You won't follow up. A captured lead still needs you.
- Your customers are often elderly or vulnerable, and it would upset them. Keep a human route.
A low-risk way to try it
- Log your missed calls for two weeks.
- Add a missed-call text, ours or a competitor's.
- Answer quickly and see what turns into work.
- If callers still get stuck, trial a receptionist, on a free trial where one exists.
- Write the safety wording, ring it yourself and fix the gaps.
- Read the first 20 summaries.
Step 2's wording is in our free text templates.
My verdict
Yes for busy domestic electricians who are losing real work and will set it up properly. No for a contractor with a settled client list. And a flat no if you won't test the safety calls.
Proof is thin. Electrical Times reported one electrical business owner saying Powered Now's receptionist took six calls in its first week and that four became booked jobs. That's one anecdote in a launch story. There's no independent research on results for UK electricians, and we've no customer results of our own yet. Measure yours, and be ready to switch it off.
Questions electricians ask
What do AI receptionists cost in the UK?
About £29 to £99 a month for the small business products we checked, more with higher usage. Fasthosts, which sells one, says most UK businesses pay £30 to £500 or more.
AI or a human answering service?
Depends on the calls. A person is better with a frightened caller or an awkward customer. AI generally costs less per call and works any hour. A per-minute human service can suit a very quiet business.
Can it book jobs into my diary?
Some can: Trade Receptionist, Moneypenny and Fasthosts' middle plan say so. Ours doesn't on the single offer. Booking comes with the full AI Business Engine, from £499 a month plus £1,500 set-up.
Should an AI book a fault call without me?
Not at first, in my view. A fault can be a blown bulb or something dangerous. Take details, give the safety wording where it applies, and ring back.
Do I keep my number?
With ours, yes. With others, ask. Calls normally forward when you can't answer.
David Bell, founder of Real Business Systems
David helps small UK businesses get found, answer every enquiry and keep customers coming back. We sell some of the services mentioned here, and we say so where they come up.
Sources
- Powered Now, pricing
- Fasthosts, AI Receptionist and cost guide (9 July 2026)
- Trade Receptionist
- Moneypenny, AI Receptionist and per-minute pricing (updated 5 November 2026)
- ServiceM8 Phone Unlimited, UK summary
- Pay Monthly Webs
- Jobber, Receptionist
- Electrical Times, Powered Now Receptionist (7 September 2026)
- YouGov for Answer4u, June 2026, 2,046 UK adults
Prices and rules change. Check the source before you rely on a figure. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.