If you're repair-led and missing several genuine calls a week from the top of a scaffold, I think an AI receptionist will probably pay for itself. That's my judgement, not a measured result. If your work comes through builders and main contractors, it probably won't. Everyone in between should try a missed-call text first.
We sell one, so weigh that. Cheaper ones exist, and they're in the table below. A free text-back or a rival product may well be your better answer.
The short version
- Log your missed calls for a fortnight. Everything else depends on that number.
- A handful a month? A missed-call text may do.
- Published UK prices start around £29 to £49 a month.
- On the made-up figures below, one small repair a month covers most of these tools, ours included in its first year.
- It catches the call. You still win the job, on a quick human call-back.
Why roofing is a harder call than most trades
For it: you can't answer safely on a scaffold, and enquiries jump with the weather.
Against it: trust. Someone ringing a roofer may be anxious and on guard, and a full-roof customer wants to speak to the person who'll be on their house. I'd treat an AI as a net for the call, not a salesperson.
Your realistic choices
| Option | Published UK price | Good at | Weak at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voicemail | Free | No cost | 6% of UK adults 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. | Replies in seconds | The customer has to reply |
| Human answering | About 60p to £1.50 a minute, on Moneypenny's market estimate | Good with a frightened caller | Bills climb in a storm week, and it may only take a message |
| AI receptionist | From about £29 to £99 a month, usage varies | Answers at any hour, several calls at once | Some callers dislike it. See the risks. |
| Family member or part-timer | Whatever you agree | Knows your customers | Not there at 7pm in a gale |
Published prices
Each comes from the provider's own page, read on 6 November 2026. Powered Now, Fasthosts and ours exclude VAT, and Trade Receptionist says none is added. I didn't confirm VAT for ServiceM8 or Moneypenny. Allowances differ, so compare like with like.
| Provider | Monthly price | Calls or usage | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powered Now Receptionist | £29 speech, £39 speech and text | See provider | Add-on to Powered Now, from £280 a year |
| Fasthosts | £39, £69 or £99 | 30, 100 or unlimited calls | One-month free trial. Says it doesn't record calls. |
| Trade Receptionist | £49, £89, £159 or £249 | 50, 150, 350 or 600 calls | 14-day trial. Has a page for roofers, and books into a connected diary. |
| Moneypenny AI Receptionist | From £49 | See provider | Books appointments, and hands complex calls to a human |
| ServiceM8 Phone Agent | Included in the £119 Phone plan | See provider | For ServiceM8 users |
| 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. |
Ours costs more because we set it up and make the changes for you, and because a CRM and one inbox on your phone come with it, keeping calls, texts and enquiries together. If you can set up a tool yourself and already run a CRM, a cheaper one may fit better. A roofer who's mainly worried about storm-week usage might also prefer Fasthosts' unlimited plan at £99.
The sum in small repairs
Forget the headline price. What matters is how many extra jobs cover it. I've used small repairs, because a phone call wins a repair far more often than a full roof.
Worked example (made-up figures)
A small repair brings in £350, and £220 of that's left after materials and direct costs.
| Option | Monthly cost | Extra repairs a month to cover it |
|---|---|---|
| £39 a month tool | £39 | Less than 1 |
| £99 a month tool | £99 | Less than 1 |
| 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. | Less than 1 either way |
Ours takes about two-thirds of a repair before VAT, or about three-quarters with it. So one repair a month covers it.
To get that repair, you might need something like 10 missed calls, of which 3 are real and 1 turns into work. If your own count looks thinner, the sum fails.
A single re-roof leaving £1,500 would nearly cover our £1,688 first year. I wouldn't buy on that basis, though. Full-roof customers rarely decide on the phone, and I'd expect them to wait a day for you more happily than someone with a leak would.
Be strict when you count. Spam, sales calls and people outside your patch don't belong in it.
Good fit
- You run one or two crews, and you're on the roof all day.
- Several real calls a week go unanswered, many from people with leaks.
- Repairs are your bread and butter, and I'd expect the first roofer to respond to win a lot of them.
- You'll ring back the same day, and write and test a safety script.
Poor fit
- Builders, housing providers and main contractors give you most of your work. They've got your mobile, and they'd rather reach you.
- Your diary's full for months. You'd only collect people to disappoint, so look at your prices.
- A person already answers your phone well.
- You're known for high-value slate, lead or heritage work, where I'd expect customers to want you on the line.
- You won't call back. Every caught call still needs you.
- Many of your customers are elderly or vulnerable and would find it upsetting. Keep a human route for them.
A cautious way in
- Log missed calls for a fortnight.
- Switch on a missed-call text, ours or anyone's. The wording's in our free text templates.
- See how many of those people become work.
- Still losing people? Trial an AI receptionist, on a free trial if there's one.
- Write your storm safety script, and test it before going live.
- Check the first 20 summaries, and correct what's wrong.
My verdict
Worth it for a busy, repair-led roofer who's losing real work and will set it up properly. Not worth it if your work comes through contractors, or if you hope it'll do the selling.
The evidence is thin. I found no independent research on results for UK roofers, so judge it on your own numbers and be ready to turn it off.
Questions roofers ask
What does an AI receptionist cost for a UK roofer?
Published starting prices run from about £29 to £99 a month across the products I checked, and more with higher usage. Look hard at the call allowance, because a storm week can use it up.
Is it better than a human answering service?
A person will handle a frightened caller better. AI usually costs less per call and takes several at once. If you get few calls, a per-minute human service may suit you.
Can it book roof surveys?
Some can. Trade Receptionist and Moneypenny both say they book. Ours doesn't on the single offer, but booking comes with the full AI Business Engine, from £499 a month plus £1,500 set-up. With rain moving your diary, I'd be wary of anything booking you automatically.
Can I keep my existing number?
With ours, yes, using call forwarding. Ask any other provider how it works.
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
- Trade Receptionist
- Moneypenny, AI Receptionist and per-minute pricing (updated 5 November 2026)
- ServiceM8 Phone Unlimited, UK summary
- 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.