The biggest advantage: No more missed calls. No more "I called 5 times and nobody answered." No more annoying answering machines. The AI takes care of everything - you concentrate on your work.
The AI phone assistant...
Typical application scenarios:
This guide explains:
An AI phone assistant is software that makes phone calls automatically. Imagine this: A customer calls and you are in an appointment, all lines are busy. An artificial intelligence then takes over the call.
| Answering machine | AI phone assistant |
|---|---|
| "Please leave a message." | "Hello, what can I do for you?" |
| Passive: Only records | Active: Conducts conversation |
| No queries possible | Asks questions like a human being |
| Customers have to call back themselves | AI clarifies concerns directly |
The technology behind it sounds complex. But it works in four simple steps.
When the customer speaks, the AI converts the spoken words into text in real time. This is called Speech-to-Text (STT) or speech recognition. The technology is now so good that it can also understand dialects, background noises or unclear pronunciation.
Example:
Customer says: "Hello, our heating has broken down."
→ AI recognizes: "Hello, our heating has broken down."
Now comes the intelligent part: the AI analyzes the text and understands what the customer really wants. This is called Natural Language Processing (NLP) - the AI not only recognizes words, but also their meaning and context.
What the AI recognizes:
Example:
Text: "Hello, our heating has broken down."
→ AI understands: Emergency, Heating category, Urgency: High
The AI uses this understanding to decide what to do next. These decisions are based on the rules you defined in advance and the AI's training.
Possible decisions:
Example:
→ Decision: Put through to the emergency service number immediately
The AI now generates and speaks a suitable answer. This is called text-to-speech (TTS). The voice sounds natural - with intonation, pauses and even regional accents.
Example:
AI answers: "Oh dear, this is of course urgent. Do you have small children or elderly people in the household?"
→ Customer: "Yes, my mother lives with us."
AI: "I see. I'll put you through to our service technician straight away. One moment please..."
It usually only takes 0.5 to 1.5 seconds from the customer's question to the AI's answer. This feels like a normal conversation for the caller.
✅ What AI can do very well:
⚠️ What AI cannot do (or can only do to a limited extent):
Craft businesses have a problem: lots of calls, little time. While you're on the building site, the phone rings. If you don't answer it, the customer calls somewhere else. If you answer, you interrupt your work. Both cost you money.
An AI phone assistant solves exactly this problem. Here are the 4 main reasons why trade businesses use AI phone assistants:
The problem:
If you're not available, the customer calls the competition. This happens more often than you think:
The solution:
The AI answers every call. Always. No matter when. No matter how many come in at the same time. No more lost calls.
Example:
An electrician from Cologne explains: "I used to switch off my cell phone in the evening because I wanted peace and quiet. But then I missed out on emergency jobs - and they paid well. Now Maxi picks up at night, filters out real emergencies and only calls me if there really is a fire. Otherwise I get a summary in the morning."
The problem:
Emergencies do not adhere to opening hours. Burst pipes, heating failures, power cuts - these often happen at night or at the weekend. If you are not available, the job goes to someone else.
The solution:
The AI is always there. It answers the call, recognizes the emergency and forwards it - or makes an appointment for the next working day if it's not urgent.
Example:
Sunday, 11 pm. Heating broken down, family with small child. Previously: Answering machine, no response, customer calls five other companies. Now: AI recognizes emergency, puts through to your emergency service number. You decide whether to accept the job. Order value: 600+ euros, emergency service surcharge included.
The problem:
Constant calls interrupt your work. You have to stop work, get the phone out, talk to the customer, note down details and get back to work. This takes time and concentration.
The solution:
The AI takes the first steps: it clarifies what the issue is, collects all the important information and arranges an appointment. You receive a ready-made summary and can prepare yourself before you go to the customer.
Concrete time savings:
Depending on the volume of calls, you save 2-8 hours per week.
Example:
A plumbing company from Hamburg reports: "I used to spend 20 minutes on my cell phone after work: Checking messages, making notes, entering appointments. Now Maxi does all that. I log in briefly, see the summaries and that's it. That's two hours a week that I save."
The problem:
When you're stressed, on a construction site or just visiting a customer, you sometimes sound rushed or annoyed on the phone. Customers notice this - and it can come across as unprofessional.
The solution:
The AI is always friendly, patient and professional. No matter how often they hear the same question, no matter how stressed you are. That leaves a good impression.
Bonus: Multilingualism
The AI speaks different languages. If a Turkish or Polish customer calls and doesn't speak perfect German, the AI can answer in their language. This creates trust - and expands your customer base.
Example:
A customer calls in Turkish. Previously: Misunderstandings, frustration on both sides. Now: The AI answers in Turkish, clarifies the issue, arranges an appointment. You get the summary in German. The customer is delighted with the multilingual support.
Even with stressed or angry callers, the AI remains calm and professional - this de-escalates many situations before they escalate.
In the next section, we take a look at the specific functions of an AI phone assistant - with practical examples from everyday trade work.
You now know what an AI phone assistant is, how it works and why trade businesses use it. But what exactly can such a system do? Here are the 9 most important functions in detail - with practical examples from everyday life in the trades:
The basic function: The AI answers every call - no matter when, no matter how many come in at the same time.
Practical example: Elektro Schneider from Munich
Sunday, 9 pm. Thomas Schneider is sitting at dinner with his family. His cell phone doesn't ring - because Maxi has already taken the call from Mrs. Weber. Power failure in her apartment. The AI recognizes this as an emergency, asks for details (Which fuse? Entire apartment or just one room?) and forwards the information to the emergency service number.
Thomas receives a message: "Emergency: Mrs. Weber, Leopoldstr. 45, complete power failure, RCD has blown. Already put through to emergency service cell phone."
He can decide for himself: Important enough for Sunday evening? Yes. He calls back. Order value: 480 euros. Sunday surcharge: +50% = 720 euros.
Without the AI phone assistant: Ms. Weber would have called five other electricians. One would have answered. Order gone.
The AI does not speak like a robot. It conducts real conversations with questions and responds to what the caller says.
Example conversation:
Customer: "Hello Martin Meier, I have a problem with my heating."
AI: "Hello Mr. Meier, what exactly isn't working?"
Customer: "It's not working at all. I noticed this morning that it's cold."
AI: "I see. Is there any heat at all or is the heating completely cold?"
Customer: "Completely cold. Nothing at all."
AI: "Okay, that sounds urgent. Do you have small children or elderly people in the household?"
Customer: "Yes, my mother lives with us, she's 82."
AI: "All right, then we'll take care of it straight away. I'll put you straight through to our service technician. One moment please..."
The AI recognizes: Winter + heating completely off + elderly person in the household = emergency. It puts you through immediately instead of just making an appointment.
The AI asks questions, understands the context and adapts its answers dynamically. This is the difference to rigid IVR systems with button menus.
The AI recognizes emergencies by certain signal words and assesses the urgency:
For sanitation companies:
For electricians:
For carpenters/joiners:
Different reactions depending on the urgency:
The AI reacts differently depending on how urgent the situation is:
The AI decides individually based on the specific request, the signal words and the context of the call.
The AI accesses your calendar (Google Calendar, Outlook or craftsman software such as Meisterwerk) and suggests available appointments.
Procedure:
Customer: "I need an appointment for a repair."
AI: "Gladly. I'll have a look... Wednesday at 10 a.m. would I be free, or would you prefer Thursday at 2 p.m.?"
Customer: "Wednesday is fine."
AI: "Perfect. I'll put you down for Wednesday at 10 am. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Customer: "No, thank you."
AI: "See you on Wednesday then. See you again!"
The appointment is in the system. You will receive a notification with all the important details.
Time saving: 5-10 minutes per appointment request.
An AI phone assistant like Maxi understands and speaks several languages - including German, English, Turkish, Polish, Romanian, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Croatian and Serbian.
The AI automatically recognizes which language the caller is speaking and switches accordingly.
Why this is important:
Over 300,000 people from EU countries work in the construction industry in Germany. Many of them speak little German. Your customers may also be multilingual. In cities like Frankfurt, over 20% of the population don't speak German at home. You can reach these customers with an AI phone assistant.
Real-time translation:
The customer speaks Turkish. You get the summary in German. And vice versa.
The AI filters and qualifies callers automatically - inconspicuously during the call.
Questions that the AI can ask:
The AI then decides:
You only get the calls that are really relevant.
After each call, the AI automatically creates three things:
1. complete transcription
The complete conversation as text - word for word.
2. AI summary (the most important points)
3. integration into existing systems
The information automatically ends up in your system: Meisterwerk, Handwerker-Office or by e-mail/WhatsApp.
You never have to write down what the customer has said by hand again.
Practical benefits: Sanitär Becker from Hamburg
"It used to take me five minutes after every call to type everything into the system. With 20 calls a day: 100 minutes just for typing. Now Maxi does it automatically. That's almost two hours that I save. Every day."
The AI recognizes telemarketing and spam calls by typical patterns:
Typical spam patterns:
The AI politely declines these calls and hangs up.
An AI phone assistant works seamlessly with the most common tradesman programs:
Supported systems:
The advantage:
You don't have to jump back and forth between different systems. All the information is where you need it - in the system you use every day.
You now know the functions and benefits - but what exactly does an AI phone assistant cost? Prices vary greatly depending on the provider, range of functions and specialization. Here is an overview:
Budget range: 49-99 euros/month
Who it is suitable for: Very small businesses or sole traders with low call volumes
Standard range: 99-199 euros/month
Who it's for: Craft businesses with 1-10 employees - the sweet spot for most businesses
Premium range: 299+ Euro/month
Who it's for: Larger businesses, branch structures, franchise systems
| Provider | Price/month | Calls incl. | Craft features | DSGVO | Multilingual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AskMaxi | 99 € | Unlimited | ✅✅✅ Emergency detection, technical terms, industry knowledge | ✅ DE server | ✅ 12 languages |
| Placetel AI | 150 € | 500 | ⚠️ Basic functions | ✅ DE server | ⚠️ 3 languages |
| Fonhero | 120 € | 1.000 | ⚠️ Focus on offers, not emergencies | ❌ US server | ✅ 8 languages |
Status: January 2026
The key question is not "What does it cost?", but "What are the benefits?" Here is a realistic example calculation:
Cost per year:
Benefit - Scenario 1: Additional orders
Let's assume that you only gain 1additional order per month that would have previously been lost due to better accessibility:
ROI: 3,060 euros profit - 1,188 euros costs = 1,872 euros net profit in the first year
The investment has already paid for itself after the first additional job.
Benefit - Scenario 2: Time savings
The time saved depends on how many calls your company receives per week:
Scenario A: Low call volume (10-20 calls/week)
At around 2hours of time saved per week through better callback management, no message interception and automatic documentation:
That's time you can invest in productive, manual work - instead of phone calls and administration.
Scenario B: High call volume (30-50 calls/week)
With around 8 hours of time saved per week through more efficient phone management:
Automation has a massive impact, especially when there are a lot of calls - you gain back almost a full working day per week.
Realistic overall picture:
Most craft businesses gain not just 1, but 3-5additional orders per month through better accessibility. In this case we are talking about:
There are many AI phone assistants on the market - but not all of them are suitable for skilled trades businesses. Many are generic solutions that are not designed to meet the specific requirements of tradespeople: Emergency detection, technical terms, multilingual communication and integration with tradesman software. Here is a comparison of 3 top providers for trade businesses:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 94/100 points
Specialization: Developed specifically for the skilled trades
Price: From 99 euros/month, 100 minutes included
Special features:
Ideal for:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 82/100 points
Specialization: Telephony systems with AI extension
Price: From 150 euros/month, 500 calls included
Special features:
Ideal for:
Disadvantages:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 78/100 points
Specialization: Quote requests and lead qualification
Price: From 120 euros/month, 1,000 calls included
Special features:
Ideal for:
Disadvantages:
Do you want an AI phone assistant for your business? Here is the 10-point checklist:
✅ Are technical terms pre-trained?
✅ Is there emergency detection for your trade?
✅ Does the AI understand industry-specific queries?
Why important: Generic AIs often do not understand "RCD" or "loop-through". This leads to misunderstandings.
✅ German or EU server?
✅ Is an AVV offered?
✅ ISO 27001 or similar certification?
Why important: Violations can result in high fines. You are only legally safe with EU servers.
✅ Does the price match your budget?
✅ Are calls unlimited or limited?
✅ Are there any hidden costs?
Why important: Some providers lure you in with low prices, but charge extra for every call. That gets expensive.
✅ Does it work with Meisterwerk, etc.?
✅ Calendar sync possible?
✅ WhatsApp notifications?
Why important: If the AI doesn't work with your existing tools, you're duplicating work.
✅ Is there a free trial period?
✅ At least 14 days?
✅ No credit card required?
Why important: Without a trial, you're buying a pig in a poke. 2 weeks is enough to see if it works.
✅ Support in German?
✅ Telephone support or only e-mail?
✅ Availability during your working hours?
Why important: If something doesn't work, you need help quickly. English-language email support won't help.
Will the system grow with your business?
✅ Can you add functions later?
✅ Multiple locations/numbers possible?
Why important: If you expand in 2 years, you don't want to have to change providers.
✅ Is your regional dialect understood?
✅ Does the AI learn from your calls?
Why important: In Bavaria or Saxony, this can make the difference between "working" and "frustrating".
✅ Can be terminated monthly?
✅ No minimum term?
✅ Simple termination process?
Why important: You want to remain flexible. Annual contracts are risky with new technology.
✅ Are there real reviews from craftsmen?
✅ Average 4+ stars?
✅ Current reviews (last 6 months)?
Why important: Other tradespeople have similar requirements. You can learn from their experience.
Bonus tip:
Test at least 2 providers in parallel. This allows you to compare which one is better suited to your business.
The clear answer: Yes, it is worthwhile for 85% of trades businesses.
An AI phone assistant is software that automatically answers, understands and responds to calls - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Unlike an answering machine, the AI makes real calls, recognizes emergencies and arranges appointments.
The main advantage for trade businesses: No more missed orders, no more interruptions on the construction site, professional availability around the clock.
Invoice: At 99 euros per month, the investment pays for itself with just one additional job. The average time saving is 2-8 hours per week, depending on the volume of calls.
Perfectly suited for:
✅ Businesses with 20+ calls per week
✅ Emergency services (plumbing, electricians, heating)
✅ Businesses without office staff
✅ Growing businesses with capacity problems
Less suitable for:
⚠️ Businesses with less than 10 calls per week
⚠️ Businesses that only have walk-in customers
⚠️ Very small one-man businesses without growth ambitions