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AI FOR TRADIES NZ

You didn't become a builder
to chase invoices at 9pm.

AI automation for the admin that happens after the real work. For tradies, builders, and service businesses across New Zealand.

The tradie evening routine nobody signed up for

Sound familiar?

You finish on site at 5. Maybe 5:30 if you're lucky. Drive home. Dinner with the family — if you're not already on the phone to a supplier. Then the kids go to bed and the second shift starts.

Quoting that bathroom reno from Tuesday. Following up the three quotes you sent last week that nobody replied to. Chasing the invoice from the Henderson job — 45 days overdue now. Writing up job notes while you can still remember what happened. Texting back the four missed calls from today. Updating your schedule for tomorrow.

That's 2-3 hours. Every night. Weekends too, if you're honest about it.

Add it up: 10-15 hours a week of pure admin. Not building. Not earning. Not with your family. Just screen work. Every week. Forever.

You didn't do your apprenticeship to become a part-time office worker. But here you are, because the alternative is things falling through the cracks — missed follow-ups, late invoices, lost jobs, unhappy customers.

What if the screen work just... happened? Automatically. While you were actually living your life.

5 AI automations that give tradies their evenings back

These aren't futuristic concepts. They're systems you can have running within weeks. Each one replaces a specific chunk of that nightly admin grind.

Quote follow-up bot

You send the quote. AI follows up at 24 hours, 72 hours, and 7 days — polite, professional, persistent. No more quotes disappearing into the void because you forgot to chase. Customers who were "thinking about it" actually come back. The follow-up messages sound like you, not a robot.

Job note summariser

Talk into your phone on site — what you did, what materials you used, what needs doing next. AI turns that voice note into a structured job record: date, client, work completed, materials, photos referenced, next steps. Filed automatically. No more scribbled notes on receipts you lose in the van.

Invoice chasing

Invoices go out. AI tracks payment status. Friendly reminder at 7 days. Firmer follow-up at 14. Escalation notice at 30. You only get involved when it actually needs a human conversation. Most invoices get paid before you ever have to think about them.

Missed call responder

Customer calls while you're on the tools. Within 60 seconds, they get a text: "Hey, Billy's on a job right now — he'll call you back this afternoon. If it's urgent, reply here." No more lost leads. No more "I called three plumbers and you were the only one who didn't answer." You were the one who responded fastest — without even picking up.

End-of-day admin

Drive home. Record a 3-minute voice note about your day. AI turns it into: tomorrow's task list, invoice line items, schedule updates, supplier orders, and customer follow-ups. By the time you walk in the door, your admin is done. Dinner is just dinner.

How it works

Three steps. No jargon. No 6-month implementation project.

1

Get your AI Opportunity Map

$297

We spend 90 minutes mapping your business — where the time goes, what falls through the cracks, what's costing you money. You get a written report showing exactly which automations would save the most time, what they'd cost, and the order to build them. This is yours to keep whether you work with me or not.

2

Billy builds the automations

From $500/mo

I build your systems using the tools you already use — or simple ones that work. Xero, Tradify, Google Calendar, your phone. No new apps to learn. No complicated dashboards. Things just start happening automatically. Most tradies are up and running within 2-4 weeks.

3

You get your evenings back

That's the point

Quotes get followed up. Invoices get chased. Job notes get filed. Missed calls get answered. Your schedule stays current. And you're on the couch, not the laptop. I monitor everything for 30 days after launch and tune it until it runs smooth.

Transparent pricing. No surprises.

You quote honestly. So do I. Here's what it costs.

AI Opportunity Map

$297

90-minute deep dive into your business. Written report with specific automations, time savings estimates, and implementation roadmap. Yours to keep regardless.

  • One-off payment — not a subscription
  • Actionable roadmap, not a sales pitch
  • Applies to your managed automation if you proceed

Managed Automation

From $500/mo

I build, deploy, and maintain your automations. Includes monitoring, updates, and support. Cancel any time — no lock-in contracts.

  • No lock-in contracts — month to month
  • 30 days of tuning included after launch
  • Scales with your business — add automations as you grow

MBIE Co-Funding

50% back

The government's MBIE AI Advisory Pilot co-funds up to 50% of AI consulting costs — up to $15,000 off your bill. If your business is NZ-registered, has been operating 12+ months, and has under 500 employees, you likely qualify. I handle the application paperwork.

Real talk: what AI can't do for tradies

AI won't drive your van. It won't swing a hammer, bend pipe, or wire a switchboard. It can't look at a job and know something's wrong before it becomes a problem. It doesn't have 15 years of experience telling it when a quote needs padding for the unexpected.

Your skill, your eye, your reputation — that's yours. AI doesn't replace any of it.

What AI does is handle the screen work. The typing. The chasing. The remembering. The admin that has to happen but doesn't need your brain to do it.

You do the real work. AI does the paperwork. That's the deal.

Every automation I build is practical and proven. No gimmicks. No chatbots pretending to be you. Just systems that handle the boring stuff reliably, so you can focus on the work you actually trained for — and the life you're working to build.

Common questions from tradies

Do I need to be techy?
No. If you can use a smartphone and talk into it, you're good. The whole point is that these systems work in the background. You don't need to log into dashboards or learn new software. Most of the interaction is through your phone — voice notes, texts, and the apps you already use like Xero or Tradify.
Will it break?
Automations can hiccup — a supplier changes their email format, a tool updates its interface. That's why managed automation includes monitoring. I watch your systems and fix issues before you notice them. If something does go wrong, you'll hear from me before you hear from a customer.
How long does it take to set up?
The AI Opportunity Map takes about a week from our first call to the written report. If you go ahead with automations, most tradies are fully up and running within 2-4 weeks. The first automation usually goes live within days — we start with the one that saves you the most time.
What about privacy? My customers' data?
Your data stays yours. I use enterprise-grade AI tools with proper data handling — nothing gets used to train public models. Customer information is processed securely and stored in the tools you already trust (Xero, Google, your CRM). I can walk you through exactly how data flows in your specific setup.
Can I try before committing?
That's what the AI Opportunity Map is for. $297 gets you a complete analysis and roadmap. If you look at it and decide automation isn't for you, that's fine — you've got a useful document either way. There's no pressure to continue. If you do go ahead, the $297 comes off your first month.
Do I need good internet?
You need internet, but it doesn't need to be fast. Most automations run on cloud servers, not your phone or laptop. If you can send a text and load a webpage, your connection is fine. Voice notes upload in the background — you can record them on site and they'll process when you're back in range.

Get your evenings back.
Start with the AI Opportunity Map.

90 minutes. $297. A written roadmap showing exactly which automations will save you the most time — and what they'll cost to build. No obligation to go further. MBIE co-funds 50%.

AI Opportunity Map $297 · Managed automation from $500/mo · MBIE co-funds 50% up to $15K · No lock-in contracts

See how it works: Mangaroa Farms case study · Consulting · AI Automation NZ

AI for Tradies NZ — Automate the Admin That Happens After the Real Work