It picks up when you’re up a ladder winding a spring, says it’s your assistant and gets the details. A car stuck in the garage gets texted to you. The yearly service gets booked.
A spring lets go with a bang at 7am and the car’s stuck inside. Somewhere else a door won’t come down and the house can’t be locked up. They ring every garage door number on Google until someone answers.
If you’re up a ladder tensioning a spring on someone else’s door, that call goes to whoever picks up.
The assistant answers, works out who’s stuck, texts you those straight away, and books the services, motors and new doors.
Lovely voicemail message. Shame nobody listens to it.
What missed calls cost a garage door business
Put in your own numbers. It works out what missed calls are worth to you a month and a year.
Three ways it answers for you
All three come in Core. Same assistant, same knowledge of your business, whether they ring, miss you or text.
The AI receptionist
Picks up when you can’t, day or night
Says it’s your assistant, never pretends to be you
Asks what the door’s doing, what type it is and the suburb
Books services, repairs and quotes at times you’re free
Texts you trapped cars and doors stuck open straight away
Your caller hears (example)You’ve reached Craig’s Garage Doors. I’m Craig’s assistant. What can I help with?
Missed-call text back
For when you’d rather it rings you first
Miss the call and they get a text from your business name
It asks what they need and which suburb
Their reply goes straight to the text assistant
Your customer gets (example)Hi, it’s Craig’s Garage Doors. Sorry we missed you, we’re on a job. What’s the door doing, and what suburb are you in?
The text assistant
Answers texts and the chat on your website
Knows your services and where you work
Books the job from the chat
Takes their details if they’d rather talk to you
Website chat (example)Yes, we fit motors to old roller doors. Is it a single or a double? I can book a time for Craig to come and look.
What garage door businesses use it for
Answering calls on the tools
It picks up when you can’t, as your assistant, and gets the job details.
After-hours calls
Emergencies come to you. The rest get booked for the morning.
Booking jobs
Only at times you’re free, with a confirmation and a reminder.
Texts and website chat
The same assistant answers texts and the chat on your website.
Following up quote requests
Two follow-ups if they go quiet, then it stops.
Getting more Google reviews
Happy customers get your review link after the job.
What gets texted to you, and what waits
This is the first thing it asks. You decide what counts as an emergency; this is where we start for garage door businesses.
“Is a car stuck inside, or is the door stuck open so you can’t lock up?”
Texted to you straight away
Car stuck inside, door won’t open
Door stuck open, can’t lock up
Then it rings you, so you can’t miss it.
Booked in for later
Yearly service
Noisy or slow door
New motor or remotes
New door quote
You get the details by text, and the job lands in your diary.
What your customers ask it
It answers from what you’ve told us: your services, your area, your prices. If it doesn’t know, it says so and takes their details.
How do I open it when the power’s out?
It gives your instructions for the manual release, word for word.
Can you put a motor on my old roller door?
It checks your services and books a time to look.
Is there a call-out fee?
It tells them your fee, word for word from what you gave us.
The spring went bang. Can I still use the door?
It tells them what you’ve told us to say, and texts you straight away if the car’s stuck.
Examples. Yours use your own prices, services and suburbs.
What your customer sees
Texts come from your business name, in plain words. No jokes, no robot voice. The emergency comes to you.
Missed call · 10:23am (example)
Hi, it’s Craig’s Garage Doors. Sorry we missed you, we’re on a job. What’s the door doing, and what suburb are you in?
Roller door is really noisy and the motor struggles to lift it. Glenfield Park.
Thanks. I’m Craig’s assistant. Can you still get the car in and out? I can book a time for Craig to come and service it.
What you get when a car’s stuck inside (example)
Urgent: spring snapped and the car’s stuck in the garage in Glenfield Park. Nadia is waiting on your call.
Lands in the job app you already use
On ServiceM8 or Fergus? Connect it once. From then on it only offers customers times you’re actually free, and the jobs it books land straight in your schedule.
On something else? It books into Google Calendar, Outlook or a calendar on your phone instead. Tell us what you use and we’ll make it work.
A reminder text the day before the job
Quote follow-ups, so a maybe doesn’t go quiet
After the job it asks how it went, and happy customers get your Google review link
We set it up. You keep winding springs.
Set up in days, not weeks. We do the setting up and test it with you, and you don’t touch any software.
We have a chat
You tell us what you do, your hours, your area and what counts as an emergency. Phone or text, whichever’s easier.
We set it all up
The text replies, the assistant and your calendar. You don’t touch any software.
It answers. We watch it.
We read what it says to your customers and fix it when it stuffs up. Want something changed? Text us.
Go over your minutes or texts and it keeps answering: A$0.49 a minute and A$0.25 a text. It’s month to month, because 12 months is a big commitment to make to a robot. That’s the whole price. Nothing gets added on top. Questions? Ring us on 0468 075 000 or email hello@offsitemate.com.au.
Optional extras
WebsiteOne-off. As many pages as the job needs. What you get
A$500just you · A$1,000 for 2 to 10 people
SEOEvery month. Gets you found on Google. What you get
A$149 a monthjust you · A$249 for 2 to 4 people · ask us for 5 to 10
Google profile setupOne-off. Set up and verified in your own Google account. What you get
A$290one-off
Fixing a Google profile you already haveOne-off. What you get
A$250one-off
Garage door businesses ask us
Is OffsiteMate an answering service for garage door businesses?
Sort of. An answering service takes a message for you to deal with later. Ours answers as your assistant, gets the job details, books the routine work and texts you the urgent ones.
Can it tell a trapped car from a service?
It asks. A car stuck inside, or a door stuck open so the house can’t be locked, gets texted to you straight away. A noisy door gets a booking.
What garage door calls can it handle?
Broken springs and cables, doors off their tracks, dead motors, remotes and keypads, safety beams, dented panels, yearly services, new roller, sectional and tilt doors, motor upgrades, automatic gates and roller shutters. It answers from your services and prices, books the routine jobs and texts you the urgent ones.
Will my customers know it’s not me?
Yes. It tells them straight up it’s your assistant. If they want you, it takes their number and you ring them back.
Does it answer after hours and on weekends?
Yes, any hour. During the day you can have it ring you first, so it only picks up when you don’t.
Does it book into ServiceM8 or Fergus?
Yes. It only offers times you’re free in ServiceM8 or Fergus, and the job lands there by itself.
Do I have to learn any software?
No. We set it up and keep it running. Job details come to you by text, and bookings show up in an app on your phone.
What if it says something wrong?
Text us. We read what it says to your customers, and we fix it.
What does it cost a garage door tech on their own?
A$299 a month and A$299 to set up, with 100 minutes and 150 texts included. Over that it’s A$0.49 a minute and A$0.25 a text. Month to month.