The short version
Off-the-shelf answering services run $200 to $500 a month plus a setup fee; DIY on ChatGPT is about AU$30 a month plus your own nights fixing it; FKD's published ladder is a $1,500 audit, an $18,000 90-day build covering five systems, of which the phone helper is usually one, then $1,500 a month keeping it all running. Which one's worth it depends on what a missed call is actually costing you.
What actually pushes the price up or down?
Four things move the number more than anything else. Call volume: a plumber missing 5 calls a week is a different job to one missing 30. Booking complexity: taking a message costs less than working out the trade, the suburb, the urgency, and actually booking the job. Wiring into AroFlo, ServiceM8 or Simpro: a booking that lands straight in the software your office already checks costs more to set up than one that just texts you a note. After-hours coverage: nights, weekends and public holidays, when trade businesses lose the most calls, usually cost extra on an off-the-shelf answering service and are built in as standard on FKD's build. The phone helper FKD deploys is covered in full on the AI phone answering service page ›
What does the cheap end get you, and what's different at the done-for-you end?
Straight up: if the phone is genuinely your only problem, an off-the-shelf answering service can be the right call. A single-trade operator with steady bookings and no interest in touching quoting or take-offs doesn't need the full build, and an audit would likely tell you the same thing for free. What a cheap answering service usually doesn't do is book straight into AroFlo or ServiceM8, stay monitored once it's running, or come with anyone accountable when it breaks.
The done-for-you end is different because it isn't sold as a stand-alone phone fix. FKD's $18,000, 90-day build covers five systems chosen from your audit, of which the phone helper is usually one, wired into the software you already run, backed by a written 90-day result and a refundable audit. Guarantee terms › You're paying for the rest of the business getting fixed too, not just the phone.
What does it cost to do nothing?
Nothing, on paper. No audit, no build, no subscription. But an audit usually turns up around 1 in 3 missed calls being winnable, and for a $1-3M trade business that's often $20,000 to $80,000 a year walking down the road to whoever picked up first. That's a projection from what audits usually find, not a number FKD has delivered for a client yet, since FKD doesn't have a completed phone job to point to. The real number for your business depends on how many calls you're currently missing and what a job's worth to you, which your audit works out before anything gets built. For the wider picture on where missed calls cost trade businesses the most, see the guide: How to stop missing calls as a tradie ›
| Option | What it typically costs | What you actually get |
|---|---|---|
| Doing nothing | $0 out of pocket | Nothing changes. An audit usually shows it's costing $20,000-$80,000 a year for a $1-3M business, in calls that quietly went to someone else |
| DIY (ChatGPT) | About AU$30/month | Whatever you can build and fix yourself, on your own time. Fine for simple, standalone tasks |
| Answering service (off-the-shelf) | $200-$500/month, plus $0-$2,000 to set up | Picks up the phone. Doesn't touch quoting, take-offs or anything else running through your business |
| FKD Group | $1,500 audit → $18,000 build → $1,500/month | Phone, quoting, take-offs and whatever else your audit finds; wired into AroFlo or ServiceM8, with a written 90-day guarantee |
DIY subscription cost: ChatGPT Plus is US$20/month, about AU$30 (OpenAI published pricing, 2026). Off-the-shelf answering service pricing, including setup fees, reflects current 2026 market pricing (market pricing guide), not any specific competitor's price. FKD pricing is the published offer ladder. Last reviewed July 2026.
Common questions
What's the cheapest way to get an AI receptionist? +
DIY on ChatGPT, which runs about AU$30 a month. You're building the thing yourself and fixing it yourself when it breaks, so it only really works if someone in the business enjoys tinkering and has the time. For a straightforward job, that's a genuinely sensible way to start.
Do AI answering services charge a setup fee? +
Most do, some don't. Current market pricing sits anywhere from $0 to around $2,000 depending on the provider, on top of the $200 to $500 a month. FKD doesn't sell the phone helper on its own, so its cost sits inside the $18,000, 90-day build instead of a separate setup fee.
Why does FKD's build cost $18,000 if the phone's just one system? +
Because the phone is usually one of five systems built in that 90 days, not the whole job. Your $1,500 audit finds the fixes worth the most to your business specifically, whether that's the phone, quoting, take-offs, or something else entirely, and the $18,000 covers building all five and wiring them into the software you already run.
Is the $1,500 a month optional? +
No, and FKD won't pretend otherwise. It's a 12-month subscription that keeps everything built in the 90 days running, monitored and adjusted as your business changes. Skip it and you're back to whatever you had before, without anyone keeping it sharp.
What does it actually cost me if I do nothing? +
Nothing out of pocket. But an audit usually finds around 1 in 3 missed calls were winnable, and for a $1-3M trade business that's often $20,000 to $80,000 a year going to whoever answered first. That's what audits usually turn up, not a number FKD has delivered for a client yet.
Should I just buy an off-the-shelf answering service instead? +
If the phone is genuinely your only problem, it can be the right call, and your audit would likely tell you the same thing for free. Where it usually falls short is booking straight into AroFlo or ServiceM8, staying monitored once it's live, and having one person accountable when it breaks. See the honest comparison: DIY ChatGPT vs done-for-you ›
Want the real number for your business?
Book 15 minutes with Matt. He'll walk through what missed calls, slow quotes or paperwork are actually costing you, and tell you straight whether it's worth doing anything about.
Book a call with Matt ›