AI receptionist · built for the trades

We answer when you can’t. The jobs stop walking.

Holdout is a done-for-you AI receptionist for auto shops, roofers, plumbers, HVAC, electrical, and the rest of the trades. When the phone rings out, Holdout texts the caller in seconds, walks them through the routine qualification questions, and books the job straight into your calendar — no extra dispatcher on payroll.

Set up a dispatch trial →See how the catch works
Reply avg.
9 sec
Availability
24/7
Setup
≤ 2 wks
HOLDOUT · DISPATCH CONSOLE
3 calls in·1 booking
18:42:09▼

INBOUND · SMS

QUALIFIED

2008 Honda Civic — won’t start

service area: 63118 · insurance: GEICO · tow needed? y · urgency: today

18:42:31▼

WEB CHAT · smithroofing.com/quote

BOOKED

Roof quote — 2200 sq ft, 2-layer shingle

drop-off: contact@smithroofing.com → calendar: WED 10:00 ESTIMATE

18:43:02▼

META LEAD AD · +1 (314) 555-0182

HOLD FOR OWNER

Water heater — leaking, 6-yr-old Whirlpool

address captured · propane model · same-day dispatch request

18:43:18▼

INBOUND · AFTER HOURS

REPLIED

‘My AC just stopped’

SMS sent · script: HVAC-T2 · callback window opened 06:00

▲ live sample, illustrative

// 02 · what it catches

Every lead lands in the same inbox.

Whether the customer reached you by phone, web, ad, or DM — Holdout runs the same intake. One script. One calendar. No “which channel” guesswork.

Inbound→

Missed phone call

SMS sent within seconds of the ring timing out.

Inbound→

Website chat widget

Same agent, same script, same calendar drop.

Inbound→

Contact form submission

Pulled, qualified, and replied before the next lead arrives.

Inbound→

Facebook Lead Ad

2 AM ad submission becomes a 9 AM booked estimate.

Inbound→

Instagram Lead Form

DM-native intake; replies in DMs and on the calendar.

Inbound→

After-hours & weekends

No rotation, no answering service — the agent just stays on.

// 03 · how it works

One intake. One calendar. No extra dispatcher.

The job of an intake agent is to convert an unanswered moment into a booked one. Holdout does it in four predictable steps.

  1. STEP · 01auto

    A lead rings in

    A missed call, a chat ping, a 2 AM form fill. Handoff triggers with the full context (caller ID, page URL, ad campaign, time).

  2. STEP · 02auto

    Holdout picks up

    A trade-specific script starts: make/model, service address, roof squares, insurance status, scope. Conversational, no dead-end form.

  3. STEP · 03auto

    Job lands in the calendar

    Confirmed bookings write to Google Calendar, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, or the CRM the shop already runs.

  4. STEP · 04auto

    Owner sees the ticket

    A dispatch-ready summary hits the inbox or Slack with the lead source, the customer, and the booked slot. Nothing buried.

// 04 · conversation

The caller texts back. The agent handles it.

No pressure, no “press 1.” A real back-and-forth that collects the same details your dispatcher would — without putting a phone to a human ear.

2008 Civic Smith 🛠️text · 4 min

Shop (auto-SMS)

Hi Sam! We missed your call — how can we help with the Civic?
It won’t start. Bought a new battery last month.
Got it. Did the starter click at all, or nothing when you turn the key?
Clicked once and then nothing.
Probably the starter, not the battery. Can you swing by tomorrow at 9 AM? 7424 Gravois — bay 3.
Yes please 👍
Booked — you’ll get a text reminder tonight. Anything else?

// 05 · calendar

The job lands. You wake up to the schedule.

Holdout writes directly to the calendar and CRM the shop already runs. No new tab, no new vendor — same dispatch board, one more confirmed job.

SERVICETITAN · NEW BOOKING17:43

Starter replacement · 2008 Honda Civic

Confirmed
Customer
Sam Reedy
Phone
+1 (314) 555-0182
Source
Missed inbound call
Vehicle
2008 Honda Civic LXi
Slot
WED 09:00 — bay 3
Address
7424 Gravois, St. Louis
Lead value · est. $410Reply · 4 m 12 s

// 06 · numbers

Priced at the high end. Built for owners who feel every ring.

< 45sFrom missed ring to first SMS.
24 / 7No rotation, no “after hours” tab.
16Trade scripts pre-loaded on day one.
90dTypical onboarding for a working shop.

// 07 · vertical scripts

Pre-loaded for the trades that miss calls the most.

Each script is tuned to the actual intake questions your industry cares about — vehicle make/model, address, insurance, scope — not a generic “tell us more” form.

Auto repairRoofingPlumbingHVACElectricalCollisionTowingLocksmithPest controlGarage doorApplianceLandscapingPaintingFlooringConcreteTree service+ your trade

// 08 · the math

A part-time dispatcher costs more than 20 missed jobs a month.

Holdout sits at the top of the category on purpose. It’s not the cheapest AI answering line — it’s the one you can hand a real shop to and trust on a Saturday at 11 PM.

Option A

Part-time dispatcher

  • · ~$1,800/mo wage · covers ~30 hrs
  • · Gaps on weekends, holidays, the lunch hour
  • · Distraction cost: 20+ missed calls / month
Total monthly exposure · low four figures
Option B · Holdout

Done-for-you AI receptionist

  • · Replied on every ring, every channel, every minute
  • · Trade-specific script on day one
  • · Books straight to the calendar you already run
Email for a numberholdout-3@polsia.app →

// 09 · faq

The questions every owner asks first.

If yours isn’t on the list, email us. We answer the weird ones first.

holdout-3@polsia.app

Onboarding

Roughly 90 days from signed agreement to first booked job. Most of that time is on the calendar/CRM wiring, not the agent itself.

Integrations

Calendar (Google, iCloud). CRMs (ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber). Lead sources (Meta, Google, your CMS).

Privacy

Call and chat transcripts are stored on the account the shop owns. They aren’t used to train anyone else’s model.

Stop letting the phones ring past 5pm

One dispatch trial. One week. You see the calendar at the end.

Email holdout-3@polsia.app