Before You Start

Setting up an AI receptionist for your trades business takes about 15 minutes. You will need your business name, phone number, a list of services you offer, and your typical scheduling availability. If you serve a specific area — like plumbing in your metro area — have your service zone ready too.

Step 1: Create Your Help Genie Account

Head to Help Genie and sign up with your email. The free trial gives you full access to all features so you can test everything before committing. No credit card is required to get started.

Step 2: Configure Your Business Profile

Enter your company name, industry (select “Trades”), and subcategory (e.g., Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical). Add your service area, business hours, and the services you offer. This information trains the AI to answer caller questions accurately.

Step 3: Set Up Call Routing Rules

Define how calls should be handled. For most trades businesses, this means: during business hours, book appointments directly into your calendar; after hours, triage emergencies to your on-call number and schedule everything else for the next day. Help Genie lets you customize these rules with simple toggle-based settings.

Step 4: Record or Choose a Greeting

You can record a custom greeting in your own voice or choose from Help Genie’s library of professional voice options. The greeting sets the tone for every call, so keep it friendly and concise — something like “Thanks for calling [Your Company]. How can I help you today?”

Step 5: Forward Your Phone and Go Live

The final step is forwarding your business line to your Help Genie number. This usually takes one call to your phone provider or a quick change in your VoIP dashboard. Once forwarding is active, your AI receptionist is live and answering calls. Monitor the first few calls in your Help Genie dashboard to make sure everything sounds right, then sit back and let the genie do its work.