AI for Trades Businesses

Practical intelligence on AI for Australian trades businesses — plumbing, electrical, HVAC, construction and field services. What's changing, what it costs, and what to do about it.

AI Use Cases·10 July 2026

Nearly Two Million Tradies Work Without a Desk. AI Just Caught Up.

Voice-based AI tools are now built for field workers, not offices. For Australia's two million tradies, that removes the biggest adoption barrier.

Five Bearings·8 July 2026

Tradies Miss a Third of Their Calls. 85% Never Ring Back.

Trades businesses miss one in three calls. AI phone agents answer 24/7 for under $10 a day — roughly 3% the cost of a full-time receptionist.

AI Use Cases·29 June 2026

Brisbane's Simpro Launches AI Agents for 24,000 Trades Businesses

Simpro's Lightning platform embeds AI agents for onboarding, paperwork, and billing into the field service software 24,000 trades businesses already use.

Five Bearings·23 June 2026

Your Quotes Take 8 Hours. AI Cuts That to Under Two.

68% of contractors using AI estimating tools save at least $50,000 a year. Only 23% have started — every unquoted job is revenue you never capture.

Benchmarks & Readiness·21 June 2026

72% of Construction Firms Want AI. Under 23% Have a Plan.

Construction productivity has gone backwards since 1990, costing Australia $62 billion a year. Most firms want AI — fewer than one in four have a plan.

AI Use Cases·26 May 2026

Google's AI Will Start Calling Tradies to Book Jobs

Google announced its AI will call HVAC, plumbing, and electrical businesses to book jobs for homeowners. US this summer. Australian tradies should prepare.

Benchmarks & Readiness·14 May 2026

Three in Four Tradies Back AI. One in Eight Uses It.

A survey of 1,000+ contractors finds 74% see AI as key to efficiency but only 12% have embedded it. The top barrier isn’t resistance — it’s training.

AI Use Cases·16 April 2026

Trades Businesses Miss One in Four Calls. AI Picks Up the Rest.

Industry data shows 27% of calls to trades businesses go unanswered and 85% of those callers never ring back. AI phone agents now cost under $500/month.

Benchmarks & Readiness·11 April 2026

Australia’s $52B Data Centre Boom Will Squeeze Every Tradie

Canberra’s new AI data centre rules and NSW’s $51.9B project pipeline will compete for every spare electrician. Trades that can’t lift throughput will lose.

Benchmarks & Readiness·3 April 2026

Most Trade Contractors Say AI Matters. Only 12% Have Embedded It.

ServiceTitan’s survey of 1,000+ contractors finds training gaps and fragmented systems — not cost — are keeping 88% from embedding AI into operations.

Five Bearings·3 April 2026

How Much Is Drive Time Actually Costing Your Trades Business?

Most trade business owners know drive time is a problem. Few know what it’s worth. Here’s how to calculate the real cost — and what AI scheduling can do about it.