AI answering service in Peterborough
Pulsemint is an AI answering service for Peterborough tradespeople and small businesses. When you can't answer your 01733 number or mobile, it picks up, takes the caller's name, number, full address and the job, and texts you the details within about a minute. It costs £199 a month including up to 50 captured calls, with a free 14 day pilot and no contract.
Peterborough is a good city to work in as a tradesperson: lots of homes, lots of landlords and a lot of new building. It also has one address problem that catches out almost everyone, which this page explains.
Pulsemint at a glance
- What it does
- Answers the calls you miss, takes the caller's details and the job, and texts you a summary within about a minute
- Price
- £199 a month including up to 50 captured calls
- Free trial
- 14 day pilot, no card needed
- Contract
- None. Cancel any time.
- Hours
- Every hour of every day, same price
- Your number
- Stays the same. Unanswered calls divert to Pulsemint.
- Setup
- Done for you, about ten minutes of your time
- Coverage
- Peterborough and the PE postcode area, plus the rest of the UK
Try Pulsemint free for 14 days
Leave your name and email, then pick a time for a 15 minute setup call. No card and no contract. You keep your number.
Want to hear it first? Talk to the agent now. It answers questions about Pulsemint itself, and nobody will ring you back.
Why Peterborough trades miss calls
Peterborough grew fast as a new town from the 1970s, and that growth hasn't stopped. There are the original townships like Bretton, Werrington and the Ortons, Hampton to the south which is still filling up, and newer developments on the edges. Thousands of homes built within a few decades of each other means a lot of them need the same work at the same time: boilers reaching the end of their life, consumer units being upgraded, bathrooms being refitted.
There's also a big rental market, with plenty of landlords and letting agents who want certificates done and repairs sorted quickly. They ring during the working day, when you're on site.
The Orton problem
Ask someone in Peterborough where they live, and "Orton" isn't an answer. There's Orton Goldhay, Orton Malborne, Orton Longueville, Orton Waterville, Orton Northgate and Orton Brimbles, and they aren't next to each other in the way the names suggest. Hampton has the same issue, with Hampton Vale, Hampton Hargate and Hampton Centre.
An answering service that writes down "Orton" and a street name has given you half an address. Pulsemint asks for the full postcode and reads it back, so you know exactly where you're going. A PE2 postcode in the Ortons is a different drive from a PE7 one in Hampton, and you'll know which before you ring back.
New builds and snagging
A lot of Peterborough's newer homes are still within their first few years, which means snagging calls, questions about what the builder's warranty covers, and first-time buyers who've never had to find a tradesperson before. Those callers are often anxious and ring several numbers. Getting a clear message from your business, and a callback the same day, wins a lot of that work.
What a call looks like
A first-time buyer in Hampton rings at 7.30pm. Their combi boiler is showing a low pressure warning and they don't know what to do. The house is three years old.
ROUTINE. Combi showing low pressure, gauge under 1 bar, heating still on. New build 3 years old, first boiler issue. Owner Jas, 07700 900393, 7 Example Way, Hampton Vale, PE7. Happy for a call first thing.
One thing to be upfront about: Pulsemint is run from Lowestoft, not Peterborough. The agent answers calls remotely, so where it's based makes no difference to the caller. What matters is whether it gets Peterborough addresses right, and whether you can reach a person when you want something changed. You can: you deal with me directly.
Keeping your 01733 number
Your number doesn't change. Whether customers ring a 01733 landline or your mobile, your phone diverts the calls you don't answer to Pulsemint after however many rings you choose. Your van, your website, your Google Business Profile and your Checkatrade or MyBuilder listing all stay exactly as they are.
Setup takes about ten minutes of your time. I set the agent up with your business name, the trades you do, the Peterborough areas you cover and anywhere you won't travel to. If anything ever fails at our end, calls ring your phone as they do now.
Trades we answer for in Peterborough
Each trade gets different questions, because a plumber and a roofer need to know different things before they ring back. These pages explain what the agent asks for each one:
- Plumbers, including leaks, stopcocks and landlord calls
- Electricians, including power cuts, EICRs and rewires
- Gas and heating engineers, including fault codes and gas smells
- Roofers, including storm damage and flat roofs
- Builders, including extensions and planning questions
- Locksmiths, including lockouts and security upgrades
Working on your own? There's a page on using Pulsemint as a virtual receptionist for sole traders, and one on evening and weekend cover.
Is it worth it for a Peterborough business?
Only your own numbers can answer that. Count last week's missed calls, take out the spam and suppliers, and be realistic about how many were jobs you'd have won. Multiply by what a job is worth to you. If it comes to more than £199 a month, it pays. If it doesn't, a better voicemail and missed call text back may be all you need. The calculator on the Pulsemint homepage does the sum for you, and this guide explains the method.
Common questions
Will it get Peterborough addresses right?
It asks for the full postcode and reads the address back to the caller, which matters in places like the Ortons and Hampton where the area name alone doesn't tell you where to go.
Can I keep my 01733 number?
Yes. Unanswered calls divert to Pulsemint, and your number stays the same everywhere.
Does it handle letting agent calls?
Yes. It takes the tenant's details, the property address, access arrangements and the agent's contact, so you can book the job without chasing.
Do I need to be based in Peterborough?
No, and neither does the answering service. It answers remotely for any number you divert to it.
What does it cost?
£199 a month including up to 50 captured calls, after a 14 day free pilot.
Who is behind this
I'm Shadman, and I build and run Pulsemint myself from Lowestoft. When you start the pilot, I set the agent up for your business and you deal with me directly, not a support queue. If it doesn't catch jobs you'd otherwise have lost, don't keep it.