AI answering service in Stoke-on-Trent
Pulsemint is an AI answering service for tradespeople and small businesses in Stoke-on-Trent. It answers your 01782 number or mobile when you can't, takes the caller's name, number, which of the six towns they're in, the full address and the job, and texts you a summary within about a minute. It costs £199 a month including up to 50 captured calls, with a free 14 day pilot and no contract.
Stoke isn't one place, and customers don't describe it as one. This page covers what that means for taking calls in the Potteries.
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
- Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and the ST 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.
Six towns, not one
Stoke-on-Trent is six towns joined together: Tunstall, Burslem, Hanley, Stoke, Fenton and Longton. People who live there say which one they're in, not "Stoke". Then there's Newcastle-under-Lyme right next door, which is a separate borough with its own ST5 postcodes, and plenty of villages around the edge.
So when a caller says "I'm in Burslem, near the old pottery," that's useful to you. When an answering service writes down "Stoke", it isn't. Pulsemint takes the town, the full address and the postcode, and reads it back so nothing gets lost.
Why Potteries trades miss calls
A lot of Stoke's housing is terraced and was built for the people who worked in the potbanks and the pits. Those homes are well over a hundred years old now. They need rewires, new heating systems, damp work and roof repairs, often all at once. The jobs take time, and they're done in narrow houses where you can't easily step outside to take a call.
The city also has a lot of landlords, from people with one or two houses to agents managing hundreds. They want certificates done on time and repairs sorted before tenants complain to the council. They ring in the day, while you're working, and they move on quickly if nobody answers.
What a call looks like
A landlord rings at 9.20am. He's bought a two-up two-down terrace in Longton to let and needs it rewired and a new consumer unit fitted before the first tenants move in. He wants a quote this week.
ROUTINE, QUOTE. Full rewire and new consumer unit, 2 bed terrace, empty, being prepared for letting. Wants quote this week, work done before tenants in. Landlord Gary, 07700 900557, 3 Example Street, Longton, ST3. Keys available.
One thing to be upfront about: Pulsemint is run from Lowestoft, not Stoke-on-Trent. The agent answers calls remotely, so where it's based makes no difference to the caller. What matters is whether it gets Stoke-on-Trent addresses right, and whether you can reach a person when you want something changed. You can: you deal with me directly.
Keeping your 01782 number
Your number doesn't change. Whether customers ring a 01782 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 Stoke-on-Trent 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 Stoke-on-Trent
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 Stoke-on-Trent 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 know the difference between Hanley and Longton?
It takes the town, the full address and the ST postcode and reads them back to the caller, so you know exactly where the job is.
Does it cover Newcastle-under-Lyme?
It answers every call to your number. Tell me if you cover Newcastle and the surrounding villages, and it can let callers outside your area know before they wait for a callback.
Can I keep my 01782 number?
Yes. Unanswered calls divert to Pulsemint, and nothing changes on your van or listings.
Does it handle landlord calls?
Yes. It takes the property address, whether it's empty or tenanted, access arrangements and when the work is needed.
What does it cost?
£199 a month including up to 50 captured calls, after a 14 day free pilot. No contract.
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.