AI Voice & SMS Agents for Small Business

Never Lose A Customer To A Missed Call Again

AI-Powered Voice & SMS Agents that answer your phone, qualify your leads, and book your appointments — 24/7.

Trained on your business. Ready from day one.

Based in Coffs Harbour. Working with businesses across Australia.

Client logo Client logo Client logo Client logo Client logo Client logo Client logo Client logo Client logo Client logo Client logo Client logo Client logo Client logo

Missed Calls Are Costing You Money

62%
of calls to small businesses go unanswered
85%
of those callers will never call back
80%
won't even leave a voicemail — they'll call your competitor instead

Your team is busy. The phone rings at 5:30pm and nobody picks up. A customer calls during the lunch rush and gets voicemail. Someone enquires on a Saturday morning and by Monday they've already booked with your competitor.

It's not a staffing problem. It's a systems problem. And it's costing you more than you think.

Every Call Answered. Every Lead Captured

Your AI Receptionist answers every call — after hours, during busy periods, weekends, public holidays. It sounds natural, knows your business, and handles the things that eat up your team's time.

Natural Voice Conversations

Answers calls in a natural, conversational voice — trained on your business, your services, and your FAQs.

Lead Capture & Qualification

Captures caller details and qualifies leads before they go cold. No more missed opportunities.

Appointment Booking

Books appointments directly into your calendar and sends confirmations. No manual data entry.

Urgent Call Routing

Routes urgent calls to the right person. Everything else is handled, logged, and ready for follow-up.

SMS Confirmations

Sends text confirmations and follow-ups automatically. Keeps customers informed without lifting a finger.

Overflow Handling

Handles the overflow when your team is already on the phone. No more callers hitting voicemail during busy periods.

What It Replaces

The missed calls. The voicemails nobody returns. The receptionist juggling three lines while someone walks in the door. The leads that called once, got no answer, and moved on.

This isn't a generic chatbot or a phone tree. It's built specifically for your business — loaded with your services, your pricing, your processes, and the way you actually talk to customers.

Hear Your AI Receptionist Before You Commit

We'll build a free, working demo configured specifically for your business — your services, your hours, your FAQs. No generic template. No obligation.

  1. 1 Tell us about your business — what you do, how you handle calls now, and what's falling through the cracks.
  2. 2 We build a custom AI Receptionist demo loaded with your real business information.
  3. 3 Call it yourself. Hear how it sounds. See what your customers would experience.
Your Free Demo Is One Conversation Away
We'll configure it for your business and have it ready for you to test — usually within 48 hours.
Get Your Free Demo
No cost. No obligation. Just a working demo.

Built For Businesses Where A Missed Call Means Lost Revenue

If a missed call has ever cost you a job, this was built for businesses like yours.

  • Electricians
  • Plumbers
  • HVAC & Air Conditioning
  • Builders & Construction
  • Landscapers
  • Property Maintenance
  • Cleaning Services
  • Pest Control
  • Hair Salons & Barbers
  • Beauty & Day Spas
  • Holiday Parks & Caravan Parks
  • Hotels & Accommodation
  • Real Estate Agents
  • Property Management
  • Auto Repair & Mechanics
  • Veterinary Clinics
  • Gyms & Fitness Studios
  • Restaurants & Cafes
  • Removalists & Logistics
  • Pool & Spa Services
  • Roofing & Guttering
  • Fencing Contractors
  • Tiling & Flooring
  • Any Service Business Where The Phone Is A Revenue Line

Common Questions

What's the difference between this and just hiring a receptionist?

A full-time receptionist in Australia runs $65,000–$70,000 a year. Available Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. Takes leave. Gets sick. Misses calls. An AI agent at $1,000/month is $12,000 a year, runs 24/7, and handles volume a single person couldn't.

For most businesses the maths is pretty clear — and that's before you count the revenue that was walking out the door during after-hours and weekends.

What exactly is an AI agent?

An AI agent is software that handles a specific business task — answering calls, responding to text enquiries, following up with leads, booking appointments — automatically, around the clock.

You train it on your business: your services, your pricing, your process. After that, it runs without you.

What kind of businesses do you work with?

Mainly owner-operated businesses that have moved past the one-man-band stage but aren't a big corporate either. Strong fit tends to be trades (plumbers, electricians, HVAC), beauty and skin clinics, hair salons, real estate, and professional services.

If you're missing calls, losing leads to slow follow-up, or paying staff to answer routine questions — there's probably something here for you.

What kinds of agents do you build?

Depends on where the biggest gap is in your business. Common starting points are an after-hours call handler, a lead response bot that follows up web enquiries within seconds, a booking and rebooking assistant, or a review follow-up sequence.

Most businesses end up with a few running in the background over time — but we always start with the one that solves the most obvious problem first.

Will my customers know they're talking to AI?

Some will, some won't. And to be honest, best practice is to be upfront about it on the call.

Most people don't care as much as you'd think. What they care about is getting a response quickly, not being left on hold, and not having to call back three times. That's what the agents deliver.

After the first interaction, most callers appreciate the speed and consistency more than they're bothered by anything else.

Does it actually run around the clock?

Yes. No sick days, no public holidays, no "just missed a call while on site." The agents run continuously.

If someone calls at 9pm on a Sunday, they get a response. That's the whole point.

What if it gives a customer the wrong information?

It only works from what you've given it. We build each agent on your approved content — your services, prices, policies, processes.

If a question falls outside what it knows, it captures the enquiry and flags it for you rather than winging it.

What happens when something gets complicated or a customer is difficult?

The agents are set up with clear escalation rules.

If a conversation hits a trigger — an angry caller, a high-value lead, something that needs a real person — it gets routed to you or your team immediately.

The agent handles the volume; the important stuff still reaches you.

What channels can it handle?

Depending on what you need, agents can handle inbound calls, outbound calls, SMS conversations, web chat, and social media messages.

Most clients start with one channel and add others once the first is running well.

How does it handle my calendar and bookings?

If you're already using booking software, we connect directly to it.

If not, we sort something out as part of the setup. Appointments go straight into your system — nothing lands in a black hole.

Can you work with the number I already have?

Yes. We can work with your current number using call forwarding, or set up a new one if that's cleaner. Either way it's straightforward.

How do I know what's happening inside the conversations?

You get call summaries, conversation logs, and recordings.

You can see exactly what was said, what was captured, and what was escalated. Nothing disappears into a black hole.

Will this get better over time?

Yes. The platforms I build on are constantly improving. When the underlying technology improves, your agents benefit from it.

I also revisit setups constantly to make sure everything is still running well and to identify where the next opportunity is.

What software and platforms do you use?

I use purpose-built AI voice and messaging platforms combined with the tools your business already runs on — whatever CRM, booking system, or calendar you're using.

How much does it cost?

Depends on the setup. Single-agent entry starts at $500/mth.

Most businesses land somewhere in the $1,000–$2,500/month range depending on how many agents are running and the level of support involved.

There's also a one-off setup fee. Happy to run through specific numbers once I understand what you actually need.

Is there a contract?

No contracts. If it's not working for your business, you're not stuck.

What's involved in getting set up?

An hour of your time, maybe less. I ask you questions about your business, gather the information the agents need, and handle the build from there.

Can I see it working before we go live?

Yes. Before turning it on, we'll demo the agent live for you and test it against some real scenarios.

How long does setup take?

Typically one to two weeks from our first conversation to going live, depending on complexity and how quickly I can get the information I need from you.

Do you only work with businesses in Coffs Harbour?

That's where I'm based, but the majority of the work is done remotely so geography isn't really a constraint.

If you're outside the area and the fit is right, I'm happy to talk.

How many businesses do you take on at a time?

I limit new setups to keep the quality of each build high.

If you're interested, it's worth having a conversation sooner rather than later.

Meet Craig

Founder, Dark Horse Marketing

Craig Crooks

I've spent 20+ years helping small businesses get more from their marketing — paid ad campaigns, Google, Meta, strategy consulting and whatever else needed doing.

Now I build AI systems for those same businesses, using that marketing experience to make sure the technology actually serves the business — not the other way around.

I'm based in Coffs Harbour and love working in-person with local businesses. I also take on clients Australia-wide if the fit is good.

AI moves fast. New tools, new capabilities, new hype — every week. Your job is to run your business. Mine is to make sure you're not missing anything that matters.

You don't need to keep up with AI. That's my job.

Systems, Not Just Tools

I build documented AI systems your team can actually use — not a subscription to something you'll forget about in three months.

Built for Your Business

Everything is configured around your operations, your customers, and your goals — not a template built for someone else's business.

Local & Accessible

Coffs Harbour-based. Personally available. No hand-offs, no hold music.

Let's See How We Can Help

Interested in Voice Agents / AI Receptionists but not sure where to start? Get in touch and we'll work out whether it's the right fit for your business.