Live fault = same-day job

Switchboard's tripped, the power's out and they need someone now - but you're mid-install with the drill running and can't hear the phone. By the time you've packed up and checked your missed calls, they've already rung two more sparkies. The one with the power out doesn't wait. They go with whoever picks up or rings back first.

The problem: the urgent jobs are the easiest to lose

Electrical work splits into two worlds. There's the planned stuff - downlights, a switchboard upgrade, an EV charger - where the customer will wait a day or two for a quote. And there's the live faults - no power, a safety switch that keeps tripping, a switchboard that's gone - where the customer needs someone today.

The catch is that the urgent jobs are the ones you're most likely to miss, because you're already on the tools when they ring. You can't answer with a drill in your hand or while you're up in a ceiling. So the highest-value, most-likely-to-book calls slip straight to voicemail - and a no-power customer almost never leaves one. They just ring the next name on Google.

A missed call doesn't show up anywhere. There's no bill, no email, no record. You never knew the job existed. That's exactly why it's the most expensive gap most electrical businesses have.

How TradeStream handles it

TradeStream sits on your business number and catches the calls you can't take, then does the bit you don't have time for - working out what the job actually is before you ring back.

  1. Catches the missed call or after-hours enquiry. The second a call goes unanswered - on the tools, after knock-off, weekend - TradeStream picks it up so the customer isn't left hanging.
  2. Texts the customer a smart intake form. They get a branded SMS with a link and fill in the job in a couple of minutes. SMS gets opened where a voicemail gets ignored.
  3. Ash qualifies the job with AI. Ash reads the answers, sorts out what the work is, and flags whether it's a live fault or a quote-when-you-can install.
  4. You get a callback-ready lead. Job type, property, urgency and the safety flags land in your inbox so you call back already knowing what you're walking into.
What Ash extracts for electricians The fields that tell a same-day fault from a quote-when-you-can job
Issue typeNo power / partial outage · switchboard trip · safety switch keeps tripping · fault-finding · lighting · power points · EV charger · switchboard upgrade
Property typeHome · rental · commercial
Power currently out?Yes - whole house darkSame-day
Switchboard age / ceramic fusesOld board, ceramic fuses - flagged for upgrade chat
New install or repairRepair (fault) vs new install (quote)
Why it matters: a "power's out, board tripped" enquiry comes back flagged for today. "Quote for some downlights" comes back as a job you handle in your own time. You ring in the right order instead of guessing.
Job types electricians handle - sorted for you
Switchboard upgrades Safety switch installs EV charger install Fault-finding Lighting & downlights Power points Smoke alarms No power / outage

Missing calls while you're on a job is normal. Losing the same-day work doesn't have to be. See how TradeStream turns a missed call into a qualified electrician lead, with the job already sorted into urgent or quote.

See how it works

Works alongside ServiceM8 & Tradify

TradeStream doesn't replace your job software - it feeds it. It catches and qualifies the enquiry; you keep quoting, scheduling and invoicing wherever you do it now. If a missed call is mostly costing you after-hours jobs, here's how to catch after-hours enquiries when you're already flat out.

What missed calls cost an electrician

Pre-filled with a typical electrical job value. Change the numbers to your own.

$46,800 in lost work a year, on these numbers

A rough guide, not a promise - change the inputs to match your jobs. Average electrical job value is a ballpark figure (verify before quoting it publicly). Want the full breakdown? See the real cost of missed calls for tradies.

What TradeStream is - and isn't. It catches and qualifies the lead, then hands it to you ready to call. It's not a CRM, a quoting tool, a booking calendar or a compliance system. Certificates of electrical safety, scheduling and invoicing stay in your own setup. We just make sure the enquiry reaches you and you know the job before you dial.

Why qualified beats fast on its own

Speed gets you in the door. But ringing back and asking "so what's the problem?" sounds like every other sparky. Ringing back and saying "I can see your board's tripped and the power's out - I can be there this arvo" sounds like someone who's already on it. Same call, completely different impression, and you've skipped ten minutes of twenty questions. That's the difference between catching a lead and winning the job - there's more on it in why the first tradie to call back usually wins.