Guide · For trades firms
Nobody was in. What did that visit cost you?
You loaded the van, drove across town, knocked, waited, and nobody came to the door. The slot is gone, and so is the job you turned down for it. Most of these are avoidable, and the fix is boring.
The short answer
More than the fuel. It costs you the slot.
The slot was the only thing you had to sell that morning, and it has gone.
So has the job you turned down for it, the time writing it up, and a bit of the goodwill you will spend rebooking. Many of them are avoidable, and the fix is boring: confirm the appointment when you book it, remind the customer the day before, and give them a way to reply that somebody actually reads. An AI agent does all three without you thinking about it, and tells you a job has gone quiet before you set off.
The problem in one line
Why do customers miss the appointment?
Hardly ever because they do not care. Ask them afterwards and it is nearly always something ordinary. They forgot a booking made eleven days ago in a phone call. They were given a window rather than a time and could not gamble a whole morning off work. It is a rental, and the tenant was never told, or the landlord booked it without asking them.
And then there are the two that really sting, because the customer did try. They texted the number back or replied to the confirmation email, and nobody read it. Or they were waiting on you to confirm while you were waiting on them, and neither of you said so.
- Take the jobs you fit into a normal day. If that is four, one no-access is a quarter of the day gone.
- Add the drive there and back, the parking, the call to the office, the write-up, and the second visit you now have to fit in somewhere.
- Then add the job you said no to on Tuesday because that slot was taken.
What actually works
Five things, in order of how much difference they make.
- Book a timeNot a window. A four hour window guarantees somebody has to gamble a morning.
- Confirm at bookingIn writing, in a message they keep, with the date, the time, the address and what you are coming to do.
- Remind the day beforeThis one alone catches most of them.
- Ask for a reply"Reply YES or tell me a better day." A reminder nobody can answer is only half a reminder.
- Ask who will be thereFor a rental, get the tenant's number at the booking, not on the doorstep.
What an AI agent does with your diary
How does it stop the wasted trip?
Ryku confirms, reminds, and reads the reply, at any hour.
- ConfirmsThe job is confirmed when it is booked, in your firm's voice, with the details the customer needs.
- RemindsA reminder goes out the day before, asking for a reply rather than just announcing the time.
- Reads the replyWhen the customer answers, and they do answer, it reads it instead of leaving it in a phone nobody is holding.
- Moves the jobIf they need to move, it offers the slots you actually have and moves it, with the customer agreeing to it.
- Tells you before you set offA cancellation reaches you the night before, and the slot goes back on the board while there is still time to fill it. Jobs that have gone quiet are flagged so you can decide whether to make the trip.
The options, compared
Confirmations and reminders: the ways trades firms do it.
| Option | Every job confirmed at booking | Reminder the day before | Somebody reads the reply |
|---|---|---|---|
| You, after the last job | When you remember | Rarely | Sometimes, late |
| Someone in the office | Usually | Usually | In office hours |
| An AI agent (Ryku) | Every time | Every time | Within minutes, any hour |
Where the limits are
It reminds. It does not decide.
The diary stays yours, and so does every conversation about money.
It will not move a job on its own
Nothing shifts in the diary without the customer agreeing to it, and you can see every message it sent.
It will not charge a no-access fee
Whether you charge for a wasted visit, and whether you waive it this once, is your call and a conversation for a person.
It will not promise access
It does not make commitments about a key, a code or a meter it was not given. Anything awkward comes to you with the whole thread attached.
Frequently asked
The questions trades firms ask first.
Will customers mind being reminded?
What if they reply at ten at night?
Does it work for rentals and letting agents?
Can it fill the slot when someone cancels?
How do I try it?
Get started
Turn up when they are actually in.
Build an agent on your own firm, book yourself a job, and see the confirmation and the reminder land the way your customers would get them.