Built for fence contractors
Meet the AI hire for your crew
You’re on the job. Prentice answers the phone.
Answers customers at any hour. Moves jobs around the weather. Drafts quotes and deposit invoices for your OK.
Talk to Prenticestart free
Prentice
Prentice
Your AI hire
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Demo: A long cedar fence is ready to build. See how I hold the date with a deposit.
Working with Prentice is like working with a person.
Prentice can be reached by phone, text or email.
Prentice talks with everyone your business works with: customers, your team, even suppliers.
You’re Walt, and you run Harlan Fence Company.
Kate has your $7,800 quote for a new cedar fence.
You pay for the lumber whether the job happens or not.
You told Prentice to hold big jobs with a 30% deposit, paid by 5 PM the next day. Your Zelle emails go to Prentice too.
- Kate: Let’s do it. When can you start?
- Prentice: Great. Walt’s next open date is Saturday at 8 AM. A $2,340 deposit holds it. I’ll send the invoice as soon as it’s approved.
- Prentice: Kate said yes to the $7,800 fence. Here’s her $2,340 deposit for your OK.
- Prentice: Deposit for Kate · $2,340
- (Approved)
- Prentice: Here’s the deposit that holds Saturday for you. You can pay by Zelle. Please pay by 5 PM tomorrow, or Saturday opens up for someone else.
- Prentice: Invoice · Harlan Fence Company · $2,340
- Kate: Sent it by Zelle.
- Prentice: Got it, thank you! The crew starts Saturday at 8 AM. I’ll send a reminder the day before.
- Prentice: Kate’s $2,340 deposit is in. The $7,800 fence is set for Saturday at 8 AM, so you can order the lumber.
Prentice held the date for a $7,800 fence with a $2,340 deposit.
Demo: A new customer texts late about a fence for her puppy. See how I book the estimate.
You’re Walt, and you run Harlan Fence Company.
It’s late, and you’re done for the day.
Gloria got a puppy, and it keeps getting out of her backyard.
- Gloria: Hi! Our new puppy keeps getting out. Can you fence our backyard?
- Prentice: Hi, I’m Prentice, the AI assistant at Harlan Fence Company. Yes! Walt looks at the yard first, then you get a price. Does Tuesday at 4 PM work?
- Gloria: Perfect. I’ll keep the puppy inside.
- Prentice: You’re booked for Tuesday at 4 PM. I’ll send a reminder the night before.
- Prentice: I booked Gloria for a fence estimate, Tuesday at 4 PM. She’s a new customer, and her puppy keeps getting out of the backyard.
Prentice booked a new customer’s estimate after hours.
Demo: You finish looking at a fence the wind knocked down. See how I turn your voice memo into a booked job.
You’re Walt, and you run Harlan Fence Company.
You just looked at Joyce’s backyard. The wind knocked down her back fence.
You’ve given Prentice your prices.
- You: Joyce’s back fence. 60 feet down from the wind, 6 foot wood. Reset 3 leaning posts, haul off the old fence.
- Prentice: Joyce’s quote is ready for your OK: $2,730.
- Prentice: Quote for Joyce · $2,730
- (Approved)
- Prentice: Hi Joyce, I’m Prentice, the AI assistant at Harlan Fence Company. Here’s the quote for your back fence: $2,730.
- Prentice: Quote 1042 · Harlan Fence Company · $2,730
- Joyce: Looks right to me. How soon can you get it back up?
- Prentice: We can start Thursday at 8 AM. It takes about a day, and you don’t need to be home. Does that work?
- Joyce: Thursday works.
- Prentice: You’re booked for Thursday at 8 AM.
- Prentice: Joyce said yes to the $2,730 fence. It’s set for Thursday at 8 AM.
Prentice turned one voice memo into a $2,730 job.
Answering the call is the easy part
Prentice keeps working after the call.
See how I look after a new customer
- I answer a homeowner’s call or textThursday, 8:40pm
- Most answering services stop hereI keep going
- I book the estimateBefore we hang up
- I send a reminderThe night before
- I send the quoteAfter you’ve measured
- I hold the date with a depositWhen they say yes
- I move the job if the weather turnsOn your one text
- I quote what your foreman findsWhile the crew’s there
- I send the invoiceWhen the job’s done
- I follow up on a late paymentA week later
I will draft quotes and invoices, and you approve each one.
Revenue you didn’t have to chase
A fence locked in, a yard booked, a storm repair sold. Prentice keeps your schedule full.
- PrenticenowKate’s $2,340 deposit is in. Her $7,800 fence is locked in.
- Prentice1h agoJoyce said yes to the $2,730 back fence the wind knocked down.
- Prentice2h agoGloria booked an estimate for a new backyard fence.
- Prentice3h agoRuss’s $3,150 invoice was paid after my reminder.
Prentice will earn your trust
My word to you
- I’ll tell every customer I’m an AI.
- I’ll double-check my work.
- I’ll ask you when I’m not sure.
- I’ll work within the boundaries you set.
We know trusting an AI with your customers is a big ask.
So Prentice never works alone. Prentice asks you when unsure, and calls on us for backup.
The Prentice team
Meet the people behind Prentice
We’re small business owners ourselves. We know what it’s like to lose evenings to admin work, and to wish for someone dependable to hand it to. So we built Prentice on three principles.
- Honesty.
- A straight “I’m not sure” beats a confident guess.
- Integrity.
- Treat every customer the way you would.
- Reliability.
- Show up, every time. For 15 years our team has built software thousands of people count on every day.
And when Prentice needs backup, we answer.
Dan & Jonathan
Prentice goes in your contacts
Just save the number, and your whole crew can start talking to Prentice.
Call Text Email
- You
- Your office staff
- Your crew
- Your customers
Your suppliers can text or email Prentice too.
Prentice speaks
- English
- Español
- Français
- Português
Getting started
Your part is small. Prentice does the rest.
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Can you answer a few questions about your business?
Then Prentice can learn it. Prentice writes the job description and shows you a demo for no cost.
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Can you share your schedule and your price list?
Then Prentice can run your office. Visits and reminders by your rules. Quotes and invoices go out only with your OK.
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When Prentice has earned your trust
Then Prentice can talk to your customers. Forward your calls, or ask Prentice to text or email your customers.
Then you get your evenings back.
Made for fence contractors
Prentice learns your services, your prices and your hours, then works in your words.
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Estimates
Booked into your open times, with the job and the address written down.
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Rain days
You call it once. Prentice moves the jobs and tells each customer.
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Deposits
Big jobs held with a deposit, on an invoice you approve.
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Extra work
Your foreman texts what they found. Prentice drafts the quote for your OK.
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Invoices
Drafted when the job’s done, sent with your OK, and followed up by your rule.
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In their language
Customers texted in English, Spanish, French or Portuguese.
Get closer to your customers
With Prentice, your customers will be able to:
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Ask the small questions they’d hesitate to call you about
“Is that leaning post worth replacing?”
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Get an answer at any hour, by call, text or email
“Sorry it’s late, can someone look at our fence?”
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Talk with you in their own language
“¿Pueden venir a ver una cerca nueva?”
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Book a visit on the spot
“Tomorrow at 8 works.”
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Move a visit without phone tag
“Can we push it to Friday?”
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Hear your prices up front
“About how much for a new back fence?”
When you’re easy to reach, you’re easy to do business with.
Costs less than a person
Prentice does the office work, so compare the cost with hiring office help, not with an answering service.
| Hiring a Person | Prentice Solo | Prentice Team | Prentice Crew | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works with | Anyone | Just you | 2-3 people | 4-6 people |
| Counts you and everyone on your team who works with Prentice. Customers never count. | ||||
| Monthly cost | $500 5 hours a week at $25 an hour | $99 | $199 | $399 |
50% off the first month while Prentice learns your business |
||||
| Messages included | As many as they can handle in 5 hours a week | 200 | 500 | 1,200 |
| A message is any text or email, sent or received. Each minute of a call counts as one. | ||||
| Communication methods | Phone, text, email, in person | Phone, text, email | ||
| Customers | As many as they can keep up with | No limit | ||
| Availability | 5 hours a week | Any hour, every day | ||
| Overtime | $25 an hour | $25 for every extra 50 messages | ||
| Offseason | You negotiate fewer hours with them | $39 a month when in Standby modePrentice stays active and will respond to customers. Max 50 messages per month. | ||
| Payroll and taxes | Your responsibility | None | ||
| Commitment | You hire them, and give notice to let them go | NoneCancel anytime. | ||
|
Talk to Prenticestart free
More than 6 people? Register, and Prentice will help you set up a plan. |
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Works with
Anyone
SoloJust you
Team2-3 people
Crew4-6 people
Counts you and everyone on your team who works with Prentice. Customers never count.
Monthly cost
$500 5 hours a week at $25 an hour
Solo$99
Team$199
Crew$399
50% off the first month while Prentice learns your business
Messages included
As many as they can handle in 5 hours a week
Solo200
Team500
Crew1,200
A message is any text or email, sent or received. Each minute of a call counts as one.
Communication methods
Phone, text, email, in person
Phone, text, email
Customers
As many as they can keep up with
No limit
Availability
5 hours a week
Any hour, every day
Overtime
$25 an hour
$25 for every extra 50 messages
Offseason
You negotiate fewer hours with them
$39 a month when in Standby modePrentice stays active and will respond to customers. Max 50 messages per month.
Payroll and taxes
Your responsibility
None
Commitment
You hire them, and give notice to let them go
NoneCancel anytime.
More than 6 people? Register, and Prentice will help you set up a plan.
Questions fence contractors ask
Will customers know they’re talking to an AI?
Yes. On the first call or text, every customer hears that Prentice is your AI assistant. Prentice never pretends to be you.
What happens when the weather turns?
Text Prentice once. Prentice moves each job to your next open day and tells every customer, by the rule you set.
Will Prentice give prices over the phone?
Prentice can tell a caller what a job usually runs, from the prices you gave, but never promises a price. You approve every quote before it goes out.
Can Prentice hold a date with a deposit?
Yes. Prentice drafts the deposit invoice, you approve it on a link, and Prentice sends it. Prentice can’t see your bank, so connect QuickBooks or send your payment emails to Prentice, and Prentice will know when it’s paid.
Can my foreman use Prentice?
Yes. Add your crew, and they can text Prentice from the job. Prentice drafts a quote from your prices and what they found, for your OK.
Do I need a new phone number?
You don’t have to change yours. Your business gets a Prentice number of its own. Give that number to customers, or forward your business line to Prentice when you can’t pick up.
More answers on the FAQ.
Let Prentice show you
Chat or call. Prentice will ask about your services, your prices and your hours.
Talk to Prenticestart free