The problem, measured in your own numbers
Count last month's inquiries. Now count the ones answered within an hour — including the 9pm ones, the Saturday ones, and the ones that arrived while you were on a job. For most owner-run service businesses that second number is embarrassing, and every gap is a lead deciding you weren't interested. You don't need a study to price this: your average job value times the inquiries that went cold is the bill you're already paying.
What the agent does, hour by hour
An inquiry lands — website form, email, or voicemail transcript. The trigger fires.
The agent reads it against your business: services, service area, calendar availability, your tone rules ("no exclamation points, always offer two time slots").
It drafts the reply, logs the lead and its source in the CRM, and queues a follow-up sequence — then stops at the gate.
You approve, edit, or reject from your phone. One tap. The reply goes out before your competitor has had coffee.
Why the approval gate isn't a compromise
Speed-to-lead matters, but a wrong quote or tone-deaf reply at machine speed is worse than a slow human one. The gate keeps nearly all of the speed win while removing the unsupervised-contact risk — and as the agent's drafts prove themselves, approval becomes a two-second habit. Some owners eventually auto-approve the lowest-risk category (e.g., "thanks, we'll call you Monday" acknowledgments). That's a decision you get to make from evidence, not hope.
What it needs from your business
Less than owners expect: access to the inquiry channel, a written description of your services and rules (we write it in week 1 — it's two pages), your calendar, and a CRM or even a spreadsheet. Typical incremental running cost is a standard AI subscription. If your stack can't support it, that's a week-1 finding, not a week-4 surprise — see how the engagement is structured.