# Max & Mia: Full Content Max & Mia is an AI employee team for UK tradespeople. Max answers customer calls using approved business details; Mia prepares reviewable job cards while owners keep control of commitments. # Product Facts - Max & Mia is an AI employee team being built for UK sole traders and small home-service businesses. Max answers customer calls using approved business details; Mia prepares job cards for owner review. - Each business receives an assigned Max & Mia number. Customers may call it directly, or the owner may control when calls from an existing work number are forwarded to it. - Current special offer: Pilot activation offer: GBP 1.99 setup fee waived, GBP 10 prepaid credits included, and GBP 0 due at activation. Credits never expire. No ongoing price, eligibility, or availability window should be inferred. - The target outcome is at most one structured job card per call for owner review. - Quotes, payments, autonomous booking, diagnosis, and guaranteed attendance are outside the MVP. - Pilot requirements and product design are not evidence of measured customer outcomes or production availability. # Core Pages ## Home URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/ Meet the AI employees for UK tradespeople: Max answers customer calls and Mia prepares reviewable job cards. ## Blog URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog Practical call-handling articles for UK trade businesses. ## Resources URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/resources Free browser tools and accessible downloads. ## Free tools URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/tools Tools for preparing and testing customer-call handovers. ## Pilot access URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/waitlist Request access to the small UK trades pilot. ## Privacy policy URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/privacy How account and customer-call information is handled. ## Terms of service URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/terms Terms for businesses using Max & Mia. ## Support URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/support Help with accounts, billing, phone setup, and privacy requests. ## Account deletion URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/account-deletion In-app account deletion steps and support path when app access is unavailable. # Free Tools ## Callback-Ready Job Card Builder URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/tools/callback-job-card-builder Organise customer, job, location, timing, access, and unknown details locally in the browser. ## AI Receptionist Test-Call Planner URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/tools/ai-receptionist-test-call-planner Run six call scenarios with pass conditions, notes, and printable results. # Downloads ## Callback-Ready Job Card Pack URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/downloads/callback-ready-job-card-pack Accessible HTML companion and five-page branded PDF with a blank job-card template, synthetic example, owner review checklist, phone scan order, and next-action guide. # Article Corpus ## AI receptionist or voicemail: what changes for the caller? URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/ai-receptionist-vs-voicemail Topic: AI Call Handling For Trades Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: Compare voicemail with a bounded AI call-handling flow by looking at the details captured, the promises avoided, and the handover the owner receives. Voicemail records whatever the caller chooses to say. A bounded AI receptionist can ask for missing details, confirm what it heard, and produce a structured handover. The useful comparison is not voice recording versus synthetic voice. It is loose message versus reviewable callback context. ## What the caller experiences A voicemail greeting gives one instruction, then waits. A caller reporting a leaking kitchen tap may leave a name and problem but forget the address or return number. The owner has to call back to fill the gaps. A conversational service can recognise details already supplied and ask only for what is missing. If the caller gave the address and timing in the opening sentence, repeating those questions makes the call longer without improving the handover. ## What reaches the owner Voicemail leaves audio. A useful call-handling flow leaves one record with the customer, reported issue, location, timing, and unknowns in predictable places. The owner can scan that record before deciding who to call first. Structure does not make every field true. A caller may be unsure which flat contains the stopcock or whether access is available. Those details should remain marked for review. ## Where both approaches need boundaries Neither voicemail nor an AI receptionist should make commercial or technical decisions for the tradesperson. Max & Mia's MVP excludes quotes, payments, autonomous booking, diagnosis, and guaranteed arrival times. The owner reviews fit, price, timing, and attendance. Failure also needs a visible outcome. Silence, interruption, or a dropped connection should lead to a bounded retry or an honest close, not a complete-looking record built from partial information. ## How to choose Use voicemail if hearing the caller's message is enough and you are prepared to collect missing details later. Test a conversational service when the missing details are the main source of callback friction. Run both through the same cases: a complete enquiry, a caller who interrupts, an uncertain address, an unsupported request, silence, and a dropped call. Compare the handover, not the novelty of the voice. The [AI receptionist test guide](/blog/how-to-test-an-ai-receptionist) gives those cases a repeatable shape. Use the [job-card builder](/tools/callback-job-card-builder) to define the record you expect after either route. ## What makes call handling useful for electricians? URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/call-handling-for-electricians Topic: Job Cards And Callback Workflow Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: Record observed electrical symptoms, location, timing, access, and safety concerns while leaving diagnosis and attendance decisions with the electrician. Useful call handling for an electrician records what the caller observed without converting it into a technical conclusion. The electrician needs the symptom, location, timing, access, and any stated safety concern before deciding the next action. ## Use the caller's observations Capture “lights flicker in the kitchen”, “socket feels warm”, or “power is off upstairs”. Do not rewrite those statements as a diagnosed circuit fault. The distinction matters when the owner decides whether the work fits and what questions to ask next. ## Find the affected area Record the address and where in the property the issue appears. Ask whether the caller knows what changed before the problem started, but do not force an answer. Recent work or an appliance change may be useful context without proving a cause. ## Keep safety handling bounded The business should define approved escalation wording and restricted advice. A general call-handling article cannot determine the correct response for every electrical condition. Preserve the caller's concern and route the decision to a qualified person or the business's approved emergency process. ## Avoid accidental bookings Customer availability is useful. It is not a confirmed visit. Keep requested timing separate from owner-approved attendance, and never present a callback window as an arrival guarantee. Max & Mia's target flow asks for missing details and creates at most one structured job card for owner review. Diagnosis, quotes, payments, autonomous booking, and guaranteed commitments remain outside its MVP. Define the fields you want to scan between jobs with the [Callback-Ready Job Card Builder](/tools/callback-job-card-builder). Test uncertain and safety-sensitive calls before routing customer traffic. ## What makes call handling useful for plumbers? URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/call-handling-for-plumbers Topic: Job Cards And Callback Workflow Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: Capture the reported water problem, location, timing, access, and uncertainty without diagnosing the fault or promising attendance. Useful call handling for a plumber preserves what the customer can observe, where it is happening, what has changed, and when access is possible. It should not diagnose the fault or promise a response time. ## Capture the observable problem “Water under the sink” is better source material than an assistant deciding a connector has failed. Record where water appears, when it started, whether it is continuous, and what the caller has already done. Keep customer wording where it carries uncertainty. “Boiler losing pressure” is an observation; the cause remains for a qualified person to assess. ## Locate the work Collect the service address or area, property type where relevant, and access details the caller knows. For flats or managed buildings, note the unit and any known entry arrangement. Leave unknowns visible. ## Separate urgency from commitment Record why the caller believes the situation is urgent and any immediate safety concern they report. Do not translate that into a guaranteed arrival time. The owner reviews risk, fit, travel, and availability before committing. ## Give the plumber a scannable handover A callback card should show customer, number, reported issue, location, timing, access, actions already attempted, and review reasons. That lets the plumber ask a focused follow-up instead of replaying a loose message. Max & Mia is designed around one structured card per call for owner review. Quotes, diagnosis, autonomous booking, and attendance guarantees remain outside the MVP. Create a plumbing enquiry template in the [free job-card builder](/tools/callback-job-card-builder). Keep customer details in your own browser tab; the tool does not require an account. ## Dedicated work number or call forwarding? URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/dedicated-work-number-or-call-forwarding Topic: Setup, Trust And Privacy Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: Choose between a dedicated work number and call forwarding by comparing control, testing, rollback, and what happens when routing fails. A dedicated work number gives the cleanest separation and easiest test path. Call forwarding can preserve an existing advertised number, but it depends on carrier controls and needs a rehearsed rollback. ## Dedicated number: clear boundary Customers call a number assigned to the service. You can test it before publishing it, keep personal calls separate, and stop using it without changing an existing mobile configuration. The trade-off is adoption. The number must appear wherever customers find the business, and existing contacts may keep calling the old one. ## Forwarding: continuity with dependencies Conditional forwarding can route calls when the owner does not answer or is unavailable. Exact options, delays, menus, and cancellation steps vary by carrier and account. Do not copy an unverified forwarding code from a generic article. An app cannot silently intercept ordinary mobile calls. Existing-number handling requires explicit telephony routing or another supported connection. ## Decide by test and rollback For either route, write down: - which calls should reach the service; - how long the owner's phone rings first; - what the caller hears during provider failure; - where the resulting record appears; - who can turn routing off; - how an external test phone confirms rollback. Test during working hours and outside them. Include unanswered, declined, busy, and unavailable states where your provider supports them. ## Current Max & Mia scope Max & Mia provides an assigned number. Customers can use it directly, while the owner controls whether selected or all calls from an existing carrier number are forwarded to it. That routing choice should be part of setup, not hidden behind an AI feature description. Use the [AI receptionist test guide](/blog/how-to-test-an-ai-receptionist) after choosing a route. Confirm exact carrier instructions with your provider before changing a live number. ## How does an AI receptionist work for a trade business? URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/how-an-ai-receptionist-works-for-a-trade-business Topic: AI Call Handling For Trades Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: A plain-English guide to call routing, business context, natural conversation, structured job cards, owner review, and failure handling. An AI receptionist for a trade business answers a routed work call, uses the business's instructions to guide the conversation, captures the customer's details, and hands the owner a structured record for review. The useful versions do not pretend to run the whole business. They have a defined route into the call, a narrow set of allowed outcomes, and a clear way to stop when information or authority is missing. ## The call must reach the service The first step is telephony, not AI. The customer calls a dedicated number or the business forwards an eligible call to the answering service. That routing should be visible and testable. The owner needs to know which calls are handled, how long their own phone rings first, and how to turn forwarding off. An app cannot silently intercept ordinary mobile calls. Existing-number handling depends on carrier forwarding, telephony routing, or another explicit connection. ## Business context sets the boundaries Before the first live call, the business needs to define what the receptionist can say and do. Useful context includes: - business name and service area; - supported and excluded work; - working hours and escalation rules; - terms the business uses with customers; - details required before an owner callback; - commitments the receptionist must not make. This context should be versioned. A call needs a record of the instructions that governed it, especially when the business later changes its services or policy. ## Conversation turns speech into confirmed facts A caller does not speak in database fields. They may give their name, address, problem, and timing in one sentence, interrupt a question, pause, or correct an earlier detail. The receptionist needs to recognise confirmed facts and ask only for what is missing. It should summarise the important details before ending rather than treating every spoken phrase as equally reliable. Natural conversation still has boundaries. A fluent voice is not authority to quote a price, guarantee attendance, accept unsupported work, or give dangerous technical advice. ## Structured output makes the call useful After the conversation, the system converts confirmed details into a defined job-card shape. Typical fields include the customer, callback number, reported problem, location, timing, and review reasons. Validation matters here. Free text may be readable but still omit the address or mix an uncertain statement into a confirmed field. A strict structure lets the product reject an invalid result or mark it for review. The system must also handle repeated provider events. One call should create at most one job card, even when a webhook or terminal event is delivered again. ## The owner reviews the handover The job card is a starting point for the owner, not an autonomous booking. The owner checks the details, resolves uncertainty, decides whether the work fits, and makes any price or attendance commitment. Where a transcript is lawfully retained, it can support that review. Retention, deletion, access, and recording notice still need explicit policy and technical controls. ## Failure needs its own path Calls do not always complete cleanly. The caller may stay silent, hang up, lose signal, or reach the service while a provider is unavailable. A controlled system uses bounded retries, keeps confirmed details where lawful and useful, and closes honestly when it cannot continue. It does not trap the caller or present a partial record as complete. ## How Max & Mia is designed Max & Mia provides an assigned number. Customers can call it directly, or the owner can forward selected or all calls from an existing work number. Each call uses a versioned instruction bundle, natural dialogue, strict structured outcomes, and owner review. The target is one job card per call. It does not currently answer an existing carrier number without explicit routing. Quotes, payments, autonomous booking, diagnosis, and guaranteed arrival times are outside the MVP. That boundary is the practical difference between an assistant and an unsupervised operator. The assistant gathers and organises the callback context; the tradesperson keeps control of the work. The [on-site call-handling guide](/blog/how-to-handle-customer-calls-on-site) turns these boundaries into a testable workflow. The [callback-ready details checklist](/blog/what-information-to-collect-before-calling-a-customer-back) defines the handover the owner should receive. ## How business context changes what Max can say on a call URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/how-business-context-changes-a-call Topic: AI Call Handling For Trades Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: Business context defines supported work, required details, wording, and boundaries before Max handles a customer enquiry. Business context tells Max which business it represents, which work is supported, what details the owner needs, and which commitments remain off limits. For a plumbing business, context might require the caller's reported issue, property location, timing, and access while excluding diagnosis and price. Another trade may need different fields and wording. The goal is not a generic personality prompt. It is a versioned instruction boundary for the call. Versioning matters because services and policies change. A call record should identify the context that governed it rather than silently applying today's settings to yesterday's conversation. Context does not create authority. Max & Mia's MVP still excludes quotes, payments, autonomous booking, diagnosis, and guaranteed commitments. Unclear fit remains for owner review. See the [boundary guide](/blog/what-an-ai-receptionist-should-never-promise) for test cases to run against business context. ## How Max & Mia is designed for interruption, silence, and a dropped call URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/how-max-and-mia-handles-an-interrupted-call Topic: AI Call Handling For Trades Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: The target recovery path uses bounded prompts, preserves confirmed facts where appropriate, and marks incomplete calls honestly. Max & Mia's target recovery behaviour treats interruption, silence, and connection loss as normal call states that need explicit outcomes. When a caller interrupts, confirmed facts should remain available and the conversation should continue from what is still missing. Silence should trigger a bounded prompt, not an endless loop. A dropped connection should leave a partial or failed state rather than a complete-looking card. Where policy allows confirmed details to be retained, the owner should see what was captured and why review is required. Where the service cannot continue, the caller should receive an honest close. These are acceptance requirements, not measured production-performance claims. Test them with your own business context after changes to routing, instructions, models, or providers. Use the six cases in [how to test an AI receptionist](/blog/how-to-test-an-ai-receptionist). ## How Max & Mia turns one call into one reviewable job card URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/how-max-and-mia-turns-a-call-into-a-job-card Topic: Job Cards And Callback Workflow Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: See the target path from a direct or forwarded call through confirmed details to one structured handover for owner review. Max & Mia's target flow starts when a customer calls the assigned number directly or the owner forwards a call from an existing work number. It ends with at most one structured job card for the owner to review. ## Max handles the conversation Published business context sets the supported work and conversational boundaries. Max should recognise details already supplied and ask only for what is missing. A caller can correct an address, pause, or answer questions out of order without the system treating a fixed script as more important than confirmed facts. ## Mia structures the handover The post-call outcome separates customer, reported issue, location, timing, access, and review reasons. Unknown details stay unknown. A partial or failed call must not look complete. The target is at most one card per call, including when a provider repeats an event. This is a product requirement, not a claim that every live call will produce a complete card. ## The owner decides The card prepares the next action. It does not quote, diagnose, take payment, book autonomously, or guarantee attendance. The owner checks the handover and makes those decisions. Build the same field structure with the [free job-card builder](/tools/callback-job-card-builder). ## How to handle customer calls when you are on site URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/how-to-handle-customer-calls-on-site Topic: Missed Calls And Lead Capture Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: A practical call-handling workflow for tradespeople who need useful callback details without stopping work or making promises too early. When you cannot answer a customer call, the next best outcome is not a longer voicemail. It is a short, accurate record of the job, the location, the caller's timing, and anything that needs careful follow-up. That gives you enough context to decide who to call first. It also stops an answering process from making prices, arrival times, or service promises before you have reviewed the work. ## Decide what the call should produce A useful call-handling process should leave one callback record. It does not need to diagnose the fault or finish the sale. For most first enquiries, capture: - the caller's name and return number; - what has happened, in the caller's own words; - the address or area where the work is needed; - whether there is an immediate safety concern; - when the caller can speak or receive a visit; - any detail the caller could not confirm. The final point matters. An unknown access time should remain unknown. Guessing turns a clean handover into a promise the business did not make. ## Choose a route you can test and reverse Start with a dedicated work number or a forwarding setup you understand. Place test calls from an external phone, check what the caller hears, and confirm where the captured details appear. Write down how to turn the routing off before relying on it. A setup is not under control if only the person who installed it knows how to disconnect it. Carrier menus and forwarding codes vary. Treat any generic setup guide as preparation, then confirm the exact steps with your provider. ## Keep the conversation natural Callers often give several useful details in one sentence: > "It is the kitchen tap at 14 West Street. It started leaking this morning, and I will be home after four." A rigid questionnaire may ask for the address or timing again because those questions come later in its script. A better process recognises what the caller has already said and asks only for the missing details. Natural does not mean unbounded. The call still needs clear limits. It should not quote a price, guarantee attendance, confirm an unsupported service, or offer technical advice that belongs with a qualified tradesperson. ## Make failure understandable Silence, a dropped connection, or an unavailable service should not trap the caller in a loop. Decide what happens when the process cannot continue: 1. Retry a missed answer once where that is useful. 2. Keep details the caller already confirmed. 3. Close honestly if the conversation cannot continue. 4. Mark the record for review rather than presenting uncertain details as complete. The owner should be able to tell the difference between a complete enquiry, a partial call, and a failed call. ## Review before you commit Read the captured record before calling back. Check the name, location, problem, timing, and any warning or uncertainty. Then make the commercial and practical decisions yourself. This is where a structured job card is more useful than a transcript alone. A transcript preserves the exchange, but a job card puts the details needed for the next action in a predictable place. ## How Max & Mia approaches the handover Max & Mia provides an assigned number for UK trade and home-service businesses. Customers can call it directly, or the owner can forward selected or all calls from an existing work number. Its target flow uses the business's published context during a natural conversation, creates at most one structured job card for the call, and leaves that card for the owner to review. The current product scope does not include autonomous booking, quotes, payments, diagnosis, or guaranteed arrival times. Those boundaries are deliberate: the assistant gathers callback context while the owner keeps control of commitments. The practical test is simple. After the call, can you see what the customer needs, where the work is, when to respond, and what still needs checking? If the answer is yes, the call-handling process has done its job. Define the handover your business needs with the [free job-card builder](/tools/callback-job-card-builder), using the [callback-ready details checklist](/blog/what-information-to-collect-before-calling-a-customer-back) when a field needs clarification. ## How to review a customer enquiry from your phone URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/how-to-review-a-customer-enquiry-from-your-phone Topic: Job Cards And Callback Workflow Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: Scan the reported issue, location, timing, access, unknowns, and next action without rereading a full call transcript. On a phone, a customer enquiry should answer six questions quickly: who called, what happened, where, when, what remains unknown, and what you need to do next. ## Start with identity and callback Put the customer's name and return number at the top. Keep the original call time visible. These details should not be buried below a transcript or activity feed. ## Read the problem in their words Use a short reported-issue summary, then preserve important uncertainty. “No heating since this morning” is useful. “Failed pump” is not, unless a qualified person confirmed it. ## Check place, timing, and access together An address without access details may not be enough. Timing also has two meanings: when the problem started and when the customer can speak or provide access. Keep requested timing separate from any appointment the owner later agrees. ## Look for review reasons Unknowns, contradictions, incomplete calls, unsupported requests, and safety concerns should be visible before the callback button. A partial card must not look complete because most fields contain text. ## Decide the next action yourself The card prepares a callback; it does not approve the job. The owner decides fit, priority, questions, price, and attendance. Max & Mia's MVP keeps quotes, payments, autonomous booking, diagnosis, and guarantees outside the call-handling flow. The target Max & Mia outcome is at most one structured job card per call. That contract is designed for phone review, but it is not evidence of measured live performance. Use the [job-card builder](/tools/callback-job-card-builder) on your phone and print or download the result. The [job-card pack](/downloads/callback-ready-job-card-pack) includes a review checklist. ## How to test an AI receptionist before using it with customers URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/how-to-test-an-ai-receptionist Topic: AI Call Handling For Trades Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: Test complete, interrupted, silent, corrected, unsupported, and failed calls before routing customer enquiries to an AI receptionist. Test an AI receptionist with awkward calls, not one cooperative script. A useful test checks routing, known facts, corrections, unsupported requests, failure handling, and the job card that reaches the owner. ## Define the expected handover first Write down the fields you need: caller, return number, issue, location, timing, access, and unknowns. Define what counts as complete, partial, and failed. Without that target, a fluent conversation can look successful even when the callback record is unusable. ## Run six calls 1. **Complete enquiry:** give all required details naturally and check the service does not ask for them twice. 2. **Interruption:** answer a later question before the current one finishes. Check whether confirmed facts remain intact. 3. **Silence:** stop responding. Look for a bounded prompt and honest close. 4. **Correction:** give the wrong house number, then correct it. The final card should not preserve both as equally valid. 5. **Unsupported request:** ask for a quote or guaranteed arrival time. The service should leave that decision with the owner. 6. **Connection failure:** end the call mid-enquiry. The result should be partial or failed, not presented as complete. ## Inspect more than the voice Check which number was called, which business instructions governed the conversation, and whether one call created at most one job card. Read the card as if you were between jobs on a phone. Can you see the problem, place, timing, and gaps quickly? ## Test shutdown too Confirm how to stop routing before using the service with customers. Dedicated numbers and carrier forwarding have different controls. Verify exact forwarding steps with the provider rather than relying on generic codes. Max & Mia's target behaviour covers these recovery and boundary cases, but acceptance criteria are not production performance evidence. Re-run the suite after instruction, routing, model, or provider changes. Start by defining your expected output in the [free job-card builder](/tools/callback-job-card-builder). ## How to test and turn off Max & Mia call routing URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/how-to-test-and-turn-off-max-and-mia-routing Topic: Setup, Trust And Privacy Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: Test direct and forwarded calls from an external phone, inspect the handover, and confirm the rollback path before customer use. Max & Mia provides an assigned number that customers can call directly. The owner can also forward selected or all calls from an existing work number. Before customer use, test each enabled route from an external phone, run normal and failed cases, inspect the resulting card, and document how to stop forwarding. Test the number during expected operating states. Confirm business identity, required details, restricted promises, silence handling, and what happens when the call ends early. One call should not create duplicate cards when events repeat. For any existing-number forwarding, confirm exact setup and cancellation steps with the carrier. An app cannot silently intercept ordinary mobile calls, and generic forwarding codes may not match the account. Rollback is part of setup. Record who can disable the route, where that control lives, and how an external test confirms calls no longer reach the service. Start with the [routing comparison](/blog/dedicated-work-number-or-call-forwarding), then run the [six-call test](/blog/how-to-test-an-ai-receptionist). ## Privacy questions to ask an AI call-answering service URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/privacy-questions-for-ai-call-answering-services Topic: Setup, Trust And Privacy Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: Ask about notice, recording, retention, access, deletion, providers, incidents, and shutdown before routing customer calls. Before routing customer calls to an AI service, ask what data enters the system, why it is used, where it goes, how long it stays, who can access it, and how you stop the service. Treat answers as inputs to qualified privacy and legal review, not a compliance certificate. ## Notice and recording Ask what the caller hears before processing begins. If calls can be recorded, establish whether recording is on, what activates it, which notice applies, and whether the business can disable it. Do not assume transcription and recording have identical controls. ## Data path and providers Request a plain-language map from phone provider through speech or model services to stored job card. Ask which subprocessors handle audio, transcript, contact details, and operational logs, and in which regions. ## Retention and deletion Separate live audio, recordings, transcripts, structured cards, backups, and logs. Each may have a different retention period. Ask how deletion works, how long it takes to reach backups, and what the owner can remove without support intervention. ## Access and tenant separation Ask who at the business and provider can view each record, how access is authenticated, and how one business's callers are kept separate from another's. Review exports, support access, and audit history too. ## Failure and shutdown Find out what callers hear during provider failure, what partial data is retained, and whether uncertain records are clearly marked. Confirm how to turn routing off and test the rollback from an external phone. ## Product boundaries Ask whether customer data trains models, whether optional uses require separate agreement, and how instruction changes are versioned. Also test restricted actions: price, booking, diagnosis, payment, and attendance promises. Max & Mia's product contract uses explicit routing, bounded recovery, owner review, and an MVP that excludes those autonomous commitments. Those design requirements do not replace a business-specific privacy assessment. Pair this checklist with the [routing guide](/blog/dedicated-work-number-or-call-forwarding) and document answers before a live test. ## What an AI receptionist should never promise a trade customer URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/what-an-ai-receptionist-should-never-promise Topic: Setup, Trust And Privacy Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: Keep prices, attendance, diagnosis, bookings, payments, and safety-critical decisions with the tradesperson unless explicit authority and controls exist. An AI receptionist should not promise a price, attendance time, diagnosis, booking, payment outcome, or technical fix unless the business has explicitly authorised that action and built controls around it. Max & Mia's MVP does not include those commitments. ## Price “How much will it cost?” often depends on facts unavailable during the first call. The safe handover records what the caller reported and leaves the quote with the owner. Even a familiar job may have access, parts, travel, or scope differences. ## Attendance and booking Capturing “home after four” is not the same as booking a visit after four. The job card should distinguish customer availability from an agreed appointment. ## Diagnosis and safety A caller can describe sparks, water, smell, noise, or loss of service. The receptionist can preserve those observations. It should not turn them into a technical conclusion or instructions that belong with a qualified person and the business's approved safety process. ## Supported work Business context can state services and exclusions. When fit remains uncertain, mark it for owner review. A confident tone must not convert an unclear request into accepted work. ## Make boundaries testable Put restricted requests into test calls. Ask for a fixed quote, same-day guarantee, diagnosis, and unsupported service. Check the spoken response and final job card. The system should not smuggle a promise into a summary after declining it on the call. Boundaries also need a failure path. When the service lacks information or authority, an honest close and review state are more useful than improvised certainty. See [how the call-handling mechanism works](/blog/how-an-ai-receptionist-works-for-a-trade-business), then run the restricted-request case in the [test guide](/blog/how-to-test-an-ai-receptionist). ## What information should you collect before calling a customer back? URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/what-information-to-collect-before-calling-a-customer-back Topic: Job Cards And Callback Workflow Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: A callback-ready checklist for tradespeople: the job, location, timing, contact details, urgency, access, and what still needs checking. Before calling a new customer back, you need enough information to understand the work and decide the next step. Collect the caller's contact details, the problem in their words, the service location, timing, access constraints, and anything that remains uncertain. You do not need a diagnosis or a finished quote. Those decisions belong after review. ## Customer and callback details Start with the details that let you continue the conversation: - caller's name; - telephone number; - preferred callback time; - whether somebody else will be at the property. Read the telephone number back when it has been spoken rather than supplied by the phone system. A detailed job description is useless if the return number is wrong. ## The problem in the caller's words Capture what the caller can see, hear, or smell. Do not convert their description into a technical diagnosis during the first call. "Water is coming through the kitchen ceiling" is useful evidence. "Failed upstairs compression fitting" is a conclusion that may be wrong. The owner can ask technical follow-up questions during the callback. The first record should preserve the difference between what the caller observed and what somebody inferred. ## Location and access Record the full service address where possible, or at least the postcode and area when the caller does not have it to hand. Add access details that change the callback: - flat, floor, or unit; - parking or restricted access; - tenant, landlord, or managing-agent involvement; - locked gates or entry systems; - whether the caller is currently at the property. Do not bury the address inside a transcript. Put it in a predictable field that can be checked before travel is discussed. ## Timing and urgency Ask when the issue started, what is happening now, and when the caller is available. Keep urgency separate from diagnosis. A caller can report active water, loss of power, no heating, or being locked out. The record should preserve that observation without promising an emergency response or telling the caller that the situation is safe. If the caller describes immediate danger, follow the business's approved safety and escalation wording. A call-handling tool should not invent technical advice. ## Work already attempted Note anything the caller or another contractor has already done. This can prevent a repeated suggestion and gives the owner context for the callback. Keep this section factual: - appliance or supply switched off; - stopcock or isolation point used; - temporary containment in place; - previous visit or repair mentioned; - photos or documents available. Do not turn those facts into confirmation that the problem is contained. ## Unknowns and contradictions A reliable job card makes gaps visible. Useful labels include "not provided," "caller unsure," and "needs owner review." Two statements may also conflict. A caller might say the leak has stopped, then mention that water is still appearing downstairs. Keep both statements for review instead of choosing the more convenient one. ## A compact callback-ready structure Use this order when designing a form, note, or job card: 1. Customer and return number. 2. Problem as reported. 3. Service address and access. 4. Timing and observed urgency. 5. Work already attempted. 6. Preferred callback window. 7. Unknowns, contradictions, and review flags. The structure should be quick to scan on a phone. The full conversation can remain supporting evidence where retention is lawful and approved, but it should not replace the summary. ## Where Max & Mia fits Max & Mia is designed to gather known details through a natural conversation and ask only for information that is still missing. Its target outcome is at most one structured job card per call, ready for the owner to review. The owner still decides whether the work fits, what it may cost, and when anybody can attend. The job card improves the callback; it does not make those commitments. Put these seven fields into a reusable handover with the [free Callback-Ready Job Card Builder](/tools/callback-job-card-builder). The [on-site call-handling guide](/blog/how-to-handle-customer-calls-on-site) explains where that handover fits after an unanswered call. ## What the owner reviews before calling a customer back URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/what-the-owner-reviews-before-calling-back Topic: Job Cards And Callback Workflow Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: Review the reported problem, location, timing, access, uncertainty, and restricted requests before making a commitment. Before calling back, the owner checks what the customer reported, where the work is, when it started, when access is possible, and which details remain uncertain. Review reasons should be visible beside the handover: corrected details, incomplete calls, unsupported work, safety concerns, and requests for price or attendance. Customer availability is not a booking. A reported symptom is not a diagnosis. Max & Mia's target job card organises this context but leaves commercial and technical decisions with the owner. The MVP does not quote, take payment, book autonomously, diagnose, or guarantee arrival. The useful test is whether the card helps the owner ask a better first callback question without hiding uncertainty. Try that review flow in the [Callback-Ready Job Card Builder](/tools/callback-job-card-builder). ## Why a transcript is not a job card URL: https://hiremaxandmia.com/blog/why-a-transcript-is-not-a-job-card Topic: Job Cards And Callback Workflow Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-22 Description: A transcript preserves the conversation. A job card organises confirmed details, gaps, and review reasons for the next action. A transcript tells you what was said and in what order. A job card tells you what you need for the next action. Keeping the transcript may support review where retention is lawful and controlled, but it does not remove the need to structure the handover. ## Conversation order is not work order A caller may begin with the address, correct the house number later, mention a leak, then explain they are only available after four. In a transcript, those facts sit wherever they occurred. The owner must read the exchange and resolve the correction. A job card puts the current confirmed address in the location field, timing in the timing field, and the correction in a review note if uncertainty remains. ## A job card makes gaps visible Blank or uncertain fields matter. A transcript can contain no access details without making that absence obvious. A structured record can show `Access: not confirmed`, prompting the owner to ask before setting off. That distinction also prevents guesses from becoming commitments. If the caller asks for a price and none was agreed, the card should not invent one. Max & Mia's MVP leaves prices, attendance, bookings, diagnosis, and other commitments with the owner. ## Structure needs validation Moving text into labelled fields is not enough. The result should be checked against a defined shape and marked partial when a call ends early. Repeated provider events should not create duplicate cards for one call. The target Max & Mia contract is at most one structured job card per call for owner review. That is a product requirement, not evidence that every live call is complete or accurate. ## Keep the right source for the right job Use the job card for scanning, prioritising, and calling back. Use a lawfully retained transcript to resolve wording or uncertainty when policy permits it. Do not force the owner to reread every conversation to discover whether an address is missing. Build the fields your business needs with the [Callback-Ready Job Card Builder](/tools/callback-job-card-builder), or open the [printable job-card pack](/downloads/callback-ready-job-card-pack).