Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant is currently in Early Access. Accuracy improves as the model learns contractor terminology. Availability may be limited based on your plan.
The voice assistant uses your Product Catalog to generate accurate line items and pricing. If your catalog is empty or incomplete, the assistant won't be able to suggest materials or prices. Set up your catalog first — see Product Catalog.
The ContractorScope AI Voice Assistant — powered by an AI persona named Scout — lets you describe a job out loud and have the system generate a complete line-item estimate from your words. Instead of typing scope items one by one, you talk through the project the same way you would explain it to an apprentice — and Scout fills in the details, quantities, and pricing.
This is especially useful when you are on a job site, in your truck, or walking through a property. No keyboard, no screen-tapping, just talk.
Beyond turning your dictation into estimates, Scout can act as an AI phone assistant — answering inbound calls from homeowners and, when you ask it to, placing outbound calls and follow-ups on your behalf. Whenever Scout is on a live phone call, it opens by clearly identifying itself as an automated AI assistant. See Outbound AI Calling for how that works, and the AI Disclosure & Caller Consent and Capturing Leads from Your Website sections below.
Not sure where to start? From the Voice Assistant screen, click Set up voice assistant to launch a guided setup that walks you through microphone permissions, price book preparation, and a practice dictation. You can run the guided setup at any time — it is available from the Voice Assistant panel even after initial configuration.
How Voice-Powered Estimating Works
When you start a voice session, ContractorScope AI opens a live microphone and begins transcribing everything you say. As you describe the work, the AI simultaneously:
- Identifies trade-specific scope items — "Replace the fascia boards along the front" becomes a line item with standard fascia replacement quantities.
- Extracts measurements — If you say "about 80 linear feet of gutter," the AI populates the quantity field with 80 LF.
- Scales dependent items to fixture counts — Mentioning a double vanity or saying "two vanities" tells the system you have two fixtures, so it automatically bills two faucets, two supply lines, two P-traps, and any other per-fixture items — not just one.
- Applies your price book — Line items are priced using your saved labor rates, material costs, and markup settings.
- Flags ambiguities — If something is unclear, the AI marks it for your review rather than guessing.
The result is a draft estimate that you review, adjust, and send — typically in a fraction of the time it takes to build from scratch.
Voice-to-estimate works best for project types you have used in ContractorScope AI before. The AI learns from your price book and past estimates to improve suggestions over time.
Before You Start a Voice Session
Microphone Access
ContractorScope AI needs permission to use your device microphone. On first use, your browser will prompt you to allow microphone access. Click Allow.
If you accidentally blocked microphone access:
- Chrome: Click the lock icon in the address bar → Site Settings → Microphone → Allow.
- Safari: Go to Safari → Settings for This Website → Microphone → Allow.
- Mobile: Go to your device Settings → Privacy → Microphone and enable it for your browser.
If instead you see "Microphone access is not supported in this browser", that's not a blocked permission — your browser doesn't expose microphone recording at all. This shows up in older browsers, some in-app/embedded browsers, and non-HTTPS pages. Use an up-to-date Chrome, Safari, or Edge over https://.
If you see "Recording is not supported on this device. Please try a different browser", permission was granted and the microphone itself works — the recorder couldn't start with your browser's audio format. Try a different up-to-date browser (Chrome, Safari, or Edge).
Prepare Your Price Book
Voice estimates pull line items and pricing directly from your price book. Before your first voice session, make sure your common trades, materials, and labor rates are set up.
See Creating Your First Estimate for price book setup instructions.
Choose a Quiet Environment
The Voice Assistant works in noisy environments, but background noise — a running saw, traffic, HVAC systems — can reduce transcription accuracy. When possible, find a quiet spot for dictation.
Starting a Voice Session
From an Existing Estimate
- Open the estimate you want to add scope to.
- Click the Voice button in the estimate toolbar (microphone icon).
- The Voice Assistant panel opens on the right side of the screen.
- Click Start Recording or press and hold the spacebar.
From a New Estimate
- Click New Estimate from the dashboard.
- Fill in the client name and job address, then click Continue.
- On the scope builder screen, click Use Voice Assistant instead of typing.
- Click Start Recording.
Dictating Scope of Work
Speaking Naturally
Talk to the Voice Assistant the way you would describe the job to a helper. You do not need special commands or keywords — just describe the work.
Example dictation:
"We're going to replace the full roof on this house. It's a 28-square job, architectural shingles, GAF Timberline. We need to tear off one layer of existing shingles, replace any rotted decking we find — probably about 4 sheets — install new ice and water shield in the valleys and along the eaves, 15-pound felt on the field, and new ridge cap. We'll also replace the two pipe boots and the step flashing on the chimney."
From that description, the AI generates separate line items for:
- Tear-off (28 SQ)
- Decking replacement (4 sheets, flagged as estimated — adjust on-site)
- Ice and water shield (valleys + eaves, LF auto-calculated from SQ)
- Felt underlayment (field, SQ)
- Architectural shingles — GAF Timberline (28 SQ)
- Ridge cap (LF)
- Pipe boot replacement (2 EA)
- Step flashing — chimney (LF)
Tips for Better Results
| Tip | Example |
|---|---|
| State quantities explicitly | "Replace 12 squares of siding" rather than "a lot of siding" |
| Name products when you know them | "CertainTeed Landmark Pro, Weathered Wood" |
| Call out labor separately | "That includes demo, haul-off, and install" |
| Use trade terminology | Standard terms like "LVL beam," "P-trap," and "GFCI" are recognized |
| Pause between items | A one-second pause helps the AI separate distinct scope items |
Live Transcript
While you speak, a live transcript appears in the Voice Assistant panel. Watch it to catch any misheard words in real time. If you spot an error, say "correction" followed by the correct phrase and the AI will update the transcript.
You do not need to correct every small transcription error while recording. It is often faster to let the AI finish generating the estimate and then edit the line items directly.
Pausing and Resuming
- Pause — Click Pause or release the spacebar (if using hold-to-talk mode). The timer pauses; your transcript is saved.
- Resume — Click Resume or press and hold the spacebar again. The AI continues appending to the same session.
- End Session — Click Stop Recording when you are finished dictating. This closes the recording and triggers estimate generation.
Voice-to-Estimate Flow
After you click Stop Recording, the AI processes your session in three stages. A progress bar shows which stage is active:
Stage 1: Transcription Cleanup
The raw transcript is cleaned up — filler words ("um," "uh") are removed, run-on sentences are broken into scope items, and trade-specific spellings are standardized.
Stage 2: Line Item Extraction
Each scope item in the transcript is matched against your price book. The AI identifies:
- Item name — Matched to the closest entry in your price book.
- Unit of measure — SQ, LF, EA, SF, etc., inferred from the item type and any quantities you stated.
- Quantity — Pulled directly from what you said, or estimated based on job size if you provided overall dimensions.
- Unit price — From your price book. If no price exists, the field is left blank and flagged for your input.
Stage 3: Review Draft
The estimate draft opens for your review. Items that need attention are highlighted:
- Yellow — Quantity is an AI estimate; confirm or adjust.
- Red — No matching price book entry; price needs to be entered.
- Blue — The AI found multiple possible matches; select the correct one.
Reviewing AI-Generated Estimates from Voice Input
Working Through the Review List
The Review Panel on the right side of the screen lists every flagged item. Click any item in the panel to jump directly to that line in the estimate.
For quantity estimates (yellow):
- If the quantity is correct, click Confirm.
- If it is wrong, click the quantity field and type the correct number.
For missing prices (red):
- Type the unit price directly in the line item.
- Or click Search Price Book to find the correct entry.
- Or click Add to Price Book to create a new entry that will be available in future estimates.
For ambiguous matches (blue):
- A dropdown appears showing two or three possible matches from your price book.
- Select the correct one. The line item updates automatically.
Editing Line Items
You can edit any line item directly — voice-generated items behave exactly like items you typed manually. Add notes, change descriptions, adjust quantities, or delete items you do not need.
Adding Items the Voice Missed
If the AI missed something you said, add it manually using the Add Line Item button at the bottom of the scope section. You can also re-open the Voice Assistant at any time to dictate additional items.
Accepting the Draft
Once all flagged items are resolved, click Accept Draft. This moves the estimate from draft to active status and makes it available for PDF export and client sharing.
Save the estimate as a template after your first voice-generated estimate for a particular project type. Future jobs of the same type will have most items pre-filled, and you can use voice to add only the job-specific details.
Voice Session History
Every voice session is saved and linked to the estimate. You can replay the transcript, re-process the audio, or reference what was said in a client dispute.
Accessing Voice History
- Open the estimate.
- Click the Voice button in the toolbar.
- Select Session History at the top of the Voice Assistant panel.
Each session shows:
- Date and time
- Duration
- Number of line items generated
- Transcript (expandable)
Hands-Free Conversation Mode (Browser Microphone)
The Scout page (your AI assistant home, found in the main navigation) has a Scout Chat panel for typing questions to Scout, and below it a Hands-free conversation (browser mic) panel for talking to Scout out loud instead. This is a different feature from the voice-to-estimate dictation described above:
| Voice-to-estimate dictation | Hands-free conversation | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Voice button inside an estimate | Scout page → Hands-free conversation (browser mic) |
| What it produces | Draft estimate line items | A spoken reply from Scout, read back to you |
| Good for | Building out scope of work | Asking Scout a question, checking status, quick back-and-forth |
How It Works
- Open the Scout page and find Hands-free conversation (browser mic) below Scout Chat.
- Tap the microphone button. Your browser will ask for microphone permission the first time — click Allow.
- Once the button turns green and shows Listening…, just talk. Scout transcribes what you say as you speak.
- When you pause, Scout sends what you said, thinks it over (Thinking…), and replies — you'll hear the reply spoken back to you (Speaking…).
- As soon as Scout finishes speaking, the mic automatically re-opens so you can keep the conversation going — no need to tap the button again between turns.
- Tap Mute at any time to end the conversation and return to idle.
Everything you say and every reply from Scout in this mode uses the same message-metered Scout Chat usage as typing — it does not use your minute-metered AI phone-calling number, and it does not require Scout Calling to be turned on.
Requirements
Hands-free conversation uses your browser's built-in speech recognition, so it needs an up-to-date Chrome or Edge browser over https://. If your browser does not support it, the panel shows "Voice input is not supported in this browser" instead of the microphone button — switch to Chrome or Edge to use this mode.
If the microphone gets stuck on "Connecting…"
If your browser's permission prompt is still open and unanswered, the button stays on Requesting microphone… until you respond to it — check your address bar for a pending permission request. If nothing resolves it after about 20 seconds, the panel automatically surfaces a Try again button so you are never stuck waiting indefinitely.
Your Business Calling Number
Scout answers and places calls on a real phone number that belongs to your account. You don't buy it yourself and you don't bring your own — ContractorScope AI provisions one for you the first time you turn calling on.
How you get one
You get a number by switching calling on, in either place:
- During setup — the AI Voice step of the setup wizard, checkbox Form submission calls.
- Any time after — Settings → Voice Assistant → Scout Calling, the master switch.
Switching it on asks you to confirm first, because it buys a real number and adds to what your plan is billed. Switching it off never buys anything, so it isn't confirmed — and it does not give the number up: the line is kept so that turning calling back on reactivates the same number. If your subscription is cancelled, the number is held for a 30-day grace period and then released.
Choose your area code
Directly under the calling checkbox in the setup wizard is Area code for your new number. It arrives pre-filled with a best guess taken from your own record, in this order:
- an area code already saved in your voice settings,
- your business phone number,
- your forwarding number,
- a number a previous setup attempt already provisioned.
Whatever it guessed, you can type over it — three digits, US area codes only.
When none of those sources gives a usable US area code, the field falls back to 719 (Colorado Springs) and says so in red:
We couldn't tell where you're based, so your number would be a 719 (Colorado Springs) one. Enter your own area code — homeowners are far less likely to answer an out-of-state number.
Type your own area code before you save. The number is bought the moment you save, so this is the last point at which a wrong market is free to fix — changing it afterwards means provisioning a different number.
A toll-free number (800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877, 888) already on your record is skipped rather than read as a location, because it says nothing about where you work. And if no area code can be worked out at all, calling is still set up on the fallback: a number with the wrong prefix is worth more to you than no number.
You can also set the preference for next time under Settings → Voice Assistant → Outbound phone number → Preferred area code. That is a preference for a future number — it does not renumber the line you already have.
"Setting up your calling number…"
Buying the number, connecting it for voice, and building your assistant all happen in the background, after your save comes back — not while you wait. So:
- The save returns straight away. During setup you can carry on through the remaining steps; the wizard shows Your calling number is being set up in the background.
- Settings → Voice Assistant shows a Setting up your phone number… notice and refreshes itself every few seconds on its own. You can leave the page — the work keeps going.
- When it finishes, the notice disappears and your new number appears under Outbound phone number → Current number.
If it stalls: the notice changes and gives you a button
Setup is allowed a generous window — a little over twenty minutes. Past that, the attempt is treated as gone, and the notice changes to Setting up your phone number is taking too long with a Retry button underneath it. That switch-over is deliberate: it happens only once we know nothing is still holding your number, so pressing Retry at that point always starts a fresh attempt rather than being turned away.
Nothing is lost while you wait, and you don't have to sit on the page — the timer runs from when setup started, not from when you opened the page, so closing the tab and coming back later shows you the same state you'd have seen if you'd stayed.
If it doesn't finish: Retry
If setup could not complete, the same place shows Calling setup failed — or Calling needs to be reconnected if an existing number lost its connection — with the actual reason, plus a Retry button.
Press Retry. As well as starting a fresh attempt, it takes over a setup run that stalled part-way through (for example one interrupted by a restart), so a half-finished attempt can't leave you waiting on something that has already stopped, and nothing here needs support to unstick it.
Tuning How Scout Talks on the Phone
Settings → Voice Assistant has three sections that control how Scout behaves on a live call. Every setting is per-company and can be changed at any time.
Conversation behavior
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| How easily can callers interrupt the assistant? | Responsive | Controls barge-in — how quickly Scout stops talking when the caller cuts in. Responsive stops as soon as the caller speaks (best for busy callers). Balanced waits for a word or two, so a stray "uh huh" doesn't cut Scout off. Patient finishes its sentence first — best on noisy lines and speakerphone, where background noise can look like an interruption. |
| Detect voicemail and leave a message | On | When an answering machine picks up, Scout leaves your voicemail message instead of talking to a beep. |
| How should we pronounce your company name? | Blank | Spell your company name the way it sounds, with hyphens between syllables — for example Thrive-Star. Leave it blank to use your company name as written. |
Automatic voicemail detection can occasionally mistake a real person for an answering machine and hang up on them. If your customers report being cut off a few seconds into a call, turn this setting off. With it off, Scout simply talks to whoever (or whatever) answers.
Booking rules
| Setting | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum notice before an appointment (hours) | 2 hours | Stops Scout booking an estimate an hour from now. Set it higher if you need more warning to get to a job site. 0 means "any future time"; the maximum is 336 hours (14 days). |
| How long is an estimate visit? (minutes) | 60 | How much time is blocked out per estimate. This sets both the length of the slots Scout offers and the end time of the booked event. 15–480 minutes. |
| Which calendars should we check for conflicts? | All of them | Leave every box unchecked to check all connected calendars. Tick specific calendars to narrow it down. Your own booking calendar is always checked — Scout can't double-book the calendar it writes to. |
| Also check team members' personal connected calendars | On | When on, an estimate rep's own Google Calendar events block that rep's estimate slots — so Scout won't offer a time when they're already busy with something personal. |
The minimum-notice default is small on purpose: this is a speed-to-lead product, and a longer default would quietly stop Scout offering same-day and next-morning appointments. If you need more notice than that, raise it — the setting is yours.
Inbound calls
Two fields control what a stranger hears when they call your business number: the inbound greeting (what Scout says when it answers) and the inbound instructions (how Scout should handle the conversation). Both have sensible defaults, so you only need to touch them if you want different wording.
AI Disclosure & Caller Consent
Scout handles real phone conversations with homeowners, so it follows clear honesty and consent rules on every call:
- It identifies itself as AI. The very first thing Scout says on a call discloses that it is an automated AI assistant — it never pretends to be a human. There is a built-in honesty rule that keeps it from misrepresenting what it is.
- It honors opt-outs immediately. If the person says they would rather not talk to an automated assistant — or asks not to be called again — Scout stops and marks them as do-not-contact rather than pushing forward.
- It stays inside calling hours. Calls are only placed during allowed calling hours (8am–9pm) in both your company's time zone and the person being called, in line with telemarketing rules.
- It won't make things up. When Scout captures details on a call (like an address or email it heard), it saves them as AI-suggested values for you to confirm — it does not silently overwrite your saved customer records. If a call can't be completed, it is logged as a failed call, not a successful one.
These behaviors are on by default and apply to inbound calls, outbound calls, and follow-up calls alike.
We do not record your calls
Call audio is never stored — only a written transcript is kept, so you can read back what was said. That is why the optional disclosure in Settings → Voice Assistant is called a call monitoring disclosure, not a recording disclosure: telling a caller "this call may be recorded" would be a false statement.
If you turn the disclosure on, keep the wording about monitoring and transcription rather than recording. The default text is:
This call may be monitored and transcribed for quality purposes.
The AI disclosure itself is separate and is always on — Scout discloses that it is an automated assistant on every outbound and follow-up call, and that cannot be turned off.
Capturing Leads from Your Website
You can let homeowners request a callback directly from a lead-capture form on your own website. When someone submits the form, ContractorScope AI creates the lead under your account and Scout can follow up by phone.
A few things worth knowing about how the form works:
- The form shows a consent disclosure. Before submitting, the homeowner sees a notice (TCPA-style) explaining they may receive an automated / AI phone call. Submitting the form is their consent to be contacted that way.
- It is tied to your account by a secure token. The embed form is connected to your company through a secure embed token that ContractorScope AI provides — that is what routes each lead to the right account.
- It has built-in spam protection. The form filters out obvious bots and will ignore a repeat submission from the same phone number within 24 hours, so you don't get duplicate leads. A submission that merely looks suspicious is still saved and flagged for you to review rather than thrown away — a flagged lead you can check beats a real customer who was silently dropped.
- The confirmation screen only promises a call when a call is actually coming. If Scout can't call this lead — the number is on your do-not-call list, it isn't a dialable number, the daily calling limit is used up, or you've switched auto-dialing off — the homeowner sees "Your request has been received" instead of "We will call you shortly". The lead is still captured and you are still notified either way.
- A failed submission now fails visibly. If something goes wrong, the homeowner sees an error and keeps everything they typed, so they can retry. The form no longer shows a confirmation screen for a submission that did not actually save.
- Address autocomplete degrades honestly. If the address lookup is temporarily unavailable, the form says so under the field and lets the homeowner type their full address as free text — it does not silently show an empty dropdown that looks like "no matches".
For setup, see Lead Capture Embed Form.
Supported Languages
Voice Assistant currently supports:
- English (US)
- English (UK)
- English (AU)
- Spanish (US)
Additional languages are planned for future releases.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to try |
|---|---|
| Microphone not detected | Check browser and device permissions (see Before You Start a Voice Session) |
| "Microphone access is not supported in this browser" | Your browser does not expose microphone recording at all (common in older browsers, some in-app/embedded browsers, or non-HTTPS pages) — this is different from a blocked permission. Open ContractorScope AI in an up-to-date version of Chrome, Safari, or Edge over a normal https:// connection, or use a different device |
| "Recording is not supported on this device. Please try a different browser" | Permission was granted and the microphone itself works, but the recorder couldn't start with your browser's audio format — different from the two messages above. Try a different up-to-date browser (Chrome, Safari, or Edge) |
| Transcript is inaccurate | Speak more slowly, reduce background noise, and use specific product and trade terms |
| No line items generated | Your price book may be empty. Add at least a few items before using voice |
| Items priced at $0 | The AI could not find a matching price book entry. Enter prices manually or update your price book |
| Session times out | Voice sessions have a 30-minute maximum. Long jobs can be split into multiple sessions |
| Estimate draft is empty | This can happen if the session disconnected. Check Session History to recover the transcript |
| Mic button clicked but nothing visibly happens | Your browser's microphone-permission prompt may still be open and unanswered — check your address bar and click Allow. See Before You Start a Voice Session. |
Troubleshooting phone calls
| Issue | What to try |
|---|---|
| I turned calling on but there's no number yet | Setup runs in the background. Check Settings → Voice Assistant — if it says Setting up your phone number…, it is still working and the page updates itself |
| Calling setup failed / Calling needs to be reconnected | Press Retry on that notice. It restarts setup and takes over an attempt that stalled part-way |
| Still "setting up" after a long time | Wait it out — the notice changes itself to Setting up your phone number is taking too long a little over twenty minutes after setup started, and puts a Retry button under it. There is nothing to reload and nothing to ask support for |
| My number is in the wrong area code | The prefix is fixed once the number is bought — there is no self-serve renumber. Set Settings → Voice Assistant → Preferred area code so any future number matches your market, and contact support about the current line |
| Scout talks over callers / won't let them interrupt | Settings → Voice Assistant → Conversation behavior → set How easily can callers interrupt to Responsive |
| Callers get cut off a few seconds in | Automatic voicemail detection has mistaken a live person for an answering machine. Turn Detect voicemail and leave a message off |
| Scout mispronounces your company name | Fill in How should we pronounce your company name? — spell it the way it sounds, with hyphens between syllables (e.g. Thrive-Star) |
| Scout says it has no openings | Check your working hours in Settings → Company Profile, then check Minimum notice before an appointment under Booking rules — a long minimum notice removes today and tomorrow morning from what Scout can offer |
| Scout says it can't check the calendar right now | One of your connected calendars isn't responding. Scout declines rather than guessing at a time. Remove or re-add the calendar under Settings → Voice Assistant → Additional calendars |
| Scout offered a time that was already booked | Add the calendar that holds the conflicting appointment under Additional calendars, and make sure Also check team members' personal connected calendars is on |
Callers hear a placeholder like {{name}} | Report this — it means a template value did not fill in. Nothing you can fix from Settings |
Next Steps
Now that you're set up with the voice assistant, explore more: