Blick über Lausanne mit Kathedrale Notre-Dame und Lac Léman im Hintergrund

For plumbers, electricians, carpenters, painters and more · Lausanne location

AI Phone Assistant for Swiss Trades in Lausanne

Les artisans lausannois servent un mix de clients résidentiels (Pully, Lutry, Belmont) et d'institutions (EPFL, Unil, CHUV). Une entreprise de plomberie moyenne reçoit 25 à 50 appels par jour. Les pics surviennent tôt le matin (avant le départ au travail) et le week-end. Les copropriétés vaudoises et les régies attendent des devis structurés. fonea apporte concrètement : disponibilité 24/7, basculement FR/EN, distinction urgence vs. devis, capture d'adresse complète, escalade pikett, hébergement suisse conforme nLPD — utile pour les artisans avec contrats de maintenance EPFL ou copropriétés vaudoises.

Typical call scenarios

How fonea handles trades calls in practice Lausanne

EPFL — contrat de maintenance

Caller: Hi, I am calling from EPFL Property Management. We have an electrical issue in building MA. We have a maintenance contract with you.
fonea: Hello. EPFL — I see your maintenance contract on file. Connecting you immediately to our institutional account manager. Reaction time per contract: 4 hours, technician on site within 8 business hours.

Contrat institutionnel — escalade dédiée.

Copropriété vaudoise — devis

Caller: Bonjour, je gère une copropriété à Pully avec 8 appartements et nous avons des problèmes de robinetterie.
fonea: Bonjour. Pour un devis pertinent : adresse exacte, nombre d'appartements concernés, marque actuelle, délai souhaité. Je capture tout cela — notre conseiller vous recontacte demain pour un rendez-vous sur place.

Copropriété — devis structuré.

Particulier — fuite week-end

Caller: J'ai une grosse fuite chez moi à Belmont, samedi soir. Pouvez-vous intervenir?
fonea: Je vous mets immédiatement en relation avec le pikett. Pendant que je transfère : fermez le robinet principal si possible. Le technicien rappelle dans 20 minutes.

Urgence week-end — escalade immédiate.

Local references

EPFL, Unil, CHUV, Pully, Lutry, Belmont

Frequently asked

What tradespeople should know before using fonea

fonea convient-il aux artisans avec contrats institutionnels (EPFL, CHUV)?

Oui. Nous configurons des SLA dédiés (temps de réaction, identification automatique du contrat, escalade).

Comment fonea capture-t-il les devis pour copropriétés?

Adresse exacte, nombre d'unités, marque/type d'équipement, délai souhaité — tout structuré.

fonea bascule-t-il FR/EN?

Oui. EN pour les expatriés tech autour de l'EPFL.

Can fonea tell an emergency apart from a routine inquiry?

Yes. You define keywords that trigger instant transfer: burst pipe, gas smell, power outage, heating failure, pipe burst. "My tap is dripping" stays a normal service inquiry. "The kitchen is flooded" triggers immediate transfer to the on-call number. The distinction is based on your criteria, not generic rules.

What if I have no reception on the job site and cannot call back?

fonea answers calls on your business number regardless of where you are. After each call you receive a structured summary via push or email: who called, what they want, how urgent it is. As soon as you have reception, you see everything at a glance and decide whom to call back when.

Does fonea understand Swiss German and trade jargon?

Yes. fonea understands all Swiss German dialects and replies in High German or Swiss Standard German. Trade terminology (residual-current device, vapour barrier, pipe lining, heat exchanger) is configured during setup. French, Italian, English, and Spanish are also available — useful for callers from Romandy, Ticino, or clients with international workers.

Is fonea FADP-compliant for small trades businesses?

Yes. All persistent data (customer name, address, job details) is hosted in Switzerland. The revised FADP (effective 1 September 2023) and the GDPR are fully respected.

How much setup effort is this for a small business?

Setup takes about 30 minutes. We configure fonea with you: greeting, services, service radius, on-call keywords, and calendar integration. Test calls and fine-tuning happen live — no IT skills required, no hardware, no number change. Call forwarding runs via Swisscom, Sunrise, or Salt.

Does fonea pay off even with few calls per month?

The math is simple: an average trades job is CHF 800–5,000, a single missed large job is CHF 20,000+. If fonea wins you even one additional job per quarter, you have the annual cost back several times over. Break-even sits below one extra job per year.

Can I enable fonea only for fringe hours and job-site days?

Yes. Many trades businesses use fonea selectively for the hours when nobody can be on the phone: during job-site work, lunch, evenings, weekends, and holidays. When your office person is there, you can switch fonea off or run it as overflow when several calls come in simultaneously.

Can fonea also handle inquiries from architects and general contractors?

Yes. fonea recognises from context whether a private client or a business customer is calling and adapts its questions. For business inquiries it captures project name, scope, timeframe, and contact person. You receive a structured summary that flows directly into your estimating process.

Ready to stop losing jobs?

30-day money-back guarantee. Live in 7 days. No minimum term.