Trades agent system
Turn a voice note into a same-day change order
A tech or project manager sends a voice note or a photo of what the homeowner just asked for. The model drafts a priced change order, the homeowner gets an e-sign link the same day, and unsigned work is flagged before anyone builds it.
- Difficulty
- Difficulty 3 of 5 in the research brief.
- Setup time
- Estimate, not from the brief: a weekend if the price book is already in a form the model can read. Longer if prices live in someone's head.
The pain
Change orders sit. They go through extra revision rounds, a field ticket takes days to become a request, and a large share of specialty contractors write some of that revenue off.
70% of change orders go through 2–3 revision rounds.
Clearstory, 2025 specialty contractor change-order report
Source type · Vendor survey (Clearstory sells change-order software)
It takes 8–14 days to turn a T&M tag into a change-order request.
Clearstory, 2025 specialty contractor change-order report
Source type · Vendor survey (Clearstory sells change-order software)
60% write off change-order revenue at least occasionally.
Clearstory, 2025 specialty contractor change-order report
Source type · Vendor survey (Clearstory sells change-order software)
Voice note or photo from the field
Grok Speech to Text transcribes the note, then the LLM drafts the change order
Homeowner gets an e-sign link the same day
What they do
Signed
Update the Buildertrend or FSM budget and the schedule.
Not signed in 48 hours
Send a reminder and flag the work as not authorized.
The crew does not build unpriced, unsigned work
Trigger
A tech or project manager sends a voice note or a photo that says the homeowner wants something added.
Data sources
- The voice note or photo
- The price book
- The job record in Buildertrend or the FSM
- The homeowner's email or mobile for the e-sign link
Build it
- 1
Give the field one place to send the ask
A dedicated text number or email. The tech sends the voice note or the photo and names the job. That is the trigger. Do not make them open a form on a roof.
- 2
Price it from the price book the same day
Grok Speech to Text is the recommended transcription: $0.10 per hour on the REST API, or $0.20 per hour streaming, from xAI's pricing page. The LLM then drafts the change order from that transcript, with the lines it can match, and attaches the photos. Lines it cannot match stay blank for a person. It does not invent a unit price.
- 3
Send the e-sign link before the crew builds it
The homeowner gets the link the same day. Signed: update the Buildertrend or FSM budget and the schedule. Not signed within 48 hours: remind them, and flag the work as not authorized.
Branch. Buildertrend's API is limited and many remodelers will need email parsing or a browser step. That integration path was not fully confirmed.
- 4
Keep the unsigned flag visible to the PM
The job note should say the change is not authorized until the signature lands, so the next morning's briefing does not treat it as sold work.
Tools and rough monthly cost
Transcribe with Grok Speech to Text at $0.10 per hour REST or $0.20 per hour streaming (xAI's published price). The LLM drafts the change order from that text. Orchestrator, inbound media messages, and e-sign sit on top. The price book is the part that has to exist before any of those are worth paying for.
| Tool | Job | Rough monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Twilio | The number the field texts the voice note or photo to | Number plus media-message usage. Unverified public list-price estimate, October 2026. Not a figure from the research brief. Check the vendor.Unverified |
| Grok Speech to Text | Recommended transcription of the field voice note. The LLM still drafts the change order. | xAI published price: $0.10 per hour REST, or $0.20 per hour streaming. A six-minute voice note is 0.1 × $0.10 = $0.01 on REST, or $0.02 streaming.xAI pricing |
| LLM API | Drafts the change order from the transcript and the price book | Usage-based, on the text of the transcript. Unverified public list-price estimate, October 2026. Not a figure from the research brief. Check the vendor.Unverified |
| n8n or Make | From the inbound text to the e-sign link and the 48-hour flag | Often the low tens of dollars. Unverified public list-price estimate, October 2026. Not a figure from the research brief. Check the vendor.Unverified |
| E-sign tool | The same-day signature link | Depends on the tool you already use. Unverified public list-price estimate, October 2026. Not a figure from the research brief. Check the vendor.Unverified |
| Buildertrend or the FSM | Budget and schedule after signature | Your existing subscription. Buildertrend's API is described as limited, and that limit was not fully verified.Unverified |
Expected ROI
The brief aims this at Clearstory's 8–14 day lag from a T&M tag to a change-order request, and at the 60% who write off change-order revenue at least occasionally. Those figures come from a vendor that sells change-order software. Use them as the problem, not as your expected recovery.
Caveats
- Clearstory published the 70%, 8–14 day, and 60% figures. They sell change-order software. The source type is a vendor survey.
- Buildertrend integration is marked limited or partner-only, and not fully verified. Have an email-update fallback.Unverified
- The model must not invent a price. Unmatched lines stay blank for a person.
Example prompt
Change the names, fees, and slots before you run it. It does not add facts that were not in the brief.
Draft a change order from a field voice note or photo. Use only prices from the price book you were given. If a line is not in the book, leave the price blank and say so. Include: the job name, what the homeowner asked for, the lines, the photos referenced, and a total only if every line has a price. Do not add a contingency or a rush fee you were not given. Write it so it can be pasted into an e-sign document the same day. Under 200 words.