How Kūmara works
Set it up once. Your phone rings as normal, and only the calls you miss go to Kūmara. It answers, books the job and emails you the details.
In three steps
Forward missed calls
Dial a short code once, and any call you don’t answer goes to Kūmara instead of voicemail.
Kūmara answers
It gets the caller’s name, address and what the job is, then books a time that suits you both.
You get the summary
About a minute after the call, the summary is in your email and your dashboard, and the visit is in your calendar.
Setup
Sign-up takes under 10 minutes. Then you dial a forwarding code, and you can make a test call before you go live.
Tell us how you work
Your trade, the towns you cover, and when you take site visits. Sensible defaults are filled in for you.
Connect Google Calendar
Kūmara only sees when you’re free or busy, and only adds the visits it books. You can connect it later if you’d rather.
Dial your forwarding code
Once, on your own mobile. You keep your number. Your phone still rings first.
Make a test call (optional)
Ring your mobile from another phone and let it ring out. Kūmara answers, and the summary lands in your email.
Forwarding codes by network
One NZ
Pay monthly. Three short codes: no answer, busy, and phone off.
- Calls you don’t answer
**61*[your Kūmara number]# - When you’re on another call
**67*[your Kūmara number]# - When your phone is off or has no signal
**62*[your Kūmara number]#
Spark
Rings your phone for 25 seconds first, then forwards.
- Calls you don’t answer (rings 25 seconds first)
*61*[your Kūmara number]*11*25# - When you’re on another call
*67*[your Kūmara number]# - When your phone is off or has no signal
*62*[your Kūmara number]#
2degrees
One code covers missed, busy and unreachable calls.
- Missed, busy and unreachable calls, all in one code
*004*[your Kūmara number]#
You get your Kūmara number when you sign up, and your codes are filled in for you. To stop for good, dial ##002#. Some prepay plans can’t forward calls; we check yours during setup.
Day to day, there’s nothing to switch
Answer as normal. On a job? Tap Decline, or turn on Do Not Disturb, and calls go to Kūmara. Going on holiday? One tap in your dashboard switches Kūmara to messages only.
On the call
Kūmara tells every caller up front that it’s an AI assistant and that the call is recorded. Then it gets on with the job.
Read what it says
Kia ora, Rata Plumbing, this is Dave’s AI assistant. Calls are recorded. How can I help? No worries. Dave can come and have a look on Wednesday at half past nine, at 5 Rimu Road in Paraparaumu, Wellington. Does that suit?
Sounds like a local
A natural Kiwi voice that knows what a toby and a hot water cylinder are, and says te reo Māori place names properly, from Whangārei to Rotorua.
Books real times only
Kūmara checks your Google Calendar and only offers times that fit your hours, travel time and daily limit. It reads the booking back to the caller before it locks it in.
No made-up quotes
Kūmara won’t guess a price. It books a site visit so you can quote the job properly.
When someone wants a person
Kūmara takes their details and tells them you’ll call back, and you get the summary by email. For emergencies it can put the caller through to your mobile.
Emergencies
For a burst pipe or no power, Kūmara gives the caller basic safety advice and emails you URGENT while they’re still on the line. It can put the call through to your mobile if you turn that on. If someone’s in danger, Kūmara tells them to hang up and ring 111.
Kūmara is a receptionist for trade businesses, not an emergency service.
After the call
Who rang, where they are, what the job is and how urgent it is, by email within about a minute. Every call, recording and transcript is in your dashboard too.
Booked
- Caller
- Sarah · 021 555 0123
- Address
- 14 Kamo Road, Whangārei
- Job
- Hot water cylinder leaking. Slow drip.
- Booked
- Site visit Wed 9:30am · in Google Calendar
- Urgency
- This week
Recording and transcript in your dashboard
- Who rang, and their number to ring back
- What the job is, in their words
- When you’re booked, already in your calendar
- UrgentMike · 027 555 0198No power to the whole house7:12pm
- BookedSarah · 021 555 0123Hot water cylinder · Wed 9:30am10:44am
- QuoteAroha · 022 555 0144New deck · Sat 10am measure-up9:05am
Bookings go straight into your Google Calendar. Call recordings and transcripts are deleted automatically after 90 days.
Questions about setup
How long does setup take?
Sign-up takes under 10 minutes. You tell us your trade, service area and working hours, connect your Google Calendar, then dial a forwarding code on your phone.
You can make a test call before you go live, and we’re on hand if it doesn’t connect.
Do I keep my own number?
Yes. Your phone still rings first, and only calls you miss, decline or can’t take because your phone is off go to Kūmara.
Day to day there’s nothing to switch. On a job? Tap Decline or turn on Do Not Disturb, and calls go to Kūmara. Going on holiday? One tap in your dashboard switches Kūmara to messages only.
Which phone companies does it work with?
In New Zealand it works with One NZ (pay monthly), Spark and 2degrees. Some prepay plans don’t allow call forwarding, so we check yours during setup.
Does it sound like a robot?
It uses a natural Kiwi voice and keeps things short and casual. It tells callers up front that it’s an AI assistant and that the call is recorded.
If a caller asks whether it’s an AI, it says yes and carries on.
Set it up in under 10 minutes
14 days free, card taken at sign-up. Month to month, cancel any time.