Plan the people for
a trial before it starts.
Customer answering, job coordination, questions, and follow-through are included only when they are named in the agreed scope.
Office support for trade businesses
A complete office.
Built around
your trade.
Stay on the job.
ATKS is an office support service for trade businesses. A founding trial may include agreed calls, scheduling, documents, or follow-up, using connected tools and your shop’s rules. Exact coverage is confirmed before work begins.
See your office at workPeople who know your shop. A team, not another hire.One connected office. From first call to follow-up.You stay in control. Without doing all the chasing.
The office, in motion
Say it once.
The office moves.
That customer call shouldn’t become six things on your to-do list. Here’s how one water-heater job moves through your office.
A TUESDAY IN OAK PARKIllustrative workflow · sample details
YOUR CUSTOMER
“Our water heater’s leaking.
Can someone come today?”
In an agreed founding trial, the office can answer, gather the address and details, and follow the call rules you set.
An example workflow; exact coverage is confirmed before a trial starts.&
A new request, understood.Customer intake · Maria G.
Handled- The job
- Leaking water heater
- The address
- Oak Park · inside your service area
- Your shop’s rule
- Same-day requests go to dispatch
- Next action
- Check availability with the team
The details stay with the job. No retelling the story.
YOUR OFFICE
“Maria’s booked for today.
Alex has the details.”
If scheduling is in the agreed scope, the team can check availability, confirm an arrival window, and prepare the job details for the field.
One illustrative request. A customer, a technician, and a plan.&
Ready for the visit.Appointment · Maria G.
Confirmed- Arrival window
- Tuesday · 1–3 PM
- Assigned to
- Alex · service technician
- Customer
- Arrival window confirmed
- Job notes
- Leak details and access instructions
Need to change the schedule? Tell your office once.
YOU, AFTER THE JOB
“Maria’s all set.
Send the approved invoice.”
If invoicing is in the agreed scope, the office can prepare the approved invoice and follow-up steps under your rules. Questions that need your judgment come back to you.
Illustrative workflow; nothing is sent on your behalf unless it is in an agreed trial scope.&
The next step has an owner.Follow-through · Maria G.
Waiting- Invoice
- Approved amount · sent to Maria
- Payment
- Awaiting payment
- Follow-up
- Your agreed reminder schedule
- Who’s on it
- Your ATKS office team
Sent is not paid. We keep the distinction clear.
A founding trial can connect selected calls, scheduling, estimates, invoices, or follow-up when those handoffs are named in the agreed scope.
Built around your business, from front to back
Your trade out front.
Your office behind you.
The agreed office work stays connected while your shop keeps its rules, approvals, and judgment.
Your custom business website.
Your brand, your services, and a clear way for customers to get in touch.
Branded estimates and invoices.
Custom invoices, estimates, and agreements with your shop’s identity.
Customer calls and new requests.
Customer details captured and the next step assigned to your office.
Scheduling and follow-up.
Possible founding-trial scope: scheduling, records, approved invoices, or customer follow-up.
Different trades. Familiar office work. An HVAC repair call. An electrical estimate. A roofing site visit. Different jobs, the same need for someone to carry the next step. See whether ATKS fits your trade.
Illustrative deliverables and sample data, not customer results. We agree the service scope with your shop before starting.
Try it on one job
The job is done.
The loose ends aren’t.
A callback. An unclear promise. An invoice nobody wants to send. See how one decision carries through the whole job.
Try the Estimate-to-Closeout demo Free interactive example. No signup to see the result.
Familiar with your business
An office that
learns your shop.
And remembers.
You shouldn’t have to explain your service area, your pricing rules, or Mrs. Garcia’s gate code every time someone new picks up the phone.
Your way of working.
Service area, scheduling preferences, approved pricing, and the decisions that stay with you.
The whole customer story.
The call, the job, the conversation, and the next step, kept together for the people doing the work.
Continuity beyond one person.
Shared shop knowledge means the next teammate can pick up where the last one left off.
Real people. Connected by ATKS.
You shouldn’t have
to be the glue.
Applying starts a fit and scope conversation. If we agree on a trial, we confirm the people, tools, coverage, responsibilities, and one accountable point of contact before anything begins.
Plan the people for
The details stay
connected.
During a trial, the agreed customer history, shop preferences, and next steps can stay together in ATKS so the team can carry the work without making you repeat the story.
Your business.
Your judgment.
You set the rules. Decisions outside them come back to you. The exact contact channels are confirmed before a trial starts.
READY FOR YOUR REVIEWInvoice prepared.
Your approval comes before send.
We name the handoffs before a trial starts. Work outside the agreed scope comes back to you instead of being guessed at.
The part you get back
Less chasing.
More getting
on with it.
Give good calls somewhere to go.
When answering is included in the agreed trial scope, a person can take the request and confirm the next step.
Keep finished work moving toward payment.
Approved invoices go out. Follow-ups have an owner. Open items stay visible.
Leave less office work for tonight.
Get the short version when you want it, instead of rebuilding the day from texts and memory.
&YOUR OFFICETHE SHORT VERSION
TUESDAY / END-OF-DAY NOTE
Here’s where
we left things.
Maria’s water-heater visit is wrapped up.
Illustrative status: approved invoice sent; sample payment follow-up assigned to the office.
Tomorrow’s first customer is confirmed.
Alex has the address, access notes, and arrival window.
One decision for you.
The Oak Park estimate needs your price approval before we send it.
Reply when you have a minute.
Your ATKS office
Your ATKS office
An illustrative owner update, not customer results.
Your end of the deal
A text. Not another task list.
During an agreed founding trial, tell the team what you need through the confirmed contact channels. The team can carry the context and bring owner decisions back to you.
You“Book Henderson for Tuesday morning.”
Your office“9 AM works with your schedule. Want us to confirm?”
You“Yes, please.”
This illustrates a possible handoff; the live trial scope and contact channels are confirmed with you first.
Meet your future officeCompare your options
Explore office support.
Before adding another hire.
A founding trial can bring agreed people, tools, and responsibilities together. You share the rules that matter to your shop; ATKS confirms the setup, coverage, and team responsibilities before work begins.
Swipe to compare all four options
| What gets handled | ATKSPeople + tools + service | Virtual assistantDirect hire | Software onlySelf-service | Full-time adminYour employee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The work you can take off your plate | ||||
| New customer requests | When scoped | ✓ | Forms and automationYou handle exceptions. | ✓ |
| Booking and scheduling | When scoped | ✓ | Booking toolsYou set the rules. | ✓ |
| Estimates and invoicesPrepared using your prices. | When scoped | ✓ | Templates and toolsYou enter and check the details. | ✓ |
| Customer follow-up | When scoped | ✓ | Automated remindersYou manage replies. | ✓ |
| Custom websiteYour brand, built for your shop. | Available when includedConfirmed in the agreed trial scope. | Can coordinateBuild skills or a designer needed. | DIY builderWhere included. | Can coordinateBuild skills or a designer needed. |
| What it takes from you to make it work | ||||
| Recruiting and trainingSomeone has to get the help ready. | If included, we recruit and train.You share your shop's rules. | You recruit and train.Interview, teach workflows, review and correct. | You learn the software.Build and test your workflows. | You recruit and train.Interview, teach workflows, review and correct. |
| Software setupGetting the tools working together. | If included, we set it up.The tools named in the trial scope. | You and your VAChoose tools, connect accounts, set up templates. | You set it up.Configure, connect, and test. | You and your adminChoose tools, connect accounts, set up templates. |
| Day-to-day laborAfter everything is set up. | For agreed trial work, we do the admin.Team responsibilities are confirmed before work starts. You keep key decisions. | Your VA does the admin.You supervise the hire and arrange cover. | You do the work.Automation helps. The rest needs you or a hire. | Your admin does the admin.You supervise the hire and arrange cover. |
| What you pay for | Fee agreed before servicePeople, tools, scope, and price are confirmed together. | VA fees + tools | Software + laborYour time or someone you hire. | Full-time salary + employer costs |
Checks mean the work can be handled within the agreed role and coverage, not that onboarding is unnecessary. This compares direct hires and self-service software; agency-managed VAs may include recruiting, training, and supervision. Features and costs vary. ATKS still needs your business details, access, and approvals. Scope and fees are agreed before service begins.
Explore agreed admin support
before making another hire.
Built around your shop. Tested with you.
Shape the office.
Then test the agreed scope.
The founding trial starts by learning how your business works, then agreeing which people, tools, responsibilities, dates, and contact channels are included.
- 01
Find the fit.
We talk through your shop, the work piling up, and what a useful trial would look like.
- 02
Make it yours.
Your rules, customers, schedule, and approvals. We agree the setup inputs and timing before a trial starts.
- 03
Put it to work.
During the trial, the team runs only the agreed work. Together, we review what moved, what needed attention, and what to improve.
An invitation to our first shops
Help shape the office
your trade deserves.
Be one of the first to put ATKS to work.
We’re inviting founding shops into a free, agreed-scope trial. Bring us the office work that keeps landing back on you. Help us build the service around the real thing.
- A trial built around your shop’s needs
- Direct contact with the team building your office
- A chance to shape how ATKS serves your trade
Starting close to home.
Built for trade businesses, with founding conversations starting in Chicagoland. Tell us your trade and service area; we confirm fit and coverage together.
After the trial, we’ll ask for honest feedback. If you want to share your experience publicly, we’ll ask your permission first.
A few things worth knowing
Good questions.
Straight answers.
Is this software, an answering service, or an office?
A founding trial can include a team carrying specifically agreed office work, not just software to operate yourself. Calls, scheduling, documents, or follow-up are included only when the trial scope names them. See how the people, tools, and responsibilities fit together.
Which trade businesses is ATKS for?
Plumbing, electrical, HVAC, construction, and other trade businesses. Tell us your trade, location, and the office work you need handled. We confirm fit, coverage, and scope before a trial starts.
Can I keep the software my shop already uses?
We review your existing tools during setup and agree what stays, what connects, and what changes. We do not promise that every system integrates. We handle the agreed setup; you provide access and the rules that matter to your shop.
Where does the technology fit?
ATKS is a managed office service, not a chatbot subscription. Our team uses connected software and AI to organize information and prepare work. Mary is the digital assistant inside that system, not a human employee. People manage the service, and decisions outside your agreed rules come back to you.
What will the free trial include?
We agree on the work, dates, responsibilities, and what we’ll evaluate together before starting. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all trial package. Applying starts that conversation; it is not a commitment to paid service.
What happens after the trial?
We review the experience together and discuss whether ongoing service makes sense. Any paid scope and pricing are agreed with you before continuing. Read how the trial and ongoing pricing work.
Do I have to change how I work?
You’ll help us learn your shop during setup. After setup, use the contact channels confirmed for the trial. You can use ATKS for visibility when you want it; the team’s software responsibilities are defined in the agreed scope.
Who makes decisions about my customers and prices?
You set the approved rules and the decisions that require your judgment. During a trial, the team handles only work inside that agreed scope. If something is unclear or outside it, the team comes back to you instead of guessing.
Does a complete office include tax and accounting work?
An agreed founding trial may cover selected operating work around jobs, estimates, invoicing, or follow-up. Tax advice, payroll services, and full-service accounting are not included. We define the exact scope before work starts.
Can I ask a question before I apply?
Yes. Ask Mary at mary@getatks.com. Send Mary a question about ATKS; the team can reply by email and help you decide whether a founding-trial conversation makes sense.
The Office Notes
Less figuring it out.
More getting it handled.
Practical ways to hand off the office work, whatever your trade.