Cloudy2Clear
A UK misted double glazing repair franchise
- Appointments booked
- 673
- Leads worked
- 6,769
- Reply rate
- 64%
- Closed revenue
- £107,000+
AI sales agent for home improvement and automotive
AI appointment setter: an AI sales agent that books appointments from your leads
Setterly is an AI appointment setter for businesses that sell to homeowners and car buyers. It texts the leads you already have, answers their questions in a real two-way conversation and books appointments into your calendar. You pay per booked appointment.
Updated 22 October 2026
At a glance
- What it is: an AI that follows up your leads by text, talks to them and books them in with your sales team.
- AI SDR, AI sales agent, AI appointment setter: overlapping names. Setterly's works with consumers who already enquired, not cold lists.
- Not an AI receptionist: a receptionist answers inbound calls; Setterly works your lead list by SMS.
- Who it is for: home improvement, home services and automotive, including car leasing brokers and dealers.
- Price: pay per booked appointment. No setup fee, no retainer.
What is an AI appointment setter?
An AI appointment setter is software that does the job of a human appointment setter: it contacts people who showed interest, has a conversation with them and books a time with your sales team. The difference is that it can work every lead on your list at once and reply at any hour.
Setterly's AI appointment setter works by text message. It writes to each person about what they originally asked for, reads their reply and answers it, deals with the usual “not right now” and “how much is it” questions, and offers two times when they are ready. The appointment then goes into your diary like any other booking.
Is an AI appointment setter the same as an AI SDR or an AI sales agent?
Mostly, yes: they are overlapping names for AI that does early stage sales work. The names come from different markets, which is why the same idea gets called three different things.
AI SDR
SDR stands for sales development representative, the junior role in software sales that prospects and books meetings. An AI SDR usually researches companies and sends cold emails to other businesses. That is not what Setterly does.
AI sales agent
AI sales agent is the broad term for any AI that talks to prospects on a company's behalf, by chat, email, text or voice. Some build their own; our guide on building or buying an AI sales agent, coming soon on our blog, sets out what that involves.
AI appointment setter
An AI appointment setter is an AI sales agent with one job: get a booked appointment. Setterly's is built for businesses that sell to consumers, working leads that already came to you. For the wider picture of the service, see appointment setting services.
How does Setterly's AI appointment setter work?
It works in three steps: your leads go in, the AI texts and replies, and appointments are booked into your calendar.
- Step 1
Your leads go in
Old quotes, unsold enquiries, finance applications and lease enquiries, from a CSV export or an optional CRM connection.
- Step 2
The AI texts and replies
Each person gets an SMS about what they asked for. The AI answers their questions in a two-way conversation, day or evening.
- Step 3
It books the appointment
When they are ready, it offers two times and books the survey, test drive or callback into your calendar with notes.
Before anything goes out we agree the wording, the tone and the questions your team would want asked before an appointment. Messages come from a dedicated number registered in your business name, so replies come back to you, not to us. If someone says “not yet”, the system notes when to come back and picks the conversation up then.
It is supervised by people. For the first days of a campaign a person on our UK team reads every conversation as it happens, and anything we spot is changed the same day. After that we keep reviewing and refining with you. The full process is on how it works.
How does an AI appointment setter compare with a human setter or an AI receptionist?
A human setter calls your leads during working hours, an AI receptionist answers the calls that come in to you, and an AI appointment setter like Setterly texts your lead list and books them in. The table sets them side by side.
| Human appointment setter | AI receptionist | Setterly AI appointment setter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Calls and texts leads, books appointments | Answers inbound calls, takes messages or bookings | Texts your existing leads, holds the conversation, books appointments |
| Who starts the contact | Your setter | The customer, by calling you | The AI, by text, about the customer's own enquiry |
| Hours | Working hours, with holiday and sick cover to plan | Whenever the phone rings | Evenings and weekends, within sending hours agreed with you |
| Old and unanswered leads | Often left once new enquiries arrive | Not covered: it waits for the phone to ring | The main job: quotes and enquiries that went quiet |
| Cost basis | Salary; about £28,210 a year on average in the UK (Jooble) | Varies by provider | Pay per booked appointment, no setup fee, no retainer |
| What you manage | Hiring, training, scripts, cover | Call flows and set-up | Sending your leads and taking the appointments |
Many businesses could use an AI receptionist and an AI appointment setter together, because they cover different gaps: one handles callers, the other goes back to the people who stopped calling. Vendor figures put a loaded US in-house setter at $25 to $45 an hour (VA Masters); the UK salary figure is from Jooble.
What the AI appointment setter has booked
Figures from live Setterly campaigns in home improvement and automotive. Clients who agreed to be named are named; the rest use the description they approved.
CarFinance247
A UK car finance broker
December 2025 to January 2026, over Christmas
- Appointments booked
- 114
- Leads worked
- 3,895
- Reply rate
- 33%
- Pipeline
- £171,000
Flexed
A UK car leasing broker
- Callbacks booked
- 109
- Leads worked
- 1,135
Eden Leasing
A UK car leasing broker
- Callbacks booked
- 93
- Leads worked
- 725
A UK electric heating company
First 30 days (live 15 September 2026)
- Home surveys booked
- 105
- Pipeline
- £630,000
A five-site UK used car dealer
- Appointments booked
- 61
- Leads worked
- 827
- Reply rate
- 65%
- Pipeline
- £109,800
Pipeline = appointments booked x the client's average order value.
All resultsRead the AI appointment setter's real conversations
Anonymised SMS threads from live campaigns. Each shows how the AI answers questions and books the appointment.
09:415G
S
Setterly AI
SMS Conversation
Hi this is Claire from [Heating Co]. Is this James who made an enquiry about improving your home heating recently? Reply delete if you sorted it in the end.
Yes can I book a home survey?
Of course, I can help with that. Just before we book you in, can I ask, what were you hoping to improve about the heating in your home?
I liked the look of your electric heaters
They’re a popular choice, especially for people wanting more control room to room. Just to check, are you the homeowner?
No I’m not
No problem at all. Do you have your landlord’s permission to make changes to the heating?
No I don’t
Why do I need that?
Fair question. Because the heating is a change to the property, we need the landlord’s permission before we can arrange a survey or do any work. If your landlord is interested, they can request a catalogue here: [link]
Ok I just called him and he said it’s fine can I proceed with a home survey?
That’s great news, thanks for checking with your landlord. Just one more thing, would you be the one making the investment in your new heating system, or would your landlord be handling that side?
Yes I’m paying for it
Let’s get you booked in for a free home survey with our team. I can do tomorrow at 10:00 am or 1:00 pm, would either of those work for you? It’s just to go over your enquiry and next steps in person.
10am works
Brilliant, your home survey is all booked in. If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment please call us on [number]
Appointment booked
Home improvement (heating)
Disqualified, got challenged, re-qualified after a landlord call, checked who was paying, then booked.
Can an AI appointment setter work for car dealerships and leasing brokers?
Yes. Setterly works for car leasing brokers, car dealers and car finance brokers, booking callbacks with an account manager, test drives and showroom visits from enquiries that went quiet.
Response time is a known gap in car sales. In a 2026 mystery shop of UK dealers, Impel found a median out-of-hours reply time of 13 hours 12 minutes on new car enquiries, and around a third of dealers stopped after one attempt (Impel, vendor figures). Car Dealer Magazine reported that 55% of buyers expect a reply within three hours (Car Dealer Magazine).
Two leasing brokers, Flexed and Eden Leasing, had 109 and 93 callbacks booked from 1,135 and 725 leads. CarFinance247 had 114 appointments booked from 3,895 leads (case study). The automotive detail is on automotive lead reactivation, with trade pages for car leasing and car dealerships.
What does AI lead follow-up look like in home improvement?
In home improvement, AI lead follow-up means going back to homeowners who had a quote or made an enquiry and did not go ahead, and booking a survey or home visit. These are often the leads your team stopped chasing because new enquiries came in.
One follow-up software vendor reports that 44% of contractors stop after a single call on an unsold estimate (PipelineOn, vendor figure), and Harvard Business Review research found firms replying within an hour were about seven times more likely to qualify a lead (reported by SmartCompany). An AI does not get bored of the fifth message. Cloudy2Clear had 673 appointments booked from 6,769 old enquiries (case study). The full home improvement picture is on lead reactivation.
Is it legal to use an AI appointment setter in the UK?
It can be, when it is done properly. Under PECR's soft opt-in, a business can text people who enquired about similar products or services, as long as every message identifies the business and offers a simple way to opt out (ICO guidance).
Setterly contacts your own leads only, honours opt-outs and processes data under UK GDPR. We look at where your data came from with you before a campaign starts. The detail is on trust and GDPR.
Where can you read more about AI appointment setting?
These guides and pages go further into the questions owners ask before they start.
- Appointment setting servicesEvery way to get appointments set
- Lead reactivation for home improvementOld quotes into booked appointments
- Automotive lead reactivationCar dealers and leasing brokers
- AI Appointment Setting: How It Works and When It Beats HiringHow AI appointment setting works
- Outsourced Appointment Setting UK: Call Centre, Agency or AI?Call centre, agency or AI
How much does Setterly's AI appointment setter cost?
You pay per booked appointment. There is no setup fee and no retainer. CRM integration is optional and carries a one-off fee, agreed with you before any work starts.
We talk through how the per appointment price works against your average job or deal value on a short call. Book a call.
AI appointment setter questions
What is an AI appointment setter?
An AI appointment setter is software that contacts your leads, has a conversation with them and books an appointment with your sales team. Setterly's does this by two-way SMS on leads you already have.
Is an AI appointment setter the same as an AI SDR?
They overlap. AI SDR (sales development representative) is a term from business to business software sales, where the AI usually emails cold prospects. An AI appointment setter books meetings from leads, and Setterly's works with consumers who already enquired with you, by text.
What is the difference between an AI appointment setter and an AI receptionist?
An AI receptionist answers the phone when customers call you. An AI appointment setter like Setterly goes out to your lead list by text, follows up people who went quiet and books them in. Many businesses could use both, because they cover different gaps.
Does the AI reply in the evenings and at weekends?
Yes, within sending hours agreed with you. Many people reply to a text after work or at the weekend, and the AI can pick up the conversation then rather than waiting for Monday.
Does the AI quote prices or finance rates?
No. It explains that prices or rates depend on the customer's own circumstances and books them in with your team, who handle that part.
Can it work for car dealerships and leasing brokers?
Yes. Setterly runs campaigns for car leasing brokers, car dealers and car finance brokers, booking callbacks, test drives and showroom visits from old enquiries.
How is Setterly's AI appointment setter priced?
You pay per booked appointment. There is no setup fee and no retainer. CRM integration is optional and carries a one-off fee, agreed with you before any work starts.
Sources
- Jooble, appointment setter salary UK
- VA Masters, how much does an appointment setter cost (vendor figures)
- Harvard Business Review research on lead response times, reported by SmartCompany
- Impel, After the Leads Land: UK dealer mystery shop report, 2026 (vendor figures)
- Car Dealer Magazine, slow responses drive buyers towards rival firms
- PipelineOn, unsold estimates follow-up (vendor figures)
- ICO, guide to PECR: electronic mail marketing and the soft opt-in
Setterly figures come from live client campaigns. Third-party figures belong to their publishers; vendor figures are marked as such.
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