Trade customer wants to collect today. IBIOS will confirm stock before they set off.
The IBIOS Receptionist is coming soon and is not live yet — this scenario shows how it will work. A plumber with an afternoon job start rings mid-morning to check you have the tray he needs. You’re with a showroom customer. He can’t wait on hold. Without an immediate answer, he calls the next merchant. IBIOS will pick up, check live stock, confirm collection and reserve the item while he is still on the line.
What happens when a trade caller can’t get a quick stock answer?
Plumber Tom needs a 900mm shower tray. The job starts this afternoon and it’s already mid-morning. If he can’t confirm stock soon, he needs to find it elsewhere. He rings your showroom. You’re standing with a customer in the showroom floor, going through a tile selection. The phone rings. You can’t break away.
Tom waits a moment. Rings off. His next call is to a builders’ merchant in the other direction. They answer. They have stock. Tom drives there. You had the tray he needed — you just weren’t able to tell him in time.
Trade collection customers are time-sensitive by nature. They are calling because they need the answer now, not later when you call back. An answer on the call can win the sale. A callback may come too late.
How will the AI receptionist confirm stock for a trade collection (coming soon)?
A step-by-step walkthrough of the stock check that keeps Tom driving to you, not your competitor.
Trade caller rings mid-morning, needs an immediate answer
Plumber Tom needs a 900mm shower tray for a job starting this afternoon. He rings your showroom. You’re with a customer in the showroom. He can’t hold. Without IBIOS, he rings a competitor.
IBIOS will answer and take the product enquiry
The AI will pick up immediately. Tom asks about the 900mm shower tray. IBIOS will check your live IBIOS stock data.
Stock confirmed on the call
The tray is in stock and ready for collection. IBIOS will confirm this to Tom and ask if he wants to reserve one under his name.
Reservation logged, trade job secured
Tom says yes. IBIOS will log the reservation against his trade account in IBIOS. He drives to you, not your competitor. Staff see the reservation on the dashboard when they return to the desk.
The expected outcome
Once the AI Receptionist launches, the aim is that the trade caller gets a stock answer and a reservation on the call, and nobody has to leave the showroom customer to take it.
Trade customers who get an immediate, accurate answer tend to come back, and they talk to other trades. One interaction IBIOS will handle on the call can become a repeat customer who calls your number first every time — because they know they’ll get an answer.
Questions about trade collection stock checks
Can IBIOS check live stock levels during a call?
Yes, once the AI Receptionist launches (coming soon). IBIOS will query your IBIOS product catalogue in real time. Stock status will be read directly from your live system — not from a cached snapshot. Whatever stock of a shower tray you hold at the point of the call is what the AI will confirm.
What if the item is out of stock — what does the AI say?
Once the AI Receptionist launches (coming soon), if the item is out of stock, IBIOS will tell the caller clearly and immediately. It will not guess at alternatives without data to support it. It will be able to check lead times for made-to-order status and offer a callback from staff who can advise on equivalent stocked alternatives or supplier order timelines.
Can IBIOS reserve stock from a phone enquiry?
Yes, once the AI Receptionist launches (coming soon). Where your IBIOS system supports reservation, IBIOS will be able to log a hold against the item for a named customer and time window. The reservation will appear in your dashboard immediately. Staff can confirm or adjust it when they return to the desk.
Does this work for trade account customers who have special pricing?
Coming soon. IBIOS will identify trade account customers from your IBIOS CRM and apply the correct context to the conversation. While the AI will not quote trade-specific prices directly over the phone by default, it will confirm availability and log the enquiry against the trade account so the follow-up call or collection is handled with the correct pricing in place.
Can IBIOS look up stock across multiple locations?
Yes, once the AI Receptionist launches (coming soon), provided your IBIOS system tracks multi-location stock. IBIOS will be able to tell the caller which location holds the item and confirm which is available for same-day collection. If you operate from a single site, it will simply confirm stock at that location without additional prompting.
Related features
Coming soon: trade callers answered on the call, not with a callback later.
The IBIOS Receptionist (coming soon) will check live stock and reserve items during incoming calls. Early access by waiting list.