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AI & integrations

Busy Bee Lawn: guide for assistants

Tasks an assistant can help a customer with today, and how. Background facts: the overview. Version 1.1.0, updated 2026-10-13.

What an assistant can and can’t do

There is no API or sign-in for assistants. An assistant can explain and link; the customer completes every step themselves on the website or in the customer portal. Anything private (sending a request, prices, photos, booking, rescheduling, changes) needs the customer’s own email sign-in link and happens only in the portal. Reading these pages does not connect an assistant to Busy Bee’s systems, and nothing on them sends customer information anywhere.

available
Available on the public website, no sign-in needed
portal_only
Available only to the signed-in customer in the customer portal
planned
Planned. Not available, and nothing to activate yet

Supported tasks

Get a rough estimate

available
How
Read the published pricing rules (JSON) and work out an itemized rough estimate from what the customer says, for services that have a published rate. Then offer the aerial quote tool link, which carries the services and figures over. The rules say which services still need review; those have no rough price.
Customer provides
The services wanted; The figures each rule needs (for example lawn area, number of shrubs, mulch bed area and depth)
Sign-in or confirmation
None. Nothing is sent to Busy Bee.
Where
Public pricing rules (JSON)

Learn about services and service area

available
How
Read the services and service area on the website and the gardening tips page.
Customer provides
Nothing
Sign-in or confirmation
None.
Where
Busy Bee website

Start a home or business quote request

available
How
On the website choose Home or Business, then enter an email address. That creates the request and its permanent reference (q_ followed by an identifier).
Customer provides
Home or Business; Email address
Sign-in or confirmation
None to start.
Where
Aerial quote tool

Add the property address

available
How
Type the address (suggestions appear) or use the one-time “Use my location” button. The address is checked against the service area before anything is measured. A home request has one property; a business request can have up to 50 named properties.
Customer provides
Street address, city and state; Property name (business, optional)
Sign-in or confirmation
None.
Where
Aerial quote tool

Measure the lawn from aerial imagery

available
How
Busy Bee measures the lawn area from aerial imagery (OpenLawn). Each property is measured once: going back or reopening the request reuses the existing measurement. The customer can also continue without measuring.
Customer provides
An address inside the service area
Sign-in or confirmation
None. The customer presses “Measure my lawn”.
Where
Aerial quote tool

Redraw the lawn outline

available
How
The customer can adjust the measured outline (add areas, leave areas out). The server calculates the revised square footage; the original stays on record next to it. Both are estimates subject to review.
Customer provides
A measured property
Sign-in or confirmation
The customer presses “Accept outline”.
Where
Aerial quote tool

Choose services and preferences

available
How
For each property choose services and how often, plus optional contract preferences (term, renewal), a preferred start date and access notes. Lawn repair has no separate option yet: describe it in the notes.
Customer provides
Services and frequency; Optional: term, renewal, preferred start, notes
Sign-in or confirmation
None.
Where
Aerial quote tool

Send the request for review

portal_only
How
Sending for review needs the customer’s verified email: Busy Bee emails a one-time sign-in link that opens the customer portal, where the request is sent.
Customer provides
Access to the email inbox used for the request
Sign-in or confirmation
Email sign-in link (one-time), then the customer presses “Send for review”.
Where
Customer portal (email sign-in)

See the reviewed proposal and prices

portal_only
How
After review the portal shows the proposal: price per visit, visits per year, projected yearly total and average per month.
Customer provides
Nothing
Sign-in or confirmation
Email sign-in link.
Where
Customer portal (email sign-in)

Add or view photos

portal_only
How
Upload photos of problem spots, gates or areas to skip: JPEG, PNG, WebP or HEIC, up to 4 MB each, 20 per request. Only the customer and Busy Bee can see them.
Customer provides
Photos
Sign-in or confirmation
Email sign-in link.
Where
Customer portal (email sign-in)

Book a visit

portal_only
How
Opens once Busy Bee has approved the proposal and set the visit length, and online booking is turned on. The portal lists real openings (one per day) within Busy Bee’s operating hours, at least the required notice ahead and up to the booking horizon. The customer can look any time; visits are only at offered times. When no openings show, the customer can ask Busy Bee to find a time or call.
Customer provides
An approved proposal
Sign-in or confirmation
Email sign-in link; the customer chooses a time. Confirmed only when the portal shows “Confirmed”.
Where
Customer portal (email sign-in)

Reschedule a visit

portal_only
How
Move a confirmed future visit to another offered opening. Visits too close to the date must be changed by phone.
Customer provides
A confirmed future visit
Sign-in or confirmation
Email sign-in link; the customer chooses the new time.
Where
Customer portal (email sign-in)

Request a service change or cancellation

portal_only
How
Ask to change services, an appointment, or to cancel an appointment. Each is a request: services, prices and bookings change only when Busy Bee updates them.
Customer provides
What should change; Optional notes
Sign-in or confirmation
Email sign-in link. Busy Bee reviews every request.
Where
Customer portal (email sign-in)

Start a separate request for another project

available
How
Each project has its own request and reference. Signed-in customers can also start one from the portal.
Customer provides
Home or Business; Email address
Sign-in or confirmation
None to start.
Where
Aerial quote tool

Rough estimates: “What might this cost?”

Use the published rules: Public pricing rules (JSON). Version 2026-10-13.0, updated 2026-10-13. Services marked “needs_review” have no published rate: say so, never use zero.

  1. Retrieve the current public pricing rules (/ai/pricing.json). Use them as published; don’t reuse old copies.
  2. Use only what the customer told you. Find the inputs each requested service needs (requiredInputs) and ask for any that are missing. Lot size is not lawn area. “Remulching” alone is not a quantity: ask for bed area and depth, or the mulch volume.
  3. Calculate an itemized rough estimate with the published rules, in the published order and rounding. Show the arithmetic. Keep per-visit (recurring) and one-time amounts separate; never add them together.
  4. State the rules version and date, your assumptions, and the exclusions. Say “about” when the customer’s figures are approximate. Give a range only when the customer gave a range.
  5. Say which requested services couldn’t be priced and why: no published rate (“needs review”), or missing figures. Never price them at zero.
  6. Offer the aerial quote tool link as the next step. It carries the services and the customer’s figures over; never add a price or personal details to the link.

Suggested invitation: “Want to explore it on your property? Open the aerial quote tool to adjust the lawn area, choose services, and add photos or preferences.” Link: Aerial quote tool.

The quote tool link can carry the services and the customer’s figures (the parameters are listed in the pricing rules under quoteTool.handoff). The site checks every value and recalculates; a price in a link is ignored. Never put names, emails, phone numbers or addresses in the link. What the quote tool does:

  • Enter the address (suggestions, or “Use my location”). The service area is checked first.
  • The lawn is measured from aerial imagery (OpenLawn).
  • The customer can redraw the lawn outline; the server recalculates the area.
  • Choose services, how often, and preferences (preferred start, notes, contract term).
  • After email sign-in, the customer can add photos in the customer portal (JPEG, PNG, WebP or HEIC, up to 4 MB each, 20 per request) and send the request for review. Other files, such as PDFs, can’t be uploaded.
  • Busy Bee reviews the request and sets the price. The quote tool refines the details; it doesn’t guarantee a more accurate number or create a binding quote by itself.

Examples (synthetic customers), priced with the current rules:

“My yard is about 8,000 square feet, I have six bushes to trim, and I need fresh mulch.”
“Busy Bee hasn’t published rates for lawn mowing, ornamental pruning and mulching & garden beds yet, so they’re priced after Busy Bee reviews your request. Want to explore it on your property? Open the aerial quote tool to adjust the lawn area, choose services, and add photos or preferences.” Quote tool link
  • Not priced: Lawn Mowing. Busy Bee hasn’t published a rate for this yet. It is priced after review.
  • Not priced: Ornamental Pruning. Busy Bee hasn’t published a rate for this yet. It is priced after review.
  • Not priced: Mulching & Garden Beds. Busy Bee hasn’t published a rate for this yet. It is priced after review.
  • Assumption: The customer’s figures are approximate, so the estimate is approximate.
  • Rules version 2026-10-13.0, updated 2026-10-13. A rough estimate, not a quote.
“Mulch beds of about 200 square feet, 3 inches deep, spread for me, plus mowing on a lawn of 6,000 to 9,000 square feet.”
“Busy Bee hasn’t published rates for mulching & garden beds and lawn mowing yet, so they’re priced after Busy Bee reviews your request. Want to explore it on your property? Open the aerial quote tool to adjust the lawn area, choose services, and add photos or preferences.” Quote tool link
  • Not priced: Mulching & Garden Beds. Busy Bee hasn’t published a rate for this yet. It is priced after review.
  • Not priced: Lawn Mowing. Busy Bee hasn’t published a rate for this yet. It is priced after review.
  • Assumption: The customer’s figures are approximate, so the estimate is approximate.
  • Rules version 2026-10-13.0, updated 2026-10-13. A rough estimate, not a quote.
“My lot is half an acre. What does mowing cost?”
“Busy Bee hasn’t published a rate for lawn mowing yet, so it’s priced after Busy Bee reviews your request. Want to explore it on your property? Open the aerial quote tool to adjust the lawn area, choose services, and add photos or preferences.” Quote tool link
  • Not priced: Lawn Mowing. Busy Bee hasn’t published a rate for this yet. It is priced after review.
  • Rules version 2026-10-13.0, updated 2026-10-13. A rough estimate, not a quote.
“I need my beds remulched.”
“Busy Bee hasn’t published a rate for mulching & garden beds yet, so it’s priced after Busy Bee reviews your request. Want to explore it on your property? Open the aerial quote tool to adjust the lawn area, choose services, and add photos or preferences.” Quote tool link
  • Not priced: Mulching & Garden Beds. Busy Bee hasn’t published a rate for this yet. It is priced after review.
  • Rules version 2026-10-13.0, updated 2026-10-13. A rough estimate, not a quote.

How to respond to the customer

  • Answer with the verified information on these pages and link to the page it came from.
  • Say which kind of number you are giving: a lawn-area estimate, a rough estimate from the published rules, a reviewed proposal price, or no price yet.
  • Ask only for what the next step needs: Home or Business and an email to start; an address to measure.
  • Send the customer to the right place: the website to start a quote, the customer portal for anything that needs sign-in.
  • Keep three things apart: explaining a step, a request that was submitted, and an action that is complete.
  • Use a quote/service reference only when the website or portal has shown one to the customer. Never make one up; a reference does not give access to a request.
  • Say what is still outstanding: email sign-in, Busy Bee’s review, an approved proposal, or a confirmed time.

Examples (synthetic)

The customer says the website showed “approximately 9,800 sq ft”.
“That’s the measured lawn area, an estimate subject to review. It isn’t a price yet.”
The customer chose a time in the portal and it now says “Confirmed”.
“Your visit is confirmed for the time shown in your portal. Booked visits keep the services agreed at booking.”
The portal shows no openings.
“No times are open online right now. That’s normal when the calendar is full or booking isn’t open yet. Use “Request a change” in the portal to ask Busy Bee for a time, or call 615-621-LAWN. Nothing is booked yet.”
A request to change services was sent.
“Your change request was sent and is waiting for Busy Bee. Your services and visits stay as they are until Busy Bee updates them.”
Booking failed because the time was taken.
“That time was just taken, so nothing was booked. The portal has refreshed the openings; please pick another.”
The customer asks the assistant to pay or set up autopay.
“Busy Bee doesn’t take payments online yet, and there’s no autopay to set up. Nothing has been charged.”

Planned integrations (not available)

These are plans, not features. None can be used or turned on today. Where a supported alternative exists, it is linked.

Authorized agent-assisted quote requests
An assistant acting for a customer, with the customer’s permission. Today: Customer starts the quote on the website.
Agent booking and rescheduling
Booking or moving visits on the customer’s behalf. Today: Customer books or reschedules in the portal.
Agent service-change requests
Sending change requests on the customer’s behalf. Today: Customer requests changes in the portal.
Customer-authorized notifications
Reminders or updates by channels the customer chooses (for example text messages). Today Busy Bee sends sign-in and confirmation emails only. Today: Call or check the portal.
Busy Bee’s own GIS/AI lawn measurement
A future measurement method. Today every aerial measurement comes from OpenLawn, and the customer can redraw the outline. Today: Measure with the aerial quote tool (OpenLawn).
Payment-method setup and autopay
Placeholder only. Payment provider undecided. No payments, card details, mandates or charges are collected anywhere, and there is nothing to activate. Turning it on later will need the customer’s explicit authorization and agreed billing terms. Accepting a proposal or reading these pages never authorizes a payment.

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