Matt Horner is a co-founder of Hey Jodie, where he leads the AI and engineering behind the product. That runs from the conversational AI that lets Jodie hold a natural phone call to the systems that put every captured job detail on your phone seconds after the caller hangs up. His focus is taking the kind of AI that normally sits inside big technology companies and making it genuinely useful for everyday businesses.
He has spent his career building software and technology companies. He is the founder of a SaaS group whose platforms handle bookings, scheduling, invoicing, and payments for businesses around the world, and earlier held senior technology roles, including leading technology and ecommerce for a B2B retailer. He started out as a Microsoft-certified engineer and has been shipping production software ever since.
A career spent building the tools businesses rely on every day is what drew him to Hey Jodie. He writes about AI, call handling, and the practical side of running a busy operation without losing the work that pays for it.
Guides by Matt Horner
Best accounting practice management software for 2026: a New Zealand buyer's guide
A straight, vendor-neutral guide to accounting practice management software for New Zealand firms: how the main tools compare by firm size, what to weigh up, and the front-of-house job none of them do - answering the phone.
Best pest control software in 2026: a Kiwi operator buyer guide, by job
A neutral, operator-written guide to the pest control tech stack - scheduling, CRM, invoicing and treatment reporting, and call handling - organised by the job each tool does, with PMANZ standards and EPA-approved substances in mind.
How to get more pest control jobs: a lead-gen and conversion playbook for NZ operators
A practical playbook for New Zealand pest control operators to generate more leads and actually convert them - local search, reviews, referrals, paid leads, and the missed-call leak that sends after-hours jobs to whoever answers first.
How to get towing contracts in NZ: the AA, police recovery and private accounts
A practical playbook for winning towing contracts in New Zealand: the four contract types, who to approach for each, what they require, and the 24/7 answer rate and response time that win the work and keep it.
How to start and grow a locksmith business in New Zealand
A practical, ground-up playbook for starting a New Zealand locksmith business: training and accreditation, kit, pricing, winning leads, and never letting an emergency lockout call ring out.
Locksmith rates NZ: what to charge and what you actually earn
A New Zealand operator's guide to setting locksmith rates and reading real earnings: standard, city and after-hours pricing, plus take-home once the van, tools and insurance are paid.
How much does a towing business make in New Zealand?
What does a New Zealand towing business actually clear? A look at revenue per truck and per job, the costs that quietly eat the margin, and why a missed call is an unbilled tow that caps your profit.
How to set your mechanical workshop labour rate in 2026
Trying to land on the right hourly charge? Do the break-even maths, manage your effective labour rate, and learn what the market pays so jobs actually profit.
Best auto repair shop software in 2026: an honest buyer guide for NZ
An independent buyer guide to auto repair shop software for New Zealand workshops. Compare the real options by job, see pricing in dollars, and find the one layer every vendor leaves out: how the shop answers the phone.
Best property management software in New Zealand (2026)
A vendor-neutral roundup of the best property management software for New Zealand property managers and portfolio landlords in 2026, picked by the job it does: tenancy management, rent and trust accounting, maintenance, compliance and owner reporting, plus the one job none of them do.
Home support marketing in NZ: channels and tools that fill your books
How a home and community support provider really wins private clients - referral networks, local SEO, paid search, and the software stack - plus the conversion step most marketing guides skip.
How much to charge for cleaning: a New Zealand pricing guide for operators
What to charge for house, deep, end-of-tenancy, office and Airbnb cleaning in NZ - real rate bands in dollars, hourly vs flat vs per-room methods, and how to quote so you win the job.
How to start a home support business in New Zealand: a step-by-step guide
A clean, independent playbook for starting a home support business in New Zealand: business plan, certification against the Health and Disability Services Standards, key roles, policies, police vetting, insurance, recruitment and first clients.
The after-hours triage playbook for property managers
The out-of-hours system most vendors will not spell out: a triage decision tree for tenant emergencies, when to send a tradie, how to script the message, and why after-hours call capture wins you landlords.
Best electrician software for New Zealand sparkies in 2026
There is no single best electrician software. This is an honest, vendor-neutral roundup of the job management tools New Zealand electricians actually run, compared on scheduling, invoicing, CoC and ESC certs and free tiers, plus the call-handling layer none of them cover.
The best HVAC software for a small business
An honest, small-operator roundup of HVAC and heat pump software for Kiwi trades, with real dollar price ranges, plain pros and cons, and the layer the vendor lists skip: who answers the phone.
The best landscaping business software in 2026
There is no single best landscaping business software. Here is an honest, vendor-neutral roundup of the tools New Zealand landscapers and gardeners actually run, compared on scheduling, CRM, quoting and payments, plus the call-answering layer none of them cover.
How to get more salon clients and stop leaking the demand you pay for
A no-fluff playbook for keeping your salon chairs busy - the marketing tactics that genuinely work, plus the step every listicle skips: making sure someone answers when the new client calls.
How to start a landscaping business in New Zealand: the owner-operator playbook
A practical playbook for starting a landscaping or garden maintenance business in New Zealand: registering with the IRD, public liability insurance, the council and green-waste rules that apply, the gear you actually buy on day one, landing your first clients, pricing for profit, and the step most guides skip - answering the leads you paid to generate.
The real cost of a heat pump and air conditioning answering service
Providers bury the price behind a "get a quote" button. Here is the honest cost model in dollars, a realistic monthly range, and what missing one after-hours call actually costs your business.
Plumbing invoicing and job-management software for getting paid without the chase
A vendor-neutral buyer guide to plumbing invoicing and job-management software for New Zealand trades: what each tool is best for, how the per-seat pricing really works, and the booking-and-call layer the vendors all leave out.
The best roofing software for NZ operators (and the layer the directories skip)
A straight, priced buyer guide to the roofing software stack a New Zealand operator actually needs, from measurement and estimating to CRM and scheduling, plus the front-of-funnel layer the directories ignore: who answers the call.
Best veterinary practice management software in 2026: a New Zealand buyer's guide
A vendor-neutral guide to veterinary practice management software for NZ clinics: a real comparison table of the main PIMS by practice size, cloud vs on-premise, how the pricing works, and the one job every system leaves to your front desk - answering the phone.
Best practice management software for NZ therapists in 2026
A vendor-neutral, named-author comparison of practice management software for a solo or small New Zealand therapy or counselling practice: how scheduling, notes and billing compare, what each tool costs, ACC claiming, and the call-and-booking layer that sits alongside it.
What chiropractic marketing costs a New Zealand clinic (real numbers)
A numbers-first breakdown of chiropractic marketing spend by channel in New Zealand dollars, a realistic cost per new patient, and the leak agencies skip: the calls your spend pays for but the front desk misses.
Chiropractic front desk playbook: calls, scripts and no-shows
The operator playbook no answering-service vendor includes: a new-patient intake script, an after-hours and overflow protocol, the no-show tactics that actually work, and the three numbers to track so no booking slips through.
Dental Answering Services Compared: An Honest Options Table
A straight side-by-side of every way to answer your practice phone - voicemail, in-house reception, a live answering service, and AI - with indicative pricing and the new-patient maths, so you decide on merit instead of marketing.
The true cost of a dental front desk (and every missed call it makes)
The wage on the job ad is the small number. Here is the real cost of a dental front desk - salary, KiwiSaver, ACC, leave and absence cover - weighed against the new-patient calls that go to voicemail.
How to get more therapy clients and keep your diary full
A practical playbook for getting more therapy clients: the directory and referral fundamentals that genuinely keep a diary full, plus the biggest leak nobody fixes - missing the first call while you are in session.
Starting a plumbing business in New Zealand in 2026: the operator guide
A practical guide to starting a plumbing business in NZ: getting registered and licensed with the PGDB, sole trader versus company, setting rates that pay, the ute and tools you really need, and how to win your first customers.
The true cost of a missed call for a roofing business
You pay for every roofing lead, then you are up on the roof when it rings. Here is what each missed call costs a New Zealand roofer, and how to stop the leak.
Best Answering Service for Law Firms in New Zealand (2026)
An honest, transparently-priced guide to choosing the best answering service for a New Zealand law firm, with real NZD costs, how each approach handles client intake and practice-management integration, and how to choose between human and AI.
Real estate call handling: answering service vs voicemail vs receptionist
Voicemail, an in-house receptionist, a traditional answering service, or an AI receptionist. An even-handed look at how each option handles a real estate office phone, what it costs, and what it lets slip.
How to get more listings: a practical playbook for real estate agents
A complete playbook for winning more listings: get found locally, book more appraisals, turn appraisals into signed listings, and stop leaking enquiries to the agency down the road.
Handling after-hours and emergency plumbing calls in New Zealand: a working playbook
A burst pipe never checks the clock. Here is how Kiwi plumbers cover nights and weekends, triage the genuine emergencies, and hold onto good jobs without wrecking their sleep.
Best AI Receptionist NZ (2026): an honest buyer guide
A plain, New Zealand take on choosing the best AI receptionist in 2026, with real monthly prices in New Zealand dollars, what to look for, and when one is genuinely worth it.
How to get more plumbing jobs: a practical marketing playbook
A no-nonsense playbook for winning more plumbing work in New Zealand: get found on Google, build reviews, earn referrals, use lead sites wisely, mine repeat customers, and answer fast.
The real cost of a missed call for a plumbing business
Every plumber knows the phone rings when their hands are full. Few have ever worked out what those unanswered calls are actually costing them. Here is the simple maths, and how to fix it.