Calcuu
Creating quotations easy and fast with an AI-powered voice agent
How our AI quote agent helped Calcuu reduce friction and activate users faster
About Calcuu
Calcuu is a mobile quoting tool built for independent painters who want to spend less time behind a desk and more time on the job.
It replaces outdated workflows like pen and paper, spreadsheets, or mental math with a fast, structured way to calculate and send quotes directly from the job site. With Calcuu, painters can build professional quotes in minutes, using just their phone.
But there was a problem: many users never got to the most important step.
Why Calcuu set out to simplify quoting for painters
Painters were signing up, but too many stopped before completing their first quote.. That cold start was a critical drop-off. It hurt both user success and business growth because painters hit friction before they ever reached the app’s core value.
Calcuu didn’t just need small UI tweaks — they needed a way to activate users faster and get them to their first quote while job details were still fresh.
That’s when they turned to us. Not for generic AI features, but for a partner who could pinpoint where AI would make the biggest difference.
Through our AI Strategy Sprint, we spent two weeks mapping the workflow, uncovering the real bottlenecks, and defining the highest-impact opportunity.
Here’s what we found:
The roadblock: Painters stalled at the first step, unsure how to start building a quote.
The impact: Too many new users never experienced the core value of the product.
Our north star metric: Increase the number of first-time users who send a quote in their first session.
The AI opportunity: Use AI to reduce the friction of starting from scratch and get painters to a finished quote faster.
By defining the problem this clearly, we could design a pilot feature that delivered real value quickly.
A voice-powered Smart Quote Generator that helps painters create quotes on the spot
To solve the cold start, we flipped the quoting flow. Instead of asking painters to build a quote step by step, we let them simply speak the job details.
The Smart Quote Generator turns a short voice description:
“Two bedrooms, 25m2, primer plus two coats, matte finish” — into a complete draft quote.
The assistant:
Pulls in materials and labor defaults
Structures the quote instantly
Keeps everything editable, with full transparency
For painters, this removed the hardest part: figuring out where to start. For Calcuu, it unlocked faster activation and more consistent daily use.
Why this solution works:
Frictionless input — instead of starting blank, painters just describe what they see
Contextual intelligence — adapts to preferences, past jobs, and local defaults
Always editable — users stay in control with full visibility
Instant results — quoting time drops from ~15 minutes to ~2 minutes
This became our core bet to activate new users and build repeat use.
From cold start to working prototype
To bring the Smart Quote Generator to life, we ran our AI Feature Sprint — a short, focused process that moves fast while setting the stage for scale.
Define the feature
We aligned on the exact workflow, user interaction, and success metrics to give the project a clear target.Prototype and test
Quick prototypes were tested with painters in real scenarios, so we could validate the idea and improve it early.AI architecture & data foundations
Behind the scenes, we set up the architecture: voice models tuned for Dutch accents, material libraries, cost calculations, and a scalable system. The goal: flexibility in the model, stability in the system.Responsible AI
Voice inputs were processed securely, never stored unless chosen, and all quotes remained editable. Clear explanations built trust from the start.Feedback & improvement loops
Monitoring and user feedback were built in, ensuring the assistant learns and improves over time.Deployment & rollout
Once validated, we integrated the feature directly into Calcuu’s app — mobile-first, consistent with their design, and fully embedded in the quoting flow.
From hesitation to quote action.
The launch of the Smart Quote Generator changed how painters experience Calcuu from day one.
Before, many new users signed up but never sent a quote, unsure how to start. Now, as soon as the job ends, the quote begins — quickly, naturally, and with less friction.
The impact was clear:
Faster quotes — average quote time dropped from ~15 minutes to just ~2 minutes.
Higher activation — more first-time users now complete a quote in their very first session.
More momentum — painters send more quotes per day, with greater confidence and less hesitation.
This progress didn’t come from adding more features. It came from removing friction around the step that matters most: getting painters to their first quote, fast. And with the assistant built on a scalable system, Calcuu now has the foundation to extend AI across the product
Conclusion
Calcuu came to us with a clear challenge: how to help painters send more quotes, faster, without adding friction.
Through our AI Strategy Sprint, we uncovered the cold start bottleneck, designed a voice-powered assistant tailored to painters’ workflow, and brought it to life as a seamless, mobile-first experience.
The result wasn’t just a faster quoting flow. It was the foundation for an AI system Calcuu can build on — reducing friction today and opening the door to more AI features that will drive long-term product growth.
That’s the strength of our approach: start with a focused pilot, prove value quickly, and then scale with a robust AI Product OS.
