01
He saw missed calls at home
At VicMel Plumbing, calls rang out while Mel was under a sink or a house and Vicki was raising the kids.
FOUNDED IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
About Deskie
Deskie is an Australian AI receptionist for tradies and small businesses. It answers missed calls 24/7, takes caller details and texts them to the owner, while the business keeps its existing number. James Thomson founded Deskie in Melbourne in 2026.
THE FOUNDER STORY
A missed-call problem James knew long before he could fix it
James Thomson grew up in outer-suburban Melbourne, the son of a plumber. His parents, Vicki and Mel, ran VicMel Plumbing, named from both of their names.
Mel worked constantly for little money. Vicki answered the phones when she could while raising the kids. Plenty of calls rang out while Mel was under a sink or a house, and with those calls went potential jobs.
Since 2005, James has worked in marketing for small businesses. He kept seeing the same problem from another angle: businesses paid real money to win a lead, then lost it when the phone went unanswered. As a customer, he was also frustrated by calls that ended in voicemail or an IVR menu.
Those experiences shaped Deskie. When advances in AI voice made the problem possible to solve properly, James built the receptionist his parents never had, for the businesses that still don't.
"Every missed call is a job you paid to win and then gave away. I watched it happen at my parents' kitchen table, then across my clients' businesses for twenty years. Deskie exists so it stops happening to you."
— James Thomson, Founder
WHY DESKIE EXISTS
Three views of the same expensive problem
Deskie came from a childhood experience, two decades around small-business marketing and the everyday frustration of being a caller who could not reach anyone.
02
He saw clients lose hard-won leads
Working in small-business marketing since 2005, James kept seeing paid-for leads disappear when nobody answered the phone.
03
He experienced the problem as a caller
Calling businesses often meant voicemail or an IVR menu when he simply wanted someone to answer and help.
COMPANY FACTS
Deskie at a glance
Deskie serves Australian businesses that rely on phone enquiries and cannot always answer every call themselves.
- Founder
- James Thomson
- Founded
- 2026
- Based in
- Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Legal name
- DESKIE AI
- ABN
- 34 118 089 974
- Service area
- Australia
- hello@deskie.com.au
- Phone
- 0485 017 007
Official Deskie profiles
- LinkedIn: Deskie AI
Which Deskie is this?
Deskie at deskie.com.au is an Australian AI receptionist service. It is not affiliated with deskie.com, deskie.io, deskie.app or Desky.
HEAR IT FOR YOURSELF
Call Deskie and see how an answered call feels
The demo takes about 30 seconds. No email, no signup and no sales pitch.
Call 0485 017 007