Patrick Hicks talks to Saul Truman and Wojtek Woznicki, Co-Founders of Jely.chat, about their background - and how the company has developed its product.

Patrick: How did you first became involved in the removals and storage industry?

Saul: My dad works in construction, so I have always been around trades and service operators. Through him I got chatting to removals owners and one theme stood out: leads are hard-won, and most of the customer journey now runs through WhatsApp. If you miss a message or respond slowly, you lose the job. But even when you win it, key details and confirmations often live only in chat. We built Jely.chat to help operators convert more enquiries and ensure the record of what was agreed is not scattered across phones.

Patrick: What is the role and service Jely.chat offers the industry?

Saul: Jely.chat is a WhatsApp-first lead conversion and coordination layer that also feeds your system of record. We help you respond quickly, qualify enquiries consistently, and keep follow-ups on track. At the same time, we turn the chat into structured data and sync it into your CRM, booking tool, or job system, so you do not end up with the truth living only in someone’s phone.

Patrick: How has Jely.chat evolved since you joined?

Saul: We started with operational messaging, then operators were blunt: conversion is the priority. So we leaned into speed-to-lead, structured qualification, clear ownership, and nudges for unanswered enquiries. In parallel, we built the plumbing to capture key details from chat and push them into the system of record, so the back office has a reliable pipeline view and a clean customer history.

Patrick: What are the biggest changes you’ve seen across the removals and storage industry during your time at Jely.chat?

Wojtek: Expectations have tightened. Customers message multiple firms at once and choose the one that feels fast and organised. Internally, teams are stretched, and conversations are spread across phones and groups. The operators who win treat WhatsApp as the front door to their sales pipeline, and keep the back office system up to date without manual retyping.

Patrick: How have customer expectations shifted, and how has Jely.chat?

Wojtek: Customers want quick replies, clear next steps, and confidence you are on top of it. They do not want portals. We keep the customer experience in WhatsApp, but we add structure behind the scenes so handovers are smooth, follow-ups happen, and the outcome is logged in your CRM or job system for the whole team to see.

Patrick: Where do you see the removals and storage industry in five to ten years?

Saul: Lead handling will be a core capability. The best operators will run chat like a proper pipeline, with reliable records, clear ownership, and strong handoffs from enquiry to survey to booking. Businesses relying on individual phones and memory will find it harder to compete.

Patrick:  Finally, if you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?

Wojtek: We would stop letting good leads die in chat, and stop letting the record live only in chat. If WhatsApp drives the conversation, your system of record should still hold the truth. That shift alone wins more work and makes the operation calmer.

E-mail: founders@jely.chat 
Phone: +44 7578 759634

Photo: Saul Truman (left) and Wojtek Woznicki, Co-Founders of Jely.chat.