An AI receptionist for plumbers that answers the burst-pipe call and chases the water heater quote
Plumbing is dispatch by phone: the call decides whether you get the job, and it usually comes at the worst time. Here's how the AI handles the 6 am flooded basement and the water heater quote that's been sitting for a week.
Ballpark prices by phone and text, and the Quick Quote page, work when you turn on the estimator in Settings (included on Elite, a $20/month add-on on Basic and Pro). With it off, Alex books the visit instead of giving a price.
Where plumbers actually lose the job
Plumbers lose calls in the truck. You're under a sink with both hands busy, the phone rings, and the homeowner with a leaking water heater doesn't leave a message; they call the next name. After hours it's worse: an answering service takes a message and can't book, or the call goes to voicemail, and by the time you check it the basement is someone else's job. The quotes you hand out (water heaters, repipes, sewer line replacements) are real money and they go cold in a kitchen drawer while the customer waits for a second bid nobody follows up on.
Per-call services and small minute allowances bill you most when a cold snap fills the phone with frozen pipes. A human service takes one call at a time. And at the end of the year you're guessing whether the LSA spend, the truck wrap or the Nextdoor posts produced the jobs.
What the AI does on a plumbing company call
The AI answers every call at once, as your company, at any hour. It triages like a dispatcher: active leak, no water, sewage backup or flooding is an emergency; a dripping faucet or a quote request is routine. It asks the right questions: what's happening, where in the house, whether the water is shut off, the address, existing customer or not. Emergencies follow the list you set. Alex, the AI receptionist, gets the name, address and what's happening, tells the caller it's connecting them, and rings your on-call phones in order, up to three. Each phone gets a text briefing first, and the plumber presses 1 to take the call. If nobody answers, the caller leaves a message and every on-call phone gets "MISSED EMERGENCY" and the transcript by text within about a minute. A burst-pipe text or website chat at 2 am gets the same alert. Routine calls are booked into open slots after a free/busy check on your Google Calendar. Callers asking what a water heater or repipe costs get an estimate booked; the AI doesn't guess at prices on the phone. Asked what it costs to come out, Alex gives the service-call fee you entered, says the repair is quoted on site, and books the visit.
It recognizes repeat customers by caller ID, declines calls outside your service area politely, and screens out robocalls. Customers can also text a photo of the leak or the water heater label; Alex saves it to the customer card, and an emergency photo goes to your on-call phones with the picture attached.
What happens after the call
Every quote that doesn't close on the spot enters a text sequence at 24 hours, 3, 5 and 10 days, written for the plumbing conversation and stopping when the customer replies. "We'll think about it" on the call triggers a recovery script. Missed calls get a text-back within seconds, which for a plumber means the customer who hung up on ring three gets a "Sorry we missed you, what's going on?" before they've dialed the next company. Booked jobs get a reminder the day before.
Every number you publish is tracked as a separate source, so the dashboard shows booked revenue by channel instead of a feeling about which ad works.
A week on the phone, plumbing company edition
This is an example of how the system handles a week, not a customer's results.
Thursday, 5:50 am. A homeowner calls with water coming through the kitchen ceiling. Alex asks whether the main is shut off and tells her it's connecting her. The on-call plumber's phone gets a text briefing, then rings, and he presses 1 to take the call. While that call is happening, a second caller wants a water heater quote; the AI books an estimate for Friday at 1 into an open slot. Mid-morning a third caller is 45 miles out; polite no.
Friday's water heater estimate ends with "let me talk to my wife." The sequence starts that night. Day 3 text: "Any questions on the tankless option?" Reply: "Yes, can you do it Tuesday?" Saturday's dashboard: 29 calls, 18 jobs booked, 4 quotes out, 2 closed, and the truck wrap number produced more booked work this week than the Nextdoor posts.
What AI Front Desk Helper does besides answer the phone
Answering the phone is the entry point, not the product. Here is the rest of what runs once a contractor is on AI Front Desk Helper:
- Booking that respects your calendar. Alex checks your own Google Calendar and offers real open times, so it never books a slot you're already on a job for. Jobs per time slot, arrival windows, appointment length, same-day booking and service days by ZIP code are all settings. Reschedules and cancellations move or remove the event.
- Crews, not just one calendar. Optional auto-assign books each job to a free crew member in turn, using their own calendar and work days, and adds them to the event. Repeating visits (weekly, every two weeks, monthly) can be paused for one customer or for the season.
- After-hours emergencies. You write what counts as an emergency and list up to three on-call phones. Alex rings them in order with a text briefing, and the tech presses 1 to take the call. Emergency texts and website chats alert the same phones, and a tech can reply CALL to be connected.
- Photos by text. Customers can text a photo to your number. Alex saves it to their card, forwards an emergency photo to the on-call phones, sends your Quick Quote link for a job it can price, and offers a visit for anything else.
- Straight answers on price. With the estimator turned on, for junk removal, window cleaning, pressure washing, house cleaning, pest control, garage doors, pool service, flooring, concrete, window installation, stump grinding and lawn care, Alex gives a ballpark from your own price sheet and says the crew confirms on site. Trades that price on site can set a service call fee, and Alex answers financing and insurance questions from what you set. No number you didn't give it.
- Instant online quotes. A branded quote-and-book page for your business (yours looks like quote.yourcompany.com) where customers get a ballpark and pick a time, day or night. Built in for painting, roofing, siding, fencing, gutters and the twelve trades above, and switched on with the estimator (included on Elite, a $20/month add-on on Basic and Pro).
- Estimate follow-up that doesn't quit. Text sequences at 24 hours, 3, 5 and 10 days on every quote that hasn't closed, written like a contractor, stopping the moment the customer replies.
- Objection detection. "Too expensive" or "need to think about it" triggers a recovery script instead of a polite goodbye.
- Outbound campaigns. AI calls and texts to your past-customer list for seasonal reactivation, win-backs and referral asks. You set the campaign; it dials.
- Google Business Profile, handled. Every new review gets an owner reply drafted for you; profile posts can be drafted, approved and scheduled weeks ahead; a profile health audit shows how you stack up against nearby competitors.
- Revenue coaching by lead source. Every phone number is tied to where it came from (Angi, LSA, Facebook, referral, yard sign), so the dashboard shows which marketing produces booked revenue and which to cut.
- Customer DISC profiles. Every caller and texter gets a buying-style read (D, I, S or C) from what they actually said, with a confidence flag, so you walk into the estimate knowing how to sell to them.
- Franchise HQ. One rollup across every location for multi-unit operators.
- Reseller program. Agencies can offer the whole system under their own brand. How it works.
- Optional add-on: AI Rep Coach. Records in-home estimates and coaches the people who sell, with manager review and team analytics. Sold separately, per seat.
Setup for a plumbing company
One onboarding call. We load your services (repair, water heaters, drains and sewer, repipes, remodel plumbing if you do it), your emergency list and on-call phones (up to three, rung in order), your service-call fee, your service area and your calendar. Forward your existing number or port it. Most plumbing companies are live within the week.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $297/mo | 24/7 AI call answering, missed-call text-back, lead capture and CRM sync, call transcripts. |
| Pro | $497/mo | Everything in Basic plus Google Calendar booking with free/busy checks, SMS follow-up sequences (24h / 3d / 5d / 10d), website AI chat widget, appointment reminders, Facebook Messenger. |
| Elite | $997/mo | Everything in Pro plus outbound AI campaigns (win-backs, seasonal reactivation, referral asks), AI revenue coaching by lead source, Google review response writer, objection detection, referral autopilot, franchise HQ rollup. |
Annual billing is two months free. Call minutes included every month: 500 on Basic, 1,200 on Pro, 3,000 on Elite (extra minutes $0.30). No setup fee, month to month.
Which plan for a plumbing company
Owner-operator plumbers usually start on Pro: calendar booking, reminders and the quote follow-up are the three things that change the week. Elite makes sense once you have a customer list worth working (annual water heater flush reminders, sewer camera inspections for past customers, referral asks) and marketing spend worth attributing. Basic covers a one-truck operation that needs the phone answered and leads captured, nothing more.
Questions plumbers ask
Can it tell a real emergency from a drip?
Yes, using your list. You write what counts as an emergency in your own words (active leak, no water, sewage backup, flooding) and when it applies. Alex never asks "is this an emergency?"; if it's unclear it asks one question, like "Is water still coming in right now?" Emergencies ring your on-call phones in order with a text briefing first; a drip gets booked like any other job.
Does it tell the caller to shut off the water?
It can ask whether the main is off and note it for the tech. On an emergency call it can also read a message you write, like "shut off the main valve if it's safe." It doesn't give repair instructions.
Does it work with Housecall Pro or Jobber?
Not directly yet. New leads and bookings can go to Housecall Pro or Jobber through Zapier or a webhook, and Alex books onto your Google Calendar after checking what's open. Both platforms' built-in receptionists are covered on the comparison pages.
What if I'm under a sink and can't take the transfer?
On an emergency it rings your on-call phones in order, up to three, so the call goes to your backup if you don't press 1. If nobody answers, the caller leaves a message and every on-call phone gets "MISSED EMERGENCY" and the transcript by text. Routine calls Alex books on its own.
Does it cost more during a cold snap?
Only if you go past your plan's included minutes: 1,200 a month on Pro, 3,000 on Elite. Extra minutes are $0.30 each.
Fifteen minutes. We call your business line, run a real plumbing company call, and show you what happens after it. You decide.
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