Gas smell or CO alarm
We set the first safety instruction to get everyone out and call 911 or the gas company from outside. The receptionist then attempts to alert your on-call tech.
AI phone receptionist
A receptionist that picks up when your crew can't.
Call handling on the schedule you choose, including nights and weekends. It answers in your shop's name, asks your safety questions, tries your on-call tech when needed and takes booking requests for you to confirm. You receive summaries of handled calls.
How a call works
Five steps we build and test for your shop.
We configure the receptionist around your rules and test it before launch. AI and phone connections can fail, so we agree on a fallback with you. It is not an emergency service or a guarantee of response.
- Step 1
Answer
Picks up on the schedule you choose, names your shop, says it's an AI assistant and that the call may be recorded.
- Step 2
Safety check
Asks about gas smells and CO alarms on urgent calls. If there's danger, safety instructions come first.
- Step 3
Understand
What's wrong, where, how urgent, and who's calling, checked against your services and service area.
- Step 4
Route
- Urgent callTry your on-call tech, then your backup
- RoutineRequest a window for you to confirm
- Everything elseA clear message for you
- Step 5
Report
You receive a summary of handled calls: who called, what they reported and what action was attempted. Your team reviews the details.
Is it worth it?
Do the math with your own numbers.
Think about the calls that ring out today: after hours, on weekends, and when everyone's on a job during the first cold snap or a July heat wave. Put in your own numbers. The example figures are only a starting point.
This shows what's at stake, not a promise of what you'll win back. Some of those callers would have left a message or tried you again.
Work at stake each month
$4,550
6 calls × 50% × $350 × 52 weeks ÷ 12 months
The receptionist is $499 a month.
What it handles
Built around the calls an HVAC shop actually gets.
In the 2020 survey, 39% of Connecticut homes heated mainly with fuel oil or kerosene and 36% with natural gas (U.S. EIA, 2020). Your receptionist is built to know an oil boiler call from a heat pump call, and to ask the right questions for each.
No heat, no cooling
It asks what your dispatcher would: oil, gas or heat pump? Anyone at risk in the cold? Then it follows your rules: a warm transfer to the on-call tech, an alert to you, or a first-thing visit.
Installs and replacements
It takes down the home, the current system and what the caller wants, and requests an estimate visit.
Tune-ups and maintenance
It takes requests for seasonal maintenance and service-plan visits in the windows you choose. Your shop confirms them.
Questions and follow-ups
Billing, warranty, “is my tech still coming?” It takes a clear message and flags it for you.
Sales calls and spam
It can flag likely sales calls and spam for your review. It may not catch every unwanted call.
Getting started
Set up for you. Tested before your customers hear it.
You run a shop, not a software project. We do the build, the testing and the tuning.
We learn your shop
One conversation about your services, service area, hours, pricing rules, who's on call, and what counts as an emergency.
We build and test it
Your receptionist goes through a long list of test calls, including gas smells, upset callers and wrong numbers, before it goes live.
You keep your number
Calls forward from your existing line after hours, on weekends, or when nobody picks up. Customers dial the number they always have.
We keep tuning it
You read the summaries. Tell us what to change, and we adjust the receptionist so it handles calls the way you would.
Guardrails
The rules we build into your setup.
These are setup rules we test, not guarantees that AI will never make a mistake. Your team remains responsible for reviewing calls and following up.
- RuleIdentify itself as AIIt introduces itself as your shop's AI assistant, and says so plainly if anyone asks.
- RuleUse your approved pricesIt only shares prices and fees you've signed off on. Anything else becomes a callback for you.
- RuleUse your offered time windowsIt offers only the appointment windows and callback times you've given it.
- RulePrioritize reported safety issuesFor a reported gas smell or CO alarm, the flow directs the caller outside to contact 911 or the gas company. It then attempts your escalation plan.
- RuleDisclose recordingEvery call opens with a notice that it may be recorded.
- RuleKeep callers' information privateYour callers' details belong to your shop. We never sell them or use them for marketing.
What it costs
The price, and exactly what it covers.
One monthly price. The setup covers learning your shop, building the receptionist around your rules and testing it before your customers hear it. Our first two founding shops pay $499 setup.
Also for your shop: Website with online booking · Local SEO
AI phone receptionist
Answers the calls you can't get to, on the schedule you choose.
$499a month
plus $999 one-time setup
What you get
- Answers after hours, on weekends, or whenever nobody picks up
- Your safety questions and escalation plan: try your on-call tech, then your backup
- Takes booking requests for your confirmation, or details for a callback
- Summaries of handled calls; transcripts where enabled
- Built, tested on a long list of calls and tuned for your shop
- You keep your phone number
- A monthly report, plus seasonal updates for heating and cooling season
Your part
- Turn on call forwarding from your line. We walk you through it.
- Keep your hours, on-call list and prices current, and tell us when they change.
- Read your summaries and tell us what to change.
Month to month after setup, with 30 days' notice to cancel. Your quote states the call minutes included and the rate past them.
Questions
Receptionist questions.
Something else on your mind? Ask it on the demo, or email ben@steadyguideai.com.
Will callers know they're talking to AI?
Yes. It introduces itself as your shop's AI assistant at the start of the call and answers honestly if asked. It speaks naturally and handles interruptions, so the call still feels easy.
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. Your existing number forwards to your receptionist on the schedule you pick: after hours, on weekends, or when a call isn't picked up after a few rings. Some phone plans charge for call forwarding, so it's worth checking yours.
What happens with a real emergency?
Gas smells and CO alarms get safety instructions first. No-heat and no-cooling calls follow your rules: a warm transfer to your on-call tech, an alert to you, or a booked first-thing visit. If your on-call tech doesn't answer, it follows the backup plan you set.
It is not a replacement for 911. Anyone in danger should call 911.
What if it gets a call wrong?
You receive summaries of handled calls and transcripts where enabled. AI can miss details or make mistakes, so review them. Tell us what should have happened and we adjust the setup. We test escalation and fallback rules before launch; they cannot guarantee that every error will be caught.
Can it book into my calendar or dispatch software?
That depends on what you use. Many shops start with booking requests that land in the call summary for you to confirm. On the demo we'll look at your tools and tell you plainly what connects. A direct connection to Jobber, Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan, where your plan allows one, is quoted separately.
Does it text my customers?
Only if you want it to, and only with their consent. Texts such as appointment confirmations go out under your shop's name, and every text tells people how to opt out. See our SMS Terms.
Are calls recorded? Who sees them?
Calls can be recorded and transcribed so your summaries are accurate and your setup keeps improving. Callers hear a recording notice at the start of every call. Recordings and transcripts belong to your shop, and we never sell them or use them for marketing. The details are in our Privacy Policy.
I already have an answering service. Why switch?
Keep it if it works for you. On the demo, compare how the receptionist uses your shop's rules, asks safety questions, takes booking requests and summarizes handled calls. Decide whether it fits your shop.
Do I need to be good with computers?
No. We do the setup, the testing and the changes. What you'll do is read a short summary after each call, the way you'd read a message slip, and tell us in plain words if something should change. Email, a text or a phone call is fine.
Is there a limit on calls?
Your quote states how many call minutes are included each month and the rate past them, so you can estimate your bill before you sign. Usage above the allowance adds to the bill unless your written agreement includes a cap.
Next step
See it work on your calls.
Tell us a little about your shop. We'll build the demo around it and show you what it would do, in plain terms, before you commit to anything.