Answering service questions, answered plainly.

An answering service answers a business's phone when nobody there can — at night, at weekends, or while everyone is on a job. It used to mean a human call center taking messages for many businesses at once; it now also means AI voice agents that answer, ask questions and write the details down. For a contractor, a useful one does four things: works out what is wrong, takes down the caller's name, callback number and service address, recognizes an emergency, and either books the job or gets it to whoever is on call.

Yes. Human answering services such as Ruby, Abby Connect, AnswerConnect and Smith.ai still sell monthly plans, AI answering services have joined them, and field-service platforms including Jobber, Housecall Pro and ServiceTitan now sell AI receptionists of their own. What has changed is the price: published human plans work out at roughly $2.76–$5.00 a minute for the minutes in the plan, while paid AI plans start around $29–$99 a month, and two are free for a small number of calls.

Usually, if calls that would have become jobs are going unanswered. Invoca's 2026 home-services benchmark says roughly 48% of calls to home-service businesses don't reach a person, and SearchLight's February 2026 study of Google Local Services Ads found each ad call or message turned into about $487 of paid work for HVAC and $390 for plumbing, among contractors who track their ads closely. At anything near those numbers, one saved job a month pays for most AI plans. It is not worth it if someone already answers nearly every call live, or if the phone rings a few times a week.

AI receptionists are worth it when the calls they catch are worth more than they cost, and not when your calls need judgment they cannot supply. The money is rarely the hard part — one recovered job in the trades is worth hundreds of dollars. Quality is: speech recognition mishears, language models make mistakes, and no AI receptionist, Wakeman included, can guarantee that every call is answered, understood or booked correctly. Listen to real recordings before you buy, and ask to hear what it does with an emergency.

Not entirely, and a vendor who says it can is overselling. An AI receptionist can answer several calls at once at 2am, capture the details and offer the appointment windows you set. It cannot use judgment the way an experienced office person does with an upset regular, a billing dispute or a job that does not fit the script, and it will sometimes mishear. Most small shops use one for the calls nobody is free to take — nights, weekends and the phone ringing while everyone is on a job — and keep people for the rest.

Ask six questions, in writing. What does each minute cost once the included minutes run out? Can the cheapest plan actually book a job, or does it only text the caller a link? Are spam calls billed? If you set a spending limit, does it cut a caller off mid-call, or let the call finish? Which job software does it put jobs into? And what does it say to a caller who smells gas? Any vendor that will not answer all six on a sales call will not answer them when your bill arrives.

A live answering service works out at roughly $2.76–$5.00 per included minute on published plans — about $164–$2,100 a month. AI answering services start at $29–$99 a month, and home-services specialists from $49 (Wakeman) to $449 (Sameday) and up; Avoca publishes no price. Wakeman is $49, $149 or $399 a month with minutes included. Read it in context

A few have free tiers: Smith.ai's AI Receptionist includes 25 calls a month, then $3.00 a call, and Phonely includes 100 minutes a month. Jobber includes its AI Receptionist on its Plus plan, which itself lists at $499 a month. Wakeman is free for 14 days or 500 minutes, whichever comes first, with nothing charged until the trial ends. Read it in context

Three plans, each answering day and night: Starter is $49 a month with 100 minutes included, then $0.45 a minute; Pro is $149 with 500, then $0.35; Max is $399 with 1,500, then $0.29. Pay yearly and it's ten months' price for twelve, two months free. Tax is extra. Spam calls are never billed. You set a monthly limit: when you reach it, new calls ring your on-call phone instead, and a call already going can finish a little over it. If the first month isn’t worth it, email info@wakeman.ai within 30 days of your first payment and we refund it in full. Read it in context

The trial runs 14 days or 500 minutes of answering, whichever comes first. If sign-up on our website asks for a card, you pick a plan and add one, and nothing is charged that day. Unless you cancel, that plan starts when the 14 days end: we email you a week before the first charge, and you can change the plan or cancel in Account before then. If the 500 minutes run out first, Wakeman stops answering until your plan starts, and you can start it early in Account. New sign-ups, including setup with our team or website chat, need a card before activation. An existing trial started under earlier no-card terms charges nothing unless you choose a plan: pick one to keep Wakeman answering, or it stops and new calls ring your on-call phone instead. Read it in context

After the minutes in your plan: $0.45 a minute on Starter, $0.35 on Pro and $0.29 on Max. Each call is rounded up to the next whole minute. Read it in context

Jobber’s AI Receptionist is included on Jobber’s Plus plan. On other plans it’s a $29 a month add-on (checked on Jobber’s pages, 20 October 2026). Wakeman is built for the calls that cost real money when they go wrong: it asks the questions a plumber or an HVAC tech would, rings whoever is on call during an emergency, and tells a burst pipe from a sales call. Read it in context

Yes, for your first month. If you pay for a plan and it isn’t worth it, email info@wakeman.ai within 30 days of your first payment and we refund that payment in full. It covers the first plan payment, once per business; extra minutes and later months aren’t included. Read it in context

Human services work out at roughly $2.76–$5.00 a minute for the minutes in their published plans — Abby Connect is $1,380/mo for 500 minutes, Ruby $250/mo for 50. Pro works out at about $0.30 a minute. Wakeman writes each job down by default, and books a time only after you switch booking on. Read it in context

No setup fee and no minimum term. You can cancel through the self-service billing portal without a phone call, effective at the end of the current period. Some big answering services charge a setup fee, lock you in for 90 days, or charge you to take your number back. Ask any vendor about all three in writing. Read it in context

No. The number you already have stays yours, with your phone company. We never take it over, so leaving is easy. Read it in context

You set a monthly limit. When you reach it, new calls ring your on-call phone instead. A call already going can finish, so you may go a little over. Tax is extra. One thing to know: if the limit you set during the trial is at or below your plan's monthly price when you subscribe, it would run out before the first call. So we raise it to the plan price plus half, rounded up to the next $50 — for Pro ($149) that's $250. You can change it any time. Read it in context

A service that answers a contractor's calls when the office can't — after hours, at weekends, or when everyone is on a job. Some just take a message. Others write down the whole job or offer a time. Ask where the times come from: if it can't see your schedule, the time it offers may already be taken. Read it in context

Human answering services work out at roughly $2.76–$5.00 per included minute on their published plans. AI services run from free and $29 a month for general-purpose tools to $49–$789 a month for ones built for home services (Rosie to Sameday, checked 20–21 Oct 2026). Wakeman is $49, $149 or $399 a month for 100, 500 or 1,500 minutes, then 45¢, 35¢ or 29¢ a minute. Read it in context

It varies a lot, and it's the question worth asking. Some cheaper products only text the caller a booking link. Wakeman writes the job down by default. It books a time only after you switch booking on, and then it offers only the time windows you choose; each booked job lands in Jobber with the customer and the checked address. Read it in context

Plumbing, HVAC, roofing, restoration and electrical have the deepest pages, with sourced figures for what a missed call costs. Setup also takes garage door, pest control, landscaping, lawn care, pool service, cleaning, pressure washing, handyman, painting, remodeling, construction, junk removal, moving, propane and heating oil, home security, solar, auto repair, dealership service, interior design and pet sitting. The safety rules for gas, carbon monoxide, a downed power line, fire or smoke, a medical emergency, a child or pet locked in a car, water near electrics, a structural collapse, major flooding and sewage inside are the same in every trade. Read it in context

CSR stands for customer service representative: the person at a home-services company who answers the phone, works out what the caller needs and books the job. An AI CSR does that part of the job on the phone. Wakeman is one built for shops without a call center: it answers the calls your team misses in your company’s name, says it is an AI, sorts emergencies from routine jobs, writes each job down, and books it into Jobber once you switch booking on. Read it in context

It works best for service trades whose calls come from homeowners, and plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing and restoration have their own pages. A builder, remodeler or general contractor can use it to answer missed calls and write down estimate requests, and the safety rules for gas, fire, electrics and flooding still apply. There is no construction-specific triage: a bid invitation or a warranty question is written down as an ordinary message. Read it in context

No. The number you already have stays yours — we never port it away at signup, precisely so that leaving is easy if the product does not work for you. Read it in context

A service that answers a contractor's calls when the office cannot and gets the urgent ones to someone who can act — usually the on-call tech — instead of leaving them in a voicemail box until morning. The part worth checking is how it decides what counts as an emergency, and what it tells the caller while they wait. Read it in context

These ten: gas, carbon monoxide, a downed power line, fire or smoke, a medical emergency, a child or pet locked in a car, water near electrics, a structural collapse, major flooding and sewage inside. Sparks or arcing count as fire. Each has safety steps written in advance, and each tries your on-call phone while the caller is still on the line. It listens for particular words, so a caller who describes a hazard differently may only be marked urgent. It answers in English and Spanish. Read it in context

No. It is a safety net, not an emergency service, and not a substitute for 911. On a dangerous call it gives the caller the safety steps first — for a gas smell or a fire, that means getting out and calling 911. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say the written steps exactly, and a phone call to your on-call tech can fail. Read it in context

It tries the on-call tech's phone during a dangerous call, then the owner's. If nobody is on call, it tries the owner's phone. If the on-call phone is the same line that forwards to Wakeman, that phone gets an urgent text instead of a ring. Review any call summary and recording available with the caller's consent. Emergencies sit at the top of your morning screen in red. Read it in context

No. It doesn’t call 911 itself. On a dangerous call it gives the safety steps written in advance — for a gas smell or a fire, that means telling the caller to get out and call 911 themselves — and then tries your on-call phone. Read it in context

It reaches them as an urgent text on the on-call phone. No heat and no cooling are marked urgent; a ring during the call is kept for the dangers above. Read it in context

No. An account cannot go live without a reachable on-call contact. If you haven’t given an on-call number, Wakeman won’t tell a caller that help is on the way. Read it in context

A feature that sends an automatic text to someone whose call you didn't answer, usually saying you'll call back. It stops a caller from feeling ignored, but the caller has still reached nobody, and many will ring the next contractor instead of replying. Read it in context

Wakeman answers the call instead, so there is no missed call to text. When a call with Wakeman drops or ends without a booking, it texts the caller back — if they agreed to texts on the call — and sends your on-call phone — or yours, if nobody is on call — the caller's name, number, the problem and the address it heard. Read it in context

A text to the caller waits until your quiet hours end, so a 2am hang-up doesn't get a 2am text. The alert to your on-call phone goes straight away when the call may be an emergency, and waits for quiet hours to end when it doesn't. Read it in context

Yes. Every text says to reply STOP to opt out, and Wakeman only texts a caller who agreed to texts during the call. Read it in context

About $487 of paid work per Google ad call or message, from SearchLight’s February 2026 Local Services Ads benchmark: a 9.55× return on the $51 Google charged for each, across 409 HVAC accounts. Multiplying the 44% booking rate by the $2,110 average job gives $928, but that counts every booked lead as paid, and SearchLight’s own figures show about half of them were not. Read it in context

It can take several calls at the same time, but not an unlimited number. If a heat wave is forecast, tell us ahead of time so we can check your limit is high enough. Calls over the limit may wait or fail. Read it in context

It is set up for your trade and your own list of services. No heat or no cooling is marked urgent and sent to your on-call phone as a text. Dangers like a burning smell or carbon monoxide are emergencies, and Wakeman tries your on-call phone during the call. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

Three plans, each answering day and night: $49, $149 or $399 a month by how busy you are, with 100, 500 or 1,500 minutes included, then 45¢, 35¢ or 29¢ a minute by plan. Pay yearly and get two months free. You set a monthly spend limit, and spam calls are never billed. Read it in context

Yes. Switch on “Answer only while we’re closed”, on any plan, and Wakeman answers only while you’re closed, by the hours you set, and daytime calls keep ringing your team. No heat or no cooling reaches your on-call tech as an urgent text, and a burning smell or carbon monoxide tries your on-call phone during the call. Read it in context

It can be. On every plan, Wakeman answers the calls your team misses at any hour, day or night. If you switch on “Answer only while we’re closed”, it answers only outside the hours you set. Like any phone service it can have an outage, so it doesn’t promise that every call is answered. Read it in context

Both names describe the same job, and so does "AI CSR". Wakeman is an AI receptionist: it answers the calls your team misses in your company’s name, and says it is an AI at the start of every call. Like a HVAC answering service or a virtual receptionist, it writes each job down; unlike a message-taking service, it tells an emergency from a routine call and alerts your on-call phone for the dangerous ones. Read it in context

Every plan answers the calls your team misses at any hour, or only while you are closed if you switch on “Answer only while we’re closed”. Like any phone service it can have an outage. Each call starts by telling the caller they are talking to an AI and that the call is recorded. Read it in context

It has safety words written in advance for gas, carbon monoxide, a downed power line, fire or smoke, a medical emergency, a child or pet locked in a car, water near electrics, a structural collapse, major flooding and sewage inside. When a caller describes one, Wakeman tries your on-call phone during the call. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

Not as a separate field. It writes down the caller’s name, callback number, the address and what happened. If they mention their insurer or a claim number, it may be in a call recording available with their consent. It never takes card details over the phone. Read it in context

Major flooding, fire or smoke, sewage and water near electrics are treated as emergencies: Wakeman gives safety steps written in advance and tries your on-call phone during the call. A routine request, like a mold assessment, is written down for the morning. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

Human answering services work out at roughly $2.76–$5.00 per included minute on their published plans. Wakeman is $49, $149 or $399 a month with 100, 500 or 1,500 minutes included, then 45¢, 35¢ or 29¢ a minute by plan. Spam calls are never billed, and you set a monthly spend limit. Read it in context

Both names describe the same job, and so does "AI CSR". Wakeman is an AI receptionist: it answers the calls your team misses in your company’s name, and says it is an AI at the start of every call. Like a restoration answering service or a virtual receptionist, it writes each job down; unlike a message-taking service, it tells an emergency from a routine call and alerts your on-call phone for the dangerous ones. Read it in context

Yes. A car trapped inside is marked urgent, and so is a garage door that won’t close, is stuck open, has come off its track or came down on its own. It goes to your on-call phone as an urgent text, with the address. Nobody is in danger, so it doesn’t ring anyone during the call. A burning smell, smoke or sparks from the opener is different: Wakeman gives safety steps and tries your on-call phone during the call. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

Only the fees you set. Turn on “Say my trip fee out loud” and it tells callers your trip fee, and your after-hours fee if you have one. It never prices the repair itself: it takes down what broke and the address, and tells the caller the tech quotes the job before any work starts. Read it in context

It writes every repair down to start with. Once you turn booking on, it offers the times you have set in Wakeman and writes booked jobs into Jobber on Pro and Max. It does not see your whole Jobber calendar, which is why booking starts off. Read it in context

It uses one set of safety rules in every trade, so nothing dangerous slips through a trade-specific gap: gas, carbon monoxide, a downed power line, fire or smoke, a medical emergency, a child or pet locked in a car, water near electrics, a structural collapse, major flooding and sewage inside. When a caller describes one, Wakeman gives safety steps written in advance and tries your on-call phone during the call. A caller with no heat, cooling or hot water, an empty oil or propane tank, a leak that can’t wait, a blocked drain, no power, a stuck garage door, a break-in or a door that won’t lock, or a lockout is marked urgent and texted to your on-call phone at once. So is a driver who needs a tow now, and any caller who mentions a baby, an older person or someone on oxygen at home. A slow drip, or a leak the caller says can wait, is written down as a routine job unless the water is spreading, doing damage or won’t stop. Everything else garage door companies get asked about is written down as a job, using the list of jobs you give it in setup. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

Wakeman is $49, $149 or $399 a month with 100, 500 or 1,500 minutes included, then 45¢, 35¢ or 29¢ a minute by plan. There is no setup fee and no minimum term, spam calls are never billed, and you set a monthly spend limit. Human answering services work out at roughly $2.76–$5.00 per included minute on their published plans. Read it in context

Both names describe the same job, and so does "AI CSR". Wakeman is an AI receptionist: it answers the calls your team misses in your company’s name, and says it is an AI at the start of every call. Like a garage door answering service or a virtual receptionist, it writes each job down; unlike a message-taking service, it tells an emergency from a routine call and alerts your on-call phone for the dangerous ones. Read it in context

For most landscapers the missed calls are daytime ones, while everyone is out on a job. Every Wakeman plan answers the calls your team misses at any hour, so leave “Answer only while we’re closed” off. Read it in context

Yes. Lawn care is a trade of its own in setup, and it starts with “Mowing”, “Fertilizing”, “Weed control”, “Aeration” and “Leaf removal”. A customer whose visit was missed is a call for a person: it takes a message, then tries to put the caller through to your on-call phone. If there is no number it can put them through to, the message is marked urgent instead. Read it in context

A limb across the driveway is written down as a cleanup job, with the address. A caller who says a tree has fallen on the house or brought down a power line gets safety steps, and Wakeman tries your on-call phone during the call. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

It uses one set of safety rules in every trade, so nothing dangerous slips through a trade-specific gap: gas, carbon monoxide, a downed power line, fire or smoke, a medical emergency, a child or pet locked in a car, water near electrics, a structural collapse, major flooding and sewage inside. When a caller describes one, Wakeman gives safety steps written in advance and tries your on-call phone during the call. A caller with no heat, cooling or hot water, an empty oil or propane tank, a leak that can’t wait, a blocked drain, no power, a stuck garage door, a break-in or a door that won’t lock, or a lockout is marked urgent and texted to your on-call phone at once. So is a driver who needs a tow now, and any caller who mentions a baby, an older person or someone on oxygen at home. A slow drip, or a leak the caller says can wait, is written down as a routine job unless the water is spreading, doing damage or won’t stop. Everything else landscapers get asked about is written down as a job, using the list of jobs you give it in setup. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

Wakeman is $49, $149 or $399 a month with 100, 500 or 1,500 minutes included, then 45¢, 35¢ or 29¢ a minute by plan. There is no setup fee and no minimum term, spam calls are never billed, and you set a monthly spend limit. Human answering services work out at roughly $2.76–$5.00 per included minute on their published plans. Read it in context

Both names describe the same job, and so does "AI CSR". Wakeman is an AI receptionist: it answers the calls your team misses in your company’s name, and says it is an AI at the start of every call. Like a landscaping answering service or a virtual receptionist, it writes each job down; unlike a message-taking service, it tells an emergency from a routine call and alerts your on-call phone for the dangerous ones. Read it in context

It is built for home services, and construction is one of the trades setup offers. It starts a construction company’s list with “New build”, “Home addition”, “Bid request” and “Warranty issue”, and you can change them. Bid invitations and supplier calls become messages, a homeowner’s new build or addition is written down with the address, and a problem with finished work is a call for a person: it takes a message, then tries to put the caller through to your on-call phone. If there is no number it can put them through to, the message is marked urgent instead. Read it in context

Yes. A supplier or another business calling the shop gets a short message with who they are and what they need, and isn’t treated as a customer. A caller who asks for someone by name, such as a sub asking for the owner, hears that person isn’t free and is offered a call back, and the message starts with who they asked for. A sales pitch gets one polite sentence, and the call ends. Read it in context

It uses one set of safety rules in every trade, so nothing dangerous slips through a trade-specific gap: gas, carbon monoxide, a downed power line, fire or smoke, a medical emergency, a child or pet locked in a car, water near electrics, a structural collapse, major flooding and sewage inside. When a caller describes one, Wakeman gives safety steps written in advance and tries your on-call phone during the call. A caller with no heat, cooling or hot water, an empty oil or propane tank, a leak that can’t wait, a blocked drain, no power, a stuck garage door, a break-in or a door that won’t lock, or a lockout is marked urgent and texted to your on-call phone at once. So is a driver who needs a tow now, and any caller who mentions a baby, an older person or someone on oxygen at home. A slow drip, or a leak the caller says can wait, is written down as a routine job unless the water is spreading, doing damage or won’t stop. Everything else builders and general contractors get asked about is written down as a job, using the list of jobs you give it in setup. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

Wakeman is $49, $149 or $399 a month with 100, 500 or 1,500 minutes included, then 45¢, 35¢ or 29¢ a minute by plan. There is no setup fee and no minimum term, spam calls are never billed, and you set a monthly spend limit. Human answering services work out at roughly $2.76–$5.00 per included minute on their published plans. Read it in context

Both names describe the same job, and so does "AI CSR". Wakeman is an AI receptionist: it answers the calls your team misses in your company’s name, and says it is an AI at the start of every call. Like a construction answering service or a virtual receptionist, it writes each job down; unlike a message-taking service, it tells an emergency from a routine call and alerts your on-call phone for the dangerous ones. Read it in context

It gives safety steps written in advance: leave the building right now, don’t touch any light switches, and call 9-1-1 from outside. Then Wakeman tries your on-call phone during the call. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

Yes. A caller who says they have run out of oil or propane, or that the tank is empty, is marked urgent, cold house or not, and so is any caller who mentions a baby, an older person or someone on oxygen at home. It goes to your on-call phone as an urgent text. A caller who is almost out, or wants a delivery before they run out, is written down for the office. Neither rings anyone during the call. Read it in context

Yes. It writes each one down with the address and what the caller needs, for your office. With booking on, it offers a time from the list you set; it doesn’t see your delivery routes. It never quotes a price per gallon. Read it in context

It uses one set of safety rules in every trade, so nothing dangerous slips through a trade-specific gap: gas, carbon monoxide, a downed power line, fire or smoke, a medical emergency, a child or pet locked in a car, water near electrics, a structural collapse, major flooding and sewage inside. When a caller describes one, Wakeman gives safety steps written in advance and tries your on-call phone during the call. A caller with no heat, cooling or hot water, an empty oil or propane tank, a leak that can’t wait, a blocked drain, no power, a stuck garage door, a break-in or a door that won’t lock, or a lockout is marked urgent and texted to your on-call phone at once. So is a driver who needs a tow now, and any caller who mentions a baby, an older person or someone on oxygen at home. A slow drip, or a leak the caller says can wait, is written down as a routine job unless the water is spreading, doing damage or won’t stop. Everything else fuel delivery companies get asked about is written down as a job, using the list of jobs you give it in setup. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

Wakeman is $49, $149 or $399 a month with 100, 500 or 1,500 minutes included, then 45¢, 35¢ or 29¢ a minute by plan. There is no setup fee and no minimum term, spam calls are never billed, and you set a monthly spend limit. Human answering services work out at roughly $2.76–$5.00 per included minute on their published plans. Read it in context

Both names describe the same job, and so does "AI CSR". Wakeman is an AI receptionist: it answers the calls your team misses in your company’s name, and says it is an AI at the start of every call. Like a propane and heating oil answering service or a virtual receptionist, it writes each job down; unlike a message-taking service, it tells an emergency from a routine call and alerts your on-call phone for the dangerous ones. Read it in context

It writes down where they are as they say it: the road, the direction they were going, and the nearest exit, mile marker or cross street. Only a street address is checked against the map, and it never holds a stranded driver up asking for one. Read it in context

Yes. A driver who needs a tow or a jump now, has broken down or run out of gas on the road, or is stuck in a ditch, the mud or the snow is marked urgent and goes to your on-call phone as an urgent text. So does a crash. A tow booked for another day comes to you as a normal message. If someone is hurt or a car is on fire, Wakeman tells the caller to call 9-1-1 first and tries your on-call phone during the call. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

No. It never says when the truck will get there or what the tow will cost. It tells the caller someone from your team will call back with both. Read it in context

No. It doesn’t connect to towing dispatch software, and it starts towing companies on taking requests rather than booking times. It writes each call down and texts it to you, urgent ones to your on-call phone at once, and your team sends the truck. Read it in context

It uses one set of safety rules in every trade, so nothing dangerous slips through a trade-specific gap: gas, carbon monoxide, a downed power line, fire or smoke, a medical emergency, a child or pet locked in a car, water near electrics, a structural collapse, major flooding and sewage inside. When a caller describes one, Wakeman gives safety steps written in advance and tries your on-call phone during the call. A caller with no heat, cooling or hot water, an empty oil or propane tank, a leak that can’t wait, a blocked drain, no power, a stuck garage door, a break-in or a door that won’t lock, or a lockout is marked urgent and texted to your on-call phone at once. So is a driver who needs a tow now, and any caller who mentions a baby, an older person or someone on oxygen at home. A slow drip, or a leak the caller says can wait, is written down as a routine job unless the water is spreading, doing damage or won’t stop. Everything else towing companies get asked about is written down as a job, using the list of jobs you give it in setup. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

Wakeman is $49, $149 or $399 a month with 100, 500 or 1,500 minutes included, then 45¢, 35¢ or 29¢ a minute by plan. There is no setup fee and no minimum term, spam calls are never billed, and you set a monthly spend limit. Human answering services work out at roughly $2.76–$5.00 per included minute on their published plans. Read it in context

Both names describe the same job, and so does "AI CSR". Wakeman is an AI receptionist: it answers the calls your team misses in your company’s name, and says it is an AI at the start of every call. Like a towing answering service or a virtual receptionist, it writes each job down; unlike a message-taking service, it tells an emergency from a routine call and alerts your on-call phone for the dangerous ones. Read it in context

Gas, smoke, sparks, water near electrics or sewage coming up: Wakeman gives safety steps and tries your on-call phone during the call. No heat or no cooling, a leak that can’t wait, no power, a lockout, a break-in or an outside door that won’t lock is marked urgent and texted to your on-call phone at once. A broken dishwasher is written down for the morning. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

The same way for every caller. It writes down which property or how many bedrooms, when they want to move in, and a name and number, and never asks about family, children, age, religion, national origin, disability or anything else about who they are. It doesn’t say whether a home is available, what the rent is or whether someone would qualify unless your house rules tell it to; your team answers those. It is an AI speaking, so it may not always say it exactly that way. Read it in context

Yes. Set the office’s opening hours for each day of the week and switch on “Answer only while we’re closed”, on any plan. While the office is open, calls ring your team as they do today. Once it closes, the calls nobody picks up go to Wakeman, nights and weekends included. There is no holiday calendar yet: to cover a holiday, mark that weekday closed on your Hours page beforehand and set it back afterwards. Read it in context

No. It never takes a payment or card details on a call. A tenant calling about rent, a lease, a notice or a deposit is written down as a message for the office. Read it in context

No. Wakeman writes booked jobs into Jobber only. For a property manager it writes each call down and texts it to you, and your team creates the work order. It starts property managers on taking requests rather than booking times, because you send the vendor and arrange entry. Read it in context

It uses one set of safety rules in every trade, so nothing dangerous slips through a trade-specific gap: gas, carbon monoxide, a downed power line, fire or smoke, a medical emergency, a child or pet locked in a car, water near electrics, a structural collapse, major flooding and sewage inside. When a caller describes one, Wakeman gives safety steps written in advance and tries your on-call phone during the call. A caller with no heat, cooling or hot water, an empty oil or propane tank, a leak that can’t wait, a blocked drain, no power, a stuck garage door, a break-in or a door that won’t lock, or a lockout is marked urgent and texted to your on-call phone at once. So is a driver who needs a tow now, and any caller who mentions a baby, an older person or someone on oxygen at home. A slow drip, or a leak the caller says can wait, is written down as a routine job unless the water is spreading, doing damage or won’t stop. Everything else property managers get asked about is written down as a job, using the list of jobs you give it in setup. It is an AI speaking, so it may not say those words exactly, and we cannot promise the call to your phone gets through. It is a safety net, not an emergency service. Read it in context

Wakeman is $49, $149 or $399 a month with 100, 500 or 1,500 minutes included, then 45¢, 35¢ or 29¢ a minute by plan. There is no setup fee and no minimum term, spam calls are never billed, and you set a monthly spend limit. Human answering services work out at roughly $2.76–$5.00 per included minute on their published plans. Read it in context

Both names describe the same job, and so does "AI CSR". Wakeman is an AI receptionist: it answers the calls your team misses in your company’s name, and says it is an AI at the start of every call. Like a property management answering service or a virtual receptionist, it writes each job down; unlike a message-taking service, it tells an emergency from a routine call and alerts your on-call phone for the dangerous ones. Read it in context

Yes, and it should. Google counts an answered call as a lead, and a call that reaches voicemail or an automated greeting during your business hours too, once the caller stays on more than 20 seconds. Wakeman does not make the charge go away. It makes sure the call you are paying for is answered in your business name and turns into a job, instead of a voicemail they hang up on. Read it in context

It does change the charge. Google's help page says that when callers must press a key to be routed, the 20 seconds start at the key press, and a caller who never presses one is not charged. But the people who hang up at a menu are still people with a leak who called the next plumber. You stop paying for them and you also stop getting them. A menu cuts the bill by losing the customer; answering is the only option that keeps both. Read it in context

For the charge, yes. Google's help page says business hours are the hours on your Google Business Profile, and if you've set an ad schedule that differs from them, a missed call is charged only when it falls inside both. If your profile says open 24 hours, which is common for emergency plumbing and HVAC, every missed call over 20 seconds counts. Missed calls at any hour still cost you the job and can count against how responsive you look. Read it in context

Every plan answers the calls your team misses at any hour, which is what this change bills for: Starter from $49 a month, Pro at $149 for most shops. Leave “Answer only while we're closed” off: with it on, calls in your open hours ring your own phone, so it won't catch the business-hours misses. Read it in context

No. Your ad keeps sending calls to the number you already have. You set that phone to forward the calls nobody picks up to Wakeman, and you can switch that off from the phone itself. Wakeman answers as your business and never asks a caller to ring a different number — Google's rules forbid sending callers elsewhere to dodge a lead charge, and we would not want to anyway. Read it in context

Google has replaced manual disputes with automatic lead credits in the US, plus a "Rate this lead" survey on each lead. Wakeman sorts the calls it answers — spam, wrong area, a real job — and you can download that list from your dashboard, so you know which charges to question. Any recording, transcript and call summary depend on the caller's consent. Whether Google credits one is Google's decision. Read it in context

Nothing in Google's Local Services rules requires a person to answer or bans automated answering, and Google already counts calls handled by an automated system as leads. What the rules do require: the call is answered as your business, the job goes to your business and not someone else's, and nobody is told to call a different number. Wakeman answers in your business name and books or alerts your own team. Read it in context

The October 1 date is for the US. At least one UK advertiser reports November 1 on the same notice. Check the date on the email in your own Local Services account. Read it in context

Both start at $49 a month, and Rosie includes more minutes: 250 on its Professional plan against 100 on Wakeman's Starter, and 1,000 on its $149 Scale plan against 500 on Pro. What Wakeman's price buys is a receptionist built only for the trades: safety steps and an on-call ring for dangerous calls, booked jobs written straight into Jobber, and a published rate for extra minutes instead of being moved up a plan. Read it in context

Yes, for logging: since October 2026 Rosie connects to Jobber directly, makes each new caller a Jobber client and adds each call as a note. It doesn't book the job in Jobber; Rosie books into your calendar. Wakeman puts the confirmed job, with the checked address and arrival time, straight into Jobber when you turn booking on. Read it in context

Yes. Wakeman answers in English and Spanish, including Spanish safety steps. Rosie also answers in English and Spanish on every plan. Test each with your actual trade questions and escalation rules. Read it in context

On Rosie there is no per-minute charge: you are moved up to the next plan at its full price until you move back down. On Wakeman each plan has a published price for each extra minute, and you set a monthly spending limit. Read it in context

Yes. Home Depot's newsroom announced in July 2026 that Pro Xtra members get a 7-day trial plus two months free on Rosie's Professional or Scale plan. Home Depot refreshes its partner offers quarterly, so check it is still running before you count on it. Read it in context

It is included, with unlimited usage, on Jobber's Plus plan. On other plans it is a $29 a month add-on. One help article says the add-on includes 30 conversations, then $0.79 each; another says 100 conversations a month. Add-ons are not available during Jobber's trial (all checked on Jobber's own pages, 20 October 2026). Read it in context

Jobber's help centre says it runs on a dedicated Jobber phone number, available in the US, Canada and the UK. Wakeman works from the number you already have: the calls your team misses are forwarded to it. Read it in context

You set keywords for it to listen for, such as “emergency”, “no heat” or “burst pipe”, and it texts you or transfers the call to one escalation contact. Wakeman has safety steps written in advance for ten hazards and tries your on-call phone during the call; no heat is sent as an urgent text. Read it in context

Yes. Wakeman writes confirmed jobs into Jobber once you switch booking on, with the client matched on phone number and the checked address. It offers only the time windows you choose in Wakeman, so you decide exactly what a caller can be booked into. Read it in context

Choose Wakeman when you want to keep your own number, want dangerous calls to reach your on-call tech mid-call, with safety steps written in advance, want no-heat calls sorted from tune-ups, or want a published minute price instead of counted conversations. Jobber's receptionist is included on Jobber Plus and listens for the keywords you set. Read it in context

Smith.ai's AI Receptionist has a free plan with 25 calls a month, then $3.00 a call, and Pro plans from $150 a month for 75 calls to $500 for 300, with extra calls at $2.17–$2.50. Its human receptionists start at $300 a month for 30 calls, up to $2,100 for 300, with extra calls at $8.50–$11.50. Both bill per call, not per minute (Smith.ai's pricing pages, checked 24 September 2026). Read it in context

Yes. Its AI receptionist can transfer a call to a live receptionist based in North America at any hour; its AI pricing page does not publish the price of that handoff. Wakeman is AI only: a caller who asks for a person a second time is put through to your on-call phone. Read it in context

Smith.ai lists Jobber on its integrations pages, and the guides on its Jobber page connect the two through Zapier. It also lists ServiceTitan and Housecall Pro. Wakeman writes confirmed jobs straight into Jobber once you switch booking on; it does not write into ServiceTitan, and Housecall Pro is not generally available yet. Read it in context

Smith.ai filters out known spammers and lets you remove up to 10% of calls as spam each billing cycle. Wakeman never bills calls it classifies as spam. Read it in context

It depends on how long your calls run. Per-call pricing favours long calls and per-minute pricing favours short ones. Pull a month of call lengths from your phone system and price both before you choose. Read it in context

Goodcall lists three plans: Starter at $79 a month for 100 callers, Growth at $129 for 500 and Scale at $299 for 2,000. Each extra caller costs 79¢, 26¢ or 15¢ by plan. A caller is each different phone number that calls and talks to the agent in a month; calls and minutes are not counted. Enterprise is priced by volume (Goodcall's pricing page, checked 19 October 2026). Read it in context

They count different things. Goodcall counts callers: $79, $129 or $299 a month for 100, 500 or 2,000 different callers, then 79¢, 26¢ or 15¢ each. Wakeman counts minutes, and every plan answers day and night: Starter is $49 a month with 100 minutes included, then $0.45 a minute; Pro is $149 with 500, then $0.35; Max is $399 with 1,500, then $0.29. What Wakeman's price buys is a receptionist built only for the trades: safety steps written in advance for dangerous calls while it tries your on-call phone, the address checked, and on Pro and Max, booked jobs written into Jobber. Read it in context

On Goodcall, repeat calls and long calls cost nothing extra; what can raise the bill is new callers, at 79¢, 26¢ or 15¢ each once you pass your plan's 100, 500 or 2,000. On Wakeman, minutes past your plan are billed at a published price: $0.45, $0.35 or $0.29 a minute by plan. You set a monthly spending limit, and once it is reached, new calls are forwarded to your phone instead of the AI. Spam and robocalls are never billed, and you are never moved to a bigger plan. Read it in context

Goodcall's pricing page says you connect it to your customer software through Zapier, and its HVAC page says Zapier connects it to ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro and Jobber. Its articles on each of the three also describe a direct connection. Ask Goodcall what the connection does for your plan before you choose. Wakeman writes booked jobs into Jobber once you switch booking on. It doesn't write into ServiceTitan, and Housecall Pro is not generally available yet. Read it in context

Not published: the Goodcall pages we checked don't say how its agent handles an emergency. By default it transfers calls to your business line, and you can send them to a named person or department instead. Wakeman gives safety steps written in advance for gas, carbon monoxide, a downed power line, fire or smoke, a medical emergency, a child or pet locked in a car, water near electrics, a structural collapse, major flooding and sewage inside, and tries your on-call phone during the call. No heat, no cooling and a leak that can’t wait are urgent and texted at once. It is a safety net, not 911. Read it in context

Yes, for Spanish. Wakeman answers in English and Spanish. Goodcall says its agents are built to understand and answer in 20+ languages. Read it in context

Wakeman rings your business number once, the way a customer would, at the time you pick: now, or tonight at 7:30 after you close. The report says what a caller got — a person, voicemail, a full mailbox, a busy tone, or a phone that rang out — how long it rang, what your greeting says and doesn't say, and a better greeting you can use free. First you confirm the line is yours with a 10-second call to us from it. Read it in context

No. If voicemail answers, Wakeman records the greeting so you can hear it, then hangs up without leaving a message. If a person picks up, they hear a short automated message from Wakeman (Fabricate, LLC) saying it's a test someone at the business asked for, with a way to stop test calls: press 9. It rings once, when you asked; a number is checked at most once a day and three times in 30 days, and any report has a link to stop all future checks of that number. Read it in context

Because that is when calls go unanswered. Invoca's 2026 home-services benchmarks found 48% of callers never reach a person, and after hours is rarely when an owner rings their own number. The check hears what a customer with a leak at 7:30pm hears. Read it in context

No. Before anything rings, you call Wakeman from the line you want checked, and caller ID shows it's yours. The report and its recording are only reachable from the private link you get. Read it in context

Nothing, and there's no sign-up. If the report shows callers reaching voicemail, the report also shows the fix: Wakeman can answer the calls you miss, free for 14 days. Read it in context

It depends on your calls and your average job. About 27% of new-customer callers who wait past 20 seconds still reach nobody, on Invoca's 2026 answer rates, and SearchLight measured about $416 of paid work per Local Services Ads lead across 888 contractors. At 140 new-customer calls a month and a $1,826 average job, that is about 38 calls that reach nobody and up to about $15,800 a month. Treat it as the high end. Read it in context

The 27% is the low end of Invoca's 2026 answer rates for callers who waited more than 15 or 30 seconds. The $416 is SearchLight's February 2026 Local Services Ads benchmark: measured revenue divided by every lead, so the booking and paying rates are already inside it. Your own numbers beat any benchmark: pull 90 days of calls from your phone system and count the new-customer calls with zero talk time. Read it in context

They measure the same profit two ways. Markup is the profit divided by your cost; margin is the profit divided by the price. A part that costs $250.00 and sells for $375.00 makes $125.00: a 50% markup and a 33.3% margin. Read it in context

Divide the cost by what's left once the margin is taken off. For a 25% margin on a $300.00 part: $300.00 ÷ 0.75 = $400.00. Adding 25% to the cost gives $375.00 instead, which is only a 20% margin. Read it in context

Enough to cover what handling parts costs you (ordering, picking up, stocking and warranty returns) and to leave the margin you want. Some shops use a sliding scale, with a bigger markup on small parts than on big equipment. Set the margin you want to keep, and the calculator gives the markup and the price. Read it in context

No. A 100% margin would mean the whole price is profit, which only happens if the part cost you nothing. A markup has no ceiling: a part that costs $50.00 and sells for $200.00 has a 300% markup and a 75% margin. Read it in context

No. Markup and margin here are gross: what's left after the part or job's own cost, before the techs' time and the shop's overhead come out of it. The labor rate calculator prices the hours so those are covered. Read it in context

Tell them what to do before asking anything else — leave the building, don't touch light switches, and call 911 from outside — and get word to your on-call tech while they're still on the line. Ask any service you're considering exactly what it says on that call, and who it rings. Read it in context

From the vendors' own pages (checked 20–21 October 2026): AI services start at $29–$49 a month for general ones (Dialzara, Rosie), $49 a month day and night for Wakeman, and $449 for Sameday. Live answering costs more: Abby Connect from $164 a month for 50 minutes, Ruby from $250 a month for 50 minutes, and AnswerConnect gives its prices only by quote. Avoca doesn't publish a price. Read it in context

Avoca is a ServiceTitan certified app, and Sameday and Smith.ai both list ServiceTitan on their own pages. Wakeman does not write into ServiceTitan; it writes into Jobber. Housecall Pro shops have Housecall Pro's own CSR AI. Read it in context

That depends on how the service bills. Per-minute plans (Wakeman, Ruby, Abby Connect) charge for the extra minutes; Rosie moves you up a plan when you go over. Smith.ai bills per call. Goodcall's plans are capped by unique callers, so every new caller that day counts. Check the overage rate before the season, not after. Read it in context

It can be, if it tells a dead furnace from a tune-up, handles gas and carbon monoxide calls properly, and writes jobs into the software you dispatch from. The quickest test: call its trial or demo number three times — a routine tune-up, no heat on a cold night, and a gas smell — and check what it wrote down and who it rang. Read it in context

From your own costs. Work out an hourly rate that covers a tech's pay, taxes and benefits, the hours nobody pays for, your overhead and your profit, then add parts at a markup that keeps the margin you need. Use time and materials where you can't see the size of the job, and a flat rate from your price book where you can. Read it in context

Whatever covers your costs and your profit; the free labor rate calculator works it out from your own numbers. As a check, Housecall Pro's 2026 guide puts typical HVAC labor at $75 to $150 an hour, and $140 to $250 for emergencies and after hours, from consumer cost guides. Read it in context

There's no one right number. Start from the margin you need and work back: a 50% markup keeps 33.3% of the price, and a 100% markup keeps 50%. Equipment needs to cover more than the unit: supplier price changes, warranty handling, delivery time and callbacks. Read it in context

For repairs, tune-ups and standard replacements, a flat rate is easier for the customer to say yes to, since they know the price first, and it pays the shop for a quick tech. For a diagnosis or a job whose size you can't see, time and materials is fairer. Many shops use both. Read it in context

Start with a load calculation (ACCA Manual J) and equipment sized to it (Manual S), which the International Residential Code calls for where it has been adopted. Then price every line: equipment, materials, labor, refrigerant recovery, disposal, the permit and the warranty, and offer two or three options. Read it in context

Your flat rates, written down: each common job with its price, built from the average time it takes, your hourly rate and your parts markup. It lets every tech, and whoever answers the phone, give the same price for the same job. Read it in context

In many places, yes. California requires a C-39 roofing license for jobs of $1,000 or more, or any job that needs a permit or a worker; Florida licenses roofing contractors as certified or registered; and Minnesota requires a license for roofing on homes. Check with your state licensing board and your city or county. Read it in context

It depends on your state and the work you take on. Budget for license fees and a bond where your state requires them (in California, $450 to apply, $200 for a sole owner's license and a $25,000 bond), insurance, a truck and trailer, tools and fall protection gear, software, and cash to pay for materials before customers and insurers pay you. Read it in context

General liability, workers' compensation, commercial auto and cover for tools and equipment. California requires workers' compensation of every C-39 roofing contractor, even with no employees, and Minnesota requires roofers to carry at least $300,000 of liability cover per occurrence. Read it in context

Under OSHA's rule for residential construction, anyone working 6 feet or more above a lower level needs a guardrail, a safety net or a personal fall arrest system. A written fall protection plan can take their place only where the employer can show those are infeasible or more dangerous. Read it in context

Not in Texas or Colorado: both forbid roofers from offering to waive, rebate or pay a deductible, and from acting as the homeowner's public adjuster. Check your own state's rules before storm season. Read it in context

Your services, service area, prices per square and for repairs and inspections, your crew and their training, how you'll handle deposits and insurance-paid jobs, your marketing, and the monthly numbers you need to break even. Read it in context

What a customer pays for a technician to come out and find out what's wrong, whether or not they go ahead with the repair. It's also called a trip charge, a dispatch fee or, mostly in HVAC, a diagnostic fee. Many shops take it off the repair if the customer goes ahead on the same visit. Read it in context

At least what a visit costs you when it doesn't turn into work: your all-in cost of a billable hour, times how long a visit takes door to door. Pricing guides put most service calls at $70 to $200 in 2026, and evenings, weekends and holidays at 1.5 to 2 times the daytime rate. Read it in context

Housecall Pro's 2026 guide puts most residential plumbers at $50 to $250, and emergency call-outs at $150 to $400. SmartService says many residential plumbers charge no separate fee, and most of those that do charge $75 to $100. Read it in context

$100 to $200 is typical on SmartService's 2026 figures, with most small and mid-sized residential electricians at $125 to $175. Read it in context

Mostly. Both pay for a technician to come out and find the problem, and “diagnostic fee” is the name heard most in HVAC. SmartService puts the most common HVAC diagnostic fee at $70 to $90, and the single most common figure at $89. Read it in context

It's the most common way: the fee comes off the bill if the customer goes ahead on the same visit. Charging it on top works too. What matters is that the caller hears which before the technician sets off. Read it in context

On SearchLight's 2026 benchmarks, a Google Local Services Ads lead cost HVAC contractors $51 on average in February 2026, and a Google search ad lead, for any search but the company's own name, cost $149 in January 2026. Angi, Thumbtack and Yelp don't publish prices: theirs depend on the job, the place and the demand. Read it in context

$57 from Google Local Services Ads in February 2026, and $183 from Google search ads for other searches than the company's name in January to March 2026, on SearchLight's benchmarks. Search ad prices varied five times over between plumbing accounts, from $77 a lead to $396. Read it in context

$39 from Google Local Services Ads in February 2026, and $128 from Google search ads for other searches than the company's name in January to March 2026, on SearchLight's benchmarks. Read it in context

The free ones: your Google Business Profile, referrals and past customers. Of the paid ones, Local Services Ads cost SearchLight's contractors $233 per paying customer, against $472 for Google search ads overall. Search ads on your own name cost least of all, but only reach people already looking for you. Read it in context

Only your own numbers can say. Both charge per lead, at prices set by the job and the place, and Angi sends each request to several pros. Count what you spent and the paying customers it brought in for a month or two, then compare that cost per customer with Google's. Read it in context

In most states, yes. Many states require a master plumber's license, or a licensed master on staff, to contract for plumbing work and pull permits. Check your state licensing board and your city or county. Read it in context

Your services, service area, target customers, pricing (including trip fee and after-hours rate), startup costs, marketing plan and the monthly numbers you need to break even. One or two pages is enough to start. Read it in context

A complete Google Business Profile with reviews, Local Services Ads, referrals from other trades and property managers, and following up with past customers. Answering every call matters as much as getting it. Read it in context

For most small shops: a complete Google Business Profile, a steady flow of reviews, maintenance agreements with past customers, referrals from other trades, and answering every call so the marketing you pay for turns into jobs. Read it in context

Show up where people search (Google Business Profile, Local Services Ads, service pages on your site), stay in touch with past customers before each season, build referral partners, and answer and call back quickly. Read it in context

Yes, almost all of them. Plumbing is less seasonal and more urgent, so after-hours answering matters more and maintenance reminders focus on water heaters and drains. Read it in context

AI answering services run from free tiers and $29–$99/mo entry plans up to $449/mo and more for home-services specialists. Human answering services run $164–$2,100/mo, roughly $2.76–$5.00 per included minute. Field-service software now bundles its own: Jobber includes its AI Receptionist on the Plus plan and otherwise sells it as a $29-a-month add-on. Prices checked on vendors' own pages on 19–21 October 2026. Read it in context

Most paid AI receptionist plans start between $29 and $99 a month: Dialzara $29 for 60 minutes, Rosie $49 for 250, RingCentral AIR $49 for 100, Goodcall $79 for 100 callers, and Frontdesk $99 for 200. Extra minutes cost $0.25–$0.50 each where the price is published. Check whether the entry plan can book a job or only texts the caller a link — Rosie's cheapest plan cannot book. Read it in context

Per minute, usually by a wide margin: extra AI minutes cost $0.25–$0.50 each where the price is published, against roughly $2.76–$5.00 per included minute on published human plans. Abby Connect, which sells both, now includes AI in every plan and counts an AI minute as half of one of its plan minutes — $1.38–$1.65 an AI minute depending on the plan, by our arithmetic from its prices. The trade-off is depth of handling rather than price alone. Read it in context

Two AI services have free tiers: Phonely (100 minutes a month, and no way to buy more — you upgrade to keep going) and Smith.ai (25 calls a month, then $3.00 a call). Jobber includes its AI Receptionist at no extra cost on its Plus plan, but Plus itself lists at $280–$499 a month. Everything else offers a trial at most. Read it in context

Of paid plans, Dialzara's $29/mo Lite plan has the lowest published entry price, and on 20 October 2026 its pricing page lists a calendar connection on it. Frontdesk (myaifrontdesk.com) dropped its $20 tier and now starts at $99/mo, or $79/mo billed yearly. Phonely and Smith.ai have free tiers. Read it in context

Most count every answered call, so ask before signing. Some carve spam out: Smith.ai filters known spammers before answering and lets you remove up to 10% of calls as spam, Jobber does not count spam or "no conversation" calls, and Goodcall says spam and wrong numbers don't count at all. Wakeman does not bill calls it classifies as spam. Read it in context

Nothing to start. It is the same free trial as signing up yourself: Pro free for 14 days or 500 minutes of calls, whichever comes first, with nothing charged until it ends. The setup help and the two weeks of call review cost nothing. Read it in context

Because a shop that is set up properly keeps using it. We would rather spend the first two weeks getting yours right, with you, than have you sign up alone and give up in the first week. Read it in context

If you added a card when you signed up, your plan starts on it when the trial ends, and we email you a week before; until then you can switch to a smaller plan or cancel in Account. Without a card, you choose: stay on Pro at $149 a month, switch to a smaller plan, or leave. If you leave, we walk you through switching the forwarding off on your phone, and that is the end of it. Read it in context

It ends after 14 days or 500 minutes of calls, whichever comes first. We watch it with you and will tell you well before you get close. If the minutes run out first, new calls ring your on-call phone instead, and nothing is charged. Read it in context

No. Your number stays on your trucks, your website and your Google listing. Your phone rings exactly as it does now, and only the calls nobody picks up are forwarded to Wakeman. Read it in context

Then we switch on “Answer only while we’re closed”, on any plan, and set it up that way: while you’re open, calls ring your team as they do today. It’s off by default because it also leaves the calls you miss during the day — which Google Local Services Ads charges for from October 1, 2026, if you run those ads. Read it in context

It says it is an AI assistant for your business at the start of every call, because callers deserve to know. After that it sounds like a calm person who knows plumbing, heating or electrical work. Listen to a call on our home page and judge for yourself. Read it in context

Our team, on (775) 510-2241 and info@wakeman.ai. Read it in context