> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getsmartalex.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# AI voice agents for home services

> SmartAlex gives trades and home services an AI receptionist that answers every call, captures the job details, and books and dispatches work, so you never miss a booking. Built for plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and cleaning.

SmartAlex gives plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and cleaning businesses an AI voice agent that answers every call, captures the job details, and books and dispatches the work, so no lead goes to voicemail and no emergency waits on hold.

For a trades business the phone is the top of the funnel. When a tech is under a sink or up on a roof, calls ring out, and after hours and weekends are when burst pipes and dead furnaces actually happen. Every missed call is a job that goes to the next contractor who picks up. An AI receptionist for home services answers on the first ring, every hour of every day, and turns those calls into booked, dispatched work instead of a full voicemail box.

<Note>
  Alex is your in-app assistant for building and running agents. The voice agent that answers your phone is powered by curated, high-accuracy speech, language, and voice models, kept abstracted, so callers get a natural, fast conversation without knowing they are talking to software.
</Note>

## Why home services teams choose SmartAlex

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Never miss a job call" icon="phone-volume">
    The agent answers day, night, weekends, and holidays, and during overflow when your team is already on the line.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Emergency triage built in" icon="triangle-exclamation">
    It recognises urgent work like a gas leak or no heat and warm-transfers to the on-call tech or dispatcher immediately.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Books straight into your calendar" icon="calendar-check">
    Connect Google Calendar, Outlook, or iCal and the agent checks real availability and books the slot on the call.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Every detail captured" icon="clipboard-list">
    Name, address, the problem, access notes, and preferred window land in your CRM as a clean lead, every time.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Key use cases

### 1. Never miss a job call

The agent picks up on the first ring and handles the whole intake so a human never has to. It works as your plumber and HVAC answering AI when the crew is on-site, after close, and during call spikes.

* Answers 24/7, including nights, weekends, and public holidays
* Handles overflow when every line is busy, instead of dropping the caller to voicemail
* Greets with your business name and follows your intake script

<Note>
  Free plan includes one agent you can test in the browser. To answer real phone calls you need a phone number and minutes, which start on the Professional plan at \$99/month. See [phone numbers](/essentials/phone-numbers) for porting or getting a new line.
</Note>

### 2. Capture the full job details

The agent asks the right questions in the right order, so the ticket is complete before a tech is ever dispatched.

* Caller name, callback number, and service address
* The problem in the caller's words (leaking water heater, AC not cooling, tripped panel)
* Urgency, property access notes, and preferred appointment window
* Whether they are an existing customer or a new lead

Each call creates a lead in your CRM with the transcript attached, using the built-in **Create lead** tool. Connect [contacts](/essentials/contacts) and the record is ready for dispatch the moment the call ends.

### 3. Book the job and dispatch

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check availability">
    The agent reads live availability from your connected calendar so it only offers real, open slots.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Book the appointment">
    Using the **Create booking** and **Check availability** tools, it locks the slot and holds it on the call.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm and notify">
    It texts or emails a confirmation to the customer and can post the new job to your team channel or dispatch board.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Log the lead">
    The full job record lands in your CRM, ready for the tech, with the recording and transcript attached.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  The agent only books what your calendar actually allows. Keep your connected calendar or scheduling tool current so it never double-books a crew.
</Warning>

### 4. Emergency triage and routing

Not every call is a routine tune-up. The agent listens for urgency and routes accordingly instead of leaving an emergency in a callback queue.

* Detects high-urgency language (flooding, gas smell, no heat in winter, sparks or burning smell)
* Uses **Warm transfer** to announce the caller to the on-call technician before connecting, so context is never lost
* Falls back to **Transfer call** or **Transfer to extension** for your dispatcher or PBX
* Logs the emergency as a priority lead even if the call has to be handed off

### 5. After-hours and overflow capture

Most home-services revenue leaks after 5pm and on weekends. The agent turns that dead time into booked jobs.

* Captures the job overnight and books the first available morning slot
* Offers a same-day emergency path where you have on-call cover
* Collects everything a dispatcher needs so nobody plays phone tag in the morning

<Info>
  Want every channel in one place? The [Unified Inbox add-on](/essentials/add-ons) (\$39/month on Professional) brings voice, SMS, WhatsApp, email, and web chat into a single thread per customer, so after-hours texts and calls sit side by side.
</Info>

### 6. Follow-ups, quotes, and review requests

The agent does not stop when the call ends. It can reach back out to keep jobs moving and win repeat work.

* Chase unaccepted quotes and estimates
* Send appointment reminders to cut no-shows
* Request a review after a completed job
* Re-book seasonal service (annual HVAC tune-ups, drain cleaning)

<Note>
  Outbound calling, multi-step sequences, and automatic follow-ups run on the [Outbound Campaigns add-on](/essentials/add-ons) (\$49/month on Professional, bundled on Real Estate and Enterprise). See [campaigns](/essentials/campaigns).
</Note>

## Example call flow

A homeowner calls at 9pm because their water heater is leaking. Here is what the agent does end to end.

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TD
  A[Incoming call, 9pm] --> B[Agent answers in under two rings]
  B --> C[Captures name, address, and the issue]
  C --> D{Emergency?}
  D -->|Burst pipe, gas leak, no heat| E[Warm transfer to on-call technician]
  D -->|Routine job| F[Collect job details and preferred window]
  F --> G[Check live availability and book the slot]
  G --> H[Log lead in CRM, text confirmation to customer]
  E --> I[Notify dispatcher and log priority job]
```

## Sample agent prompt

A realistic system prompt for a plumbing and HVAC intake agent. Edit it in [Studio](/studio/create-agent) or from the chat with Alex.

```text theme={null}
You are the receptionist for Ridgeline Plumbing & HVAC. You are warm,
efficient, and reassuring. Callers are often stressed, so stay calm and
move quickly.

Your goals, in order:
1. Greet the caller with the company name and ask how you can help.
2. Capture the caller's name, best callback number, and full service
   address.
3. Get a clear description of the problem in the caller's own words.
4. Classify urgency:
   - EMERGENCY: active flooding, gas smell, no heat below freezing,
     sparking or burning smell. Warm-transfer to the on-call technician
     immediately and confirm someone is coming.
   - ROUTINE: everything else. Offer the next available appointment.
5. For routine jobs, check availability and book the earliest slot that
   suits the caller. Confirm date, time window, and address back to them.
6. Note any access details (gate code, pets, parking).
7. Create a lead with all details and send an SMS confirmation.

Rules:
- Never quote an exact repair price. Say a technician will confirm on-site.
- If you cannot answer a question, say a team member will follow up, and
  log it. Do not guess.
- Always read the appointment time and address back before ending.
```

## Tools and integrations that make it work

The intake, booking, and dispatch above are built from switch-on tools in [Agent Studio](/essentials/agent-tools):

* **Book and schedule:** Create booking, Check availability, Schedule callback
* **Hand off to people:** Warm transfer, Transfer call, Transfer to extension
* **Reach out:** Send SMS, Send email, Send WhatsApp
* **Capture:** Create lead into your CRM
* **Know things:** Knowledge lookup (service areas, hours, brands you service) and Web search

Connect the apps you already run through one-click [connectors](/integrations): your CRM, Google Calendar or Outlook, iCal or Nightsbridge, Slack, Gmail, and more. To wire the agent into your own field-service or dispatch software over an HTTPS endpoint, use [Custom HTTP Tools](/guides/http-tools/overview) on the Power Tools add-on (\$29/month), which also unlocks card payments so the agent can send a deposit link mid-call through your connected payment provider.

## ROI and results

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Every call answered" icon="phone">
    First-ring pickup 24/7 means the jobs that used to hit voicemail become booked appointments.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Emergencies routed fast" icon="bolt">
    Urgent calls reach your on-call tech in seconds with full context, instead of sitting in a queue.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cleaner dispatch" icon="clipboard-check">
    Complete job records mean fewer callbacks, less phone tag, and techs arriving with what they need.
  </Card>

  <Card title="More repeat work" icon="rotate">
    Automated follow-ups and reminders chase quotes, cut no-shows, and re-book seasonal service.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can it really handle emergency calls?">
    Yes. You define what counts as an emergency (flooding, gas smell, no heat, electrical hazard) and the agent recognises that language, warm-transfers to your on-call technician or dispatcher, and logs a priority lead. If nobody is available to take the transfer, it still captures the full job and flags it as urgent.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Will callers know they are talking to AI?">
    The agent sounds natural and responds fast, using curated, high-accuracy voice models kept abstracted. Many callers just experience a quick, helpful receptionist. You can have the agent disclose that it is an AI assistant if you prefer, and set that in your prompt.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does it book directly into my calendar or dispatch software?">
    It books into your connected calendar (Google Calendar, Outlook, iCal, Nightsbridge, and more) using live availability. For your own field-service or dispatch system, connect it with Custom HTTP Tools on the Power Tools add-on so the agent can create jobs directly. See [integrations](/integrations).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What does it cost?">
    Start free to build and test one agent in the browser. To answer real phone calls, the Professional plan is \$99/month and includes 250 minutes, a phone number, and one agent. Outbound follow-ups, a unified inbox, and custom integrations are optional add-ons. See [pricing](/pricing) for the full breakdown.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need a new phone number?">
    You can get a new number from SmartAlex or forward your existing business line to the agent. Either way, no calls change how customers reach you. See [phone numbers](/essentials/phone-numbers).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Get started

Point the agent at your website so it learns your services, hours, and coverage area, connect your calendar, and turn on the intake and transfer tools. You can have a plumber or HVAC answering AI live and booking jobs the same afternoon.

<Card title="Try SmartAlex for your home services business" icon="wrench" href="https://getsmartalex.com">
  Build your agent free, then add a number and minutes when you are ready to go live.
</Card>

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="What is an AI receptionist?" icon="headset" href="/guides/what-is-ai-receptionist">
    How an AI front desk answers, qualifies, and books, in plain English.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agent tools" icon="screwdriver-wrench" href="/essentials/agent-tools">
    The booking, transfer, and capture tools that power the intake flow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Small business use cases" icon="store" href="/use-cases/small-business">
    How other local, phone-driven businesses put SmartAlex to work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pricing and add-ons" icon="tag" href="/pricing">
    Plans, minutes, and the add-ons for outbound, inbox, and integrations.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>