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What to look for in an AI receptionist for your plumbing company
A plumbing receptionist has two jobs: get burst-pipe and sewage calls to whoever is on call, fast, and book routine drain and water-heater work into your schedule. Price your busiest month. Tradey hasn't tested any vendor below. Every claim is labelled "shown on vendor site" (with link and check date) or "not confirmed".
Short answer: choose an AI receptionist that can book jobs into the software you dispatch from and send burst-pipe and flooding calls to your on-call plumber, and prove both with test calls before you pay. Price range (list prices shown on vendor sites, checked 2026-10-13, assuming 3-minute calls): about $49–$297 a month at 50 calls for most published plans (one starts at $449) and about $129–$1,125 at 500 calls (the top is one vendor's pricing-slider figure, about $1,125), where it can be computed. Excludes vendors that don't publish prices. See the cost table for sources and the formula; not a quote.
The one test that matters
Plumbing owners keep asking for an answering service "that actually books jobs" (r/Plumbing). Some services book; others only take a message and email a summary. Ask the vendor to book a live job during the demo, then check it in your own field-service software.
How much does an AI receptionist cost for a plumbing company? (list prices shown on vendor sites, checked 2026-10-13)
Assumption: 3 minutes a call (50 calls = 150 min, 150 = 450, 500 = 1,500). Minute plans: plan price + minutes over the allowance × the overage rate, using the cheapest published plan for each volume. Goodcall bills per unique caller (worst case: every call is a different person); Smith.ai bills per call. Where no overage rate is published and the volume exceeds the allowance, the cell says "Not computable". Monthly billing, before tax, carrier or setup fees. Tradey has not run booking tests on these vendors.
| Vendor | Plans (source) | 50 calls (150 min) | 150 calls (450 min) | 500 calls (1,500 min) | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosie | Professional $49 / 250 min; Scale $149 / 1,000 min; Growth $299 / 2,000 min (pricing) | $49. Calendar booking is listed from Scale ($149) | $149 | $299. No overage rate shown | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Dialzara | Lite $29/60 min +$0.48; Pro $99/220 +$0.45; Plus $199/500 +$0.40; Elite $349/1,000 +$0.35 (pricing) | $72.20 = 29 + 90×0.48 | $199 (Plus; Pro would be 99 + 230×0.45 = $202.50) | $524 = 349 + 500×0.35 | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Goodcall | Starter $79 / 100 unique customers, then $0.79; Growth $129 / 500, then $0.26 (pricing); Scale $299 / 2,000 unique customers (shown on vendor site, checked 2026-10-13) | $79 | $118.50 = 79 + 50×0.79 | $129 | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Smith.ai AI Receptionist | Pro $150 / 75 calls; $270 / 150; Enterprise $800 / 500 (pricing) | $150 | $270 | $800 | checked 2026-10-13 |
| CrewRobin (includes its own field-service software) | $99 ("about 100 AI call minutes"); Pro $199 ("about 400"); $349 ("about 1,200"). Credits; "you can add credits" (price of extra credits not shown); "Free until your first 10 booked jobs" (pricing) | $199 (150 min > ~100) | $349 (450 min > ~400) | Not computable (> ~1,200 min; add-on credit price not shown) | checked 2026-10-13 |
| CallsHandled | Receptionist $297 / 150 connected min; Service Desk $497 / 300 min. "No automatic overage charges"; excess usage is reviewed with you (home/pricing) | $297 | Not computable (> 300 min) | Not computable | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Sameday | Launch from $449 / 500 min; Scale from $789 / 1,000 min (pricing) | $449 | $449 | About $1,125: shown on vendor site (pricing-page slider data lists $1,125 at 1,500 min; rechecked 2026-10-13) | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Avoca | No price on the plumbing page | Not public | Not public | Not public | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Jobber Receptionist | Add-on $29/mo includes 30 conversations, then $0.79 per additional conversation; included with unlimited usage on the Jobber Plus plan (Jobber help article); on top of a Jobber plan | $44.80 + your Jobber plan (29 + 20×0.79; assumes 1 call = 1 conversation) | $123.80 + your Jobber plan (29 + 120×0.79; assumes 1 call = 1 conversation) | $400.30 + your Jobber plan (29 + 470×0.79; assumes 1 call = 1 conversation) | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Housecall Pro CSR AI | No price on the CSR AI page or pricing ("Get a free demo and tailored pricing") | Not public | Not public | Not public | checked 2026-10-13 |
Email me when a bot gets a published Tradey test result, pass or fail
Optional. Every price on this page stays open; no email needed to read it.
ServiceTitan's own AI Virtual Agent is also an option for ServiceTitan shops. It is "natively built into ServiceTitan" and can "escalate or transfer the call to a live CSR" (feature page, 2026-10-13). No price is shown.
Emergency, after-hours and field-service integrations
Everything below is shown on vendor site, 2026-10-13, unless marked not confirmed.
| Vendor | Emergency & after-hours | ServiceTitan / Housecall Pro / Jobber | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosie | 24/7 answering (plumbing page). Scale: "Warm transfers", "Live call transfers". Growth: "Waterfall transfers - Rosie tries multiple numbers until someone answers" (pricing). Emergency triage questions: not confirmed | Calendar: "Google Calendar and Calendly" (pricing FAQ). ST/HCP/Jobber: not confirmed | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Dialzara | "Burst pipes, flooding, sewage backups, and gas leaks trigger immediate dispatch to your on-call plumber". "Emergency Intake: captures water emergency type, severity, shutoff status, and property details". Advises callers on water shutoff while they wait (plumbing page). Warm transfer from Pro (pricing) | "3rd-party integrations via Zapier/Make" (pricing). ST/HCP/Jobber: not confirmed | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Goodcall | You "choose who receives transfers" (pricing). Emergency triage: not confirmed (no plumbing page; /industries/plumbing returned 404) | Zapier mentioned (pricing). ST/HCP/Jobber: not confirmed | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Smith.ai | AI calls can be "escalated to our human receptionists"; no fee when escalation is AI-initiated (AI receptionist) | "Direct connections to your CRM, calendar" (same page). Jobber/HCP booking is claimed by a third party only: not confirmed | checked 2026-10-13 |
| CrewRobin | Active leak: "marks it as an emergency and offers the earliest times, or transfers the call to you" (plumbers page) | Is its own field-service software. "Works alongside Jobber or Housecall Pro" by forwarding; "books the job and texts you the details". Imports from Jobber/HCP/ST export files. Direct booking into ST/HCP/Jobber: not confirmed | checked 2026-10-13 |
| CallsHandled | "24/7 answering on missed + after-hours calls"; books into "your real calendar" (site). Emergency triage/dispatch: not confirmed | Compatibility is assessed "after reviewing your requirements". ST/HCP/Jobber: not confirmed | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Sameday | "Emergency triage system" and "skill-based dispatching" (plumbing page) | "Pro scheduling (ServiceTitan etc)"; integrates with "ServiceTitan Phones Pro" (pricing). HCP/Jobber: not confirmed | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Avoca | "books jobs into your CRM, and routes emergencies. 24/7"; transfers to "Avoca's human CSR team" (plumbing page) | "ServiceTitan Deep CRM integration" (same page). HCP/Jobber: not confirmed | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Jobber Receptionist | Can be turned on after hours; "transfers the call or texts you"; demo audio of booking "a same-day emergency HVAC visit" (feature page). Plumbing-specific triage: not confirmed | Native to Jobber: "the work is on your calendar before the call ends" | checked 2026-10-13 |
| Housecall Pro CSR AI | 24/7; can "send the call to a number of your choice" or pass it to "a Housecall Pro Assist Rep" (CSR AI). Emergency triage: not confirmed | Native to Housecall Pro: "uses your existing Housecall Pro account info… to book jobs". Note: Housecall Pro's help article (dated Jul 9, 2026) still says booking jobs is "coming soon" (help article, checked 2026-10-13). | checked 2026-10-13 |
Checklist
Print-friendly: use your browser's print view on this list.
- It books into the software you dispatch from. Native options exist (Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan). Check whether others write a real job or just send a text.
- It separates emergencies from routine calls. Test a "water coming through the ceiling at 2 AM" call and a "quote for a water heater" call.
- It reaches whoever is on call. Check what happens if the first number doesn't answer (some list multi-number "waterfall" transfers).
- It captures plumbing intake: address, problem, whether the water is shut off, urgency, callback number.
- It quotes only your prices, or none.
- You've priced your busiest month. Use the 500-call column, and ask for the overage rate.
- It hands off with context: a summary and recording to the tech.
- Recording and disclosure: ask the vendor whether calls are recorded and what the caller hears at the start. See the FAQ below.
Questions to ask a vendor
- "Do you create the job in ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber (customer, job type, time slot), or only send me a summary?"
- "During this demo, book a real test job on my board."
- "Walk me through a 2 AM burst-pipe call: what questions do you ask, who gets called, and what happens if they don't pick up?"
- "Which plan includes booking and warm transfer?" (Rosie lists calendar booking from Scale. Dialzara lists warm transfer from Pro.)
- "What do I pay at 2× and 3× my normal volume? What's the overage rate?" (Rosie, Sameday and CrewRobin don't show one. CallsHandled says it reviews excess usage with you.)
- "Is billing per minute, per call or per unique caller?"
- "Is every call recorded, and what does the caller hear?"
How we collected this
- Sources: each vendor's own public pages, fetched read-only on 2026-10-13 (PT). Third-party pages are used only where marked "not confirmed".
- No calls: no demo lines were called, and no accounts were created.
- Cost formula: see §1. Taxes, carrier/SMS, setup fees, annual discounts and add-ons are excluded. CrewRobin's minute allowances are the vendor's own "about" figures.
- No testing: Tradey hasn't tested any vendor. Integrations and emergency features are vendor claims. No bot has been Tradey-verified.
- No payment and no ranking: vendors are listed in no particular order.
- No legal claims: this page makes no claims about state law or licensing.
- Updates: prices change. Corrections: [contact](/contact).
FAQ
How much does an AI receptionist cost for a plumbing company?
At list prices shown on vendor sites on 2026-10-13, assuming 3-minute calls, 50 calls a month costs about $49 to $297 among vendors that publish prices (Sameday from $449), and 500 calls a month about $129 to $800 where it can be computed. Avoca and Housecall Pro CSR AI do not show prices; Jobber's AI Receptionist add-on is $29 a month for 30 conversations, then $0.79 per extra conversation, on top of a Jobber plan (included on the Plus plan).
Which AI receptionists say they dispatch plumbing emergencies to an on-call plumber?
Dialzara says burst pipes, flooding, sewage backups and gas leaks trigger immediate dispatch to your on-call plumber. CrewRobin says it can transfer an active leak to your cell. Sameday and Avoca describe emergency triage or routing. These are vendor claims Tradey has not tested.
Do any book directly into ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber?
Jobber Receptionist and Housecall Pro CSR AI are built into those products, and ServiceTitan has its own AI Virtual Agent. Sameday lists ServiceTitan scheduling and Avoca lists a ServiceTitan CRM integration. Confirm with a live test booking.
Has Tradey tested these vendors?
Not yet. This page uses vendors' public pages only. No bot has been Tradey-verified.
How can I test whether a bot actually books jobs?
Call it yourself from a phone it has never seen, ask for a real job (for example a repair next Tuesday morning), and then check your own calendar or dispatch app. A booked job means a new appointment appears there with the right name, number, address and time. If you only get an email or text summary, the bot took a message; it did not book. Repeat with an after-hours call and with a caller who changes their mind, and ask the vendor to show the booking in your system during the demo.
How do I work out the cost per call?
Take the monthly price and any per-minute, per-call or per-caller charges from the vendor's own pricing page, then estimate your monthly calls and average call length from your phone bill. Cost per call is the total monthly bill divided by the number of calls. Ask about overage rates, setup fees, minimum terms and whether spam or wrong-number calls count. Compare that number with what a missed job is worth to you, not just with other bots.
Does the bot have to say it is an AI?
Laws on AI disclosure and call recording vary by state and country and change often. Some US states require everyone on a call to consent to recording, and some have rules about telling people they are talking to AI. US federal rules also restrict outbound calls that use AI-generated voices. Check the rules where you and your callers are, or ask a lawyer. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can the bot record or transcribe my calls?
Many bots record or transcribe every call by default. Ask the vendor where recordings and transcripts are stored, how long they are kept, and how you delete them. Laws on AI disclosure and call recording vary by state and country and change often. Some US states require everyone on a call to consent to recording, and some have rules about telling people they are talking to AI. US federal rules also restrict outbound calls that use AI-generated voices. Check the rules where you and your callers are, or ask a lawyer. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can it handle Spanish or other languages?
Ask which languages the vendor supports on your plan and whether the bot switches by itself or needs a menu choice. Test with a fluent speaker who agrees to take part: book a job entirely in that language, then check the saved details and any text or email the caller receives.
Do spam calls and robocalls use up my minutes?
Check the vendor's pricing page for whether you pay per minute, per call or per caller, and ask whether spam, robocalls, wrong numbers and very short calls count. Ask whether it can screen or block spam before answering, and check your usage report after the first week.
Owner questions above are general information, not legal advice.
About Tradey Verified (coming soon)
Tradey Verified is coming soon: a planned check where a bot would show a recorded test call that ends in a confirmed booking on a live calendar. No bot has been Tradey-verified yet. Tradey is early — whatever any vendor (including any listed in our public facts) tells you, the most reliable check is still the one above: run the booking test yourself.
Sources
Inline links above cite the pages we read. Prices and plan names are examples "as shown" on those pages around 2026-10-13; they may be promotional and can change. Cost cells are list prices shown on vendor pages on that date; This is not legal advice. Corrections: contact.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-13 · Prices last checked: 2026-10-13