Help prevent missed opportunities when customers call outside business hours. TradesButler gives HVAC, plumbing and electrical businesses a 24/7 front desk. Butler answers when you can't, finds out what the customer needs, captures the details and keeps your team informed.
The calls you can't take
The phone rings while you're under a sink, up on a roof, driving to the next job or sitting down to dinner with your family. Evenings, weekends and overnight are often when homeowners notice a problem and want someone to call them back.
Voicemail records a message, and that has its place. But it can't ask a follow-up question, confirm the service address or tell the caller what happens next. Someone who wants help now may simply try the next contractor on the list.
Owners need time off too. An after-hours answering service means the business stays reachable without you personally picking up every call.
How it works
Every call follows the workflow you configure for your business.
The caller hears your business greeting instead of a voicemail beep.
Butler works out whether it's a service request, a quote, an existing appointment or something urgent.
Name, callback number, service address and a description of the problem.
Calls flagged as emergency or urgent are handled according to the procedures you've set up.
When it makes sense, Butler notes when the customer would like service so your team can confirm.
Emergency and urgent calls can trigger email or SMS alerts to the people you choose.
A summary, the captured details and the transcript are saved for your team to review and follow up.
Real-world situations
Illustrative examples — not actual customer calls.
“My furnace is running, but it's blowing cold air.”
Butler collects the caller's name, callback number, address, a description of the issue and when they'd like someone to come out, then saves it as a service request for your team.
“There's water coming through my basement ceiling.”
A call like this can be recognized as urgent and handled according to your configured workflow, including alerting the people on your notification list.
“I smell gas near my furnace.”
Your configured safety flow can tell the caller to leave the area and contact emergency services or their gas utility, rather than booking it like a routine visit. TradesButler is not an emergency service and does not replace 911 or your utility.
Built for the trades
A trade call isn't a generic message. Your team needs to know where the job is, what's wrong, how urgent it is and whether the caller is already a customer.
TradesButler is set up around those workflows: service requests, quotes, scheduling requests, urgent situations, existing customers, job addresses and technician follow-up. You teach Butler your services, service area, hours and emergency procedures so he can answer accurately.
For the owner
Callers get a professional, consistent response at any hour. You get fewer interruptions on the job and at home, and a clear record of who called and what they needed.
Every call shows up in the TradesButler dashboard with structured details, so the next morning you can follow up with the right information instead of decoding a voicemail. Running an HVAC company specifically? See how this works for HVAC answering service.
Curious what unanswered calls might represent for your business? Estimate the potential cost of missed calls using your own numbers.
Evaluating providers? Learn what to look for when choosing an HVAC answering service, or see how HVAC answering service pricing works.
Live demo
Call the live demo line and play the customer. Describe a broken furnace, a leak or a quote request, then see exactly what Butler captured.
Ready to set Butler up for your business? Get started
The demo is for evaluating Butler. For a real emergency, contact emergency services or your utility.
Questions
It's a way to have your business phone answered when you and your team aren't available. TradesButler does this with Butler, an AI front desk that answers, collects the caller's details and saves them for your team.
Yes. Butler can answer calls around the clock, including evenings, weekends and holidays.
Calls identified as emergency or urgent are handled according to the workflow you configure. TradesButler can send email or SMS alerts to the recipients you choose.
No. TradesButler is not an emergency service. For situations such as a suspected gas leak, your configured flow can direct callers to leave the area and contact emergency services or their utility.
Yes. Butler can capture when the customer would like service and record it as an appointment request for your team to confirm.
Yes. Each call is saved in TradesButler with a summary, the details collected and the transcript.
No. HVAC is a primary focus, but TradesButler is built for trades and home service businesses generally, including plumbing, electrical and general contracting.
Pricing depends on how a provider bills (per minute, per call or a flat subscription), how many calls you get, how long they last and whether you need 24/7 or after-hours-only coverage. Our HVAC answering service cost guide explains the common pricing models and what to ask any provider.
Tell us about your business, service area and call-handling needs. We'll review your requirements, explain the setup process and help determine the right configuration.