Plumber Answering ServiceThe 24/7 AI Receptionist for Plumbers: Burst Pipes, Sewage Backups & Gas Smells

OnCrew is an AI receptionist that works as your plumbing answering service: it picks up 24/7 in your shop name, triages burst pipes, sewage backups, water heater failures, and gas-smell calls, and alerts your on-call plumber with the address, the issue in the caller's own words, and a full transcript. Reviewed November 2026.

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Hear a call it answered

What you'll hear: the receptionist answers for a plumbing shop, triages a burst pipe leaking through a ceiling, captures the address and callback number, and sends the details to the on-call team. 50 seconds.

Press play, hear it take a call

0:50

Recorded on our demo line. The caller is simulated, the call is edited for length, and no customer audio is ever used.

Or call:Hear the AI(213) 319-5075

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Quick answer

What is an answering service for plumbers?

Answers your plumbing line 24/7 across nights, weekends, and overflow.
Runs plumbing intake on burst pipes, sewage backups, water heaters, gas smell, and shutoff status.
Flags active leaks and sewer backups for urgent plumber review.
Captures caller name, address, issue summary, transcript, and callback details.
Published pricing: Starter $49/mo for 150 included minutes, $0.49/min after those.

Before you forward your plumbing line: four questions, answered

What OnCrew does on a plumbing line today, from our own call logs and settings, and what it does not do.

In the last 30 days OnCrew answered 981 calls on customer lines. The latest job it booked onto a customer's calendar while the caller was on the line was on November 5, 2026. Counted the way we bill: robocalls, calls where nobody spoke, our demo and test lines and each shop's own test calls are left out.

Hang-ups

Will my callers hang up on an AI?

Some will, on any line.

Over the 30 days to November 1, 2026, 15% of calls to our paying customers' business numbers ended within 20 seconds with no more than a hello (22% if every silent call our robocall filter was unsure about was a real caller). On the voice system every line has used since October 27, it was 21% (31% counting the unsure ones) in its first 5 days. Robocalls and sales calls we could identify are left out; wrong numbers and pocket dials are still in it.

It runs higher, 50% (62% counting the unsure ones), on cell phones that forward to OnCrew only after ringing out: those callers have already waited through the rings. If you forward the calls you miss, set your phone to forward after a few rings.

Callers who ask usually stay. When a caller asks, she says she is an automated assistant and that a person from the business will call them back. In the 60 days to November 1, 2026, a caller asked whether they were talking to a real person in 21 calls: in 17 the caller then left their details, agreed to be called back or was put through to someone, and in 1 the caller hung up right after.

Your greeting is yours to write, and it can tell callers up front that they are talking to an automated assistant.

Booking

Does it book the job?

Yes, routine jobs, on your Google Calendar.

With Google Calendar connected and booking switched on, the receptionist offers a caller with a routine job, such as a drain cleaning or a faucet repair, the next open times inside your business hours and puts the one they pick on your calendar while they are still on the line.

An urgent call, such as a burst pipe, active flooding or a sewage backup, is never put in a calendar slot: it goes to your on-call plumber by text when the call ends.

With booking off, the receptionist takes the request and the time the caller would like, and your team sets the time.

It does not book onto a Jobber, Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan schedule: booked jobs go on Google Calendar.

Field software

Does it work with Jobber, Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan?

Housecall Pro connects directly; Jobber and ServiceTitan get each call through the webhook export.

Housecall Pro connects from your OnCrew dashboard. It needs Housecall Pro's MAX plan (their tier, not an OnCrew plan). Each real caller lands there as a customer and a lead tagged OnCrew, with the call summary, callback number and service address. Jobber, ServiceTitan and other tools get one record per real call (summary, callback number, service address and a link to the call) through the webhook export. Connect it yourself with Zapier, or we set it up with you at no extra charge. It does not book onto your Jobber or ServiceTitan schedule.

QuickBooks is not integrated.

How each connection works

Reaching a person

Can a caller reach a person fast?

Not by live transfer on a new line yet.

The numbers new signups get today cannot put a caller through to your team. Settings shows whether your line can transfer.

A caller who asks for a person hears that the team is out on jobs, or after hours that the office is closed, and the receptionist takes the details with a note that they asked for a live person.

An urgent call goes to your on-call plumber by text when the call ends, so someone can call back right away.

Prices with the date we read them

AI Receptionists for Plumbing Companies, Compared

What each AI receptionist a plumbing shop is likely to compare charges to start, as printed on its own pricing page on the date in its row.

AI Receptionists for Plumbing Companies, Compared: entry price, billing unit, field software, fit and the date each vendor's pricing page was read
Vendor	Entry price	What one unit is	Field software	Fits a shop that	Checked
OnCrewAI	Starter: $49/mo, 150 minutes	Per minute of answered calls, added up over the month and rounded up once; a hang-up on the greeting is not counted Past the plan: $0.49 per minute	Housecall Pro from the dashboard (on Housecall Pro's MAX plan); Jobber, ServiceTitan and other tools get each call through the webhook export	wants burst-pipe, flooding and sewage-backup calls flagged urgent without writing the rules	Our own price, oncrew.ai/pricing
DialzaraAI	Plans and rates are published on dialzara.com/pricing	Per minute of talk time	Zapier and Make integrations on every plan	takes many short calls: it bills talk time, so short calls cost less there and long ones more	October 2, 2026, dialzara.com/pricing
GoodcallAI	Starter: $79/mo, 100 unique customers	Per unique customer a month, minutes not metered Past the plan: $0.79 per customer over 100	External tools on every plan (an API, an MCP server or your own code): 1 on Starter, 5 on Growth, 15 on Scale	hears from the same customers often: one number counts once a month and minutes are not metered	October 16, 2026, goodcall.com/pricing
RosieAI	Professional: $49/mo, 250 minutes	Per month, by included minutes Past 250 minutes you move up to Scale ($149/mo)	Zapier integration on every plan (its page: connect to 1,000+ apps)	has steady, short calls: going over the minutes moves the plan up a tier instead of billing per minute	October 17, 2026, heyrosie.com/pricing
Smith.aiAI, or people	AI Free: $0/mo, 25 calls a month AI Pro: $150/mo, 75 calls Receptionists Starter: $300/mo, 30 calls	Per call Past the plan: AI Free: $3.00 per call after 25 AI Pro: $2.50 per extra call Receptionists: $11.50 per call over 30	Its receptionist pricing page says call details are sent automatically to your CRM or Zapier	wants an AI first with people behind it: its AI page says a call can be passed to a live receptionist	October 16, 2026, smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist and smith.ai/pricing/receptionists

OnCrewAI

Entry price: Starter: $49/mo, 150 minutes
What one unit is: Per minute of answered calls, added up over the month and rounded up once; a hang-up on the greeting is not counted
Past the plan: $0.49 per minute
Field software: Housecall Pro from the dashboard (on Housecall Pro's MAX plan); Jobber, ServiceTitan and other tools get each call through the webhook export
Fits a shop that: wants burst-pipe, flooding and sewage-backup calls flagged urgent without writing the rules
Checked: Our own price, oncrew.ai/pricing

DialzaraAI

Entry price: Plans and rates are published on dialzara.com/pricing
What one unit is: Per minute of talk time
Field software: Zapier and Make integrations on every plan
Fits a shop that: takes many short calls: it bills talk time, so short calls cost less there and long ones more
Checked: October 2, 2026, dialzara.com/pricing

GoodcallAI

Entry price: Starter: $79/mo, 100 unique customers
What one unit is: Per unique customer a month, minutes not metered
Past the plan: $0.79 per customer over 100
Field software: External tools on every plan (an API, an MCP server or your own code): 1 on Starter, 5 on Growth, 15 on Scale
Fits a shop that: hears from the same customers often: one number counts once a month and minutes are not metered
Checked: October 16, 2026, goodcall.com/pricing

RosieAI

Entry price: Professional: $49/mo, 250 minutes
What one unit is: Per month, by included minutes
Past 250 minutes you move up to Scale ($149/mo)
Field software: Zapier integration on every plan (its page: connect to 1,000+ apps)
Fits a shop that: has steady, short calls: going over the minutes moves the plan up a tier instead of billing per minute
Checked: October 17, 2026, heyrosie.com/pricing

Smith.aiAI, or people

Entry price: AI Free: $0/mo, 25 calls a month
AI Pro: $150/mo, 75 calls
Receptionists Starter: $300/mo, 30 calls
What one unit is: Per call
Past the plan:
AI Free: $3.00 per call after 25
AI Pro: $2.50 per extra call
Receptionists: $11.50 per call over 30
Field software: Its receptionist pricing page says call details are sent automatically to your CRM or Zapier
Fits a shop that: wants an AI first with people behind it: its AI page says a call can be passed to a live receptionist
Checked: October 16, 2026, smith.ai/pricing/ai-receptionist and smith.ai/pricing/receptionists

Vendors change plans, so check each page before you sign. Every vendor in this table also appears in the plumbing answering services compared.

Hear OnCrew answer a call before you compare: call (213) 319-5075. Emily answers as a sample plumbing company.

Emergency Triage

What the AI Captures on a Plumbing Emergency Call

A plumber answering service earns its keep on the calls a generic message desk gets wrong. On every call the AI separates active damage from a Monday-morning quote and logs what the caller reports:

Active water: burst pipes, a failed supply line, or flooding inside the home. The AI suggests shutting off the main water valve if the caller knows where it is and it is safe
Sewage backup, or a major leak the caller cannot stop
Water heater failure, with any gas water heater concern treated as urgent
Gas smell near a water heater or fixture: a safety call first. The AI tells the caller to leave the home and call 911 and the gas utility, then logs the address for follow-up
Freeze-week calls: frozen or cracked lines and no water to the home
Sump pump failure during heavy rain, and a backed-up toilet: urgent when there is active flooding or the caller says it is
Caller name, callback number, property address, the problem in the caller's own words, and a full transcript
Anything more your notes ask for on routine calls, one short question at a time, such as the main shutoff status, which fixtures are affected, tank or tankless, a child, elderly resident or medical concern in the home, or tenant vs owner

Routine calls like faucet swaps, remodel quotes, and scheduling questions are marked routine for the morning callback. Your text-alert phone still gets a text when the call ends, so set any tech who should only be woken for emergencies to urgent calls only on the Team page. When a night caller asks whether an after-hours visit costs more, the AI does not quote prices or commit your shop to a rate; your plumber confirms pricing on the callback.

Why Plumbing Shops Use an Answering Service

42%

of consumers say they leave a voicemail when a business does not answer, and 82% say they will call a competitor. CallRail survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, September 2025.

28.3%

of conversations outside weekday business hours were emergencies on the lines OnCrew answers (all trades), against 5.8% in weekday daytime: about 2.5 to 5 times as often, depending on how the lines are weighted.

33.6%

of conversations on the 4 HVAC and plumbing lines OnCrew answers came outside weekday business hours and 17.6% were emergencies, against 23.9% and 3.5% on the 5 other lines.

OnCrew figures cover the lines OnCrew answers, not a market sample: 1,277 conversations of 12 seconds or longer over the 120 days from June 19 to October 16, 2026, on the lines of nine businesses that have paid for OnCrew (eight contractors and one property manager). They count the calls each shop sends OnCrew, not every call it gets, and most emergencies sit on one HVAC and plumbing line, so read the gaps as directional. Method and sources: missed-call statistics.

How Does a Plumbing Answering Service Work?

You forward your line (every call, nights and weekends only, or only the calls you do not pick up) and the AI receptionist answers 24/7 in your business name, taking the caller's name, callback number, service address and the problem in the caller's own words. A burst pipe, active flooding, a sewage backup, no water to the home, a major leak the caller cannot stop, or a gas water heater concern goes to your on-call plumber by text with the caller's name, number, address and need, and by email with the transcript and recording; routine calls wait for your next opening, and a person on your team makes the dispatch, pricing and arrival-time decision.

Forward your plumbing number

Set call forwarding with your phone carrier or phone system: every call, nights and weekends only, or just the calls you do not pick up. Your number stays the same and nothing is ported.

AI answers as your shop

It answers 24/7 in your business name and takes the name, number, address, and problem. On a burst pipe it suggests shutting off the main water valve if the caller knows where it is and it is safe, and it tells anyone who smells gas to leave and call 911 or the gas company first.

Urgent plumber alerts

Burst pipes, sewage backups, no water, and gas water heater concerns go to your on-call plumber by text with the caller's name, number, address, and need, plus an email with the transcript and, when available, the recording. After hours, routine calls wait for your next opening.

AI vs Live Answering vs Voicemail for Plumbing Contractors

Shops pricing a plumbing answering service or plumbing call center choose between three models:

Coverage

OnCrew: 24/7/365, including nights, weekends, and holidays, with no hold queue

Live answering: 24/7 at providers such as AnswerForce, PATLive, and Smith.ai

Voicemail: Only if the caller leaves one; in CallRail's 2025 survey, 42% of consumers said they do

Plumbing triage

OnCrew: Burst pipes, sewage backups, water heater failures, flooding, and gas-leak reports flagged for your on-call plumber

Live answering: Generic script unless operators are trained on plumbing

Voicemail: None

Pricing

OnCrew: $49 to $349 monthly, $0.49 to $0.99 per minute after the included minutes; silent hang-ups and recognized robocalls are not counted

Live answering: Per-minute or per-call: PATLive $49/mo plus $2.99 per minute, Ruby $250/mo for 50 minutes, Smith.ai $300/mo for 30 calls (vendor pages; PATLive and Smith.ai checked October 16, 2026; Ruby checked October 2, 2026)

Voicemail: Free, but no triage, transcript, or on-call alert

OnCrew does not dispatch trucks or assign technicians; your team owns callbacks, dispatch, and pricing.

Comparing vendors? See the best answering service for plumbers in 2026 buyer guide, or the plumbing virtual receptionist guide for daytime reception. If your shop also takes HVAC or electrical calls, the AI receptionist for contractors page covers HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and carpentry shops. If you searched for an AI dispatcher for plumbers, the AI dispatcher for contractors page says what the phrase means in practice: OnCrew triages and alerts; the dispatch decision stays with your team.

Pumping septic tanks or cleaning up water damage as well? The septic answering service and restoration answering service pages cover those calls, and the HVAC answering service page covers heating and cooling. Every trade OnCrew answers for is covered on the contractor answering service page, and the demo page plays a recorded call.

After-hours call

What Happens on an After-Hours Plumbing Call

OnCrew answers in your company name whether the office is open or closed. Your configured hours tell the AI receptionist when you are closed and when you open next, so a routine caller hears that the team will have their details first thing at the next opening, while an urgent caller hears that your team is alerted the moment the call ends and someone calls back as soon as possible, and it does not promise a callback time. On every call it collects the caller's name, the best callback number, the service address, the issue, whether the property is a home or a business, how urgent it is, and a preferred time. For plumbing, a burst pipe, active flooding, a sewage backup, no water to the home, a major leak the caller cannot stop, or a gas water heater concern is treated as urgent; on active flooding or a burst pipe the AI suggests shutting off the main water valve if the caller knows where it is and it is safe, and on any gas smell it tells them to leave the area and call 911 or the gas company first. Urgent calls reach your on-call plumber by text with the caller's name, number, address, and need, and by email with the full transcript and the recording when it is available.

After hours: open or closed and the next opening come from your configured hours, and urgent requests are flagged so they are seen first.
Plumbing triage: burst pipes, active flooding, sewage backups, no water, leaks the caller cannot stop, and gas water heater concerns are urgent; routine repair and estimate calls queue for the morning callback.
On-call alert: an urgent text to your on-call team, plus the email with the full transcript and the recording when it is available. With SMS Follow-Ups on, the caller gets one text confirming the call came in, and a caller who hangs up before saying a word gets one text asking what they need; replies come to your phone.
Housecall Pro connects from your OnCrew dashboard. It needs Housecall Pro's MAX plan (their tier, not an OnCrew plan). Each real caller lands there as a customer and a lead tagged OnCrew, with the call summary, callback number and service address. Jobber, ServiceTitan and other tools get one record per real call (summary, callback number, service address and a link to the call) through the webhook export. Connect it yourself with Zapier, or we set it up with you at no extra charge. It does not book onto your Jobber or ServiceTitan schedule. QuickBooks is not integrated.
Your team still decides who goes out, what it costs, and when. The AI receptionist captures and alerts; it never quotes a price or promises an arrival time.

A Burst Pipe and a Running Toilet: Two After-Hours Plumbing Calls

Two example plumbing calls after hours, one urgent and one routine, and what the receptionist does on each.

Urgent call

"A pipe burst under the kitchen sink and there is water all over the floor."

A burst pipe with water on the floor is on the plumbing urgent list, so the receptionist asks for the service address and the best callback number before anything else.
It suggests shutting off the main water valve if the caller knows where it is and it is safe, and on any gas smell it tells them to leave the area and call 911 or the gas company first.
It tells the caller your team is alerted the moment the call ends and someone calls back as soon as possible, and never says a crew is on the way or gives a callback time.
Your on-call plumber gets the urgent text with the caller's name, number, address and need.

Routine call

"My toilet keeps running. Can someone fix it this week?"

The plumbing urgent list covers a burst pipe, active flooding, a sewage backup, no water to the home, a major leak the caller cannot stop and a gas water heater concern. A running toilet is not one of them, so unless the caller says it is urgent, it is taken as a routine request.
It takes the caller's name, the best callback number, the service address and a preferred time, and after hours says the team will have the details first thing at your next opening.

Questions a plumbing shop can add

Add them to your notes in Settings and the receptionist asks them on routine calls, one short question at a time, skipping anything the caller already said. Urgent calls keep to the essentials.

Whether the water heater is gas or electric, tank or tankless.
Whether the home sits on a slab or over a crawlspace.
Whether the caller owns the home or rents it.

Scheduling

Plumber Answering Service With Scheduling

Booking works one of two ways, and you pick which. Either way, a person on your team makes the final dispatch, pricing, and arrival-time decision.

Default: when a caller wants an appointment, the AI receptionist notes the time they prefer and, with your Google Calendar connected, adds it as an unconfirmed appointment request for your team to review.
In-call booking, once you turn it on and set your availability: the receptionist checks open slots and books the appointment during the call.
Calls are recorded and transcribed, and your team can mark each one handled and add a note, so the morning dispatcher sees what is already done.

Hear the AI receptionist before you forward anything: call the demo line at (213) 319-5075, or get setup help.

Simple Plans for Plumbing Call Volume

Extra minutes are $0.49 each on Starter, $0.99 on Pro and Multi-Truck.

Starter

$49/mo

150 included minutes

Pro

$149/mo

200 included minutes

Multi-Truck

$349/mo

500 included minutes

See the pricing page, or compare published prices from Smith.ai, Ruby, PATLive, and other providers in the best answering service for plumbers guide.

What to Ask Any Plumbing Answering Service

Does it answer in your shop name, your service area, and your trade?
How does it split an active water-in-the-home call from a Tuesday faucet quote?
Where do urgent alerts land, and what happens when the on-call plumber misses one?
What does a captured call look like: transcript, structured fields, recording?
How does the bill behave during a 200-call freeze week?

OnCrew covers plumbing lines nationwide. Local pages: Los Angeles plumbing answering service, Orange County plumber AI phone answering, and Miami plumbing answering service.

Plumber Answering Service FAQ

How much does a plumbing answering service cost?

OnCrew is $49/mo for 150 included minutes, $149/mo for 200, and $349/mo for 500, then $0.49 per minute on Starter, $0.99 on Pro and Multi-Truck; alert texts past the 150, 500, or 1,500 each plan includes are $0.05 each. There is no setup fee. A call that ends before anyone speaks, such as an auto-dialer drop or a hang-up on the greeting, does not count toward the plan. Live answering services price by the minute or by the call. Their own pricing pages list PATLive at $49/mo plus $2.99 per minute, Ruby at $250/mo for 50 minutes and Smith.ai at $300/mo for 30 calls (PATLive and Smith.ai checked October 16, 2026; Ruby checked October 2, 2026).

What is the average cost for an answering service?

There is no single average, because live services sell minutes or calls and AI receptionists sell a monthly price with an included allowance. OnCrew is $49 a month for 150 included minutes (about $0.33 a minute at full use), $149 for 200 ($0.75) and $349 for 500 ($0.70), then $0.49 a minute on Starter, $0.99 on Pro and Multi-Truck, with no setup fee. Live answering services price by the minute or by the call. Their own pricing pages list PATLive at $49/mo plus $2.99 per minute, Ruby at $250/mo for 50 minutes and Smith.ai at $300/mo for 30 calls (PATLive and Smith.ai checked October 16, 2026; Ruby checked October 2, 2026).

Is OnCrew an AI dispatcher for plumbers?

No. OnCrew answers, triages, and alerts; it does not dispatch trucks, assign technicians, or promise an arrival time. A human on your team still decides whether to roll a truck and which plumber takes the job.

AI or human answering service for a plumbing company?

A live answering service still fits a shop with a handful of daytime calls that wants a receptionist relationship and can carry a live service's per-minute or per-call rates. An AI plumber answering service fits a shop with real after-hours and emergency volume that wants the same plumbing intake at 3 AM as at 3 PM on a published monthly plan. Test either one against your own burst-pipe, sewage-backup, and gas-smell calls before you forward the line.

How does the AI handle a gas-smell call?

Gas-smell calls are treated as safety calls regardless of the hour. The AI tells the caller to leave the home and call 911 and the gas utility, captures the address and callback number, and alerts your on-call plumber at the highest urgency for follow-up once the caller is safe.

Do I have to forward all my plumbing calls?

No. Most plumbing shops start by forwarding only nights, weekends, and holidays so daytime calls keep ringing the way they do now. Solo plumbers often forward everything; busier shops add overflow on busy or no-answer. Forwarding rules live in your carrier portal, so changing them does not change your number.

Does a hang-up count against my plan?

No. A call that ends before anyone speaks, such as an auto-dialer dropping the line or a caller hanging up on the greeting, is not counted. Only calls where the AI receptionist actually talks with a caller count toward your included minutes.

What happens when a caller insists on a real person?

With live transfer off, the default, Emily says the team is out on jobs (or, after hours, that the office is closed). She asks what the call is about and takes the details, with a note that the caller asked for a live person. If your line can transfer (the numbers new signups get today cannot yet) and you switch live transfer on, she offers to connect the caller to the people you list. In the default handoff, if nobody picks up within about 20 seconds, or the longer ring you pick in Settings, Emily comes back on the line and takes a message; with the direct handoff the caller stays on that phone, voicemail included.

Does it answer Spanish-speaking callers?

Calls are handled in English by default. Spanish (Latin American) is a setting you switch on in your dashboard at no extra charge. English and Spanish are the languages Emily speaks today. If many of your callers speak Spanish, test it on your own line before you forward everything.

Will callers know they are talking to an AI?

Emily answers in your company name and takes the call the way a receptionist would. If a caller asks whether she is a person, a recording, or an AI, she answers honestly in one breath: she is the automated assistant that takes down what they need, and a live person from your company calls them back. Then she asks what she can pass along. She never claims to be a person.

Can I hear it handle a plumbing call before I sign up?

Yes. Call (213) 319-5075: Emily answers as a sample plumbing company. Talk to her like one of your customers would. The 14-day free trial needs no card, you can cancel anytime, and every plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

I forward my cell to OnCrew. Can Emily transfer callers back to it?

No. If your cell forwards its calls to OnCrew, a transfer back to that cell would ring Emily again, so settings will not accept it as a transfer number. You still get the urgent text, or you can add a second phone your team answers directly, such as a partner's cell or a desk phone, as the transfer number.

What is the best AI receptionist for a plumbing company?

The one that handles your calls, so test each against five things. Does it treat a burst pipe, active flooding and a sewage backup as urgent without you writing the rules, and tell a caller who smells gas to leave and call 911 or the gas company first? What is one billed unit (a call, a minute or a unique customer), and what does a freeze week cost at that rate? How does an urgent call reach your on-call plumber: by text, by email, or both, with the recording? What lands in your field software after each call? And what happens when a caller asks for a person? Place a burst-pipe test call to each one before you forward your line.

For the words on each branch, use the plumbing dispatcher script.