Restoration Answering Service FAQ
Quick answers on what a restoration answering service is, what it costs, how a call gets flagged urgent, why OnCrew is not a dispatch service, what happens after the call, and how it compares with voicemail and a live receptionist.
What is a restoration answering service?+
A restoration answering service answers your business line when nobody can pick up, so a homeowner with water coming through the ceiling reaches a conversation instead of voicemail. OnCrew is the AI receptionist version for restoration companies: Sarah answers 24/7 in your company name, takes the caller's name, callback number, property address and what is happening in their own words, flags the call urgent when the caller says it cannot wait, and sends your team the details by text and email with the transcript and recording.
Is OnCrew a restoration dispatch service?+
No. OnCrew is an AI receptionist, not a dispatch service. OnCrew triages and alerts; the dispatch decision stays with your team. Sarah takes the caller's name, callback number, property address and what is happening, flags the call urgent on the caller's own word, and texts you or your on-call contact within seconds of the call ending (measured median on oncrew.ai/trust), with the transcript and recording by email. Whether a crew goes out tonight, and which one, is a decision a person on your team makes. Sarah never tells a caller that a crew is on the way, and never gives an arrival time.
How much does an answering service for restoration companies cost?+
OnCrew is $49 per month for 100 included calls, $149 for 400, and $349 for 1,000, then $0.99 per call. At full use that is $0.49 a call on Starter, $0.37 on Pro and $0.35 on Multi-Truck. 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).
How does the AI decide a restoration call is urgent?+
On the caller's own word. Sarah treats a call as urgent when the caller says the matter is urgent or an emergency, or describes something that clearly cannot wait for a routine callback. There is no fixed restoration emergency list making that call for them. If anyone is in immediate danger (fire, smoke, a medical emergency), she tells the caller to call 911 first. On an urgent call she takes only the name, the callback number, the address and what is happening, and the request is flagged so your team sees it first. Your notes can tell her what happens after hours, for example whether a crew goes out tonight, and she says that in your words.
Can Sarah take the insurance carrier and claim number?+
On a routine call, yes, if your notes ask for them. Under Teach your receptionist you list the details you want collected, for example the insurance carrier, the claim number, how the water got in and whether it has stopped, and Sarah asks for each one, one short question at a time, skipping anything the caller already said. On an urgent call she takes only the name, the callback number, the address and what is happening, so the claim details wait for your callback instead of holding up a caller who is standing in water. Everything she collects lands in the transcript and summary your team gets when the call ends.
What happens when an insurance adjuster or a referral partner calls?+
An adjuster or a referral partner calling about a job is not a new customer, so Sarah takes the short message path: their name, a check that the number they are calling from works for a callback, and a one-sentence note on what the call is about, with no service address or preferred time asked. The note reaches your team with the call summary and transcript, so a referral does not sit in a voicemail box overnight. A homeowner an adjuster sent your way is a new customer and gets the full intake: name, callback number, property address and what is happening.
What happens after the call?+
While your office is open, Sarah tells the caller the details are going to the team right away and someone should call back shortly. After hours, a routine caller hears that the office opens again at the next opening and the team will have everything first thing; an urgent caller hears that the team is alerted the moment the call ends and someone calls back as soon as they can. If your notes say there is no after-hours service, she marks the call urgent for when the office opens instead. She never promises an exact callback time unless your notes give one. You or your on-call contact gets a text with the caller's name, number, address and need, and the email with the transcript and recording goes to every address on your alert list.
Can Sarah connect an emergency caller straight to my on-call person?+
Yes, if you switch live transfer on. By default Sarah takes the details and texts your team. With live transfer on, she offers to connect the caller to the people you list, and if your notes say to connect callers directly, on request or for certain emergencies such as active flooding, she gets the caller's name and connects them to the person you name without offering a choice. In the default handoff, if nobody picks up within about 25 seconds, or the ring time you choose, Sarah comes back on the line and takes a message; with the direct handoff the caller stays on that phone, voicemail included.
What happens when a caller insists on a real person?+
With live transfer off, the default, Sarah 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 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 25 seconds, or the ring time you choose, Sarah 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 Sarah speaks today. If many of your callers speak Spanish, test it on your own line before you forward everything.
Can Sarah book appointments, or only take the request?+
Both, depending on a setting. By default Sarah takes the request: the caller's name, callback number, service address and the problem, sent to you by text and email when the call ends, and your team sets the time. If you connect Google Calendar and switch on booking, then for routine jobs she offers the next open times inside your business hours and puts the one the caller picks on your calendar, telling them your team will confirm before then. Emergencies are never booked; they go to your team right away.
Will callers know they are talking to an AI?+
Sarah 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.
Does it work for water, fire, mold and storm damage companies alike?+
Yes. OnCrew does not carry a restoration-specific emergency list, so the line runs the same way for water, fire and smoke, mold and storm damage work: Sarah takes the same details on every call, the urgent flag follows the caller's own word, and your notes carry what makes your company different, such as the kinds of loss you take, the areas you serve and whether you work with insurance claims. When a caller asks something your notes do not cover, she says the team will get them the answer rather than guessing, and you see every question she could not answer.
Does it work for a one-truck restoration company?+
Yes. Starter is $49 a month for 100 included calls and was built for the owner who also runs the crew: forward the line when you are on a loss, and Sarah takes the call in your company name. There is no minimum team size, and the same plan covers nights, weekends and holidays with no surcharge. As the company grows, Pro ($149 for 400 calls) and Multi-Truck ($349 for 1,000 calls) add phone numbers, alert recipients and live transfer destinations.