--- title: "24/7 AI Answering Service & Emergency Dispatch | CallsAround" description: "24/7 AI receptionist for HVAC, plumbing & restoration — rings your on-call chain until a human picks up. Instant self-serve setup, month-to-month pricing. From $149/mo." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "name": "CallsAround", "url": "https://callsaround.com", "logo": "https://callsaround.com/logo.svg", "description": "24/7 AI answering service and emergency dispatch for home-service businesses.", "parentOrganization": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://tetracorehq.com/#organization", "name": "TetraCore", "url": "https://tetracorehq.com/", "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/tetracorehq" ] }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.g2.com/products/callsaround/reviews", "https://www.capterra.com/p/10053801/CallsAround/", "https://www.trustradius.com/products/callsaround/reviews", "https://alternativeto.net/software/callsaround/" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "SoftwareApplication", "name": "CallsAround", "applicationCategory": "BusinessApplication", "operatingSystem": "Web", "url": "https://callsaround.com", "description": "AI answering service with emergency dispatch for home-service businesses: answers every call 24/7, qualifies leads, and rings your on-call chain until a real human picks up — with carrier-level failover.", "offers": [ { "@type": "Offer", "name": "Starter plan", "price": 79, "priceCurrency": "USD", "description": "For quiet lines that still can't miss a call. Includes 200 AI minutes and 50 SMS per month, then $0.29/min flat overage. Month to month, no contracts.", "url": "https://callsaround.com/pricing" }, { "@type": "Offer", "name": "Receptionist plan", "price": 149, "priceCurrency": "USD", "description": "Every call answered, every lead captured. Includes 500 AI minutes and 100 SMS per month, then $0.25/min flat overage. Month to month, no contracts.", "url": "https://callsaround.com/pricing" }, { "@type": "Offer", "name": "Dispatch plan", "price": 229, "priceCurrency": "USD", "description": "For businesses with real emergencies. Includes 800 AI minutes and 250 SMS per month, then $0.22/min flat overage. Month to month, no contracts.", "url": "https://callsaround.com/pricing" }, { "@type": "Offer", "name": "Dispatch+ plan", "price": 299, "priceCurrency": "USD", "description": "Maximum reliability for mission-critical lines. Includes 1200 AI minutes and 500 SMS per month, then $0.20/min flat overage. Month to month, no contracts.", "url": "https://callsaround.com/pricing" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Will callers know it's an AI?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "It introduces itself by the name you give it and sounds like a great front-desk hire — you pick the voice and can preview each one. It never pretends a human is typing; it just gets the job done, and hands off to your team the moment a person is needed." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What happens if nobody on my chain answers?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The engine tries every contact you configured — retries, timeouts, and voicemail detection included. If the chain is exhausted, the caller is forwarded to your fallback number and your whole team gets an SMS with the caller's number. You are also alerted that the call went uncovered, so nothing slips silently." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do I keep my phone number?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes — you can port your existing number in (we handle it with you; typically 1–2 weeks, and your current service stays live during the switch), pick a new local number in your area code, or add a toll-free line. Many businesses start in overflow mode: keep your number and forward only the calls you miss." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What does 'included minutes' mean and what if I go over?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Each plan includes a monthly allowance of AI talk time (300–1,000 minutes by tier). Go over and service simply continues — extra minutes bill automatically at a flat per-minute rate, and you're emailed at 80% and 100% so it's never a surprise." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is it hard to set up?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No consultant required. Pick a number, pick a template, type your greeting and FAQs, drag your on-call order — then test the agent by chatting with it or having it call you. Most businesses are live the same afternoon." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What about call recordings and consent?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Recordings and transcripts live in your dashboard. For two-party-consent states there's a per-line disclosure toggle that announces recording up front. Retention limits are enforced automatically." } } ] } ] --- [CallsAround](/) [Pricing](/pricing)[Free line test](/free-line-test)[Status](/status)[Sign in](/login)[Get started](/signup) 24/7 AI answering service for HVAC, plumbing & restoration # Never miss another call. Never lose another emergency. CallsAround answers every call with a natural AI receptionist, captures the job with your calendar in view — and when it's a real emergency, rings your on-call chain _until an actual human picks up_. Voicemail doesn't count. [Get your line in minutes](/signup)[See pricing](/pricing) Your own local number · instant self-serve setup · month-to-month pricing — no consultant, no contract Skeptical? Call the AI right now. [(410) 673-3601](tel:+14106733601) You'll reach our demo company's line — the same agent your customers would get. Ask it anything. Try to trip it up. Live emergency dispatch Caller connected to Mike (on-call) in 41s — illustrative walkthrough ● live 24/7 every call answered — no hold queue, no voicemail black hole every plan carrier-level failover — the backstop below the AI stack < 10 min to detect + route around an upstream outage every call logged with transcript & recording in your dashboard ## Instant self-serve setup — live in an afternoon No demo call, no onboarding project, no consultant. Sign up, configure your agent from the dashboard, and take your first call the same day. 1 ### Pick a number, pick a template Search live inventory for a local or toll-free number (or port yours). Choose an industry template — restoration, HVAC/plumbing, cleaning — and the agent already knows your business. 2 ### Shape your agent Name it, pick its voice, write the greeting, load your FAQs and hours. Test it in a chat window or have it call you before it ever talks to a customer. 3 ### Build your on-call chain Who rings first at 2 AM? Who's next after 25 seconds? Where do calls land if nobody answers? You decide; the engine executes — every time, exactly. ## An AI receptionist that dispatches, not just answers Built like infrastructure, not a chatbot. ### A receptionist that sounds like one Natural voice (you pick it), your greeting, your tone. It qualifies leads, answers your FAQs, and takes messages — nights, weekends, and while your crew is on a roof. ### Emergency dispatch that doesn't give up Water at 2 AM? It rings your on-call tech. No answer? Next contact. Voicemail? Detected and skipped — the chain keeps walking until a human picks up, with SMS alerts at every hop. [How dispatch works →](/features/emergency-dispatch) ### Warm transfers with context The AI keeps the caller company while it reaches your team, whispers who's calling and why, and bridges on a keypress. No cold handoffs, no 'who is this?' ### Lands in your job platform Every message pushes into Jobber natively, or through Zapier into ServiceTitan, ServiceTrade, Housecall Pro, QuickBooks and 8,000+ apps — caller name, number, address, and problem included. Google Calendar availability checks and booking are rolling out. [See integrations →](/integrations) ### Carrier-level failsafe — on every plan A canary holds real conversations with your line around the clock. If anything upstream degrades, calls forward straight to your phone at the carrier — a backstop below the AI stack, so the failover works precisely when our servers don't. [The reliability architecture →](/reliability) ### Everything on the record Play recordings and read transcripts right in the dashboard. Every escalation hop is journaled; usage and plan limits are live, not a month-end surprise. ## Templates that already speak your trade Start from a tuned industry agent, then make it yours — greeting, voice, FAQs, hours, escalation rules. [ ### Restoration Floods and fires don't book appointments. Emergency-first routing, insurance-aware intake questions, and dispatch that reaches whoever is on call tonight. Restoration answering service → ](/industries/restoration)[ ### HVAC No-heat calls in January are revenue and reputation. Qualify the emergency, quote the service window, and page the tech — before your competitor's phone even rings. HVAC answering service → ](/industries/hvac)[ ### Plumbing A burst pipe won't wait for Monday. Triage the emergency, capture the address, and walk your on-call chain while the water is still rising. Plumbing answering service → ](/industries/plumbing)[ ### Electrical Power-out and safety calls answered instantly, qualified carefully, and escalated to the on-call electrician — with everything on the record. Electrical answering service → ](/industries/electricians)[ ### Cleaning & Field Services Quote requests, reschedules, gate codes, 'where's my crew?' — answered instantly, logged completely, escalated only when a human is genuinely needed. Cleaning & Field Services answering service → ](/industries/cleaning) ## Keep your number. Forward only the calls you miss. You don't have to reroute a 15-year-old business number to an AI on day one. Start in **overflow mode**: your phone rings exactly like it does today, and only the calls you don't pick up — busy, after hours, fourth ring — forward to your CallsAround line. The AI catches what you miss; nothing else changes. Setup is a carrier forwarding code we walk you through. When you're ready to hand over the front desk for real, porting is a support ticket, not a project. \# overflow mode, day one 9:14 AM — you answer like always. CallsAround never hears it. 12:38 PM — you're under a house. Fourth ring forwards → AI answers, qualifies, texts you the lead. 2:07 AM — burst pipe call forwards → AI triages the emergency and walks your on-call chain. — your number, your callers, zero switching risk. ## What does an answering service cost? Honest comparison: a live human service, a front-desk hire, doing it yourself, and CallsAround. Full math and sources in [the 2026 cost guide](/blog/answering-service-cost). Option Typical cost After hours Busy season Emergencies CallsAround $149–299/mo flat Included — 24/7 is the product Flat overage per minute; no per-call fees Escalation chains until a human answers Human answering service $135–450+/mo + per-minute or per-call fees Usually a 25–50% premium Bills spike 30–50% in storm/heat season Takes a message; relays it Office staff (one hire) $35,000+/yr + benefits One shift only — nights still uncovered One person, one call at a time Depends entirely on who picks up Owner's cell (today) "Free" You are the night shift Missed calls go to the next Google result You, at 2 AM, every time ## What happens when we have a bad night? Honest answer: your phone still rings. A canary probes every line around the clock — it literally asks the agent for a human and checks the answer. If anything upstream drifts, your number is switched to plain carrier forwarding _at the phone network_, below our servers, below the AI. Callers reach a person; you get an email and a text; service restores itself when the line is healthy again. Every alert, every failover, every restore is on the record — see the [live status page](/status) and the full [reliability architecture](/reliability). \# canary log — a Tuesday, 3:12 AM 03:07 probe line +1419… “may I speak to a human” → tool call ✓ 03:12 probe failed: empty agent turn 03:14 second failure → flipping to carrier forwarding 03:14 owner alerted (email + SMS) · callers now ring the backup phone 03:41 probe healthy ×2 → forwarding off, agent back on the line — zero callers heard silence. ## Fair questions ### Will callers know it's an AI? ### What happens if nobody on my chain answers? ### Do I keep my phone number? ### What does 'included minutes' mean and what if I go over? ### Is it hard to set up? ### What about call recordings and consent? ## One line. One monthly price. Month-to-month pricing on every plan — no contracts, no per-call fees, flat overage, cancel anytime. [ Receptionist $149/mo every call answered, captured, and logged Start with Receptionist → ](/signup?plan=receptionist)[ Dispatch $229/mo \+ emergency chains that find a human Start with Dispatch → ](/signup?plan=dispatch)[ Dispatch+ $299/mo \+ carrier failover & outbound notifications Start with Dispatch+ → ](/signup?plan=dispatch_plus) [Full plan comparison →](/pricing) ## The next missed call was worth how much? Industry reports put the average after-hours HVAC call at ~$1,400. CallsAround costs $5–10 a day. Get a line, shape your agent, and take the 2 AM shift off your shoulders — today. [Take the 2 AM shift off your plate](/signup) CallsAround An AI receptionist that never lets an emergency go to voicemail — and a dispatch engine that rings your people until a human picks up. Product - [Pricing](/pricing) - [Emergency dispatch](/features/emergency-dispatch) - [Line health & reliability](/reliability) - [Integrations](/integrations) - [System status](/status) - [API docs](/docs/api) - [Blog](/blog) - [Start now](/signup) Guides - [Free after-hours line test](/free-line-test) - [Price Index](/answering-service-price-index) - [Answering service costs](/blog/answering-service-cost) - [Best AI answering services](/blog/best-ai-answering-service-for-small-business) - [Cost of missed calls](/blog/cost-of-missed-calls) - [Dispatch chains guide](/blog/emergency-dispatch-chains-guide) - [Answer every call](/blog/answer-every-call-field-service) - [Phone greeting scripts](/blog/business-phone-greeting-scripts) - [Answering the phone well](/blog/how-to-answer-the-phone-professionally) - [How to auto-answer calls](/blog/how-to-auto-answer-calls) - [When your service goes down](/blog/answering-service-goes-down) Industries - [Restoration](/industries/restoration) - [HVAC](/industries/hvac) - [Plumbing](/industries/plumbing) - [Electricians](/industries/electricians) - [Cleaning](/industries/cleaning) Compare - [Smith.ai alternative](/compare/smith-ai-alternative) - [Rosie alternative](/compare/rosie-alternative) - [Goodcall alternative](/compare/goodcall-alternative) - [Avoca AI alternative](/compare/avoca-alternative) - [Avoca vs Sameday](/compare/avoca-vs-sameday) - [AnswerForce alternative](/compare/answerforce-alternative) - [Dialzara alternative](/compare/dialzara-alternative) - [Aira alternative](/compare/aira-alternative) - [QuoteIQ alternative](/compare/quoteiq-alternative) - [Retell AI alternative](/compare/retell-ai-alternative) - [OnCrew alternative](/compare/oncrew-alternative) Legal - [Terms of service](/terms) - [Privacy policy](/privacy) Contact - [support@callsaround.com](mailto:support@callsaround.com) © 2026 CallsAround · Calls may be recorded with per-line consent controls. A [TetraCore](https://tetracorehq.com) product — built in Bowling Green, Ohio. [Get your line — from $149/mo](/signup)