Your phone rings first
Run it only when you miss a call or after hours. During the day your phone rings as usual, and Operator picks up only if you do not.
The answering service for HVAC companies that books the service call
When the heat goes out, the homeowner calls whoever answers first. Operator answers every call, finds out what the system is doing, gets the address and books the visit, day or night.
Free for 14 days · no card to start · keep your number
On the phone
No heat on a January night, booked for the morning
The questions come from Operator’s HVAC question set. You decide which ones matter for your prices.
- CallerHi, our furnace stopped working and the house is getting cold.
- OperatorSorry to hear that. What's going wrong? Is it not coming on at all, or cutting in and out?
- CallerNot coming on at all.
- OperatorIs it gas or electric? And roughly how old is the system?
- CallerGas, and maybe 12 years old.
- OperatorWhat's the address? I'll need it before I hold a time.
- Caller9 Cedar Lane.
- OperatorThanks. The first opening is tomorrow at 8. I'm texting you a link to confirm it and pay the deposit.
Built for HVAC companies
Why HVAC companies are switching from message-taking answering services
A traditional answering service takes a message and hands you the callback. Operator is an AI receptionist for HVAC that books the service call.
Triages before you dispatch
What the system is doing, gas or electric, how old it is, whether it is a repair or a replacement. You know what to bring before the truck leaves.
Gets the address every time
Operator will not hold a time until it has the service address, so every call on your board has somewhere to go.
Never guesses a price
It does not quote on the phone. The caller gets a text with your price, built from your own rates, and picks a time from your real calendar.
A deposit locks the job
The customer pays a deposit you set, straight to your own Stripe account. Tire-kickers drop off, and a no-show costs them, not you.
Hand it off with one tap
Watch a call come in live and take it on your own phone during your hours. After hours the recording and summary wait in your inbox.
Answering service vs Operator
What changes when Operator answers your HVAC calls
Peak season without a missed call
The first hot week of summer and the first cold snap of winter bring more calls than any office can answer. Every one that rings out is a homeowner calling the next company. Operator answers several at the same time, asks what the system is doing and books the visit into your real calendar, so the busiest week of the year is also your best-booked one.
No-heat and no-cool calls after hours
Operator answers a midnight call the same way it answers one at noon. It finds out whether the system is dead or struggling, gets the address and books the first opening. In the morning the call is in your inbox with the recording and a short summary. During your hours, one tap puts an urgent caller straight through to you.
Repairs and replacements, sorted
A repair and a new install are different jobs. Operator asks whether there is a system there now and how old it is, so a replacement lead reaches you as a replacement lead. Where you have set prices, the caller gets a text with a price built from your own rates. Operator never names a price on the phone.
You pay for what it answers
There is no per-message fee and no booking fee. Each plan includes monthly credits, and a minute of answered call is 25 credits, where one credit is one cent. If the credits ever run out, calls ring your own phone the way they did before. The line never goes dead.
The HVAC jobs it books
- Air conditioning repair
- Air conditioning installation
- Furnace repair
- Furnace installation
- Heat pump installation
- Duct and vent cleaning
- Ductwork
- Thermostat installation
- Air quality testing
- HVAC maintenance plan
A message is not a booking
Compare the steps an enquiry needs. Answering-service and bot capabilities vary by provider and plan; check the specific workflow before choosing.
| Operator | Live answering service | Voicemail | Message-taking bots | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answers the call | ||||
| Sounds like a person | ||||
| Answers questions | From a script | |||
| Captures the lead | Takes a message | |||
| Quotes a real price | Depends on provider | Depends on provider | ||
| Holds a time | Sometimes | |||
| Takes a deposit | Depends on provider | Depends on provider |
Pricing
Start free. Pick a plan when it answers.
Three plans, no contract. Try Operator free for 14 days; the card is asked for only when you claim your number, and nothing is charged until the trial ends.
Starter
For a solo business or a small shop.
$49
per month · no booking fee
About 200 minutesof answered calls per month, or 500 conversations5,000 credits per month
Start your free trialPro
For a shop whose phone rings all day.
$129
per month · no booking fee
About 600 minutesof answered calls per month, or 1,500 conversations15,000 credits per month
Start your free trialScale
For a busy team, open to close.
$299
per month · no booking fee
About 1,600 minutesof answered calls per month, or 4,000 conversations40,000 credits per month
Start your free trial14-day free trial, card only when you claim your number · switch or cancel anytime
Calls you get a day6
130+
Starter
$49
5,000 credits
Pro
$129
15,000 credits
Scale
$299
40,000 credits
6 calls a day fits Pro. Answering them uses about 9,900 of its 15,000 monthly credits.
6 calls × 3 minutes × 22 working days × 25 credits a minute. Voice only: chats and texts use the same balance.
Questions from HVAC companies
Can it handle no-heat calls at night?
Yes. Operator answers overnight the same way it does during the day. It finds out what the system is doing, gets the address and books the first opening you have, then texts the homeowner a link to confirm. During your business hours it can also put an urgent caller straight through to your phone.
Will it quote prices over the phone?
No. Operator never says a price on a call. The caller gets a text link where the price is built from your own rates, so every quote matches what you charge and nothing is invented.
Which questions does it ask?
Operator comes with a HVAC question set. It asks the ones that change your price or the job, based on the prices you set, and you can add questions of your own in your own words. Anything that does not change the price is not asked.
Can I keep my business number?
Yes. Forward your existing number to Operator all day or only when you do not pick up. Or use the business line Operator gives you.
What does a call look like in my inbox?
Each call arrives as a conversation with the recording, a short summary, the caller’s number and the answers they gave. If they booked, the time is on your calendar and the deposit is in your Stripe account.
Does it work in Canada?
Yes. Operator works for HVAC companies in Canada and the United States, in your own currency.
How much does it cost?
Operator is free for 14 days with no card to start. Plans start at $49 a month on Starter, which covers up to about 200 answered minutes. There is no booking fee on any plan.
Let Operator answer your next service call
Set up takes 5 minutes. Keep your current number.