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 plumbers that books the job
You can’t pick up with your hands in a crawlspace. Operator answers every call, finds out what’s wrong, gets the address and books the caller in with a deposit, day or night.
Free for 14 days · no card to start · keep your number
On the phone
A leak at 9 p.m., booked before you’re off the ladder
The questions come from Operator’s plumbing question set. You decide which ones matter for your prices.
- CallerHi, water is coming through the ceiling under our upstairs bathroom.
- OperatorI can help with that. What's going wrong? Is it leaking right now, or has it stopped?
- CallerStill dripping. I turned the water off at the main.
- OperatorGood call. When do you need someone there?
- CallerTonight if possible.
- OperatorWhere's the job? I'll need the service address before I hold a time.
- Caller48 Maple Street.
- OperatorThanks. I have two openings this evening. I'm texting you a link now with the price and both times. Pick one and it's booked.
Built for plumbers
Why plumbers are switching from message-taking answering services
A traditional answering service takes a message and hands you the work. Operator is an AI receptionist for plumbers that finishes it.
Gets the address every time
For plumbing, Operator will not hold a time until it has the service address, so you never get a booking you cannot drive to.
Asks the questions you would
What is wrong, how bad it is, one drain or the whole house, how soon they need you. The answers are waiting in your inbox before you call back.
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 plumbing calls
A message becomes a booked job
A live answering service writes down a name, a number and “water heater problem”, then leaves the rest to you. By the time you call back between jobs, the homeowner has often called the next plumber on the list. Operator asks the questions you would ask, holds a real time on your calendar and texts the caller a link to pay the deposit, so the job is booked before you hang up on the last one.
Night, weekend and emergency calls
A burst pipe does not wait for business hours. Operator answers a 2 a.m. call the same way it answers one at noon: it finds out what is wrong, whether one drain is backing up or the whole house, and how soon they need someone. It gets the service address before it offers a time. 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 your phone.
Your prices, not a script
Operator never names a price on the phone. The caller gets a text with a price built from your own rates: your call-out fee, and whatever you decide a hard-to-reach job or an after-hours visit adds. Every quote matches what you would have said, and you can change your rates any time.
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 plumbing jobs it books
- Plumbing repair
- Emergency plumbing
- Drain cleaning
- Repiping
- Pipe fitting
- Water heater installation
- Water heater repair
- Water softener installation
- Water softener repair
- Faucets and fixtures
- Faucet repair
- Shower and tub installation
- Toilet installation
- Toilet repair
- Garbage disposal installation
- Garbage disposal repair
- Sump pump installation
- Well pump installation
- Well drilling
- Water tank cleaning
- Rainwater tank installation
- Septic tank pumping
- Septic system installation
- Plumbing inspection
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 plumbers
Can it handle emergency calls at night?
Yes. Operator answers at 2 a.m. the same way it does at 2 p.m. It finds out what is wrong and how soon they need someone, gets the address, and texts the caller a link to book and pay. 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.
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 plumbers 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.