Question 1

How much does a plumbing answering service cost?

Accepted Answer

Human answering services usually charge a monthly base plus per-minute or per-call fees. Of the vendors on our compare pages, the human-staffed ones (Ruby, Smith.ai) start at about $250-$300 a month in the US for 50 minutes or 30 calls, and the AI phone services on those pages start lower: Dialzara from $29, Rosie from $49, Goodcall from $79, My AI Front Desk from $99 and Smith.ai's AI Receptionist from $150 a month, and Smith.ai also lists a free AI plan with 25 calls (vendor pricing pages checked 2026-09-28; Goodcall re-checked 2026-10-09). Frontivo.io is a flat monthly plan: Phone Only is $199/month with 300 AI voice minutes (about 100 calls), and Starter is $299/month adding website chat and text, with no setup fee and a 14-day free trial with no card. Prices in US dollars; answering-service rates vary by country. See compare.
Most plumbing companies can have website chat live in about 15 minutes: add your services, fees, hours and service area, then test it. For calls, forward your existing line, or get a new number (in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and a few other countries it is connected in seconds; most other countries, including the UK, Australia, Germany and the Philippines, need business documents first, which takes 1-3 business days; in some countries you confirm a monthly local-number fee on the card first; and where no local number is offered you get a US (+1) number in seconds).
Not natively today. On Growth ($549/month) you can send new leads and bookings to them through their Zapier apps: Jobber's app can create a client, request or job, ServiceTitan's (still in open beta) can book a job, and Housecall Pro's can create a customer only. On every plan you get a Google Sheets row and a Slack or Teams alert for each lead, and bookings go into Google or Outlook Calendar. See integrations.
Yes. If someone calling your plumbing company hangs up or the call can't be answered, they get a text right away. Missed-call text-back comes with Phone Only, Phone Lite, Starter and Growth. On Starter and Growth the AI carries on the conversation by text; on Phone Only and Phone Lite, a reply to that text comes to you as an alert so you can answer from your own phone. Texting switches on after carrier approval for your number (every US business number needs it); outside the US and Canada texts use more of your allowance, so website chat, Instagram and Messenger usually cost less there.
Yes. When a caller to your plumbing company asks for a person or the call is urgent, Frontivo.io transfers it live to the one number your team chooses on Phone Only, Phone Lite, Starter and Growth, and the person picking up hears a short spoken brief before the caller is connected; time on the transferred call counts toward your minutes. Routing different calls to several people or departments is not available yet. Website Chat Only, Text Only, Instagram Only, Messenger Only and Email Only hand off with a detailed message and an instant alert instead.

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Question 2

Can the AI tell a real plumbing emergency from a routine call?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You define what counts as an emergency — for example active leaks, no water, sewage backup or a gas smell near the water heater — and Frontivo.io flags those calls and alerts your team right away (or transfers them to your on-call number), while booking routine work into open slots.

Question 3

Will it quote prices I haven't approved?

Accepted Answer

No. It only quotes the fees and flat rates in your price list. For anything else it tells the caller the technician will confirm the price on site.

Question 4

Does it work with my existing business number?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Forward your existing number to Frontivo.io, or get a new local number. Your customers keep calling the number they already know.

Question 5

What happens when a caller asks for a real person?

Accepted Answer

Frontivo.io transfers the call to your team's number. If nobody picks up, it takes a detailed message noting who the caller wants and alerts you right away.

Question 6

Can it book only inside my service area?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It checks the caller's ZIP or postal code or town against your service area before offering any appointment times.

Question 7

Will callers know they are talking to an AI?

Accepted Answer

Yes, always. The greeting on every call says it's an AI assistant, and it never pretends to be human: if someone sincerely asks, it says it's an AI and keeps helping.

Question 8

How long does setup take for a plumbing company?

Accepted Answer

Most plumbing companies can have website chat live in about 15 minutes: add your services, fees, hours and service area, then test it. For calls, forward your existing line, or get a new number (in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and a few other countries it is connected in seconds; most other countries, including the UK, Australia, Germany and the Philippines, need business documents first, which takes 1-3 business days; in some countries you confirm a monthly local-number fee on the card first; and where no local number is offered you get a US (+1) number in seconds).

Question 9

Does it connect to ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber?

Accepted Answer

Not natively today. On Growth ($549/month) you can send new leads and bookings to them through their Zapier apps: Jobber's app can create a client, request or job, ServiceTitan's (still in open beta) can book a job, and Housecall Pro's can create a customer only. On every plan you get a Google Sheets row and a Slack or Teams alert for each lead, and bookings go into Google or Outlook Calendar. See integrations.

Question 10

Does it text back missed calls?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If someone calling your plumbing company hangs up or the call can't be answered, they get a text right away. Missed-call text-back comes with Phone Only, Phone Lite, Starter and Growth. On Starter and Growth the AI carries on the conversation by text; on Phone Only and Phone Lite, a reply to that text comes to you as an alert so you can answer from your own phone. Texting switches on after carrier approval for your number (every US business number needs it); outside the US and Canada texts use more of your allowance, so website chat, Instagram and Messenger usually cost less there.

Question 11

Can it transfer an urgent call to me live?

Accepted Answer

Yes. When a caller to your plumbing company asks for a person or the call is urgent, Frontivo.io transfers it live to the one number your team chooses on Phone Only, Phone Lite, Starter and Growth, and the person picking up hears a short spoken brief before the caller is connected; time on the transferred call counts toward your minutes. Routing different calls to several people or departments is not available yet. Website Chat Only, Text Only, Instagram Only, Messenger Only and Email Only hand off with a detailed message and an instant alert instead.

Question 12

Does Frontivo.io work for plumbers outside the US?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Frontivo.io serves plumbers in almost every country (the few we don't serve are listed on the countries page). Website chat and email work everywhere; for calls and texts you get a local number in 40+ countries (some with a monthly local-number fee shown before setup) or a US number in any other country we serve. WhatsApp is coming soon. The country-by-country table is at countries.

Option	Cost	Hours	Books on your calendar	Knows your urgent calls	Channels
Voicemail	Free	24/7			Phone only
Human answering service (Ruby, Smith.ai)	Ruby from $250/mo for 50 minutes; Smith.ai from $300/mo for 30 calls	24/7	Often (Calendly or Google Calendar)	Follows your script	Phone; live chat or texts with some providers
In-house receptionist	About $4,500/mo in the US (median pay $38,010/yr plus benefits)	Business hours			One call at a time
Frontivo.io	From $99/mo for phone; $299/mo for phone, chat and text; usage included	24/7			Phone, chat, text, email, Instagram & Messenger WhatsApp is coming soon.

Plumbing Answering Service & AI Receptionist for Plumbers

What can a plumbing answering service run by AI do?

What plumbers say about Frontivo.io

Why plumbers lose jobs to missed calls

How does Frontivo.io handle a burst-pipe emergency at 2 AM?

How do you set up an AI receptionist for a plumbing company?

Works with the tools you already use

What are missed calls costing your plumbing company?

Frontivo.io vs voicemail vs an answering service for plumbers

How much does an AI receptionist for plumbers cost?

Plumbers: FAQ

Keep exploring

Related industries

The features behind it

Guides for plumbers

Answer calls 24/7.

Plumbing Answering Service & AI Receptionist for Plumbers

What can a plumbing answering service run by AI do?

What plumbers say about Frontivo.io

Why plumbers lose jobs to missed calls

How does Frontivo.io handle a burst-pipe emergency at 2 AM?

How do you set up an AI receptionist for a plumbing company?

Works with the tools you already use

What are missed calls costing your plumbing company?

Frontivo.io vs voicemail vs an answering service for plumbers

How much does an AI receptionist for plumbers cost?

Plumbers: FAQ

01How much does a plumbing answering service cost?

02Can the AI tell a real plumbing emergency from a routine call?

03Will it quote prices I haven't approved?

04Does it work with my existing business number?

05What happens when a caller asks for a real person?

06Can it book only inside my service area?

07Will callers know they are talking to an AI?

08How long does setup take for a plumbing company?

09Does it connect to ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber?

10Does it text back missed calls?

11Can it transfer an urgent call to me live?

12Does Frontivo.io work for plumbers outside the US?

Keep exploring

Related industries

The features behind it

Guides for plumbers

Answer calls 24/7.