How an AI receptionist stops missed calls

The problem is not “not enough marketing”

Plenty of HVAC shops already get the phone to ring. The leak is what happens next. After hours, on weekends, or when two calls come in at once, the extra call hits voicemail. Some callers leave a message. Many hang up and try the next company they found.

MendRev does not invent a percentage of callers who do that. You can estimate it yourself with the calculator on the MendRev homepage and the walkthrough in how to use a missed-call cost calculator. Use your voicemail count, your own guess at how many would have booked, and what a typical job is worth to you.

What “stopping a missed call” actually means

It means the caller reaches someone — in this case, software — instead of a recording. MendRev's receptionist, set up today for residential HVAC contractors:

• Picks up after-hours and overflow calls you forward to it.
• Takes the caller's name, callback number, address and the problem.
• Notes how urgent the caller says it is.
• Takes a preferred time as a request, not a confirmed booking.
• For a gas smell or a carbon monoxide alarm, tells the caller to leave the home and, from outside, call 911 (and the gas company for a gas smell).

Your main number stays the same. During onboarding we set up how those details reach you. Your team calls back and books the job.

What it will not do

• It is not a person sitting on your spare desk.
• It does not dispatch technicians or assign jobs.
• It does not confirm appointments into your calendar on its own.
• It is not an emergency service. Safety instructions are given; your team decides what happens next.

Those limits are intentional. An honest receptionist that captures the lead is more useful than software that pretends to schedule a tech it cannot send.

How it is set up

We write your HVAC call script and knowledge base with you — service area, hours, fees, what counts as urgent — set up a number and routing, and run test calls. You'll be live within 10 business days. Then you forward the calls you cannot take. There is no minimum term on monthly voice plans; cancel anytime and the plan ends at the close of your billing period.

Pricing is on Voice Solutions: a $297 30-day pilot (up to 500 connected minutes, setup included) that continues as Pro at $497/month unless you cancel before day 30; or Starter $297/month, Pro $497/month or Elite $997/month, each with a $497 setup fee if you skip the pilot. Minutes above the allowance are $0.65 each.

The website still matters

Callers have to find you and tap the number first. A clear, mobile-first site — click-to-call on every page — is what sends them to the phone. If you want both, Website + Voice sets them up together so form leads and call details can go to the same inbox. Look at the demo gallery for sample layouts (fictional, not client work).

Questions