# Answering service for plumbers

Julius Answer by DealsFlow is a plumbing answering service that picks up every call while you're under a sink, on a roof or asleep. It sorts the burst pipe from the price shopper, books estimate visits into your open times and sends you the details.

## At a glance
- Answers every call 24/7, including nights, weekends and while you're on a job.
- Books **estimate visits** and asks for the service address, the problem, how long it's been happening, whether the caller owns the property and whether it's an insurance claim.
- Marks active leaks and no heat in extreme cold as urgent and can put the caller through to your on-call plumber.
- Never quotes a job price. Gas smell? It tells the caller to get out and call 911 first.
- From $79/month, every feature included, 7-day free trial.

## Why plumbers miss so many calls

A plumbing call can come in when you can't answer: hands wet, in a crawl space, a customer standing next to you. A caller with water on the floor will not leave a voicemail and wait. In a September 2025 CallRail survey of 1,000 US consumers, 82% said they would call a competitor if a business didn't answer, and only 42% said they leave a voicemail.

For a plumbing company, that means an urgent call you can't take can go to the next shop on Google. An answering service fixes it, but a live service charges per call or per minute at rates that add up fast on a busy week. Julius Answer answers around the clock for a monthly plan price: 1 call at a time on Starter, 3 at once on Pro and 10 on Business.

## What a call sounds like

Here is an example after-hours call, shortened. Julius Answer greets the caller with your company name, says it is an AI assistant and that the call is recorded, then gets to the point.

**Northside Plumbing**Tuesday, 9:42 p.m.Example

Hi, our water heater is leaking all over the garage floor.

I'm sorry, let's get you help fast. Is the water still coming out right now?

Yes, it's a steady drip, maybe more.

Thanks. What's the address, and do you own the home?

1408 Elm Street. Yes, we own it.

Got it. I'm marking this urgent and connecting you to Mike, who's on call tonight. One moment.

**Urgent:** leaking water heater, 1408 Elm St, owner, steady leak.**Then:** transferred to Mike. Summary emailed to the office.

An illustrative example. Your receptionist uses your company name, your team and your information.

## What Julius Answer does for a plumbing company

### Sorts urgent from routine

Active leaks, flooding, a water heater dumping water: flagged urgent with the address and details, and put through to whoever you choose. A dripping faucet or a sewage backup becomes a booked estimate visit or a detailed message instead.

### Books estimate visits

It offers up to three open times on the day the caller wants and books the one they pick as a request. You confirm with one tap; the caller is told the time is requested until you do.

### Asks what your plumber needs to know

Service address, what's wrong and since when, whether they own the property, and whether it's an insurance claim after storm or water damage. You get it written down, not a garbled voicemail.

### Never makes up prices

It answers from what you tell it: service area, trip fee, warranties, whether you do tankless or septic. Anything else, it says your plumber will quote after seeing the job, and saves the question for you to answer once.

### Knows returning customers

When Mrs. Garcia calls back about the same leak, Julius Answer greets her by first name and already knows what she called about last time, so she doesn't repeat herself.

### Keeps sales calls off your phone

Lead-gen sellers, SEO pitches and robocalls are handled politely and noted as low priority. Your phone only rings for customers.

## Urgent plumbing calls: how Julius Answer decides

Every call is sorted by what the caller describes, so your on-call plumber is woken for real emergencies only.

How plumbing calls are handled
| What the caller says | What Julius Answer does |
|---|---|
| "I smell gas" or "there's smoke" | Tells them to leave the building and call 911 right away. No message first, no transfer. |
| Active leak, flooding, burst pipe, no heat in extreme cold | Takes the address and details, marks it urgent, and offers to connect them to your on-call person. If nobody picks up, it takes a detailed message. |
| Slow drain, running toilet, water heater quote, remodel | Books an estimate visit or takes a message for the morning, with everything your plumber needs. |
| Price shopping ("how much to replace a water heater?") | Shares only prices you've written down; otherwise explains you quote on site and offers to book a visit. |

## Set it up in about ten minutes
1.

### Sign up

Create your account with your company name, email and area code, then add a card in the console to start the 7-day free trial. No other website, no contract.
1.

### Tell it about your business

Type or talk to the setup assistant: your service area, hours, after-hours policy, trip fee, who takes emergency calls.
1.

### Forward your line

You get a local number in your area code. Forward your business number to it, all calls or only the ones you miss, and make a test call.

## What it costs a plumbing company

Every plan includes every feature. Plans differ only in minutes and how many calls can be answered at the same time: 1 on Starter, 3 on Pro and 10 on Business. A one-truck shop is usually fine on Starter; a shop with a few trucks and a dispatcher fits Pro; a multi-crew company with heavy after-hours volume fits Business.

Julius Answer plans (USD)
|  | Starter | Pro | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $79 | $199 | $399 |
| Yearly price (two months free) | $790 | $1,990 | $3,990 |
| Call minutes included | 300 | 1,000 | 3,000 |
| Effective price per minute | $0.26 | $0.20 | $0.13 |
| Calls answered at the same time | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Local phone number | Included | Included | Included |
| Every feature | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 7 days | 7 days | 7 days |

If your calls average three minutes, 1,000 minutes covers about 330 calls a month. If a storm week runs you over, add extra minutes from $25; they never expire. For comparison, Smith.ai's live receptionist plans start at $300 a month for 30 calls, according to its pricing page in October 2026 ([see what AI receptionists cost](/guides/ai-receptionist-cost/)).

## Stop losing emergency calls to the next plumber

Start a 7-day free trial and have Julius Answer picking up your calls today.

[Start free trial](/signup/) [See pricing](/pricing/)

## Frequently asked questions

### Can an answering service handle emergency plumbing calls?

Yes. Julius Answer treats active leaks, flooding and no heat in extreme cold as urgent: it takes the address and the problem, marks the message urgent, and offers to put the caller through to whoever is on call. If someone smells gas, it tells them to leave the building and call 911 before anything else.

### Will it quote prices for plumbing jobs?

No. Julius Answer never quotes a price for a job. It can share prices you have written down, such as a service-call fee, and otherwise says the plumber gives a quote after seeing the job.

### Does it work with my existing business number?

Yes. Keep your number and forward calls to Julius Answer, either all calls or only the ones you don't pick up. On Verizon that is *71 plus the number for unanswered calls; on AT&T and T-Mobile it is **004*1 plus the number and #. See [how to forward your business calls](/guides/how-to-forward-business-calls/).

### How much does an answering service for plumbers cost?

Julius Answer starts at $79 a month for 300 call minutes, with every feature included. A one-truck shop is usually fine on Starter; a shop with a few trucks and a dispatcher fits the Pro plan at $199 for 1,000 minutes. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.

### Can it book jobs into my calendar?

Yes. It offers open estimate times, books the one the caller picks as a request, and you confirm it with one tap. With Google Calendar connected it never offers a time you're busy, and confirmed visits show up on your calendar.

### Will callers know they are talking to an AI?

Yes. Julius Answer says it is an AI assistant when it greets the caller, and it never pretends to be a person.

## Sources
1. [Missed calls cost businesses more than ever (survey of 1,000 US consumers)](https://www.callrail.com/blog/missed-calls-cost-businesses-more-than-ever), CallRail, September 25, 2025
1. [Smith.ai pricing (Virtual Receptionist plans)](https://smith.ai/pricing), Smith.ai, 2026

Checked 2026-10-20. Third-party prices and features change; check the vendor before you buy.

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Source: https://julius.dealsflow.ai/industries/plumbers/
Updated: 2026-10-20