What is the best AI answering service for HVAC and home service companies?
Comparison Home services Updated 10 min read By the Solwees team
The best AI answering service for an HVAC, plumbing or electrical company is usually the one built into its field service software. Housecall Pro CSR AI and Jobber Receptionist book into those systems. Avoca fits ServiceTitan shops that accept pricing by quote. Marlie and OnCrew fit small crews on a budget. Solwees fits companies that want every call and WhatsApp message answered and the request passed to the office.
Key takeaways
- A company on Housecall Pro, Jobber or ServiceTitan should look first at the answering tool that system sells: it already knows the services and the schedule.
- Pricing models differ: per minute (Marlie), per call (Smith.ai, OnCrew), per conversation (Jobber), per unique caller (Goodcall), a plan with included minutes (Solwees).[1-5]
- Solwees does not write jobs into ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber and does not book the visit: it takes the request and passes it to the office.
How we compared AI answering services for home service companies
We compared AI answering services for HVAC, plumbing and electrical companies on four things that decide whether a call becomes a job: emergency calls after hours, booking into the field service system, handoff to a person, and the pricing model. The comparison is based on what each vendor publishes on its own site as of October 2026, not on hands-on testing.
- Emergency calls after hours: how the service tells no heat or a burst pipe from a tune-up, and whom it reaches.
- Booking: whether the job lands in ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber, in a calendar, or in an email.
- Dispatch and handoff: a live transfer, a text to the on-call technician, or a message for the morning.
- Pricing model: per minute, per call, per conversation, or a monthly plan.
| Product | Best for | Channels | Booking integrations | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housecall Pro CSR AI | Companies on Housecall Pro | Calls, website chat; texts in alpha | Housecall Pro (built in) | Not public for CSR AI; Housecall Pro plans from $59 a month[6] |
| Jobber Receptionist | Small crews on Jobber | Calls, texts | Jobber (built in) | $29 a month add-on on top of a Jobber plan, 30 conversations[4] |
| Avoca | Shops on ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or FieldEdge | Calls, texts, website chat | ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, FieldEdge | Not public, by quote |
| Marlie | Small contractors on Housecall Pro or Jobber | Calls | Housecall Pro, Jobber, Google Calendar | $49 a month for messages; booking from $99[1] |
| Smith.ai | A person behind the AI | Calls, website chat | ServiceTitan and CRMs | Free for 25 calls; Pro $150 a month at $2.00 a call[2] |
| Goodcall | A general phone agent | Calls | Calendars; CRMs through Zapier | $79 a month per agent[5] |
| OnCrew | After-hours triage for small crews | Calls | None: hands off call details | $49 a month, 100 calls[3] |
| Solwees | Calls and WhatsApp answered, the request passed to the office | Calls, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, website chat, email | None: passes the request to the office | €249 a month, or €99 plus minutes |
Eight AI answering services for HVAC, plumbing and electrical companies
Eight AI answering services cover most HVAC, plumbing and electrical companies. The list starts with the tools that write a job into field service software, continues with one that books into a calendar, and ends with two that pass the request to the team. Solwees is in the last group.
Housecall Pro CSR AI
- Best for
- Companies that already run on Housecall Pro.
CSR AI is the answering assistant built into Housecall Pro. It answers calls and website chats on nights, weekends and holidays, uses the services, hours and availability already in the account, and puts booked jobs on the Housecall Pro calendar. Emergency calls are forwarded to a number the company chooses or raise a text alert, during or after hours.
Pros
- No separate app: it works from the data already in Housecall Pro.
- Escalation rules: forward to a number, to a Housecall Pro Assist agent, or end the call and send notes.
Cons
- It is part of Housecall Pro, so it does not help a company on other software.
- Text answering is marked alpha or coming soon.
- Pricing
- Not public for CSR AI: the help centre describes it as a subscription, so ask for the price. Housecall Pro’s own guide says its plans start at $59 a month; 14-day free trial.[6, 7]
Jobber Receptionist
- Best for
- Small crews and owner-operators on Jobber.
Receptionist is the AI answering feature of Jobber. It answers calls and texts around the clock, books a visit with the online booking settings already in Jobber, or creates a work request or a task. The owner sets keywords that mean urgent, such as a burst pipe or no heat, and Receptionist transfers that caller or sends a text alert.
Pros
- Bookings, requests and tasks land in Jobber without retyping.
- Pricing
- Add-on $29 a month with 30 conversations, on top of a Jobber plan (Core is $29 a month billed annually); included in the Plus plan.[4, 8]
Avoca
- Best for
- Companies on ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or FieldEdge that have office staff and accept pricing by quote.
Avoca calls itself the AI front office for service businesses and is a ServiceTitan Certified App. Its inbound agent answers calls, texts and chats around the clock, routes emergency calls to the on-call technician and books the rest; an escalated call reaches a person with the context. Booked jobs appear on the ServiceTitan board with name, address and service type.
Pros
- Writes jobs into ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro and FieldEdge.
- Outbound campaigns and call scoring for office staff.
Cons
- Pricing is not public; the site offers a demo call.
- Pricing
- Not public. Avoca says pricing is based on conversation volume and CRM integration tier, flat monthly with no per-seat fees, and quoted after a demo. See also Solwees and Avoca compared.
Marlie
- Best for
- Small contractors on Housecall Pro, Jobber or Google Calendar who want per-minute pricing.
Marlie is an AI receptionist with a home services setup. Its industry page says it listens for urgent language such as flooding or no heat, collects the address and a callback number, flags the job and texts the on-call technician; routine requests are booked into Housecall Pro, Jobber or Google Calendar during the call.
Pros
- Per-minute pricing and a 14-day free trial, without long-term contracts.[1]
Cons
- The $49 plan takes a message and sends an email and SMS report; booking and call transfer start at $99 a month.[1]
- Pricing
- Basic $49 a month with 250 minutes, then $0.35 a minute; Standard $99 with 500 minutes.[1]
Smith.ai
- Best for
- Companies that want a live person behind the AI.
Smith.ai combines an AI receptionist with live receptionists in North America: the AI answers first and can transfer a complex call to a person at any hour.[2] For home services it screens routine requests with AI and passes emergencies such as a gas leak or no heat to live agents, who coordinate with the on-call technician. It lists ServiceTitan among its integrations.[9]
Pros
- A free tier of 25 calls a month to try it.[2]
- Pricing
- AI Receptionist: free for 25 calls a month, then $3.00 a call; Pro $150 a month at $2.00 a call. Live receptionists from $300 a month for 30 calls.[2, 10]
Goodcall
- Best for
- Small businesses that want a general phone agent with unlimited minutes.
Goodcall is an AI phone agent for businesses of any kind. Plans include unlimited minutes and are priced per agent, with a number of unique callers included each month.[5] When the agent cannot fulfil a request it transfers the call, takes a message or schedules a callback, and it manages appointments through calendar integrations.
Pros
- Call transfer to a person or a department by rules the owner sets.
- Pricing
- Starter $79 a month per agent, or $66 with annual billing.[5]
OnCrew
- Best for
- Owner-operators who mainly need nights and weekends covered and urgent calls sent to the on-call technician.
OnCrew is an AI receptionist configured for HVAC, plumbing, electrical and roofing contractors. It answers in the company name, captures the details of urgent calls and alerts or transfers to the on-call team. OnCrew says that it does not dispatch trucks, commit to an arrival time or own the schedule.
Pros
Cons
- By its own description it captures appointment requests and does not own the schedule.[3]
- Jobber and ServiceTitan receive calls through a webhook export.
- Pricing
- Starter $49 a month with 100 calls, then $0.99 a call; Pro $149 with 400 calls.[3]
Solwees
- Best for
- Companies that want every call and WhatsApp message answered and the request passed to the office, in several languages; not companies that need jobs booked by the assistant.
Solwees is an AI receptionist for service businesses. For an HVAC, plumbing or electrical company it answers calls, WhatsApp and website chat, takes the request (the address, the problem, a convenient time) and passes it to the office; urgent requests are passed as urgent. A caller reaches a person only in working hours and only if a team member accepts the call in the mobile app within 30 seconds; otherwise Solwees tells the caller that a manager will call back.
Pros
- One assistant for phone calls, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and website chat, in 50+ languages.
Cons
- Solwees does not write jobs into ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber and does not book visits into a calendar: the office schedules each job itself.
- It does not dispatch technicians: who goes out and when stays with the dispatcher.
- Priced per location, in euros; phone answering needs the Studio plan or a pack of minutes.
- Pricing
- As of October 2026, per location a month: Studio €249 with 100 call minutes, or Solo €99 plus 100 minutes for €39, bought once. 7-day trial without a card. See pricing.
How to choose an AI answering service for a home service company
Choose an AI answering service for a home service company by where the job has to land. If dispatch runs in Housecall Pro, Jobber or ServiceTitan, the tool built into that system is the better choice: it reads the real schedule and creates the job itself. An outside service covers what the built-in tool lacks.
If the company runs on Housecall Pro or Jobber
Start with CSR AI or Jobber Receptionist: both book with the settings already in the account. Marlie is the outside option that names both systems. Solwees is not the right pick for this case.
If the company runs on ServiceTitan
Avoca is a ServiceTitan Certified App, and ServiceTitan has its own AI Virtual Agents in Contact Center Pro, marked as early access.
If only nights and weekends need cover
OnCrew triages and alerts the on-call technician from $49 a month.[3] Marlie’s $49 plan takes a message and sends an email and SMS report; transfer and booking start at $99.[1] The schedule stays with the owner.
If customers also write in WhatsApp, or speak several languages
Solwees answers calls and messengers with one assistant and passes each request to the office with the details; it does not book the visit. Compare it with Goodcall and Smith.ai.
Questions and answers
Can an AI answering service handle an emergency HVAC call at night?
Yes, by sorting and passing it on. Housecall Pro CSR AI forwards the call or sends a text alert, Jobber Receptionist transfers callers who use urgent keywords, and Marlie and OnCrew text the on-call technician.
Which AI answering services book jobs into ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber?
Avoca writes jobs into ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro and FieldEdge. CSR AI books inside Housecall Pro and Receptionist inside Jobber. Marlie books into Housecall Pro and Jobber. OnCrew passes call details and leaves the schedule to the contractor.
Does Solwees integrate with ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber?
No. Solwees does not write jobs into ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber, and it does not book visits for home service companies. It takes the request (the address, the problem, a convenient time) and passes it to the office, which enters the job into the field service software.
How much does an AI answering service for an HVAC company cost?
Published entry prices in October 2026 run from $29 a month on top of a Jobber plan and $49 a month for Marlie or OnCrew to $150 a month for Smith.ai Pro at $2.00 a call.[1-4] Solwees with phone answering is €249 a month, or €99 plus a pack of minutes. Avoca and Housecall Pro CSR AI do not publish prices.
Sources (10)
All sources were accessed on .
- Marlie. Marlie pricing.
- Smith.ai. Plans and pricing for AI Receptionist.
- OnCrew. OnCrew pricing.
- Jobber Help Center. Receptionist, powered by Jobber AI.
- Goodcall. Goodcall pricing.
- Housecall Pro. Best AI answering services for contractors.
- Housecall Pro. Housecall Pro pricing and plans.
- Jobber. Jobber pricing.
- Smith.ai. Smith.ai home page.
- Smith.ai. Plans and pricing for virtual receptionists.
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