The 48-Hour Seat · surge cover
Your phone rings three times as often in July. Your front desk doesn’t.
HVAC in a heat wave. Roofers after hail. Plumbers in a freeze. Tax season. The calls you miss in your busiest six weeks are the most profitable calls of the year. We’ll have an AI Front Desk answering every one of them in 48 hours, and you can turn it down when the season does.
Get ready for peak season Or call (704) 741-3141 nowThat number is answered by our AI Front Desk. Interview it. If it can’t handle you, don’t hire it.
Why peak season is where the money leaks
Contractors miss 20–40% of inbound calls on a normal week. In a heat wave or after a storm, the misses are the emergency jobs at emergency prices.
A seasonal hire takes four weeks to find, two to train, and quits in September. Every year. You know this.
A caller who reaches voicemail during a surge calls the next name on the list. They don’t call back.
What to do before the season hits
Whether or not you call us. The owners who win the surge prepare for it in the slow month.
- Slow monthPull last year’s call log. Count the calls you missed in peak weeks and multiply by your average ticket. That number is the budget.
- Slow monthWrite the surge script: what an emergency is, what gets booked same-day, what gets a callback, what your after-hours rate is.
- Two weeks outGo live with the AI seat on overflow and after-hours first. Listen to the calls, tune the rules.
- PeakLet it take every call. Your dispatcher works the board instead of the phone.
- Season endKeep it on after-hours and overflow year-round, or turn it off. Month-to-month either way.
What the AI Front Desk does from day two
- Answers every call, 24/7, including the 9pm “my AC died” call, and books it at your emergency rate.
- Triages by urgency using your rules; texts emergencies to the on-call tech immediately.
- Books and confirms jobs into your scheduling software.
- Handles overflow when your human desk is on another line, so nobody hits voicemail.
- Sends confirmations and day-of reminders; reschedules when a job runs long.
- Gives you a nightly summary: calls, booked jobs, missed opportunities.
Your options for the season
| Option | Live in | Does the work? | Cost | Afterwards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rush-hire a replacement | 4–8 weeks | Does the work, after training | $56,039/yr loaded + your time | You’re done, until they quit |
| Temp agency | 3–10 days | Some of it; they don’t know your business | $25–$40/hr + placement fee | Temp leaves, knowledge leaves |
| Answering service | 1–3 days | Takes a message | $200–$400/mo + per-minute overages | You still did all the work |
| The 48-Hour Seat | 48 hours, guaranteed | Does the work | flat monthly, month-to-month | Keep it, or cancel the same day |
The 48-Hour Seat
AI Front Desk, trained on your business, live in two days.
Month-to-month. No per-call fees. Replace-or-Retrain Guarantee on the seat itself.
Book the callThe honest part: if on the setup call we think your seat isn’t a fit for AI, we’ll say so and point you to a faster human option instead.
Questions contractors ask in May
Can I run it only during peak season?
Yes. Month-to-month. Turn it on in May, off in September, on again in December. The training stays saved; nothing to redo.
Will it book jobs at the right rate?
It follows your rules: standard hours at standard rate, emergency hours at the emergency rate you set, and it says so to the caller before booking.
What about overflow when my desk is already answering?
That is the most common setup. The AI only picks up when your human doesn’t within the rings you set. Nobody hits voicemail.
What happens if you miss 48 hours?
Setup is free. You pay the monthly fee only from the day it is live. We put that in writing because speed is the whole point.
What does it cost after?
$497 a month, flat, no per-call or per-task fees. Year one including setup is $7,464. For comparison, the median receptionist salary is $38,010 (BLS May 2025), about $56,039 fully loaded.
What does the AI Front Desk NOT do?
Quoting complex jobs, negotiating price, or dispatching decisions that depend on which tech is where. It captures and books; your dispatcher decides.
The surge is coming. The seat can be ready first.
Set it up in the slow weeks and stop losing the expensive calls.
Start the 48-hour clock Call (704) 741-3141See what a receptionist really costs in your metro: AI Headcount Index · Employee Cost Calculator · All staffing scenarios