Every call you miss, and every text you get, answered in seconds.
When you can't pick up, the caller gets a text from your business within seconds, answered from your own prices and rules, and texts to your number get the same receptionist. For home-service businesses in Northern Virginia and the DC metro, part of Imhauser Front Desk.
A missed call is a job you will never know you lost
Most callers who reach no one do not leave a voicemail. They call the next name on the list, and the company that picks up gets the work.
Conservative on purpose. Change the numbers to yours.
What happens when you miss a call
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01
Your phone rings, and you don't pick up.
Calls you answer are yours, as before. Only the calls you do not pick up within a few rings are forwarded to the service.
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02
The caller hears a short greeting in your business's name.
It says you are on a job and a text is on its way. Callers who leave a voicemail get it transcribed and delivered to you.
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03
Within seconds, the caller gets a text from your business.
It names your business and asks what they need, in the tone you signed off on.
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04
Their questions get answered.
Hours, service area, what a visit costs, what to do right now if something is leaking or sparking. Every answer comes from a profile you approved. It gives ranges, never firm quotes, and hands you anything outside the profile instead of guessing.
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05
The caller gives the job and the address, and picks a time.
From your real availability. Depending on your setup, the receptionist books the visit and confirms it, or holds the time for you to confirm.
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06
You get the lead.
A text and an email with the caller's name, number, job, address, chosen time and the full conversation. You reply from your own phone, and one word pauses the assistant on that conversation.
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07
Every Monday, you get the numbers.
Calls caught, texts sent, leads captured, and the revenue they represent at your average job value.
What's included
- A 30-minute call and a short intake form
- Your business profile, written from the intake and your website, approved by you before anything goes live
- Carrier registration, prepared and filed by us
- A dedicated local number that your existing number forwards to when you do not answer
- The greeting and voicemail in your business's name
- A calendar connection, so callers are only offered times you are free
- A test run: a dozen simulated callers, with transcripts for you to approve
- Forwarding set up with you on a screen-share, then live test calls
- Two weeks of tuning after go-live: we read every conversation and adjust the profile
- Unlimited missed calls and text conversations for one business line
- The Monday report by email
- Profile changes the same day you email them, at no charge
- Monitoring and support
Pricing
One plan for one business line, priced after a 15-minute call.
| Feature | Text Receptionist |
|---|---|
| Term | Month to month, cancel any time |
| Second line or second location | Available as an add-on |
One constraint you should know about
US mobile carriers require every business that texts from a local number to be registered first; unregistered messages are blocked. We file it in your business's name on day one. We need your legal business name exactly as the IRS has it, your EIN, your address and your website. Businesses without an EIN can register as a sole proprietor.
Approval typically takes two to three weeks, so expect about three weeks from signing to your first text-back. The profile, greeting and test run are done while it is pending, and you go live the day it is approved.
Callers on landlines cannot receive texts; they get the greeting and voicemail, and you get the transcription. Every text includes the standard way to opt out, and a caller who opts out is never texted again.
Who this is for
- Plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing, garage doors, appliance repair, landscaping, pest control, locksmiths, and other home-service businesses
- Owners or small crews who answer the phone from the field
- One location, one main line, in Northern Virginia or the DC metro (US only)
- Businesses with a staffed front desk that already answers every call
- Medical, dental or other healthcare practices, which have privacy requirements this service is not built for
Why this and not an answering service
An answering service gives you a message you still have to return. This answers the caller's question with your prices and rules, then asks for the job, the address and a time, so the lead arrives qualified. It is built and maintained by us, not resold, and the person you talk to is the person who changes it.
Want the phone answered out loud, too? See the AI Voice Receptionist.
Questions
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. Your number stays as it is. Calls you answer are untouched; only the ones you miss are forwarded.
Can customers text the number without calling first?
Yes. The receptionist answers any text to the number. Many owners print "call or text" on their truck, website and Google listing.
Will it sound like a robot?
It sounds like the profile you approved, in the tone you choose, and you see a dozen sample conversations before it goes live. If a caller asks, it says they are texting with the business's assistant.
What happens with emergencies?
If a caller describes a gas smell, active flooding, sparks or similar, the assistant gives a short safety message and alerts you immediately.
Do I own anything if I cancel?
The local number and your business profile are yours. You can take the number elsewhere.
Find out what you are missing
Tell us how many calls you miss in a week and what an average job is worth, and we will tell you what the service would have caught, what it costs, and when you could be live.
Tell us what you need. We reply within 24 hours.
Imhauser Technologies
McLean, VA
United States
Available on-site across the DC metro, Tysons, Reston, Arlington, and Washington, DC, as well as hybrid and remote worldwide.