Simple Setup, Powerful Results

How It Works

Velvet replaces voicemail, hold music, and missed calls with an AI receptionist that answers every call, books appointments, and detects emergencies — in 3 simple steps. Most plumbing businesses are live in under 24 hours.

01

Forward Your Business Calls to Velvet

You keep your existing phone number — nothing changes for your customers. You simply set up call forwarding from your current business line to your unique Velvet number. This works with any phone provider: landline, VoIP (like RingCentral, Vonage, or Ooma), or even your mobile phone.

You have full control over which calls Velvet handles:

  • All calls: Velvet answers every inbound call 24/7, acting as your full-time virtual receptionist
  • Overflow only: Velvet picks up when your line is busy or goes unanswered after a set number of rings
  • After-hours only: Forward calls to Velvet outside your business hours — evenings, weekends, and holidays
  • Custom schedule: Set different forwarding rules for different days of the week

Setup takes about 5 minutes. Our onboarding team walks you through the exact forwarding steps for your specific phone provider.

📞
Call Forwarding Setup
Your Phone Provider Settings
Business Number
(512) 555-0123
Forward To
Velvet #
Forwarding Mode
All Calls
Status
Active
02

Velvet Answers Every Call, 24/7

When a homeowner calls your business, Velvet picks up within two rings with a professional, customized greeting: "Thank you for calling [Your Company Name], how can I help you today?"

From there, the AI handles the conversation like a trained plumbing receptionist. Here's what happens on a typical call:

  • Identifies the caller's need — new service request, existing appointment question, estimate inquiry, or emergency
  • Asks qualifying questions — type of plumbing issue, property location, when the problem started, access to water shut-off valve
  • Assesses urgency — classifies the call as routine, urgent, or emergency based on the caller's description and trained plumbing logic
  • Books the appointment — checks your real-time availability and schedules the service call right on the phone
  • Provides helpful guidance — for emergencies, Velvet can instruct callers to shut off their main water valve or take other immediate steps

The entire call feels natural and professional. Velvet handles follow-up questions, clarifications, and even small talk. If a caller specifically requests a human, Velvet can transfer the call per your rules.

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Live Call Example
Water heater replacement inquiry
Velvet: "Thank you for calling Lone Star Plumbing, how can I help you today?"
Caller: "Hi, my water heater isn't producing hot water anymore. I think it might need to be replaced."
Velvet: "I'm sorry to hear that. I can help get a plumber out to take a look. Is this a tank or tankless water heater, and roughly how old is it?"
Caller: "It's a regular tank, maybe 12 years old."
Velvet: "Got it — a 12-year-old tank unit. I have an opening tomorrow morning between 9 and 11 AM. Would that work for you?"
03

Get Instant Summaries & Booked Appointments

The moment a call ends, you and your team receive a detailed summary delivered via text message and email. No more listening to 90-second voicemails or calling people back to ask what they need.

Every call summary includes:

  • Caller information: Name, phone number, and address
  • Issue description: A clear summary of the plumbing problem in the caller's own words
  • Urgency classification: Emergency, urgent, or routine — color-coded for quick scanning
  • Appointment details: Date, time, and service type if an appointment was booked
  • Special notes: Any relevant details — access instructions, pet warnings, gate codes, etc.
  • Software sync: All data automatically pushed to ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, or Jobber

Your dispatcher gets everything they need to assign the job to the right technician without a single callback. Your technician arrives informed and prepared.

📋
Call Summary
Delivered via text + email instantly
Caller
Maria Gonzalez
Phone
(512) 555-0456
Issue
Water heater — no hot water
Urgency
Urgent
Appointment
Tomorrow, 9–11 AM
Notes
12-yr tank unit, gate code #4521

What Happens During an Emergency Call

Plumbing emergencies don't wait for business hours. Velvet is trained to recognize emergency situations and take immediate action — because the difference between a $300 repair and a $15,000 flood restoration can be 30 minutes.

Emergency Call: Burst Pipe at 2:17 AM

Here's exactly what happens when a homeowner calls about a plumbing emergency:

1

Instant Recognition (0–15 seconds)

Velvet identifies the emergency from the caller's description: "Water is spraying everywhere, I think a pipe burst." The AI immediately shifts into emergency protocol — faster questioning, no upselling, no scheduling delays.

2

Caller Guidance (15–45 seconds)

Velvet instructs the caller to locate and shut off their main water shut-off valve to stop the flooding. This single instruction can prevent thousands of dollars in additional water damage while your plumber is en route.

3

Immediate Escalation (45–60 seconds)

Velvet contacts your on-call plumber or emergency dispatch number per your configured rules. The technician receives the caller's name, phone number, address, and a description of the emergency — all before the original call even ends.

4

Confirmation & Summary (60–90 seconds)

Velvet confirms to the caller that help is on the way, provides an estimated response time, and sends the full emergency summary to your team via text and email. Total time from ring to dispatch: under 90 seconds.

Velvet recognizes all major plumbing emergencies: burst pipes, active flooding, sewage backups, gas leaks, slab leaks, water heater failures, and frozen pipe risks. The AI was trained with input from a master plumber to ensure accurate triage. Learn more about Velvet's plumbing-specific features.

Every Call Answered in English or Spanish

Over 41 million people in the United States speak Spanish at home. In markets like Texas, California, Florida, and Arizona, a significant percentage of homeowners prefer to communicate in Spanish when calling for plumbing service. If your phone system can't handle that, you're leaving money on the table.

English

Automatic Language Detection

Velvet detects the caller's preferred language within the first few seconds of the call and responds naturally in English. All qualifying questions, appointment booking, and emergency protocols operate seamlessly in English with professional, conversational tone.

Español

Soporte Completo en Español

When a caller speaks Spanish, Velvet switches immediately and handles the entire conversation fluently — including plumbing-specific vocabulary, appointment scheduling, and emergency instructions. Call summaries are delivered to your team in English for easy processing.

Bilingual support is included in every Velvet plan at no additional cost. No separate phone lines, no add-on fees, no bilingual hiring requirements.

Setup & Functionality Questions

No. You keep your existing business phone number — that's important for your branding, your Google Business Profile, and your marketing materials. Velvet works through call forwarding, so your customers continue calling the same number they always have. The forwarding happens invisibly in the background.
Yes. Most phone providers support conditional call forwarding, which lets you forward calls only when your line is busy, unanswered after a set number of rings, or outside business hours. Many plumbing businesses start with after-hours only to test Velvet, then expand to 24/7 coverage once they see the results. Our onboarding team can help configure the right setup for your situation.
Velvet syncs with your scheduling software — ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, or Google Calendar. It checks your real-time availability before offering appointment slots to callers. You can also set custom booking rules, like only offering next-day appointments, keeping emergency slots open, or blocking certain time windows. See more setup questions in our full FAQ.
Every call summary includes: caller name, phone number, address (if provided), a clear description of the plumbing issue, urgency classification (emergency, urgent, or routine), whether an appointment was booked with date and time, and any special notes like gate codes or pet warnings. Summaries arrive via text message and email within seconds of the call ending.
Yes. Unlike a human receptionist who can only take one call at a time, Velvet handles unlimited simultaneous calls. This is critical during high-volume periods — Monday mornings, freeze events, after a rainstorm — when multiple homeowners are calling at once. Every caller gets an immediate answer with zero hold time.

Ready to Never Miss a Call Again?

Set up takes under 24 hours. No contracts, no hardware, no IT team. Start your free trial and see how many calls you've been missing.

Start Your Free Trial

Questions? Call us: (512) 501-2788 or email hello@velvetassistants.com