Night messages on WhatsApp or the web form start an AI agent that asks what is leaking, whether the water is off and for photos. Emergencies reach the on-call plumber once the customer accepts the call-out fee, and the rest are booked for the morning.
Typical results
≈5 min
From first message to the plumber's phone
24/7
Leak questions answered on WhatsApp
Next day
Non-urgent leaks booked into morning slots
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Night calls to a 24/7 plumbing service range from a dripping tap to a burst pipe. The on-call plumber picks up every one, often half asleep, and drives out to jobs that could have waited until morning. Real emergencies wait behind them, and the night shift costs more than it brings in.
Before and after
Unneeded night call-outs per month
−35%Minutes to reach the plumber on an emergency
−67%The automation
A WhatsApp message or web form after hours starts an AI agent that asks what is leaking, how fast, whether the water is off, and for a photo, and walks the customer through closing the main valve. Active flooding, sewage backups and no-water cases are emergencies: the agent states the night call-out fee, the customer confirms it, and this week's on-call plumber gets a phone call and a job card. Everything else is booked into a morning slot.
How it works
- 01
Message after hours
A customer writes on WhatsApp or fills in the web form. The AI agent replies at once and asks what is leaking and where.
- 02
Questions and a photo
The agent asks whether the water is off, how fast it is leaking and for a photo, and explains how to close the main valve.
- 03
Classed by urgency
Active flooding, sewage backups and no-water cases are classed as emergencies. Drips, slow drains and running toilets are not.
- 04
Fee confirmed, plumber called
For an emergency, the agent states the night call-out fee. Once the customer confirms, the on-call plumber gets a phone call and a job card with the address and photo.
- 05
Next-morning booking
Everything else is offered slots for the next morning, and the chosen slot is booked in the calendar with the job details.
Starts from
- Night message on WhatsApp
- After-hours web form
Delivers
- Call to on-call plumber
- Job card with photo
- Next-morning slot booked
The impact
The on-call plumber is woken only for emergencies and call-outs the customer has agreed to pay for. Unneeded night call-outs drop by about 35%, from around 20 a month to 13, emergencies reach the plumber within about 5 minutes of the first message, and next-morning slots are booked without a callback.
Questions about this automation
What counts as an emergency?
You set the rules. Most plumbing services treat active flooding, sewage backups, no water in the building and a leak that cannot be shut off as emergencies. A dripping tap or a slow drain is offered a morning slot. When the agent is unsure, it treats the case as an emergency and calls the plumber.
What if the customer insists on a night visit?
The customer can always ask for the on-call plumber. The agent states the night call-out fee, and if the customer confirms, the job goes to the plumber like an emergency with a note that it was requested. The conversation is kept on the job card, so nothing has to be asked again.
How is the on-call plumber reached?
The agent reads this week's on-call schedule and phones that plumber through a call service, so the alert rings like a normal call at 3 AM. The job card with the photo and answers lands in your field service app at the same moment. It's a multi-step build, usually rolled out in stages.