Penny’s AI answering service books jobs with your trade’s intake questions.
A caller says the AC runs but the house stays warm. Penny asks the no-cool questions your office needs, records the symptoms, and books an available visit under your rules. Her trade reference gives her a starting point; your website and instructions make it yours.
14 days of Pro included. No credit card.
Call Penny and try it
The live demo uses Summit Heating, a fictional HVAC business. Listen to her intake here; test your own trade’s rules in your Penny account.
(630) 297-4128- Call the Summit Heating demo and describe an AC that runs but blows warm.
- Ask for an appointment and hear Penny check the demo calendar.
- Switch to Spanish mid-sentence and hear her follow you.
What Penny does between the first ring and the summary email.
A caller can book a visit, ask about your services, or request a callback. Penny follows your rules for the request and sends your office the result.
Answers every call
One-ring answering around the clock, including weekends and holidays. Concurrent calls get answered too, so another ringing line does not have to wait for you to finish a job.
Books onto your calendar
She checks your live calendar and writes the appointment in while the caller is on the line. A caller who phones back to move it or cancel it gets that done on the same call.
Captures the lead with your required fields
Name, callback number, service address, and the reason for the call are required before she books, and you add anything else you want asked. The summary is in your inbox as the call ends.
Transfers a live caller, warm or blind
Starter transfers to one number. Pro adds an on-call schedule and warm transfers, so the person picking up hears who is calling and why. If nobody answers, Penny follows your fallback. Spam screening helps keep unwanted calls from interrupting the team.
Answers in English or Spanish
She notices the caller’s language in the first sentence and answers in it, and she switches mid-call if the caller does. No extra charge and no separate line.
Writes to your tools
Bookings land in Google Calendar or Outlook. Intake goes to Jobber, Housecall Pro, or ServiceTitan. Zapier and signed webhooks send mapped call details to HubSpot, Salesforce, and other tools.
Three calls where knowing the trade changes what Penny does first.
The caller’s request determines the next question. Penny collects the details your team needs and follows your booking and approval rules.
HVAC
A homeowner wants annual maintenance. Penny asks what kind of heating and cooling system they have, records the service address, and checks the maintenance calendar.
Property management
A tenant asks about a dishwasher repair. Penny records the property, unit, what the appliance is doing, and the tenant’s availability for the maintenance team.
Real estate
A buyer wants to see a listing. Penny asks which property, gathers contact details and preferred times, and follows your rules to book a showing or send the request to the agent.
Your instructions control bookings and handoffs. Reported emergencies follow the safety rules before routine intake.
Before Penny takes her first call for an HVAC company, she has read a working reference on the trade: equipment types, the symptoms callers describe, the difference between a tune-up and a repair visit, and the details a technician needs. The reference also covers safety boundaries and emergency instructions. She reads your website on top of that.
Each industry page lists what she knows about the work before her first call.
The equipment type and number of indoor units help the office prepare for the visit. Penny records what the caller reports and checks the approved maintenance calendar.
AI answering service or a human call center?
Choose the kind of receptionist you want, then compare the tasks and plan you need. Human services also offer scheduling, bilingual answering, and 24/7 coverage; the included features and usage charges depend on the provider.
| AI answering service (Penny) | Human answering service | |
|---|---|---|
| Who answers | Penny, the same receptionist on every call, with your rules in front of her. | A live receptionist from the provider’s team; ask how your account is staffed. |
| What it knows about your trade | Trained on your line of work before day one, plus your own website and rules. | Training and customization differ by provider. Ask to try your intake and quoting rules. |
| How you’re billed | A monthly subscription with included minutes and a published additional-minute rate. | Plans may include calls or minutes, with extra usage and selected add-ons charged separately. |
| What happens on the call | The appointment is booked on your calendar during the call and the summary is in your inbox as it ends. A call that can’t wait is transferred. | Scheduling, intake, and transfers are available from the services in our comparison guides. Check the plan and setup. |
| Languages | English and Spanish, detected from the caller’s first sentence and switched mid-call. | English and Spanish are available from the live services we compare; plan terms differ. |
| When it works | Around the clock, with nights and holidays included in the rate. | The live services in our comparison guides include 24/7 coverage. Check your plan’s usage allowance. |
For per-minute and per-call rates from the large human services, dated and sourced, read the cost guide. Read the cost guide.
Built for the shop where you are the front desk.
If you run the work and the phone from the same truck, the calls you miss are the ones that came in while you were under a sink. A caller who reaches voicemail has the next name in the search results in front of them.
No receptionist to hire
Cover the calls that arrive while you work or after the office closes. Penny’s subscription includes a minute allowance and a published rate for additional talk time.
Some customers screen unfamiliar numbers
In a 2020 Pew survey, 67% of U.S. adults said they generally decline unknown cellphone calls but check voicemail if one is left. That measures call screening, not lost jobs. Handling an appointment request on the first call can save the customer a callback.
Keep your own number
You forward your existing line to Penny, every call or only the ones you don’t pick up. The number on the truck, the cards, and the listings stays the same. The forwarding codes for your carrier are in the dashboard.
Compare the cost with your job margin
Phone answering starts at $29 a month billed annually, with 14 days of Pro included and no card. Compare that subscription and your expected talk minutes with the profit from the work you book.
Penny works nights too. See how she handles after-hours calls, or find your trade in the industries hub.
Let website visitors ask Penny for an appointment.
Add Penny to your website with a short code snippet. She answers from your pages and takes the visitor’s name, number, and appointment request.
The free plan includes 100 conversations a month and shows a small “answered by Penny” mark. Paid plans remove the mark and the cap and book straight onto your calendar.
A visitor asks whether you service heat pumps. Penny answers from your services page and asks when they want the visit.
Choose the coverage your front desk needs.
Phone answering starts on Starter with 14 days of Pro. The full ladder, minute definitions, and overage rates are on the pricing page.
Billed annually, ~17% less than month to month.
100 phone minutes a month · $348 billed annually
- Everything in Free
- Live talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.100 phone minutes a monthLive talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.
- The flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.$0.29/min after thatThe flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.
- The chat widget on your site with no conversation cap and no “answered by Penny” mark.Unlimited website chat without the Penny markThe chat widget on your site with no conversation cap and no “answered by Penny” mark.
- Penny checks open slots and your booking rules before adding an appointment to Google Calendar or Outlook during a call or chat.Calendar booking in Google or Outlook, on phone and chatPenny checks open slots and your booking rules before adding an appointment to Google Calendar or Outlook during a call or chat.
- Edit your trade’s emergency rules in plain English. Penny attempts a transfer to the number you choose and follows your fallback if nobody answers.Your trade’s emergency rules and a transfer numberEdit your trade’s emergency rules in plain English. Penny attempts a transfer to the number you choose and follows your fallback if nobody answers.
- Review call details and available transcripts, then send supported call, lead, and appointment data through Zapier or signed webhooks.Call log with transcripts; Zapier and webhooksReview call details and available transcripts, then send supported call, lead, and appointment data through Zapier or signed webhooks.
375 phone minutes a month · $1,188 billed annually
- Everything in Starter
- Live talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.375 phone minutes a monthLive talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.
- The flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.$0.27/min after thatThe flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.
- Set who is on call by day and hour. Penny attempts the transfer and tells the receiving person who is calling after they answer. Your fallback rules apply if nobody picks up.On-call schedule and dispatch; warm transferSet who is on call by day and hour. Penny attempts the transfer and tells the receiving person who is calling after they answer. Your fallback rules apply if nobody picks up.
- Send intake records to Jobber, Housecall Pro, or ServiceTitan for your office to review and schedule. HubSpot and Salesforce connect through Zapier or signed webhooks.Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, HubSpot, SalesforceSend intake records to Jobber, Housecall Pro, or ServiceTitan for your office to review and schedule. HubSpot and Salesforce connect through Zapier or signed webhooks.
- Callers get a text confirming the booking, a missed call gets a text back, and a caller can text a photo of the problem for the ticket.Text confirmations, missed-call text-back, photo-by-textCallers get a text confirming the booking, a missed call gets a text back, and a caller can text a photo of the problem for the ticket.
- Several numbers or locations under one account, each with its own greeting, hours, and routing, plus call flows written for how your office works.Multiple numbers and locations; custom workflowsSeveral numbers or locations under one account, each with its own greeting, hours, and routing, plus call flows written for how your office works.
1050 phone minutes a month · $2,988 billed annually
- Everything in Pro
- Live talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.1050 phone minutes a monthLive talk time on the phone, counted per second. Screened spam never counts, and the clock stops when a person picks up a transfer.
- The flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.$0.24/min after thatThe flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.
- Call volume, outcomes, leads, and bookings over time, with a read API and export for your own reporting.Analytics and reporting; API and exportCall volume, outcomes, leads, and bookings over time, with a read API and export for your own reporting.
- Transcripts that keep protected health information to a minimum, retention controls you set, and a BAA on request.Compliance mode (PHI-minimized, retention, BAA)Transcripts that keep protected health information to a minimum, retention controls you set, and a BAA on request.
- Front-of-the-line support and a guided setup session that tunes Penny to how your office runs.Priority support and guided setupFront-of-the-line support and a guided setup session that tunes Penny to how your office runs.
14 days of Pro included. No credit card.
Chat on your website. 100 conversations a month.
- One visitor session counts as one conversation, however long it runs. The count resets every month.100 chat conversations a monthOne visitor session counts as one conversation, however long it runs. The count resets every month.
- The free widget carries a small “answered by Penny” mark. Starter removes it.A small “answered by Penny” mark on the widgetThe free widget carries a small “answered by Penny” mark. Starter removes it.
- A visitor asks for a time, Penny takes the request, and you confirm it from the email. Live booking onto your calendar begins on Starter.Appointment requests you confirmA visitor asks for a time, Penny takes the request, and you confirm it from the email. Live booking onto your calendar begins on Starter.
- Penny notices the caller’s or visitor’s language and switches, mid-conversation if needed, at no extra charge.English and SpanishPenny notices the caller’s or visitor’s language and switches, mid-conversation if needed, at no extra charge.
- Penny reads your site for services, hours, and service area, and starts with a working reference on your line of work.Answers from your website and your trade’s knowledgePenny reads your site for services, hours, and service area, and starts with a working reference on your line of work.
- The details each visitor shares, their question, and the outcome, in your inbox as the conversation ends.Lead capture, with an email after every conversationThe details each visitor shares, their question, and the outcome, in your inbox as the conversation ends.
Phone answering, live booking, and call transfers begin on Starter.
Try Penny freeFrom $3,000 a year, with custom volume and a named account team.
- Everything in Business
- Minutes sized to your call volume, on a contract you negotiate with the account team.Custom phone volumeMinutes sized to your call volume, on a contract you negotiate with the account team.
- The flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.$0.21/min after that, the lowest rateThe flat per-minute rate for talk time past your plan. No per-call fee and no rounding up.
- Chat on your site with no conversation cap and no mark.Unlimited website chatChat on your site with no conversation cap and no mark.
- A named team that knows your setup, with contractual response times.A dedicated account team and SLAsA named team that knows your setup, with contractual response times.
- Connectors built for your systems and a hands-on onboarding for your team.Custom integrations and onboardingConnectors built for your systems and a hands-on onboarding for your team.
Billed annually on a custom contract.
Talk to usNo setup fee. Keep your number and cancel from billing. Enterprise uses a custom annual contract.
What owners ask about an AI answering service.
What an AI answering service is, what it does on a call, and what it costs.
Software that answers your business phone and holds the conversation itself, instead of routing the caller to a recording or a call-center agent. Penny greets the caller and answers the questions your website answers. Then she books the appointment on your calendar or takes the lead’s details, around the clock.
Find your line of work and read the rules Penny follows on its calls.
Penny asks whether the furnace starts and quits or never starts at all, then puts the caller’s answer on the service ticket.
Penny records the property, unit, and access instructions together, so the maintenance coordinator can act on the request.
A slow-drain request includes which fixture is affected and whether other drains are backing up, so your plumber can prepare for the visit.
Asked “do I have a case?”, Penny sends that question to the attorney and takes the names and dates needed to arrange a consult.
A parent asks for two cleanings after school. Penny checks the hygiene calendar and offers openings on the same afternoon.
Penny checks the listing status and the caller’s agent details before offering a showing request from the listing agent’s approved openings.
Penny asks what the caller wants to insure and when the policy renews, then offers an appointment with the producer who handles that line.
For an EV-charger estimate, Penny asks which vehicle is arriving, where the garage sits, and what the caller already knows about the panel.
Penny matches the caller’s address to the inspection zone and route days you configured before offering a slot.
Give Penny a call before you forward yours.
Try the HVAC demo, then set up Penny for your business. Your account includes 14 days of Pro; Free keeps your website chat after the trial.
14 days of Pro included. No credit card.