What does a pest control answering service cost?

Penny phone answering starts at $29/month billed annually. Pro adds text confirmations and the on-call schedule. Read the answering service cost guide for the comparison.

Does she identify bedbugs from a bite description?

She keeps the report as suspected bedbugs and asks what physical signs the caller saw. The inspection establishes the identification and scope; a report from one bedroom does not prove the problem is limited to it.

Will she tell someone to spray or seal a wall nest?

Penny tells the caller to keep away and leave an active opening alone. Your qualified professional identifies the pest and decides the treatment; she records the location for that review.

Can she promise a visit today for a wasp nest?

She applies your priority rule and offers only the service availability you have approved. Your technician receives the reported location and access details to review.

Can she send preparation and re-entry instructions?

She can send the service-specific document your business has approved. Treatment choice, preparation, and re-entry requirements come from your provider’s instructions, not a generic rule or a caller’s guess at the pest.

How does she handle a customer requesting retreatment?

Penny collects the existing plan or visit reference and the activity the customer reports. Your office applies the coverage and follow-up terms; the call does not create a free-service or eradication promise.

Can she book a termite inspection against a closing date?

Penny records the property, the requested report, the agent or lender contact, and the closing deadline. She offers the inspection openings you approve and flags the deadline for your office. Your team confirms whether the report can be completed in time and what the inspection establishes.

What happens on a sting or pesticide-exposure call?

Breathing trouble, chest tightness, or swelling or hives away from a sting site gets 911. After pesticide exposure, collapse, seizure, breathing trouble, or inability to awaken also gets 911; other exposures go to Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Service intake follows the medical instruction.

AI receptionist for pest-control companies

24/7 pest control answering service: book inspections without interrupting your work.

Your technician is finishing a visit when a homeowner calls about ants in the kitchen. Penny records what they saw, checks the property and access details, and offers an inspection. Existing customers can request a follow-up with their original plan reference attached.

A question she asks

Penny asks where the activity was seen and whether the caller has an existing plan before she offers an inspection or records a follow-up request.

Try Penny free

14 days of Pro included. No credit card.

Or call her from your phone: (630) 324-4620

The demo line

Listen for the next question in a service conversation

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) 324-4620

In your configured Penny account, describe a suspected bedbug sighting and check that she books an inspection without declaring a species.
Ask your configured Penny for a termite inspection before a closing date and check that the deadline reaches your office.
Test a follow-up request under an existing plan and confirm that she captures the original service reference.

Example calls

Build the inspection request from the caller’s observations

Everyday call
A homeowner reports ants in the kitchen.
The caller hears
Where have you seen the activity, and is this your first visit with us?
Penny does
Captures observations, property details, and access, then offers an approved inspection window.
Everyday call
An existing customer wants a follow-up visit.
The caller hears
Do you have the service-plan reference or the date of our last visit?
Penny does
Attaches the new activity to the original service request so the office can apply the plan’s terms.
Everyday call
A buyer needs a termite inspection before closing.
The caller hears
What is the property address and the closing date?
Penny does
Records the report request and deadline, offers inspection openings, and leaves report timing to the team to confirm.
Emergency
A caller reports trouble breathing after a sting.
The caller hears
Call 911 now and follow the emergency operator’s instructions.
Penny does
Pauses service intake for emergency help and alerts your office.

Your intake questions, booking permissions, and contact rules decide the next step. Read the emergency rules.

The busy months

Nest calls in summer and rodents in fall need different questions

Jan (busy)
Feb (busy)
Mar (busy)
Apr (busy)
May (busy)
Jun (busy)
Jul (busy)
Aug (busy)
Sep (busy)
Oct (busy)
Nov (busy)
Dec (busy)

Shaded months are the busy ones

Your service area and pest mix set the calendar; these are examples of calls to route under your rules.

March through May: spring inspection requests. Capture the observed pest and where activity was seen before assigning a service type.
June through August: summer service requests. Record the reported activity and property access for an inspection or scheduled visit.
September through November: fall rodent inquiries. Ask where activity was seen and whether the caller wants a new inspection or a follow-up.
December through February: recurring plan visits and rodents indoors. Preserve the plan reference and any new activity reported since the last service.

A call, written out

A bite report becomes an inspection request, with the insect still unidentified

Inspection booking: a bite complaint and insect sighting stay as observations for the technician to identify.

pennyassistant.com/calls

Inbound call · Fern Lantern Pest Care

Answered by Penny · transcript

Penny
Fern Lantern Pest Care, this is Penny. What have you noticed?
Linnea (caller)
I think there are bedbugs. I have some bites and saw a small insect by the bed.
Penny
Bite marks alone don’t identify bedbugs. I’ll record the insect sighting for the inspection. Which room was it in?
A fact from the knowledge pack, used on the call.
Linnea (caller)
The upstairs bedroom. I haven’t seen anything in the other rooms.
Penny
I’ll note that those are the areas you’ve checked. Is this a house or an apartment, and is there an existing service plan?
Linnea (caller)
A house, and no plan. Linnea Bracken, 35 Sorrel Lane in Glen Ellyn. My number is 630-555-0162.
Penny
Thank you. I have a Tuesday afternoon inspection window. The technician will identify the insect and discuss the service options after the inspection.
Linnea (caller)
Tuesday works. Should I throw away the mattress?
Penny
Please discuss that with the technician before making that decision. This appointment is for an inspection, and I’ll attach your question to it.
Linnea (caller)
All right.
Penny
Your Tuesday afternoon inspection is booked at 35 Sorrel Lane. The note says suspected bedbugs, one reported insect sighting, and a question about the mattress.

In the log

Name

Linnea Bracken

Property

35 Sorrel Lane, Glen Ellyn · house

Reported signs

Bites and one insect sighting · upstairs bedroom

Appointment

Tuesday afternoon · inspection

Written to your calendar

Every line she said is in your log with the fields she captured beside it.

Before her first call

Physical signs give your inspector more to review than a bite description

From the pest control knowledge pack

Reported pests, physical signs, room locations, and inspection intake.
Stinging-insect activity near entrances and medical-emergency recognition.
Pesticide exposure routed to Poison Control or emergency services.
Suspected bedbugs, look-alike insects, and the limits of bite descriptions.
Hidden wasp nests, bee identification, and qualified removal requests.
Integrated pest management, inspection, monitoring, and follow-up visits.
Property type, access, pets, and provider-approved preparation instructions.
Recurring plans, seasonal call patterns, retreatment requests, and quote review.

Penny, on a call

Bite marks alone don’t identify bedbugs. I’ll record the insect sighting for the inspection. Which room was it in?

The topics in the list are why she can say this.

On your website

A customer’s new pest sighting joins their existing service record

fernlanternpestcare.com

Fern Lantern Pest Care

Services
Hours
About
Contact

Penny

Chat with Fern Lantern Pest Care

Visitor

We’re on a quarterly plan and have noticed ants in the kitchen since the last visit. Can someone follow up?

What Penny does

Penny captures the plan or visit reference, where the activity appeared, and the property’s access details. She sends the request to your office under the plan’s follow-up rules, leaving coverage and treatment decisions with your team.

Write a message

The chat follows the same rules as the phone line, so a visitor gets the answer a caller would.

Your numbers

Apply your treatment value to the missed-call assumptions

Change the three numbers to yours. The default job value comes from a named source, dated.

Missed calls a weekAverage pest control job value$Share of those callers you expect to book%

Default job value $171, from Angi — national average cost of a pest control treatment (as of 2026-06-13). Change it to yours.

Potential job revenue

If you miss 7 calls a week and book 50% of them at $171 a job, those jobs would represent about

$2,592/month

This is estimated gross revenue, not measured lost revenue or profit. Some missed callers may still book with you. Change the assumptions to match your call records.

Penny starts at $29 a month, billed annually. At this job value, 3 booked jobs bring in enough revenue for the annual Starter subscription. Allow for extra usage charges and subtract job costs when estimating profit.

The result is your own arithmetic from the three numbers above.

Where it lands

Inspection requests carry the reported signs into your office tools

Google Calendar
Jobber
Housecall Pro
ServiceTitan

Connect Zapier or signed webhooks to send the captured details to the tools your office uses.

Questions

The follow-up questions behind a pest-control booking

Send setup or plan questions to support@pennyassistant.com.

Penny creates Jobber Requests, Housecall Pro customer/job records, or ServiceTitan Booking intake with the reported signs and property details. Your office handles service scheduling in those workflows. Google Calendar supports the direct appointment slots you configure.

Other lines of work

More examples of intake around an occupied property

Landscaping

A fact about the setup

Penny offers estimate slots in the service zone and route days you set for the caller’s address.

Property management

A fact about the setup

Penny records the property, unit, and access instructions together, so the maintenance coordinator can act on the request.

Contractors

A question she asks

“Is this a permit job, and who’s pulling it?” Penny asks before she books the walk-through.

Penny bills a monthly price with minutes included, then the published per-minute rate. The answering service cost guide sets it beside per-minute human services, and the plans are on the pricing page.

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.

Try Penny free Call Penny: (630) 324-4620

14 days of Pro included. No credit card.