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Straight answers before you buy
These are the 42 questions contractors ask most about after-hours and AI answering services, gathered from contractor forums and from owners' reviews of answering services. Each answer is how every Inland After Hours line is set up.
The voice and trust
Will my customers hang up on a robot?
Most hang-ups happen in the first few seconds, before anything useful is said. The desk answers with your company name and a calm voice, and asks what's going on.
Call the demo line at (509) 517-3206 and judge it yourself. We'll publish our own hang-up numbers once pilots have run.
Can it handle how people really talk?
Yes. It's a conversation, not a menu or a form. Callers explain in their own words, and it reads the name, address and number back to make sure it heard right.
Does it understand calls for my trade?
It's set up for your trade on the setup call: the jobs you do, your service area and your emergency list. A plumber's line and a locksmith's line ask different questions.
Will it confuse older callers?
It speaks at an easy pace, asks one thing at a time and repeats details back. If a caller struggles, it takes a callback number so you can call them yourself.
Should a computer be the first thing my customers hear?
At night the choice isn't a computer or a person. It's a computer or voicemail, and fewer than 3 in 100 callers leave a voicemail. The desk gets the details from the ones who would have hung up.
Can I set it up for how my business works?
Yes. Your service area, the jobs you take, your emergency list, your quiet hours and the callback time it promises are all set on the setup call. Text us any change and we make it the same day.
Can it answer questions, or only take messages?
It answers the basics: whether you cover that area, whether you do that kind of job, and when you'll call back. It never quotes prices, diagnoses a problem or promises an arrival time.
Cost and billing
Do you charge per minute or per call?
Neither. You pay one flat monthly price: $99, $149 or $299. Each plan has a fair-use minute figure so you know which size fits.
What happens if I go over my minutes?
Nothing changes on your bill. Minute 201 costs $0. If you're over every month, we'll suggest the plan that fits, and your bill never changes without your OK.
Do spam calls and robocalls cost me?
No. Your price is flat, so spam never adds to it. The desk ends sales calls and robocalls politely and keeps them away from you.
Do hang-ups and dropped calls count?
No. The price is flat, so nothing counts against you.
Do you charge for test calls during setup?
Never. We make the test calls together on the setup call, and they're on us.
Is there an extra charge for nights, weekends or holidays?
No. Nights, weekends and holidays are the whole point, and they're included in every plan.
How do I know it's worth the money?
On day 7 we email you your call log: how many calls it caught, which ones became jobs, and your cost per captured call. If the pilot isn't worth it, text us within 30 days and the $49 comes back.
Why not just use voicemail with a transcript?
A transcript only helps if the caller leaves a message, and fewer than 3 in 100 do. The desk keeps them on the line, gets the address and number, and reaches you if it can't wait.
Setup and forwarding
Do I keep my business number?
Yes. Nothing changes for your customers. You forward your own number to the desk, and you can switch it back from your phone any time.
Can it answer only after hours, or only the calls I miss?
Both. Pick on the setup call: forward every call when you close, or let your phone ring first and send only the calls you miss.
What if call forwarding stops working?
We read your call log every morning and test-call your line every week at a time you pick. If something looks wrong, we text you that morning.
How long does setup take?
About 15 minutes on the phone. We set up forwarding with you and test it live before we hang up, and your first night can be the same day.
How do I change my instructions later?
Text us. A new emergency list, new hours or a new callback time: we change it the same day.
What happens to my number if I leave?
Nothing. Your number never leaves you. Turn forwarding off and your calls come straight to you again.
Emergencies and transfers
Can it put a caller through to me live?
Yes. When a call is on your emergency list and the caller needs someone tonight, it transfers the call to your cell while they're on the line.
Who decides what counts as an emergency?
You do. On the setup call you choose what can ring you at night, like a burst pipe or no heat, and what waits for morning.
What if I don't answer the transfer?
The caller is told you'll call right back, and the email for that call is marked URGENT so it stands out.
Can it tell callers my after-hours rate?
No. It never quotes prices. Your tech covers pricing on the callback, so a caller is never told a number you didn't approve.
What does it say about gas, carbon monoxide or sparks?
It tells the caller to get out and call 911 or Avista first, then it reaches you. It never tries to troubleshoot a dangerous situation.
Do you charge extra for transfers?
No. Transfers to your cell are included on every plan.
Your callers and your reviews
Will the messages be accurate?
It reads the name, address and callback number back to the caller before hanging up, and every email includes the recording, so you can hear exactly what was said.
Will it follow my instructions?
Your rules are written into your line on the setup call. Every call is recorded so you can check it, and we fix anything that's off the same day.
Will it sound like a call center?
No. It answers with your company name, and it's run by a small Spokane team, not a national call center.
Does it screen out sales calls and spam?
Yes. It ends sales pitches and robocalls politely, and they never reach your cell.
Does it speak Spanish?
English today. Spanish is next on our list. If your callers need it, tell us and you'll be the first to know.
Recordings and privacy
Are calls recorded? How long do you keep them?
Yes. Every caller hears that the call is recorded, which Washington law requires. Each recording is emailed to you to keep, and our own copy is deleted after 30 days.
Is my customers' information safe?
Call details go only to the inbox you choose. We never sell or share them. A full privacy notice is coming to this site.
Is it legal to record, and does it say it's automated?
Recording is announced at the start of every call, as Washington law requires. If a caller asks whether they're talking to a person, it says plainly that it's an automated assistant.
Your software
Does it work with Jobber, Housecall Pro or my CRM?
It emails each call to any inbox you choose, including your software's lead-intake email if it has one. There's no direct connection to your software yet.
Will it create duplicate customers in my software?
No. It doesn't write into your software, so it can't create duplicates.
Can it book appointments?
No. It takes the details and tells the caller when you'll call back, so your schedule stays yours.
Contracts and cancelling
Is there a contract?
No. Cancel by text, or just turn forwarding off.
Do you refund? When does billing stop?
The pilot: if it isn't worth it, text us within 30 days and the $49 comes back. Monthly plans: your last charge is the month you cancel.
Trying it and proof
Is there a free trial?
There's something we think is better: a $49 pilot month, set up with you on the phone, and your $49 back if it isn't worth it.
Who else in my trade uses it?
We're new, and we'd rather say so. The first five Spokane and Coeur d'Alene companies get the founder rate of $129 a month for twelve months, and with their permission, their results will go on this page.
Still have a question?
Call the demo line and ask it yourself, or start the $49 pilot and ask us on the setup call.