Can Anna handle a burst-pipe emergency at 2am?
Yes — this is the single most important scenario for plumbing. When a panicked homeowner calls reporting a burst pipe or active flood, Anna immediately asks two triage questions: have you located and shut off the main water supply valve, and is the water near any electrical panels or outlets? It then guides the caller through the main shutoff if they have not turned it off, advises on electrical safety, and simultaneously pages your on-call plumber with the caller's address, the shutoff status, and the approximate affected area. The entire triage-to-dispatch handoff takes under 60 seconds.
Does Anna know where a main shutoff valve is typically located?
Anna is briefed on the most common shutoff valve locations for the Atlanta metro housing stock: crawl-space utility areas, basement utility walls adjacent to the foundation, under kitchen sinks in slab-on-grade homes, and in-ground curb stops near the meter box. It walks callers through each location based on their home type. If the caller cannot locate the shutoff, Anna advises them to contact their water utility 24-hour emergency line for curb-stop shutoff assistance while keeping your technician dispatched simultaneously.
Which plumbing software platforms does Anna integrate with?
Anna connects directly with the field-service management platforms plumbers already use: ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, Workiz, FieldEdge, and ServiceFusion. When a call ends, a new job or lead record is created automatically with all captured details pre-filled — issue type, caller description, water heater age and fuel type if collected, and address verified against your existing customer list. Existing customers are matched by phone number or service address so dispatchers see the full service history before they roll a truck.
How long does setup take, and do I need to change my phone number?
No phone number change is required. Anna answers calls forwarded from your existing business line — the transition is invisible to callers. Most plumbing customers complete onboarding in 48–72 hours: a 30-minute intake call to map your service area, define emergency versus non-emergency routing, set your on-call rotation logic, and load your service menu and pricing language. Anna then trains on your specific call types. Surge and apex plan customers can activate emergency coverage same-day if you need it immediately.
What does Anna cost compared to a human dispatcher or after-hours answering service?
A dedicated in-house dispatcher costs $38,000–$55,000 per year in salary, is unavailable nights and weekends, and calls in sick. Traditional answering services charge $1–$3 per minute, take a message, and send a text — no triage, no booking, no dispatch. Anna handles every call 24/7, captures full job details, walks callers through emergency shutoffs, books appointments, and dispatches your on-call tech — at a fixed $149–$299 per month. For a plumbing company landing one $1,200 water heater replacement from a saved after-hours call, the plan pays for itself in a single job.
Can Anna distinguish a slow drain from a full sewer backup?
Yes. Anna uses a short symptom triage: is this one slow drain, or are multiple drains backing up at once? If multiple fixtures are affected — toilets, tub, and kitchen sink simultaneously — Anna flags it as a likely main-line sewer event, elevates urgency, and dispatches on-call rather than scheduling a routine appointment. It also asks if there is any sewage smell or if the toilet is gurgling when other drains are used — both signs of a main-line blockage requiring hydro-jetting or camera inspection rather than a simple drain snake.
How does Anna handle water heater calls?
When a caller reports no hot water, Anna collects: tank or tankless, gas or electric, approximate age if known, whether the pilot light is visible, and whether there are error codes on the display. This pre-qualification lets your tech arrive knowing whether it is a likely thermocouple replacement, a heating element failure, a gas valve issue, or a unit that is past its service life and needs replacement pricing. For water heaters over 10 years old, Anna is scripted to mention the replacement conversation without being pushy.
What is after-hours coverage worth for a plumbing business specifically?
Water damage in a home doubles roughly every 24 hours it goes untreated — a burst pipe that goes unaddressed overnight can escalate from a $400 repair call to a $15,000–$40,000 remediation project. Homeowners experiencing active water intrusion are not price-shopping; they are booking whoever answers. Every missed after-hours call is not just a lost service ticket — it is a potential emergency job, a referral relationship, and an insurance-claim upsell handed to a competitor who picked up.
Are your plumbers licensed in Georgia?
Yes. Crestline operates under Georgia Master Plumber license MP-210834, issued by the Georgia State Contractors' Licensing Board. All field technicians are either Master Plumbers (MP) or Journeyman Plumbers (JP) working under master supervision. License status can be verified at sos.ga.gov/PLB. Master Plumber credentials are displayed on every contract and invoice.
When should I replace a water heater instead of repairing it?
Generally: under 6 years old, repair; 6–10 years, evaluate based on the failure type; over 10 years with a major component failure (heating element, gas valve, leaking tank), replace. Tank water heaters average 8–12 years of service life in Atlanta's water hardness. Tankless units last 15–20 years. We give you a written repair-vs-replace cost analysis before any work — no pressure to upsell.