Flood, sewage and fire calls: what the phone should and should not do
On a restoration emergency call the phone reads a fixed safety message and alerts you, or rings your on-call team if live routing is on, and nothing more.
A restoration company's phone gets some of the worst calls in home services. Water is still coming in. Sewage is backing up. A family is standing outside a house that just had a fire. The person answering has seconds to get the first few things right.
That is why we build these calls around a fixed script instead of improvisation. Here is how each one works.
Active flooding
The message is: if it is safe to do so, shut off the water supply and power to the affected equipment. Then the agent says the team has been alerted, or, with live routing on, that it is calling the on-call person now.
Note the "if it is safe". The caller's safety comes before the building.
Sewage backup
The message is: avoid contact with the water, keep children and pets away, and do not run any more water in the house. Then the agent says the team has been alerted, or, with live routing on, that it is calling the on-call person now.
Fire and smoke damage
The message is: if you see flames or smoke, leave now and call 911. Do not go back inside until the fire department says it is safe. Then the agent says the team has been alerted, or, with live routing on, that it is calling the on-call person now.
This is the one where the phone must be most careful. It does not ask the caller to assess the damage, and it does not tell anyone a building is safe to enter.
What the AI never does
- Diagnose. It does not say where the water came from, how bad the damage is or whether mold will follow.
- Estimate a price or a drying time.
- Promise an arrival time.
- Answer insurance or coverage questions.
- Add safety instructions beyond the written message. If anyone is in danger, the answer is 911.
What the call does capture
After the safety message, the agent collects a callback number and the property address, and passes along what the caller said in their own words. That helps your on-call lead decide whether to roll a crew immediately or call back first.
Your part
Decide who carries the on-call phone each week, and confirm the number in your system is the one that person answers. Then test it. Call your after-hours number and report a flooded basement. Listen to what the caller hears, and ask your on-call lead when the alert arrived.
Read the three messages above to everyone on your team, including the owner. You should be comfortable with every word your phone says on your behalf.