GLOSSARY

Phone terms, in plain words.

32 terms home-service owners run into when they look at answering options, forwarding and AI receptionists. Legal terms are explained for orientation only. They are not legal advice.

10DLC10-digit long code#: The standard local, 10-digit phone number, as used for business text messaging in the US. Carriers expect a business to register who it is and what it will send before it texts at volume on these numbers. Unregistered traffic can be filtered or blocked.; ReadTexting customers after the call: 10DLC, consent and keeping it simple; See alsoTCPA

After-hours answering#: Having someone or something answer your phone outside business hours. The job is usually to take a message, book a visit for the next open day, or escalate a true emergency to the on-call person.; ReadAfter-hours answering: AI vs. answering service vs. voicemail What a missed call really costs an HVAC shop; See alsoAnswering service On-call rotation Overflow
AI receptionist#: Software that answers calls in a natural voice, asks questions, checks your calendar and books appointments. A good one says it is an AI when asked, follows fixed rules for facts and emergencies, and passes the call to a person on request.; ReadTen questions to ask any answering service or AI receptionist Why some AI phone agents sound natural: latency, barge-in and turn-taking; See alsoSpeech-to-speech AI Tool call
Answering service#: A company whose people (or software) answer calls on your behalf. Human services often take messages and relay them. Some can book. Pricing is commonly per minute, per call or a flat monthly fee, so ask what counts.; ReadTen questions to ask any answering service or AI receptionist After-hours answering: AI vs. answering service vs. voicemail; See alsoAfter-hours answering AI receptionist

Barge-in#: When a caller starts talking while the agent is still speaking. A system that handles barge-in stops, listens and responds. One that does not keeps talking over the caller.; ReadWhy some AI phone agents sound natural: latency, barge-in and turn-taking; See alsoFull-duplex Turn-taking
Booking window#: The range of time in which a customer can book: how soon (minimum notice) and how far ahead (the last open date). It keeps the calendar from offering visits you could not reach.; ReadBooking windows and job lengths: how to stop double-booking your technicians; See alsoDispatch

Call forwarding#: A phone feature that sends calls to your number to a different number. It lets you keep a number customers know while someone else answers. The setting lives with your carrier or phone system.; ReadCall forwarding basics: always, busy, no answer, and what to ask your carrier; See alsoConditional forwarding Overflow
Closureholiday closure#: A date when the business is closed, such as a holiday or a team day. The phone should know about closures in advance so it can tell callers the truth and offer the next open day.; ReadHours, closures and service area: how to give callers true answers; See alsoService area
Conditional forwarding#: Forwarding that happens only in certain cases: when your line is busy, when nobody answers, or when your phone is off or out of coverage. It is the usual way to use an answering option as backup.; ReadCall forwarding basics: always, busy, no answer, and what to ask your carrier; See alsoCall forwarding Overflow
CSRcustomer service representative#: The person, often in the office, who answers calls, books jobs and handles customers. In a trades business the CSR is often also the dispatcher.; See alsoDispatch Intake

Dispatch#: Deciding which technician goes to which job and when. Dispatch depends on skills, location, job length and the technician's schedule.; ReadBooking windows and job lengths: how to stop double-booking your technicians; See alsoBooking window

Emergency protocol#: A written set of steps for dangerous calls such as a gas smell, a carbon monoxide alarm, a burst pipe, an electrical hazard or an active roof leak. It includes a fixed safety message, who gets alerted and what gets recorded. An AI that follows one reads the message as written and does not diagnose.; ReadWhy an AI receptionist should never diagnose an emergency Gas smells and carbon monoxide alarms: how your phone should respond Burst pipe calls: the first 60 seconds Sparks, burning smells and tripped panels: electrical emergency calls; See alsoEscalation On-call rotation
Escalation#: Passing a call or a situation to a person with more authority or skill, such as the on-call technician. Escalation rules say when it happens, who is first, and who is next if there is no answer.; ReadOn-call rotation tips for small shops Why an AI receptionist should never diagnose an emergency; See alsoEmergency protocol Warm transfer

Full-duplex#: Able to listen and speak at the same time, the way people do. A full-duplex voice agent can handle interruptions and small acknowledgments like "mm-hm". A half-duplex one listens only while silent.; ReadWhy some AI phone agents sound natural: latency, barge-in and turn-taking; See alsoBarge-in Speech-to-speech AI

Hunt groupring group#: A set of phones that ring in order or all at once when a number is called. Shops use them so that a call reaches whoever is free instead of one person.; ReadCall forwarding basics: always, busy, no answer, and what to ask your carrier; See alsoCall forwarding

Intake#: The questions asked at the start of a call to understand the problem and collect what the crew needs: name, address, callback number, what is happening, and when it started. Good intake asks what the caller sees and does not ask them to diagnose.; ReadMissed-call math for electricians: small calls, big jobs Missed-call math for roofers: the storm-week problem; See alsoCSR Service area
IVRinteractive voice response#: The "press 1 for service, press 2 for billing" menu that greets callers. Some callers hang up rather than navigate one. Voice agents replace the menu with a conversation.; See alsoVoicemail-to-text Hunt group

Latency#: The delay between the caller finishing a sentence and the agent starting to answer. A long gap feels unnatural. Latency comes from each step in the pipeline, the network and the phone line.; ReadWhy some AI phone agents sound natural: latency, barge-in and turn-taking; See alsoSpeech-to-speech AI Turn-taking

Missed call#: An inbound call that no person or agent answered, including calls that went to voicemail or hung up while ringing. Count them by time of day, then remove spam and wrong numbers, to see where coverage matters.; ReadWhat a missed call really costs an HVAC shop Missed-call math for plumbers Missed-call math for electricians: small calls, big jobs Missed-call math for roofers: the storm-week problem Reputation after a missed call: how to recover; See alsoAfter-hours answering Overflow

On-call rotation#: A schedule that shares after-hours emergency duty among technicians, often by the week. A good rotation names a backup, uses one on-call number and has a rule for when someone does not answer.; ReadOn-call rotation tips for small shops; See alsoEscalation Emergency protocol
Overflow#: Calls that your own team cannot take because the line is busy, no one is free or the shift is over. Overflow is sent to a backup such as an answering service or an AI receptionist.; ReadCall forwarding basics: always, busy, no answer, and what to ask your carrier Roofing: getting your phones ready for fall storms and leaks; See alsoConditional forwarding After-hours answering

Price disclosure policy#: A written rule for what your phone may say about price: nothing, only fixed fees, or ranges for standard services. It keeps callers from hearing promises you did not authorize.; ReadPrice disclosure: what your receptionist should and should not say; See alsoIntake

Recording notice#: A short statement played at the start of a call that it may be recorded. Rules about recording consent differ by state, and some states expect all parties to agree. It is general information, not legal advice, so check with a lawyer.; ReadTen questions to ask any answering service or AI receptionist; See alsoTranscript

Service area#: The places you serve, usually defined by ZIP code, radius or county list. The phone checks it so that you never book a job you will have to cancel.; ReadHours, closures and service area: how to give callers true answers; See alsoClosure Booking window
Speech-to-speech AI#: A voice model that takes in audio and produces audio directly, without first turning the caller's speech into text and the reply back into speech. It can shorten the delay and handle interruptions more smoothly.; ReadWhy some AI phone agents sound natural: latency, barge-in and turn-taking; See alsoSpeech-to-text and text-to-speech Latency Full-duplex
Speech-to-text and text-to-speechSTT and TTS#: Speech-to-text converts what the caller says into written words. Text-to-speech turns a written reply into a spoken voice. Older voice agents chain the two around a language model, and each step adds delay.; ReadWhy some AI phone agents sound natural: latency, barge-in and turn-taking; See alsoSpeech-to-speech AI Latency

TCPATelephone Consumer Protection Act#: A US federal law about automated and prerecorded calls and texts. In general it expects consent before certain automated or marketing messages. Texts that relate to a service the customer requested, like a booking confirmation, are treated differently from promotions, but details and state laws vary. This is not legal advice.; ReadTexting customers after the call: 10DLC, consent and keeping it simple; See also10DLC
Tool call#: When a voice agent asks software to do something: check availability, book a visit or alert on-call. Facts such as open slots and prices come back from the tool, not from the language model's guess.; ReadBooking windows and job lengths: how to stop double-booking your technicians Price disclosure: what your receptionist should and should not say; See alsoAI receptionist
Transcript#: The written record of a call. Transcripts let you check what was said, correct mistakes and spot patterns. Ask how long they are kept and who can see them.; ReadTen questions to ask any answering service or AI receptionist; See alsoRecording notice
Turn-taking#: Deciding when the caller has finished and the agent should speak. Too eager, and the agent cuts in during a pause. Too slow, and there is dead air.; ReadWhy some AI phone agents sound natural: latency, barge-in and turn-taking; See alsoBarge-in Latency

Voicemail-to-textvisual voicemail#: A feature that transcribes a voicemail and sends it to your phone or email so you can read it right away. It speeds up callbacks, but a message is still only a message, not a booking.; ReadReputation after a missed call: how to recover After-hours answering: AI vs. answering service vs. voicemail; See alsoMissed call

Warm transfer#: Handing a call to a person after telling them who is calling and why, so the caller does not have to start over. A cold transfer connects the call with no introduction.; ReadTen questions to ask any answering service or AI receptionist; See alsoEscalation

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