PipedHQ is an AI answering service built for plumbing shops. It answers calls and texts day and night, books jobs into the shop’s open arrival windows, texts the customer a confirmation, and sends emergencies such as burst pipes, gas smells and sewage straight to the owner’s cell instead of booking them. It is included in PipedHQ’s $79 and $199 monthly plans, which also cover scheduling, quotes and invoicing.
How it works
- Forward your number. Keep your business number; forward it to PipedHQ.
- Tell it your rules. Hours, service area, service fee, and anything else in plain English: “Never book before 8am.” “Water heaters are a visit, not a phone quote.” “Warranty calls go to me.”
- Dry run for 14 days. It answers and shows what it would have booked, without touching your calendar. Go live when you’re happy.
What it will never do
- Book an emergency. Burst pipes, gas smells, sewage and anything on your list go to your cell with a one-line brief.
- Quote a job price you haven’t set. On the phone it only quotes your service fee.
- Pretend to be a person. It introduces itself as the office’s AI assistant and hands off whenever someone asks for a human.
Every action is logged with the rule behind it, and one switch turns it off instantly.
Plumbing answering services compared
| What you get | Typical list price | |
|---|---|---|
| PipedHQ | AI answers and books into your schedule, texts confirmations, plus scheduling, quotes and invoicing | $79/month with 60 booked calls; $199/month unlimited |
| Ruby | Live receptionists take messages and transfer calls | From $250/month for 50 minutes |
| Smith.ai | AI receptionist; live receptionists on separate plans | AI from about $150/month for 75 calls; live from about $300/month for 30 calls |
| PATLive | Live answering, message taking and scheduling | From about $99/month for 50 minutes; pay-as-you-go from $49/month plus per minute |
Competitor prices are list prices as published or widely reported in November 2026, before taxes and add-ons. They change often; check each vendor’s pricing page before you decide.
What live answering services do better
A human receptionist handles truly unusual calls with more judgment, and some customers prefer a person. PipedHQ hands those calls to you. If you want a person on every call, a live service is the better fit.
Want to put a number on your missed calls first? Try the missed-call calculator, or read how to write standing rules for an answering service.
Questions
Will my customers know they’re talking to AI?
Yes. It introduces itself as the office’s AI assistant, and it hands the call to you whenever someone asks for a person or it isn’t sure.
What happens with emergencies?
It doesn’t try to book them. Burst pipes, gas smells, sewage and anything else on your emergency list go straight to your cell with a one-line summary.
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. You forward your existing business number to PipedHQ.
How much does an AI answering service for plumbers cost?
PipedHQ is $79 a month with 60 AI-booked calls ($1.50 each after), or $199 a month with unlimited booked calls for 2 to 5 trucks. Both include scheduling and invoicing.
Last updated November 2, 2026.
See it with a real shop’s worth of data
No sign-up. The demo opens a sample plumbing shop with a year of jobs.
Early access
Let PipedHQ answer your phone
We're onboarding a small number of shops. Tell us about yours and we'll set you up, pricebook and all.