Standing rules tell an answering service what to do without asking you each time. A plumbing shop needs rules for six things: booking hours, service area, emergencies, what prices may be quoted on the phone, warranty and callback calls, and the jobs you don’t do. Write each one as a single sentence you’d say out loud, such as “Never book before 8am” or “Water heaters are a visit, not a phone quote.”
The six rules every shop needs
| Rule | Why | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hours | Stops bookings at times you can’t make | “Never book before 8am or after 4pm. No Sundays.” |
| Service area | No drives you lose money on | “We only work in Beachwood, Pine Beach, Ocean Gate, Toms River and Bayville.” |
| Emergencies | The calls that can’t wait for a slot | “Gas smell, sewage backup or water you can’t shut off: call my cell, don’t book.” |
| Prices on the phone | Avoids quotes you’ll regret | “Only quote the $89 service fee. Water heaters are a visit, not a phone quote.” |
| Warranty and callbacks | Unhappy customers get the owner | “Anything about a job we did in the last 90 days goes to me.” |
| Jobs you don’t do | Saves a wasted visit | “We don’t do well pumps or septic. Say so politely.” |
Rules worth adding as you grow
- Builders and property managers: “Calls from Shore Builders go to Donna, not the schedule.”
- Who goes where: “Drain cleaning goes to Tony first.”
- Capacity: “No more than two water heater installs a day.”
- Follow-up: “If someone asks for a quote by text, ask for photos of the unit and the data plate.”
How to write rules that work
- One rule per sentence. Say it the way you’d tell a new office hire.
- Say what to do instead, not only what not to do.
- Name the person or number for hand-offs.
- Review your rules after the first two weeks; the calls you didn’t expect show you the missing rule.
In PipedHQ you type these in plain English. The AI front desk reads each rule back to you before saving, follows it on every call, and logs every action with the rule behind it. See the AI front desk.
Last updated November 2, 2026.
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