Setup checklist for an HVAC AI receptionist

A complete checklist for deploying the 365agents HVAC Dispatch agent — service area mapping, dispatch integration, emergency protocols, technician rules, and pricing configuration.

Written By Catherine Weir

Last updated 9 days ago

Deploying an AI receptionist for an HVAC or home services business typically takes about a week of elapsed time. The most important setup work is mapping your service area correctly, integrating with your field service software, and configuring emergency protocols that respect the safety-critical nature of the work.

Before the kickoff call

  • Field service software — which one (ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, FieldEdge, Service Fusion, RazorSync, WorkWave) and admin credentials

  • Service area definition — zip codes, cities, or a mapped polygon you currently use; any exceptions or partial-coverage areas

  • Hours — including after-hours rates if applicable

  • Trades covered — HVAC only, or HVAC plus plumbing, electrical, etc.

  • Technician roster — who's on what territory, who's available after hours, specialties

  • Diagnostic fee and service rates — standard visit, after-hours, weekend

  • Membership plans — tier names, benefits, pricing

  • Emergency protocol — what qualifies, who's on call, how on-call dispatch works

  • Gas / CO2 safety protocol — your current script for gas-smell, CO alarms, electrical hazards

  • Warranty standards — what's covered under parts-only, labor-only, full warranty for new installations

  • Top 20–30 FAQs

Decisions you'll need to make

  • Voice — Dante (warm, direct, trades-appropriate) is the default

  • Disclosure — we recommend proactive disclosure

  • After-hours coverage — AI handles, or AI routes to after-hours call service?

  • Emergency dispatch rules — does the AI dispatch directly, or does it route to a human dispatcher first?

  • Service-area decline — do you partner with other companies for out-of-area referrals?

  • Payment collection — do you collect deposits or pay-at-call? (Enable PCI-compliant DTMF masking if yes)

  • Multi-trade routing — if you cover multiple trades, how the AI determines which to route to

Service area configuration

  • Upload your zip-code list, cities, or polygon map

  • Define any partial-coverage edge cases

  • Configure out-of-area responses and partner referrals (if any)

  • Set distance-based pricing tiers if you have them

Dispatch integration

  • ServiceTitan — API integration for booking, dispatch board visibility, technician ETA

  • Housecall Pro — API integration for bookings and customer records

  • Jobber — API integration for scheduling and customer records

  • FieldEdge, Service Fusion, RazorSync — API-based or direct database integration depending on setup

  • Simpler setups — Google Calendar or Outlook-based booking with message-based handoff to dispatch

Emergency protocol configuration

  • Gas emergency trigger words — "smell gas", "gas leak", "carbon monoxide", "CO alarm"

  • No-heat / no-cool triggers — weather-dependent prioritization (emergency in winter for heat, summer for cool)

  • Vulnerable-resident flags — elderly, infant, medical concerns trigger priority dispatch

  • Water-damage urgency — for plumbing-inclusive shops, flood / leak / sewage back-up get priority

  • Electrical hazards — for electrical-inclusive shops, sparks / smoke / shock get 911 guidance

Pricing and sales configuration

  • Diagnostic fee explanation — when it applies, when it's waived, when it's credited against repair

  • Estimate vs. repair distinction — estimates vs. billable service calls

  • Membership plan pitch — should the AI proactively offer the plan? Only on request? Never?

  • Upgrade estimate booking — if the caller wants a new install quote, who books the comfort advisor visit?

Call forwarding

  • Your current phone system — setup guides in our Call forwarding collection

  • Forwarding rules — always, after-hours, overflow

  • Emergency routing fallback — if the AI fails, where calls should go

Go-live sequence

  • Day 1: kickoff, requirements, service area mapping, FSM integration begins

  • Day 2–3: knowledge base, emergency protocols, pricing configuration

  • Day 4–5: internal test calls, your team tests real scenarios

  • Day 5–7: soft launch (after-hours first), then full rollout

  • Weeks 2–4: daily transcript review, tuning, especially for emergency handling

What to measure after go-live

  • Call containment rate

  • Dispatch accuracy (are bookings landing correctly on the board?)

  • Emergency response time

  • Service-area rejection rate (is the AI correctly identifying out-of-area calls?)

  • Lead capture (are new-customer calls becoming booked appointments?)

  • Technician ETA accuracy

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Start the process

Book a demo and our team will walk you through this checklist and configure a live HVAC Dispatch agent for your specific service area and trades.