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 Rick Garcia

Last updated 15 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.