How Bill Joplin’s AC & Heating booked 1,163+ calls at a 90% booking rate ($74k recovered) and Yost & Campbell grew 20% YoY: an AI receptionist built for the first 95-degree week of summer when every phone line lights up at once.
Evidence & Case Study Source: Verified HVAC deployments at Bill Joplin’s Air Conditioning & Heating (ServiceTitan AI) and Yost & Campbell / Homer Home Service Group (Avoca AI)
Yost & Campbell grew revenue 20% YoY from previously missed calls; Homer Group cut speed-to-lead from 2 days down to ~30 seconds (+25-30% booking rate).
The business storywho it is for, what was broken, and how it runs
Who this is built for
Residential and light-commercial HVAC contractors (3 to 40 trucks) that get slammed during the first heatwave in May/June and the first freeze in November.
What was broken
HVAC demand is extreme weather-driven. On a 95-degree Tuesday in Greenville, 30 homeowners call in the same hour with "AC blowing warm air" while your CSRs are already on the phone. Calls roll to voicemail or a generic third-party call center that takes messages instead of booking slots—and takes 24 to 48 hours to call back.
How the AI agent workflow operates
The AI receptionist picks up every overflow and after-hours call in two rings AND texts web/LSA leads within 30 seconds. It asks system age (identifying 10+ year R-22/older units vs. newer systems under warranty), checks if the homeowner is a maintenance-plan member (priority slot routing), verifies homeowner ownership, and locks the diagnostic or replacement-estimate slot right on your dispatch board.
What changed
Bill Joplin’s AC & Heating turned 1,300+ overflow calls into 1,163+ booked jobs ($74,000 in extra revenue), while Homer Group lifted booking conversion by 25% to 30% across locations by responding in 30 seconds instead of 2 days.
Upstate SC note: Built for Carolina summer humidity surges and winter heat-pump auxiliary-heat calls across Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson counties.
Step-by-step architecture4 stages with human approval gates
1 Stage 1Customer / Trigger
Heatwave / Freeze Call Surge & Web-Lead Intercept
Answers inbound phone overflow in 2 rings or responds to Google LSA / web form submissions via SMS in under 30 seconds.
2 Stage 2AI Agent
System Age, Symptom & Membership Qualification
Asks symptom (warm air, frozen line, thermostat blank), approximate unit age (<10 yrs service vs. 12+ yrs Comfort Advisor/replacement track), and homeowner status.
3 Stage 3System / Tool
Priority Capacity & Dispatch Board Booking
Routes maintenance club members and elderly/infant no-cool/no-heat calls to priority windows, books the slot, and sends an automated T-3h confirmation reminder.
4 Stage 4Human Approval Gate
Dispatcher & Comfort Advisor Handoff
Flags 12+ year broken systems to the replacement estimator / Comfort Advisor and alerts dispatch on priority calls.
Paste into your voice/SMS sandbox or Claude/ChatGPT to test how the agent qualifies repair calls vs. high-ticket system replacement opportunities.
You are the virtual dispatch coordinator for [HVAC_COMPANY_NAME], serving homeowners in [SERVICE_AREA].
Speak warmly, clearly, and one question at a time.
### Qualification & Routing Rules
1. Confirm Symptom & Vulnerable-Household Priority:
- Ask what the heating/cooling system is doing (blowing warm air, outdoor unit not spinning, ice on copper lines, blank thermostat).
- If outdoor temps are extreme and there are infants, elderly residents, or medical needs in the home, tag as `PRIORITY_SAME_DAY`.
2. Verify Homeowner Status & System Age:
- Confirm they are the homeowner (or authorized property manager) at the service address.
- Ask roughly how old the system is:
- Under 10 years -> Book onto the **Service Tech Diagnostic Calendar** (state standard $[X] diagnostic fee).
- 12+ years and interested in replacement options -> Offer a **Free Comfort Advisor Replacement Estimate** window or standard diagnostic.
3. Safe Pre-Arrival Tip (Never Risk Equipment Damage):
- If they mention ice on the indoor coil or outdoor refrigerant lines, kindly advise: "Please switch the thermostat fan to ON and cooling to OFF before our tech arrives so the ice can thaw—otherwise the tech can't test the system while it's frozen solid."
Two ways to deploy thisDIY recipe pack or done-for-you build
Download the production recipe pack, or have me wire it into your business.
Option 1 · Self-Serve Commercial Recipe Pack
Unlock the Full Production Recipe
$97one-time download · 3 verification test cases included
Everything your developer or technical operator needs to deploy this workflow safely in production without weeks of trial-and-error prompt tuning:
HVAC Surge Voice & 30-Second SMS Speed-to-Lead System Prompts (Service vs. Replacement Split)
100% Implementation Credit: Credited 100% into a $500 discovery session or a $2,500+ workflow build within 30 days.
Option 2 · Done-For-You by David He
Want me to install, test, and run this for your team?
Skip the API keys, webhook debugging, and carrier registration. I connect this workflow directly to the phone numbers, calendars, and software your business already uses.
Step 1 ($0 · 15 min): 15-minute fit call to inspect your current process and confirm fit.
Step 2 ($500): 60 to 90 minute working session + written implementation plan in 48 hours (credited into the build).
Step 3 (Fixed quote): Voice receptionist setups for 2 to 9 person shops start at $700 to $1,000 setup plus $150 to $375 per month; custom multi-system workflows start from $2,500 setup.
You own everything at handoff: Phone numbers, prompts, transcripts, calendars, and the off switch.
Not sure whether to buy the recipe or book a call?
Start with the free 15-minute fit call. Bring your current phone, dispatch board, or Shopify workflow and I will tell you honestly what I would automate first.