After-hours answering·For Tri-Cities trades
We leave the light on for your callers.
When you can’t pick up, Brass Lantern answers as your shop, books the job, and texts you the details. For HVAC, plumbing, electrical and roofing shops around Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol.
- Keeps your number
- Live within 48 hours
- 30-day money-back guarantee
IHow it works
Three steps, and the call stays yours.
Your missed calls roll over.
Your phone rings first, like always. When you don’t pick up, the call forwards to your Brass Lantern line. It takes a few minutes on your phone, and we walk you through it.
It answers as your shop.
It gets the caller’s name, address and what’s wrong, answers common questions, and books the job on your calendar.
You get a text right away.
Name, number, address, the problem and the booked time. Every call’s transcript is saved for you.
A missed call is a job up for grabs.
IIHear a call
On the line, start to finish.
Pick a trade, turn your sound on, and hear a whole call, plus the text the shop gets after.
Tuesday, 7:13 PM · after hours
A furnace quits on a Tuesday night.
The sound couldn’t play here, so the words play on their own.
The text the shop gets
Thanks for calling Cedar Hollow Heating and Air. This is the after-hours assistant, and this call may be recorded. How can I help you tonight?
Yeah, hi. My heat won’t come on. The fan’s running, but it’s just blowing cold air.
Oh, I’m sorry about that. Let’s get someone out to you. Can I get your name?
Chris Price.
Thanks, Chris. And what’s the address where the system is?
214 Maple Lane, in Jonesborough.
Got it. Is it a gas furnace or a heat pump, if you know?
Gas furnace. Maybe 15 years old.
Okay. Do you smell gas anywhere in the house?
No, nothing like that.
Good. I can have a technician there tomorrow between 8 and 10 in the morning, or 1 to 3 in the afternoon. Which works better for you?
8 to 10, please.
Perfect. You’re booked for tomorrow, 8 to 10 in the morning. I’ll text you a confirmation, and the tech will call when they’re on the way. Anything else I can help with?
No, that’s it. Thanks so much.
You’re welcome, Chris. Thanks for calling Cedar Hollow Heating and Air. Stay warm tonight.
Friday, 10:41 PM · after hours
A pipe bursts late on a Friday night.
The sound couldn’t play here, so the words play on their own.
This shop marks burst pipes as urgent, so the call goes straight through to the on-call plumber.
The text the shop gets
Thanks for calling Sourwood Plumbing. This is the after-hours assistant, and this call may be recorded. How can I help you tonight?
Hi. A pipe just burst under my kitchen sink, and there’s water all over the floor.
Okay, let’s stop the water first. Can you get to your main water shut-off valve?
Hang on. Okay, I found it. It’s off, and the water stopped.
Good, that was the right move. Is any of the water near outlets or cords?
No, it’s just on the floor.
Okay. Can I get your name and the address?
Dana Hill. 418 Laurel Street, in Elizabethton.
Thanks, Dana. Sourwood wants to hear about a burst pipe right away, so I’m putting you through to the on-call plumber now. Please stay on the line.
Okay. Thank you.
Putting the call through to the on-call plumber…
Tuesday, 2:06 PM · crew on a job
The crew is on a job when the phone rings.
The sound couldn’t play here, so the words play on their own.
It shares only the prices the shop gives it, like this trip charge.
The text the shop gets
Thanks for calling Kestrel Electric. The crew is out on jobs right now, so this is the assistant, and this call may be recorded. How can I help you?
Hi. The breaker for my kitchen keeps tripping. Mostly when the microwave’s running.
I’m sorry, that’s frustrating. Have you noticed a burning smell, or any outlets that feel warm?
No, nothing like that. It just trips.
Okay, good. I can have an electrician out Thursday between 10 and noon, or Friday between 1 and 3.
What do you charge just to come out?
There’s a $79 trip charge, and the electrician gives you a price for any work before starting.
Okay. Thursday’s fine.
Great. Can I get your name and the address?
Mark Ellis. 88 Oak Street, Kingsport.
Thanks, Mark. You’re booked for Thursday, 10 to noon. I’ll text you a confirmation. Anything else I can help with?
Nope, that’s it. Thanks.
Thanks for calling Kestrel Electric. Have a good one.
Monday, 8:27 PM · after hours
A storm leaves a leak, and the call comes in after dark.
The sound couldn’t play here, so the words play on their own.
The text the shop gets
Thanks for calling Whippoorwill Roofing. This is the after-hours assistant, and this call may be recorded. How can I help you tonight?
Hi. We had that storm this afternoon, and now water’s dripping through our bedroom ceiling.
Oh no, I’m sorry. Is it a steady drip, or is the ceiling starting to sag?
Just a drip. I’ve got a bucket under it.
Good thinking. If the ceiling starts to sag, stay out from under it. Can I get your name and the address?
Amy Carter. 37 Sunset Drive, in Bristol.
Thanks, Amy. I can have someone out tomorrow between 8 and 10 in the morning to check the roof and put a tarp on it if needed. Does that work?
Yes, please.
You’re booked for tomorrow, 8 to 10. I’ll let the owner know tonight, and you’ll get a confirmation text. Anything else?
No, that’s all. Thank you so much.
You’re welcome, Amy. Thanks for calling Whippoorwill Roofing. Have a good night.
These calls are scripted and voiced by text-to-speech. The shops, callers, addresses, phone numbers and prices are made up. On your line it answers with your shop’s name, in the female or male voice you pick, and follows your rules.
IIIWhat you get
A front desk that never clocks out.
One monthly price covers everything that turns a ringing phone into a booked job.
The answering
Every call you miss gets answered, day or night, in a calm, friendly voice, female or male, that books the job and texts you the details.
A website that gets calls
Fast and simple, with tap-to-call, online booking, your services, the towns you cover and your real reviews.
Your Google listing, tuned up
Photos, services, service area and website link filled in, plus a review request text after every finished job.
A short report
The calls it caught and the jobs it booked, so you can see exactly what it’s worth to you.
You decide what’s urgent.
Tell us what counts as an emergency for your shop. Those calls can ring straight through to your cell, or come to you as a text marked urgent. If a caller smells gas, it tells them to get out and call 911 and the gas company from outside, then flags you as urgent.
IVPricing
One front desk. Three ways to pay.
Every plan includes everything below. Pick the way you’d rather pay.
Month to month
No long-term commitment.
Yearly, paid monthly
A 12-month agreement, billed each month.
Yearly, paid up front
One payment for 12 months. Works out to $250 a month.
Included in every plan
- Answering for every call you miss, 24/7
- A text after every call, plus call transcripts and recordings
- A website built to get calls
- Google listing tune-up and review requests
- A short report on calls caught and jobs booked
Every plan starts with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Setup is $500. Our first three founding shops pay no setup in return for letting us share their results.
Plans include a set number of answering minutes. We quote very busy lines up front.
Already like your website? Keep it, and ask about answering only.
Book a 15-minute demoVQuestions
Fair questions.
Will my customers know they’re talking to AI?
If they ask, yes. It introduces itself as your shop’s assistant, and if anyone asks whether it’s a person, it says it’s an AI assistant. If you’d like, the greeting can say so up front. It’s calm and polite, and it gets them booked.
Can I choose the voice?
Yes. Pick a female or a male voice when we set up your line, and you can switch later. Use the voice switch above the sample calls to hear both.
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. Only the calls you don’t answer forward to Brass Lantern. You turn that on in your phone settings in a few minutes, and we walk you through it.
Does it answer during the day, or only after hours?
Any call you don’t pick up, day or night. Your phone rings first, like always. If no one answers, the call rolls over to Brass Lantern.
What happens in an emergency?
You tell us what counts as urgent for your shop. Those calls can ring straight through to the cell number you choose, or come to you as a text marked urgent. If a caller smells gas, it tells them to leave the house and call 911 and the gas company from outside, then flags you as urgent.
What if a caller wants to talk to a real person?
It can put the call through to you, if you want it to, or take a message and text it to you right away.
What if it gets a question it can’t answer?
It takes a message with the caller’s name, number and question and texts it to you, so you can call back with the right answer.
What do you need from me to set it up?
Your hours, the services you offer, the towns you cover, any prices you’re happy to share, and what counts as urgent. We handle the rest, in person or over the phone.
How fast can I be up and running?
Your answering line and website are ready within 48 hours of signing. We submit your Google listing updates the same week, and Google can take a few days to show them.
Is there a contract?
You choose. Month to month has no long-term commitment. The yearly plans lower your rate in return for a 12-month agreement, paid monthly or up front. Every plan starts with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Can I turn it off?
Yes. Call forwarding is a setting on your own phone, so you can turn it off anytime, and your calls go back to ringing the way they did before. Turning off forwarding doesn’t end your plan.
Are calls recorded?
Calls can be recorded so you have every detail right, and callers hear that at the start of the call.
How do the review requests work?
After every finished job, your customer gets a text asking for a review. It goes to every customer, not just the happy ones, and nothing is ever offered in return for a review.
VIBook a demo
See it answer as your shop.
Fifteen minutes, at your shop or over the phone. You’ll call the line, hear it answer with your shop’s name, and watch the text land on your phone. No pressure and no commitment. If it’s not a fit, we’ll say so.
Where we work
- Johnson City
- Kingsport
- Bristol
- Elizabethton
- Jonesborough
- Greeneville