How to write urgency rules for your answering service
How to decide which calls are emergencies, the phrases to list for common trades, and how to set on-call windows so urgent calls reach a person.
Updated October 17, 2026
Write the words your customers actually say, not categories: "no heat" rather than "HVAC emergency". List five to ten phrases, set an on-call window with a primary and a backup, and review the list after a week of real calls. The AI also uses judgement on calls that sound urgent even when no phrase matches.
Start from real calls
Look at last month's after-hours messages and voicemails. The emergencies use the same handful of phrases every time.
Phrase lists by trade
HVAC: no heat, no AC, smell gas, carbon monoxide. Plumbing: burst pipe, water everywhere, sewage backup, no water. Electrical: no power, sparks, burning smell. Locksmith: locked out, child in car. Property management: no heat, flooding, locked out, gas.
- HVAC — no heat · no AC · smell gas
- Plumbing — burst pipe · water everywhere · sewage backup
- Electrical — no power · sparks · burning smell
- Locksmith — locked out · child in car
- Property management — flooding · no heat · gas
Windows and escalation
Set the hours someone can actually respond. Add a backup. Choose how many minutes to wait before escalating; ten is typical.
Review weekly
Add phrases from calls that should have been urgent; remove ones that paged you for nothing.