HVAC emergency call script: no heat, no cool, gas smell
An HVAC emergency call script starts with a safety check, then asks four triage questions, then makes one decision: dispatch tonight or book the first slot tomorrow. The script below runs it for a no-heat call in January and a no-cool call in July, and it says the after-hours rate before the truck rolls.
Summit Heating and Air, this is Rae. Do you smell gas, or is there smoke or a burning smell right now?
If you smell gas: leave the house now, don't switch anything on or off, and call your gas company's emergency line or 911 from outside. Call us back once you're out and safe.
Gas or smoke ends the triage. Give the instruction, give the number, and let them go.
I'm sorry, let's get this sorted. Can I have your name, your address, and the best number in case we get cut off?
Is the thermostat on and set to heat, and does the display have power?
Is the furnace making any sound at all, or is it completely silent?
What's the temperature inside right now, and is anyone in the home elderly, an infant, or unwell?
Do you have another heat source you can use safely for a few hours, like a space heater?
The thermostat and breaker questions settle some no-heat calls on the phone. The temperature and household questions decide whether tonight is an emergency.
Is the outdoor unit running at all? You'd hear the fan.
Is air coming from the vents, and is it warm or just weak?
Is there any ice on the pipes at the indoor unit or the outdoor unit?
If there's ice, please switch the system to off and set the fan to on. That starts the thaw and saves the compressor before we arrive.
Ice is the one no-cool answer that needs an instruction on the call. Everything else waits for the technician.
Here's what I can do. The after-hours diagnostic is a flat rate, which I'll confirm with you now, and it's applied to the repair if you go ahead. Marcus is the on-call tech and can be there within about ninety minutes. Would you like him tonight?
Or the first slot tomorrow is 7:30am, at the standard rate. Which would you prefer?
You're on for tonight. Marcus will call you from the road. Keep your phone near you, and if you smell gas at any point, leave the house and call the gas company first.
Say your after-hours rate and what it's credited against. Offer tomorrow as a real alternative. A caller who chooses tonight knowing the rate never disputes the invoice.
Thanks for calling Summit Heating and Air. The office is closed, and you're speaking with our AI assistant. First: do you smell gas or see smoke? If so, leave the house and call 911. Otherwise, tell me what's happening and I'll get the on-call technician or book you first thing tomorrow.
Closed, AI, safety check, then the two options. The safety line runs first even when software answers.
Why this script gets the right truck out
The safety line is first because it's the only part of the call where a delay matters. Everything else can wait ten seconds; a gas smell can't.
The triage questions filter the calls that don't need a truck. A tripped breaker or a thermostat set to cool costs the customer nothing and saves you a two-hour round trip.
The temperature and household questions turn "no heat" into a decision. Forty degrees inside with an infant in the house is tonight; sixty-two degrees with a space heater can be 7:30am.
Stating the after-hours rate on the call is what makes the invoice stick. The customer chose it with the number in front of them.
How to adapt it for your shop
Write your own dispatch rule and put it on the receptionist's screen: what inside temperature, what household, what weather triggers a same-night truck. The script only works if the answer is already decided.
Replace the ninety-minute window with the real one for your on-call radius, and name the actual technician. Callers relax when they hear a name.
Say your after-hours rate as a number on the call. Rates vary by shop; the script leaves a slot for yours so the customer hears it before choosing tonight.
Add your maintenance-plan line to the dispatch block if members get priority or a waived diagnostic. That sentence sells more plans than any mailer.
If an AI answers after hours, it says so
How GreetKeeper runs the emergency script
The safety line and the triage questions go into GreetKeeper's greeting and intake settings. It asks them in order, at 2am the same as at 2pm, and it answers calls that arrive together during a cold snap without anyone queuing.
The dispatch decision is a routing rule. A caller who says gas, no heat with an infant in the house, or your emergency word is transferred to the on-call technician's number, with a second fallback number if the first doesn't pick up. The technician gets a text with the caller's name, address and what's wrong.
The tomorrow option is a booking. GreetKeeper offers the first slot your calendar has, reads the name, number and time back, and writes it into Google Calendar or Microsoft 365. The caller gets one text with the confirmation after the call.
Every call arrives as a transcript and a short summary, so the morning dispatcher sees what happened overnight before the first truck leaves. Robocalls and silent callers are screened out before the greeting and don't count toward the plan.
Questions people ask about these greetings
What questions should you ask on an HVAC emergency call?
Safety first: gas smell, smoke or burning. Then four triage questions: thermostat and power, any sound from the unit, inside temperature and who's in the home, and whether there's a safe backup heat source. The answers decide tonight or tomorrow.
What counts as an HVAC emergency?
A gas smell always. No heat when it's below freezing or someone vulnerable is in the home. No cooling in extreme heat for an elderly or unwell occupant. Ice on the coil is urgent for the equipment but usually waits for morning once the system is switched to fan.
Should the receptionist quote the after-hours fee on the call?
Yes, as a number, and say what it's credited against. Callers who choose a night visit knowing the fee accept the invoice; callers who find out afterwards dispute it.
Can an AI answer HVAC emergency calls at night?
GreetKeeper runs the safety line and the triage questions you set, transfers an emergency to the on-call technician with a fallback number, and books everything else into tomorrow's calendar. The technician gets a text with the caller's details.
Hear the no-heat script answered at 2am
Start a 14-day free trial with no card. Set the safety line and the on-call number, forward your line, and place a test call after close.