Automation Templates

Plug-and-Play Workflows for Your After-Hours System

Overview

These templates connect your after-hours answering system to your other tools — CRM, notifications, follow-up sequences. Choose the platform you use (Make.com, Zapier, or native integrations) and follow the setup instructions.

Platforms Covered: Make.com (formerly Integromat), Zapier, and native integrations for popular Plumber software (ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber).

Template 1: Voicemail-to-CRM Workflow

📱➡️📊
Voicemail Transcription → Lead in CRM
Never manually enter a voicemail again

What it does: When someone leaves a voicemail, it automatically creates a lead in your CRM with the transcribed message, phone number, and timestamp. Tags it as "after-hours" for easy filtering.

TRIGGER: New voicemail received ↓ Step 1: Get voicemail transcription (from OpenPhone, Goodcall, or phone provider) ↓ Step 2: Extract caller phone number + transcription text ↓ Step 3: Create new lead/contact in CRM - Name: [From transcription or "After-Hours Lead"] - Phone: [Caller's number] - Notes: [Full transcription] - Tag: "after-hours", "needs-callback" - Source: "After-Hours Voicemail" ↓ Step 4: Send notification to owner (text + email)

Make.com Setup

Module 1: Trigger
Select: Webhooks → Custom Webhook
Connect your phone provider's voicemail webhook URL
Module 2: Parse Data
Map: {{transcription}}, {{caller_phone}}, {{timestamp}}
Module 3: Create CRM Record
Connect: ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, or Google Sheets
Map fields from Module 2
Module 4: Send SMS Notification
Connect: Twilio or your phone provider
Message: "New after-hours voicemail from {{caller_phone}}: {{transcription | truncate:100}}"

Zapier Setup

Step App Action
1 OpenPhone / Goodcall New Voicemail (Trigger)
2 Housecall Pro / Jobber Create Customer
3 SMS by Zapier Send SMS to your number

Template 2: Emergency Dispatch Notification

🚨📞
Emergency Call → On-Call Tech Alert
Immediate notification with escalation

What it does: When an emergency call is flagged, immediately notifies your on-call technician via text AND call. If no response within 10 minutes, escalates to backup tech or owner.

TRIGGER: Emergency call detected (from AI answering service) ↓ Step 1: Send SMS to on-call tech "EMERGENCY: [Customer Name] at [Address] Issue: [Description] Callback: [Phone] Reply OK to confirm." ↓ Step 2: Wait 2 minutes ↓ Step 3: Call on-call tech (robocall with details) ↓ Step 4: Wait 8 minutes ↓ Step 5: Check for "OK" reply ↓ IF NO RESPONSE: → Send SMS + call to backup tech → Notify owner: "Emergency not acknowledged. Escalating."

Make.com Setup

Module 1: Webhook Trigger
Receive emergency data from Goodcall/Smith.ai webhook
Data includes: customer name, phone, address, issue
Module 2: Send SMS
To: On-call tech phone
Message: Emergency template with customer details
Include: "Reply OK to confirm receipt"
Module 3: Delay (2 minutes)
Use Sleep module
Module 4: Make Phone Call
Use Twilio "Make Call" with TTS
Script: "Emergency dispatch for [COMPANY]. Customer [NAME] at [ADDRESS] has [ISSUE]. Please call back immediately."
Module 5: Delay (8 minutes)
Module 6: Check for Reply
Use Twilio "Get Messages" filtered by on-call tech number
Look for "OK" in last 10 minutes
Module 7: Router (If/Else)
IF OK received → End workflow
ELSE → Continue to escalation
Module 8: Escalation
Repeat SMS + call to backup tech
Notify owner via SMS
Important: Set up your on-call rotation schedule. Update the "on-call tech" phone number weekly or integrate with your scheduling software.

Template 3: Lead Follow-Up Sequence

📅✉️
New Lead → Automated Follow-Up
Never let a lead go cold

What it does: When a new lead comes in (call, form, voicemail), triggers a follow-up sequence: immediate confirmation, Day 2 check-in, Day 7 review request (if job completed).

TRIGGER: New lead created in CRM ↓ IMMEDIATELY: → Send SMS: "Thanks for calling [COMPANY]! We received your message and will follow up within [TIMEFRAME]." ↓ DAY 1 (after job completed): → Send SMS: "Hi [NAME], this is [TECH] from [COMPANY]. Thanks for choosing us today! Any questions about the work we did, just reply to this text." ↓ DAY 7 (if job completed): → Send SMS: "Hi [NAME], hope your [AC/heater] is running great! If you have a minute, we'd really appreciate a Google review. [REVIEW LINK]. Thanks for your business!"

Text Message Templates

Timing Message
Immediate (confirmation) "Thanks for contacting [COMPANY]! We received your message and will call you back within [X] hours. Questions? Reply to this text."
Day 1 (post-service) "Hi [NAME], [TECH] from [COMPANY] here. Hope everything's working great! If you have any questions about today's service, just reply."
Day 7 (review request) "Hi [NAME]! If you're happy with our service, we'd love a quick Google review: [LINK]. It really helps our small business. Thanks!"

Setup in CRM

Most Plumber CRMs (ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber) have built-in automation for this:

  1. Go to Settings → Automations / Workflows
  2. Create new automation triggered by "New Customer" or "Job Completed"
  3. Add SMS actions with delays
  4. Insert your review link (get from Google Business Profile)

Template 4: Missed Call Recovery

📵➡️💬
Missed Call (No Voicemail) → Auto-Text
Recover leads that didn't leave a message

What it does: When a call goes unanswered AND no voicemail is left, automatically sends a text to the caller. Captures leads who would otherwise disappear.

TRIGGER: Missed call detected + no voicemail ↓ WAIT: 1 minute (in case they call back) ↓ SEND SMS: "Hi! We saw we missed your call at [COMPANY]. Sorry about that — how can we help? Reply here or call us back at [NUMBER]." ↓ IF REPLY RECEIVED: → Create lead in CRM → Notify owner → Continue conversation via text

Implementation Options

Platform How to Set Up
OpenPhone Settings → Auto-replies → "Send when call is missed (no voicemail)"
Goodcall Built-in feature — enable in Settings → Missed Call Handling
Make.com / Zapier Webhook from phone provider → Filter (missed + no VM) → Send SMS via Twilio
Pro Tip: Track your missed-call-recovery conversion rate. Most contractors see 20-30% of these texts result in booked jobs. That's revenue you would have lost completely.

Suggested Text Message

Keep it short, friendly, and low-pressure:

Version 1 (Simple):
"Hi! Saw we missed your call. How can we help? -[COMPANY]"
Version 2 (Helpful):
"Sorry we missed you! If you're having an Plumber issue, reply here with details and we'll get right back to you. -[COMPANY]"
Version 3 (Urgent):
"Missed your call — if it's an emergency, reply URGENT and we'll have a tech call you within 15 min. Otherwise, we'll reach out tomorrow. -[COMPANY]"

Quick Start: Choose Your Path

Not sure where to start? Here's our recommended priority:

Priority Template Impact Effort
1 Missed Call Recovery ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Low (10 min)
2 Emergency Dispatch ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Medium (30 min)
3 Voicemail-to-CRM ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Medium (30 min)
4 Lead Follow-Up ⭐⭐⭐ Low (15 min)
Start with #1 (Missed Call Recovery). It's the easiest to set up and has immediate ROI. You can have it running in 10 minutes.

Need Help?

If you get stuck on any automation:

  1. Check your phone provider's help docs — most have step-by-step guides
  2. Search YouTube for "[Your Provider] + Zapier/Make tutorial"
  3. Contact Axionis support — we're happy to help

Plumber After-Hours Domination System
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