The dispatcher's two jobs
| Daytime dispatch | After-hours dispatch | |
|---|---|---|
| Main task | Scheduling and routing many techs | Deciding if one call needs a tech now |
| Judgment | Juggling priorities, parts, traffic | Applying the emergency rules |
| Volume | High | Low, but every call matters |
| Can be automated? | Partly (software helps a person) | Mostly: rules + paging |
What staffing nights costs
Covering every night with a person means paying for hours when the phone barely rings, plus cover for vacations and sick days. Most small HVAC companies end up with the owner as the night dispatcher instead, which costs sleep rather than wages.
Automating the night dispatcher
Arctic Air HVAC after-hours line, this is Josie. Is your heating or cooling out right now?
Furnace is out, it's 30 degrees outside.
Rule matched: "No heat below 40°F" → Emergency
Our after-hours visit is $149. Shall I send a technician tonight?
Fee agreed · paging Jordan… pressed 1 · customer texted
What used to need a person (deciding, quoting, calling the tech, calling the next tech when the first doesn't answer) is handled by your rules and on-call paging.
When you still want a person
- Large teams where night jobs need rescheduling the next day's routes.
- Commercial contracts with complex SLAs.
- Customers who need a specific tech for warranty or access reasons.
For everyone else, the risk isn't too little dispatching. It's calls going unanswered: 85% of callers who can't reach a business won't call back (BIA/Kelsey).
What Josie does
- On-Call Paging + Schedules: Calls your on-call tech with the details. Press 1 to accept. No answer? Next person, then you.
- 24/7 Emergency Line: Answers every after-hours call and sorts real emergencies from routine jobs with your rules.
- Emergency Fee Consent + Payment Link: States your after-hours fee and gets a clear yes before anyone is woken. Can text a payment link.
- For your trade: After-Hours Answering Service and Dispatch for HVAC Companies
Common questions
What does an HVAC dispatcher do?
During the day, schedules and routes technicians. After hours, answers emergency calls, decides whether a tech is needed now, and gets the on-call tech moving.
Can software replace an HVAC dispatcher?
After hours, mostly: triage rules plus automated on-call paging cover the night dispatcher's job. Daytime scheduling is better handled by a person with dispatch software.
What does HireJosie cost?
HireJosie is $29/month for 200 AI minutes, starting with a 7-day free trial — cancel before day 7 and you pay nothing. Pro is $79/month for 500 minutes, with $0.25/minute overage after that. Every feature is on every plan, and every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.