AI receptionist for HVAC and air conditioning. The heatwave fills your phone. ChatLead takes the details.
ChatLead answers your website chat and the calls you forward while you’re on jobs. It asks what the system is doing, what kind it is and who’s at home, collects what you need to quote an install or a service, and sends you each lead with a summary.
Free 7-day website trial. No card needed.
Customer: Hi, our split system’s blowing warm air and it’s 40 degrees today. Can someone come out?
Kestrel Air & Heating assistant: Sorry to hear that. Kestrel Air repairs split systems. Which suburb are you in?
Demo note: this answer uses the business’s Services
Customer: Mernda. My dad’s at home and he’s 84.
Kestrel Air & Heating assistant: Thanks for telling me. Mernda is in our area. What’s the best number for Luke to call you on?
Demo note: this answer uses the business’s Service area
Customer: It’s Jo, on mobile number (hidden in this example)
Kestrel Air & Heating assistant: Thanks, Jo. I’ve passed this to Luke, including that your dad is at home in the heat.
Demo note: Lead saved for Luke. Luke takes it from here
The problem
Breakdown calls arrive when you’re busiest
The first hot weekend of summer or the first cold snap of winter, and everyone with a tired system calls at once, while you’re in a roof space or on a job across town. Install enquiries keep coming too, and you can’t quote a split system without knowing the rooms, the storeys and where the outdoor unit could go.
“Do you service ducted systems? Ours hasn’t been looked at in about five years.”
Enquiry scenarios
Four HVAC enquiries, and how ChatLead handles each one
- 01
Air con stopped cooling on a 40°C day
A split system is blowing warm air on a 40°C afternoon, and the caller’s elderly father is at home.
What ChatLead covers
- What the system is doing, and any error code on the display
- The type and brand of system, if they know
- Whether anyone at home is vulnerable in the heat
- Puts the call through to you if urgent transfer is on, or takes a message if it isn’t
What you get
You know which call to return first. ChatLead doesn’t suggest fixes or promise a technician; it gets the details to you.
- 02
A split-system quote for two rooms
A family wants split systems in two upstairs bedrooms before summer.
What ChatLead covers
- Which rooms, and roughly how big
- Single or double storey, and where the outdoor units could go
- Whether there’s an old system to remove
- Their suburb, and the best time to call about a quote
What you get
You can size the job and decide whether it needs a site visit before you ring.
- 03
An annual service for a small office
An office manager wants their ducted system and two meeting-room split systems serviced every year.
What ChatLead covers
- The systems, their brands and roughly how old they are
- When they were last serviced
- Access: business hours, parking and who lets you in
- Whether they’re after a regular service agreement
What you get
You have what you need to price a service agreement, plus the access notes for the day.
- 04
A ducted gas heater that won’t ignite
On a cold winter night, a ducted gas heater clicks but won’t light, and the caller thinks they can smell gas.
What ChatLead covers
- Gives your instruction for gas smells, such as calling the gas emergency line
- No troubleshooting: it won’t talk them through relighting a pilot light
- What the heater is doing, and its brand if they know
- Their suburb and number, so you can follow up
What you get
The caller gets the instruction you wrote, and you get a summary to follow up. ChatLead doesn’t diagnose faults or send anyone out.
More enquiries
Other HVAC enquiries ChatLead handles
Breakdown calls
No cooling, no heating, error codes and strange noises. ChatLead asks what the system is doing and who’s at home, so you know which call to return first.
Installation quotes
Split systems, ducted systems, heat pumps and furnace replacements. It collects the rooms, the storeys and where the outdoor unit could go.
Service agreements
Annual servicing for homes and small businesses. It records the systems, when they were last serviced and how you’ll get access.
No troubleshooting advice. You can tell ChatLead never to suggest resets or repairs, and what to tell anyone who smells gas.
Your questions
Questions HVAC businesses have ChatLead ask
Start from the trades setup and add questions like these. ChatLead asks them one at a time and skips anything the customer has already told it.
- What type of system is it: split, ducted, evaporative or something else?
- What brand is it, and roughly how old?
- What is it doing, and is there an error code on the display?
- Is anyone at home elderly, unwell or very young?
- Which rooms, or roughly how big is the area?
- Is the property single or double storey?
- Where could the outdoor unit go?
- What suburb or postcode is the property in?
- When suits for a visit, and how do we get access?
Example conversation
A full conversation with Kestrel Air & Heating
Kestrel Air & Heating is a fictional business. The “Answer from” notes are added for this demo to show which of the business’s own information each reply uses. Customers don’t see them.
Kestrel Air & Heating assistant: Hi, you’ve reached Kestrel Air & Heating. I’m the AI assistant. How can I help?
Customer: Hi, we’d like a quote for split systems in two bedrooms before summer.
Kestrel Air & Heating assistant: Kestrel Air installs split systems. Roughly how big are the two bedrooms?
Demo note: this answer uses the business’s Services
Customer: One’s about 4 by 4 metres, the other’s smaller. Both upstairs.
Kestrel Air & Heating assistant: Thanks. Is there a spot outside where the outdoor units could go, like a side wall?
Customer: Probably the side of the house, near the driveway.
Kestrel Air & Heating assistant: Good to know. Which suburb is the house in?
Customer: Epping.
Kestrel Air & Heating assistant: Epping is in our service area. When would you like the install done by?
Demo note: this answer uses the business’s Service area
Customer: Before December if we can. I’m Sam, on mobile number (hidden in this example)
Kestrel Air & Heating assistant: Thanks, Sam. I’ve passed the details to Luke so he can call you about a quote, and whether he needs to see the rooms first.
Demo note: Lead saved for Luke. Luke takes it from here
What you receive
The enquiry, ready to act on
As soon as Sam leaves his number, the enquiry is saved as a lead, with what you need to size the job.
New lead
Kestrel Air & Heating · ChatLead dashboard- Name
- Sam
- Phone
- Hidden in this example
- Needs
- Split systems for two upstairs bedrooms (about 4 × 4 m and one smaller). Outdoor units likely on the side wall near the driveway. Epping
- Timeline
- Before December
- Source
- Website chat
- The customer’s name and how they’d like to be contacted
- What they need, with the details ChatLead asked for
- The full conversation, so nothing is lost in a summary
- An email or text as soon as a website enquiry becomes a lead
Sizing, pricing and diagnosis stay with you. ChatLead collects the details and leaves the technical calls to you.
When they call instead
When the heatwave hits and you’re on a roof
Breakdown calls pile up in a heatwave or a cold snap, right when you’re on jobs. ChatLead answers as Kestrel Air & Heating, asks what the system is doing and who’s at home, and with urgent transfer switched on, puts the urgent ones through to you.
- Urgent calls, like no cooling with someone vulnerable at home, can come straight through to your mobile when urgent transfer is on.
- Quote and service calls are answered, noted and saved as leads with the call transcript.
- A text or email summary reaches you as soon as the call ends.
You keep your number and forward calls to ChatLead. Australian businesses can set up a local phone number in the app. If your business is in the US, Canada, the UK or New Zealand, contact us about phone answering.
Note: Forwarded from Kestrel Air’s number
ChatLeadHi, you’ve reached Kestrel Air & Heating. This is the AI receptionist. How can I help?
CallerOur air con’s only blowing warm air, and my mum’s here. She’s 84 and it’s getting really hot inside.
ChatLeadThat sounds urgent. Which suburb are you in?
CallerDoreen.
ChatLeadThanks. I’ll put you through to Luke now.
Note: Putting the call through to Luke’s mobile
Questions
Questions about ChatLead for HVAC and air conditioning
Will ChatLead give troubleshooting advice?
You set its instructions, and we recommend it doesn’t. Tell ChatLead never to suggest resets, relighting a pilot light or other fixes, and what to tell anyone who smells gas, such as to call your gas emergency line. It still saves their details so you can follow up.
Can it collect details for installation quotes?
Yes. Add the questions you need answered, such as the rooms, storeys, system type and where the outdoor unit could go. ChatLead asks them one at a time and skips anything the customer has already told it.
Can it book service calls or show my availability?
No. ChatLead doesn’t book jobs or see your calendar. It records the times that suit the customer and how you’ll get access, and you confirm the visit.
What happens to calls after hours?
You choose what happens outside your hours: answer as normal, take a message only, put calls through to you, or tell callers you’re closed and when to call back. Urgent calls, such as no cooling with someone vulnerable at home, are only put through if urgent transfer is switched on. ChatLead doesn’t diagnose faults or send anyone out.
Is it only for air conditioning?
No. ChatLead answers from the services you add, whether that’s split and ducted air conditioning, ducted gas heating, evaporative cooling or commercial refrigeration.
How much does ChatLead cost?
Plans are monthly, and every plan has the same features. They differ in how many businesses, phone numbers and team seats they include, and in their monthly allowances. You can start with a free 7-day website trial with no card needed, and the 7 days start when the chat goes live on your site. Phone answering has its own low-cost 7-day trial, credited if you subscribe. See plans and prices.
Where do the enquiries go?
Into your ChatLead dashboard. When a customer leaves their name, number or email, the enquiry is saved as a lead with what they need, and you can get an email or text as soon as a website chat becomes a lead. Website conversations and call transcripts are saved too, so you can see exactly what was said before you call back.
Will it work with my website?
ChatLead adds a chat window to your site with one short snippet of code. The dashboard has instructions for WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Shopify and other common platforms, and the chat window shows your business name and colour.
Can ChatLead answer my phone as well?
Yes. You keep your existing number and forward calls to your ChatLead number, for example only when you can’t pick up. ChatLead answers with your greeting, collects the caller’s details, saves them as a lead with a transcript of the call, and can text or email you a summary. If you switch on urgent transfer, urgent calls can be put through to a number you choose. Australian businesses can set up a local phone number in the app. If your business is in the US, Canada, the UK or New Zealand, contact us about phone answering. Contact us about phone answering.
Be ready before the next heatwave
Mia, ChatLead’s setup assistant, walks you through setup and can suggest your services and hours from your website. Your 7 days start when the chat goes live on your site.
Free 7-day website trial. No card needed.
Prefer a walkthrough?
Show us your HVAC business. We’ll show you where ChatLead fits.
Tell us about your HVAC business and we’ll show you what ChatLead would ask your customers before you call back.
Rather try it yourself? Start your free trial. No card needed.
- We look at your business and the enquiries you usually get.
- We show you the questions ChatLead would ask your customers.
- You see exactly what would land in your dashboard.
ChatLead for other trades
Each trade gets different enquiries. See what ChatLead asks for theirs, or how it works for tradies in general.