How PipeAnswer Builds Your Receptionist in Minutes

If you run a small service business, you probably don't have time for a long setup project. This post walks through how PipeAnswer sets up Mike, our AI receptionist, so you know exactly what happens at each step and what Mike will and won't say to your callers.

Step 1: Point Mike at your website or Google listing

You start by giving us your business website or your Google Business Profile. Mike uses what's there, like your services, service area, and hours, to draft a profile of your business.

Most service businesses already have one or the other, so there's nothing new to write from scratch.

Step 2: Review the profile and fix anything wrong

The draft is a starting point, not the final word. You read through it and correct anything that's out of date or missing. Mike only tells callers what you've confirmed.

Things worth checking:

Services. Is everything you do listed? Anything you've stopped doing?
Service area. Are the towns and neighborhoods right?
Hours. Are they current?
Common questions. For example, whether you do free estimates. Only include answers you're happy for Mike to repeat.

Take your time here. A few minutes of review saves a lot of awkward callbacks.

What Mike will and won't do

It's worth being clear about this before you hear Mike on a call.

Mike will:

Tell every caller up front that it's an AI.
Ask what the caller needs and take their name and number.
Note when the caller would like a callback. Your team confirms the actual time.
Answer questions using only what you've confirmed.

Mike won't:

Quote prices. Mike collects the details so your team can give the quote.
Promise times. Mike doesn't commit to arrival times or appointments. Your team confirms those.
Handle emergencies. PipeAnswer is not an emergency service. If a caller mentions a gas smell or carbon monoxide, Mike tells them to leave the building and call 911.
Take calls in other languages yet. For now, Mike answers English calls only.

Every plan includes a website chat widget. Mike answers your phone calls, and the chat widget answers visitors on your website.

Step 3: Make a free test call

Before anything goes live, you call Mike yourself and hear how it handles a caller. It's free, and no card is needed.

Try it like a customer would:

Ask about a service you offer, and one you don't.
Ask for a price, and listen to how Mike handles it.
Give your name and number and see what Mike captures.

After the call you get the same email your real calls will produce: a summary, a full transcript, and a recording. Read it like you would a message from a new office helper. Does it give you what you need to call back?

If something in the profile needs changing, fix it before you go live.

Step 4: Say go, and forward your number

When you're happy, tell us to go. Mike is live within 1 business day.

You keep your existing number. You forward calls from it to Mike, so customers keep dialing the number they already know. Your phone carrier controls forwarding, and many carriers let you choose between forwarding every call or only the calls you don't pick up. Check your carrier's instructions for the options you have.

After every call: summary, transcript, recording

Each time Mike answers, you get an email with:

A summary of what the caller needs, their name, and number.
A transcript of the whole conversation.
A recording of the call.

You read it when you have a minute, decide who to call back first, and call them knowing what they want.

Tips for your first week

A few habits help you get the most out of Mike early on:

Read every email for the first few days. You'll quickly see what callers ask about most.
Update your profile when something changes. New service, new town, holiday hours. Mike only knows what you've confirmed.
Call back fast. Mike takes the details, but the job is won when your team calls back. Try to return calls the same day.
Tell your regulars. If long-time customers might be surprised to hear an AI, a quick heads-up helps.
Check your minutes. After a couple of weeks you'll know whether your plan fits.

Plans

There are two plans:

$49/month with 250 minutes
$149/month with 1000 minutes

To pick one, think about your call volume. Here's a worked example, not real data: if Mike answers 40 calls a month and they average 3 minutes, that's 120 minutes, which fits in the $49 plan. If you expect several hundred minutes a month, look at the $149 plan.

Spam calls don't count against your minutes. You can cancel online anytime.

Hear Mike answer, free

The quickest way to judge Mike is to hear it. Make a free test call, no card needed, and see the email you'd get afterward. Hear Mike answer, free