Plumbers · part of our trades guide
Answering service for UK plumbers
The phone rings when your hands are inside a boiler or under a sink, which is most of the working day. The caller has no way of knowing whether you are busy or gone, so they ring the next plumber on the list. Voco answers in your business name, works out what the job is and how urgent it is, takes the address, and sends it to your phone before you have finished the one you are on.
29p a minute pay as you go, billed by the second. No contract.
- Incoming call19:42Burst pipe, water through the ceilingUrgent: put through to you
- Incoming call11:20Boiler service quoteBooked Thursday 10:00
- Incoming call21:05Dripping tap, not urgentDetails sent, call back tomorrow
- Incoming call07:15No hot water, elderly occupantUrgent: put through to you
The problem
What do plumbers lose to missed calls?
Plumbers lose emergency jobs and quotes to missed calls, because the customer rings the next plumber on the list the moment a call goes to voicemail.
- 01
Emergency calls go to voicemail
A homeowner with a burst pipe will call three plumbers and book the first one that answers. If that's not you, the job and the follow-on work go to a competitor.
- 02
You can't answer on site
When you're under a sink or in a loft, you can't take calls. But every missed call during working hours is a job you didn't quote for.
- 03
Evenings and weekends are your busiest enquiry time
Most plumbing problems are discovered when people are at home, during evenings, weekends, and bank holidays. That's when your phone should be working hardest.
Emergency rules
Which plumbing calls come straight through to you?
You decide which plumbing calls count as emergencies. Calls that match ring your mobile at once; everything else is captured in full and sent to you, or booked.
- Burst pipe
- No heating or hot water
- Water through a ceiling
- Only toilet blocked
- 19:42Burst pipe under the stairsUrgent: put through
- 22:10No hot water since this morningUrgent: put through
- 08:05Water dripping through the kitchen ceilingUrgent: put through
- 13:30Toilet blocked, the only one in the houseDetails sent to you
How Voco helps
How does Voco help plumbers?
Voco works alongside you on the tools. It covers the calls you cannot take, and you stay in charge of every customer.
Emergencies triaged immediately
Voco identifies emergency calls such as burst pipes, no heating, and water leaks, flags them with urgency, and sends you an instant transcript so you can respond fast.
Routine jobs booked while you work
Boiler services, bathroom fits, and general plumbing queries are captured and booked into your calendar without interrupting your current job.
24/7 coverage, including weekends
Voco answers every call around the clock. Weekend and out-of-hours enquiries are your most valuable and also the ones that most often go unanswered.
Full job details in every transcript
After every call you receive the caller's name, address, the nature of the job, urgency level, and their preferred time, everything you need to quote and schedule.
What are missed calls costing you?
Cautious by design: we count half your missed calls as real enquiries, assume half of those ring someone else, and that you would win one in four.
Cost
What does an answering service for plumbers cost?
Voco costs 29p a minute on pay as you go, billed by the second, with no monthly fee and no contract. A two-minute call costs about 58p, so a quiet week costs very little. Busier plumbers can move to a monthly plan from £49.
See all prices- Pay as you go, a minute
- 29p
- A two-minute call
- About 58p
- Monthly plans from
- £49
- Contract
- None
Questions from plumbers
Something else? Ring 0333 043 6661 and ask Voco directly.
Full guide
Plumbers in detail
How Voco works alongside you on the tools
Voco is not a replacement for your customer relationships. It's a layer of cover that ensures no call goes unanswered when you're on site, driving between jobs, or unavailable in the evenings. You continue managing your customers and your work. Voco makes sure every enquiry reaches you with the full details you need to follow up.
Why plumbers lose jobs to voicemail every day
In the plumbing trade, speed of response wins the job. A homeowner with a leak or no hot water calls two or three plumbers at once and books whoever answers. If your phone goes to voicemail because you're on site, under a floorboard, or finished for the day, that job goes to someone else. Voco ensures you're always the one that answers.
The two types of plumbing call Voco handles
Emergency calls such as burst pipes, water leaks, no heating, and boiler breakdowns are the highest-value jobs in the trade. They need an immediate response. Voco identifies the urgency from the caller's description, captures the address and situation, and sends you an instant transcript so you can call back within minutes, even if you're mid-job.
Routine enquiries such as boiler services, bathroom installations, new radiators, and general plumbing are captured and scheduled. Voco books them into your calendar while you work, so your next week fills itself without interrupting your current job.
When your busiest enquiry hours actually are
Most plumbing problems are discovered when people are at home: evenings after work, weekend mornings, and bank holidays. These are also the hours when most plumbers are unavailable. Voco operates 24/7, 365 days a year, which means weekend enquiries and evening emergency calls are captured and booked instead of going unanswered.
Flexible pricing to match how you work
Voco costs 29p a minute with no monthly fee, which suits plumbers whose volume swings with the season. Monthly plans start at £49 with 75 calls included for consistent inbound enquiries. If your call volume is seasonal or unpredictable, the pay-as-you-go option has no monthly fee and you top up and pay per minute. Both options include the same AI quality, instant transcripts, and calendar integration. Use the missed call calculator to work out what unanswered calls are currently costing your business.
Phone answering services for tradespeople, built differently
Most phone answering services for tradespeople use human operators on fixed shifts. That means gaps at peak times, delays on transcripts, and a monthly bill regardless of call volume. Voco runs 24/7 with no shift gaps, sends transcripts within seconds, and offers pay-as-you-go for when work is seasonal. Professional call handling for tradesmen without the overhead of a traditional answering service.
No hardware, no hassle
You keep your existing mobile or business number. When you're on site or unavailable, calls forward to Voco automatically. You can switch it on or off at any time, set it to cover only specific hours, or run it 24/7. Setup takes under 10 minutes. There's no contract and a 30-day money-back guarantee. See pay as you go from 29p a minute.
Answers at 2am. Doesn't ask for overtime.
Hear Voco answer a call
Ring 0333 043 6661 and talk to Voco now, or set up your own AI front office today.