Every electrical call answered, even mid‑job
Half the house went dark, or something smells like it’s burning behind the panel. Those calls can’t sit in a voicemail box. Dana answers every one, gets people away from danger, and gets the job in front of you.
Dana is Magpie’s AI receptionist. She says so if a caller asks.
- Answers outages, dead circuits and panel calls around the clock
- Hears GFCI, arc fault, sub panel, knob and tube and aluminum wiring
- Books service calls, EV chargers and panel upgrades into Jobber, Housecall Pro or your Magpie calendar
Every call answered. Every one.
Burning smells come first
Smoke, sparks or a burning smell means get out and call 911. She says it before she asks for anything else.
Real emergencies reach you
A hot panel or exposed live wires ring your cell with the address. A dead outlet gets booked.
Install work gets booked
EV chargers, generators, dedicated circuits — the calls that pay, booked while you’re on another job.
Every kind of call, handled
The real emergencies ring your cell
When a call meets your rules — by default, a burning smell or sparking anywhere, a breaker panel that is hot to the touch, exposed live wires, or the whole house losing power — if anyone is in danger she gets them safe first. Then she takes the address, tells them the one safe thing to do, and rings you with the job already on your screen.
- Your rules, set for your company
- She can put them straight through to you
MAGPIEnowNeighbors still have power · 17 Ridge Rd
Illustrative screens. Names, shops and addresses are made up; the alerts and texts use the product’s own wording.
Three steps. Zero voicemails.
Danger first, then the address
First ring, day or night, in a calm voice that knows electrical work. If the call is dangerous she gets people safe before anything else. On every other call the address comes first, because the rest of the job depends on it.
She sorts it by your rules
By default, an emergency is a burning smell or sparking anywhere, a breaker panel that is hot to the touch, exposed live wires, or the whole house losing power. You change that during setup — it is your company.
She books it or your phone rings
Routine work goes onto your real schedule. An emergency rings your cell with the job and she can put the customer straight through.
Get everyone out and call 911 first, from outside — a wiring fire moves inside the walls.
The questions your tech wishes got asked
After the caller picks a time, she asks the one or two that change what the electrician brings — and skips anything they already said. They are the same questions your online booking page asks.
Repair
- What needs to be repaired?Light fixture · Outlet or switch · Electrical panel / breaker box · Ceiling fan · Breaker keeps tripping · Flickering lights
Estimate / Install
- What would you like an estimate for?Panel upgrade / new panel · Generator · EV charger · Heat tape · Meter / mast · Lighting / ceiling fan · Outlets / new circuit · Surge protection
Generator
- What do you need for the generator?Maintenance · Repair · New install estimate
Inspection
Straight to a time — nothing to ask.
This isn’t a hunch. It’s the most measured problem in the trades.
Three figures, each with the study it came from.
Magpie vs. an answering service for electrical
What changes when the phone is answered by something that knows your trade and can put work on your schedule.
| Magpie | Typical answering service | Voicemail | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picks up every call, nights and weekends | Every call, the first time | Usually, with long holds at busy times | Nobody picks up |
| Knows your trade’s words | Knows the parts and faults of your trade | A general script | No |
| Books the job straight into your software | Jobber, Housecall Pro, or your Magpie calendar | Takes a message | No |
| Emergency: your phone rings with the address | And she can put the customer through | Some patch calls through | You find out later |
| Safety first on a dangerous call | Gets them out before anything else | Depends on the operator | No |
| Callers who hang up get a call back | Once per inquiry, never pestered | Rarely | Most never leave a message |
| When you can’t make it, the customer gets a call back with real times | From your live openings | No | No |
| Every job on your phone to accept or decline | In your app, with a ping to your lock screen | Emails or messages | No |
| Priced | Flat monthly | Often per minute | Free — and it costs you the job |
Answering services vary; this is what a contractor should expect from a typical one, not a claim about any named company.
Three electrical calls, handled right
Burning smell from an outlet
Out of the house, 911 first, main breaker off only if it is safe to reach. Then the job.
Breaker keeps tripping
She explains the breaker is protecting them, tells them to leave it off, and books the visit.
EV charger quote
Books the site visit into your real openings so the lead doesn’t go to whoever calls back first.
Electrical questions, answered
What happens on a burning smell or sparks?
When they smell burning, or see smoke or sparks from the panel, a wall, or an outlet, she tells them: Get everyone out and call 911 first, from outside — a wiring fire moves inside the walls.
Which electrical calls ring my cell?
You set that during setup. By default: a burning smell or sparking anywhere, a breaker panel that is hot to the touch, exposed live wires, or the whole house losing power.
Will she tell people to reset breakers?
She tells them the opposite when it matters: if one circuit is the problem, leave the breaker OFF — a breaker that keeps tripping is protecting them, not failing.
Can she book install work, not just repairs?
Yes — any job type you give her, booked into Jobber, Housecall Pro or your Magpie calendar.
Explore Magpie for other trades
Roofing
Leak calls and storm surges answered all night, inspections booked, and nobody talked up a wet ladder.
See how she answers
Solar
Quote requests answered while interest is hot, and system problems sent to service. She never promises a saving.
See how she answers
Residential Cleaning
Recurring, deep and move-out cleans, booked with the bedrooms, bathrooms, pets and deadline written down.
See how she answers
Pest Control
Ants to wasps to rodents, qualified by what, where and how long — and a swelling sting is a 911 call first.
See how she answersReady to hire the receptionist that never misses a call?
About five minutes: find your business, hear Dana answer as you, and forward your number — she’s answering today. Texting follows about a week later, once the phone carriers approve your number. Or hear her first, right in your browser.