For pest control technicians
An AI receptionist for pest control technicians
When you're in a loft with a torch, it answers, finds out which pest and where, and texts you the job.
Read the video transcript
- On screen
- Your phone's ringing, and you're up a ladder. A missed call.
- Voiceover
- Your phone's ringing, and you're up a ladder. That's a job gone. Unless your phone answers itself.
- On screen
- What your callers hear.
- AI receptionist
- Hi, you've reached Dave's Plumbing. I'm Dave's AI assistant, and this call is transcribed. How can I help?
- Caller
- My boiler's packed in. No hot water.
- AI receptionist
- Oh, sorry to hear that. What's the postcode there?
- Caller
- BS3.
- AI receptionist
- Got it. I've pencilled you in for Tuesday at ten. Dave will confirm by text.
- On screen
- A text arrives: New enquiry. Boiler not working, no hot water. BS3. Pencilled in for Tuesday at 10am. Tap to confirm.
- Voiceover
- You get the details. Straight away.
- Voiceover
- It asks your questions, books your calendar, handles emergencies, even asks for photos of the job.
- On screen
- And it's not just a voicemail. Asks your questions, one at a time, in plain English. Emergency? Safety advice first, and you get an instant alert. Says it's an AI, every call. Never pretends to be a person.
- Voiceover
- And every Monday, you see what it caught.
- On screen
- An example weekly summary: calls the AI answered, jobs pencilled in, photos received and emergencies flagged.
- Voiceover
- Try it free for 14 days.
- On screen
- Try it free for 14 days. Card required. Nothing to pay today. Cancel any time. Set up for you. Keep your own number. Plans from £24/month + VAT. arcscribe.co.uk/receptionist. Set up for you. Anywhere in the UK.
- Set up for you
- Keep your existing number: we forward the calls you miss
- Says it's an AI on every call
- Cancel any time
What your callers hear
Your phone rings first. If you can't get to it, the AI receptionist answers, says it's an AI, and asks what you'd ask. Here's an example call to Sunita's Pest Control.
Hear an example call
Dramatised example using synthetic voices. On a real call, the AI uses your business name and the questions you approve.
Read the transcript
Phone rings twice
AI: Hi, you've reached Dave's Plumbing. I'm Dave's AI assistant, and this call is transcribed. How can I help?
Caller: My boiler's packed in. No hot water.
AI: Oh, sorry to hear that. What's the postcode there?
Caller: BS3.
AI: Got it. I've pencilled you in for Tuesday at ten. Dave will confirm by text.
Pencilling in jobs is on Receptionist and Pro. On Catch, the AI takes a message and texts you.
AI receptionist
Hi, you've reached Sunita's Pest Control. Sunita's treating a property right now. I'm an AI assistant and this call is transcribed so I can pass on your message. How can I help?
Caller
Hi. We've got a wasps' nest under the roof tiles, right above the back door.
AI receptionist
Thanks for letting us know. Is anyone in the house allergic to wasp stings?
Caller
My son is. He's had a bad reaction before.
AI receptionist
I'm flagging this as urgent so Sunita sees it straight away. Please keep everyone away from the back door and don't go near the nest. If anyone has a severe reaction, ring 999.
Caller
Will do.
AI receptionist
Can I take your name?
Caller
It's Helen.
AI receptionist
Thanks, Helen. What's the postcode area?
Caller
L18.
AI receptionist
Let me read that back: L 18. Is that right?
Caller
That's right.
AI receptionist
I'll text you a link for a photo of the nest. Please take it from a safe distance. Sunita has tomorrow at 9am free. Would that suit you?
Caller
Yes, thank you.
AI receptionist
You're pencilled in for tomorrow at 9am, and Sunita will confirm by text.
Built around how pest control technicians work
Wasps by the door come first
If a nest is near a door or someone in the house is allergic, it flags the call as urgent and alerts you straight away. It tells callers to keep clear of the nest, and to ring 999 if anyone has a severe reaction. It never replaces 999.
Which pest, where, how long
It asks what they've seen, where, how long it's been going on, and whether there are children or pets in the home. You know what to bring before you ring back.
Photos from a safe distance
It texts a link for photos of droppings, damage or the nest, and tells callers never to approach a nest to get the shot.
Treatment programmes kept together
Rats, mice and bed bugs often mean repeat visits. On the Receptionist and Pro plans, returning callers are recognised, so the history is there when you ring back.
How calls go for a pest control technician
The calls change with the seasons
Pest control phones follow the calendar. In summer, it's wasps: nests in the eaves, in a shed, under a roof tile by the back door. In autumn and winter, rats and mice move indoors and the calls turn to scratching in the loft and droppings in the kitchen cupboards. Bed bugs turn up all year round, often from someone who's just moved into a new flat.
The receptionist asks the questions you'd ask. Which pest, or what have they seen? Where in the property? How long has it been going on? Are there children or pets in the home? It writes the answers into the summary it texts you, so you can plan the visit before you ring back.
Urgent calls
A nest above a front door, or a house where someone is allergic to stings, can't wait in a list. When a caller mentions either, the receptionist flags the call as urgent and alerts you straight away. It tells them to keep clear of the nest and to keep children and pets away from it. If anyone has a severe reaction, it tells them to ring 999. It's not an emergency service and never replaces 999.
Photos, from a safe distance
A photo of droppings or gnaw marks tells you a lot before you go. The receptionist can text the caller a link to send photos of droppings, damage, a nest or a mattress seam. It always asks for nest photos to be taken from a safe distance, and tells callers never to approach a nest to get a better shot.
Businesses, landlords and treatment programmes
Commercial calls are different. A food business may need a visit before opening time or after closing, and wants it kept discreet. The receptionist asks whether it's a home or a business, takes the site contact and opening hours, and notes how to get access. Landlords and letting agents get the same care: it takes their details and the tenant's, and notes who's paying.
Rats, mice and bed bugs often need more than one visit. When a caller says they're part of a treatment programme, the receptionist notes it and offers the next slot from your calendar, pencilled in for you to confirm by text. On the Receptionist and Pro plans, returning callers are recognised, so you can see the history straight away.
Questions it can ask
You choose and approve the questions. A few that work well for pest control technicians:
- Which pest is it, or what have you seen?
- Where in the property is it?
- How long has it been going on?
- Are there children or pets in the home?
- Is it a home, or a business like a restaurant or shop?
- For wasps: is the nest near a door, and is anyone allergic?
Photos it asks for
Callers get a text with a link to send pictures, and they land in Keystone with the call.
Droppings
Where they've been found, with something next to them for scale.
The nest
Taken from a safe distance. Callers are told never to approach it.
The damage
Gnawed cables, skirting, packaging or holes in the brickwork.
The bed
For bed bugs: the mattress seams and the bed frame.
Questions from pest control technicians
Yes. It asks whether the caller is a business, such as a restaurant, takeaway or shop, and takes the site contact, opening hours and access details. If you add it to your approved answers, it can tell callers you're registered with the BPCA.
It flags the call as urgent and alerts you straight away. It tells the caller to keep clear of the nest, and to ring 999 if anyone has a severe reaction. It's not an emergency service and never replaces 999.
No. It asks your approved questions and passes the answers on. It doesn't identify pests or recommend treatments. That's your call when you ring back.
If a caller is part of a treatment programme, it notes that and offers times from your calendar for the next visit. It pencils the visit in, and you confirm by text.
It takes the landlord's or agent's details as well as the tenant's, notes who's paying and how to get access, and texts you the lot.
A person at Arcscribe sets it up for you: we get your new number, register it with the phone regulator and test it. While you wait, you can set up your greeting, your services and your calendar in Keystone.
Yes. Keep your existing number: we forward the calls you miss. You turn on call forwarding on your phone, so missed calls go to your Arcscribe number, and we give you a simple guide for it. Moving your number over to us completely (porting) isn't offered yet.
It depends on the plan: the pricing page has the current prices. We'll email you 3 days before your trial ends. If you don't cancel, we'll charge your first month + VAT when the trial ends.
Yes, any time, in Keystone. Cancel during the trial and you won't pay anything. On a paid plan, your plan runs to the end of the month you've paid for.