Blog · Electrical
AI Dispatch for Electricians:
Handling After-Hours Emergencies
February 25, 2026 · 6 min read
A sparking outlet at 11 PM is a fire hazard, not a scheduling request. The caller doesn't want to leave a voicemail. They need immediate confirmation that a licensed electrician is on the way. For electrical contractors, after-hours emergencies represent both the highest-urgency calls and the highest-value jobs—$500–$1,200 with emergency premium rates. An AI receptionist for electricians ensures none of these calls go unanswered.
Why After-Hours Electrical Calls Are Different
Not every trade has the same after-hours profile. Electrical calls that come in after 5 PM tend to cluster into two distinct categories:
Safety Emergencies
Sparking outlets, burning smells from breaker panels, total power outages, flickering lights with hot breakers, exposed wiring from storm damage, or a tripped main breaker that won't reset. These are potential fire or electrocution hazards. The caller is stressed, sometimes scared, and needs a response—not a recorded greeting.
Time-Sensitive Scheduling
A homeowner who just got home from work and noticed their kitchen outlets are dead. A property manager with a tenant complaining about no power in one bedroom. A business owner who needs panel work done before a Monday inspection. These aren't emergencies, but the caller wants to book now, while they're thinking about it. If they hit voicemail, they'll call someone else in the morning.
Both categories are high-value. The emergency calls command premium rates ($500–$1,200). The scheduling calls are standard-rate jobs ($300–$600) that would have gone to a competitor. An effective after-hours dispatch system needs to handle both—and treat them differently.
How Traditional After-Hours Options Fail Electricians
Voicemail
A homeowner with a sparking outlet is not going to wait for a callback. They're calling electricians until someone answers. If you're lucky, they leave a message. If you're realistic, they call the next listing on Google and you never hear from them.
Traditional Answering Services
A live operator answers the phone, reads from a script, and takes a message. That's it. They can't tell a sparking outlet from an outlet that simply stopped working. They can't check your service area. They can't warm-transfer to your on-call electrician with context. They email you a message that might sit unread for hours.
Owner's Cell Phone
Many electrical contractors forward after-hours calls to their personal phone. This means you're always on call, you can't filter emergencies from routine calls, and when you're on a family dinner or asleep, the call goes to voicemail anyway. It's unsustainable and leads to burnout.
How AI Dispatch Changes the Equation
Vox for Electrical Contractors handles after-hours calls with the intelligence of a trained dispatcher, not the limitations of a script reader. Here's what actually happens when a call comes in at 10 PM:
Step 1 — Instant Answer: Vox picks up in under 1 second. No hold music. No menu tree. A professional, natural-sounding voice greets the caller by your company name.
Step 2 — Issue Identification: Vox asks what's going on and listens for context. "My outlet is sparking" triggers a different path than "I need to schedule a panel upgrade." The AI understands electrical terminology—breaker trips, GFCI faults, dimming lights, burning smells, arc faults—and classifies the urgency.
Step 3 — Emergency Escalation: For safety emergencies, Vox immediately attempts a warm transfer to your on-call electrician. It provides a brief handoff: "I have a homeowner at [address] reporting a sparking outlet in their kitchen. No fire visible." If the tech doesn't answer within 30 seconds, Vox sends an urgent SMS and email and assures the caller that someone will contact them shortly.
Step 4 — Non-Emergency Booking: For routine calls, Vox collects the caller's information (name, address, issue description, preferred scheduling window) and creates a structured job ticket in your FSM software. The caller gets confirmation that they're booked. Your morning dispatcher sees a clean queue of scheduled jobs.
Real-World Scenarios
Scenario: Sparking Outlet at 11 PM
Vox detects safety emergency. Warm-transfers to on-call electrician with address and issue summary. If no answer, sends urgent SMS/email. Caller gets confirmation within 60 seconds.
Scenario: Total Power Loss After a Storm
Vox classifies as emergency, collects address, asks about visible damage to the panel or weatherhead. Escalates to on-call tech. Creates job ticket marked "storm damage — full outage" in ServiceTitan.
Scenario: EV Charger Installation Request at 8 PM
Vox identifies as non-emergency scheduled work. Collects caller info, vehicle type, garage panel details, and preferred date. Creates job ticket for next-day follow-up. Caller is booked without waiting until morning.
The Cost Advantage
One emergency call saved per week at $750 average = $3,000/month in recovered revenue. Vox doesn't just cost less than the alternatives—it generates more revenue by capturing calls that voicemail and answering services lose.
Getting Started
Setup takes 20 minutes. You define your services, service area, business hours, and escalation rules. Then forward your after-hours calls to Vox. Most electrical contractors expand to full 24/7 coverage within the first month once they see the results. See how Vox works for electrical contractors →
Never Miss an Electrical Emergency Again
Every call answered in under 1 second. Safety triage built in. Flat monthly pricing.