AI phone receptionist

The receptionist that answers when you’re on the job.

NorthBell Switchboard answers your business line, gives callers real answers from your own information, and takes booking requests or complete leads for you to act on. Running today for roll-off dumpster rental and pressure washing.

Acme Roll-OffExample business
  1. Receptionist

    Thanks for calling Acme Roll-Off! This call may be recorded. How may I help you?

  2. Caller

    Hey, how much is a 16-yard dumpster? I’m cleaning out a garage.

  3. Receptionist

    A 16-yard rental is $450.00 per week. Would you like to get one scheduled?

  4. Caller

    Yeah. Can you drop it next Monday?

  5. Receptionist

    How long would you like it for?

  6. Caller

    Just the one week.

Example business. Every price and date the receptionist says comes from that business’s own settings.

A missed call is lost money.

You’re on a site with your hands full, and the caller isn’t leaving a voicemail. They’re dialing the next company on the list. Switchboard picks up, answers the question, and saves the job for you to confirm.

Capabilities

What your agent does

Answers with your information

Hours, service area, what you do and don’t take, answered from facts you write.

Quotes your exact prices

For fixed-price work, every number comes from your price list. It never does the math itself.

Takes requests and messages

Name, callback number, address, and what they need, saved the moment the call confirms it.

Remembers repeat callers

It recognizes the number, greets them by name, and can see their upcoming job.

Two ways it works, depending on how you price

The right behavior depends on whether you can quote a job over the phone. We set yours up either way.

Fixed prices? It quotes and takes the booking request.

It reads back your exact price, checks what’s free on the date they want, and saves a booking request with everything you need. You approve it, or you turn on auto-book and let it confirm directly.

Priced by eye? It captures the whole lead.

When a job has to be seen to be quoted, it never guesses a number. It collects the callback number, name, address, what needs doing, and their timing, then tells the caller you’ll follow up with the quote.

What a call sounds like

Two behaviors, side by side. This is what an ordinary call looks like.

Dumpster rental: takes a booking request

Acme Roll-OffExample business
  1. Receptionist

    Thanks for calling Acme Roll-Off! This call may be recorded. How may I help you?

  2. Caller

    Hey, how much is a 16-yard dumpster? I’m cleaning out a garage.

  3. Receptionist

    A 16-yard rental is $450.00 per week. Would you like to get one scheduled?

  4. Caller

    Yeah. Can you drop it next Monday?

  5. Receptionist

    How long would you like it for?

  6. Caller

    Just the one week.

  7. Receptionist

    Yes, I can start that on Monday, September 14, 2026. That’s one week at $450.00 per week, $450.00 total. I’ll need a few details. You called from (555) 010-0123. Is that a good number to reach you on?

  8. Caller

    Yep.

  9. Receptionist

    What’s your first name?

Read the rest of this call

Example business. Every price and date the receptionist says comes from that business’s own settings.

Pressure washing: captures a lead

Acme Pressure WashingExample business
  1. Receptionist

    Thanks for calling Acme Pressure Washing! This call may be recorded. How may I help you?

  2. Caller

    Hi, what do you charge to wash a two-story house?

  3. Receptionist

    That one is priced case by case, so I want to get it right. The owner will follow up with a quote, usually the same business day. Can I take a few details so they can put it together? You called from (555) 010-0456. Is that a good number for the owner to call you back on?

  4. Caller

    That works.

  5. Receptionist

    What’s your first name?

  6. Caller

    Priya.

  7. Receptionist

    And your last name?

  8. Caller

    Shah.

  9. Receptionist

    What’s the property address, including the ZIP code?

Read the rest of this call

Example business. No price and no date, but a lead you can quote from.

It lands in your queue. You decide.

Every request shows who called, what they want, and when. Approve it on the schedule where you can see your units, or deny it. Nothing is final until you say so.

Illustration of the owner dashboard. Example businesses.

Three steps, no new phone system

  1. We set it up with you

    Your services and prices, hours, service area, policies, and who should be notified. We build the receptionist and test-call it with you.

  2. Forward your number

    Keep the number on your truck. Forward it to the line we give you, and un-forward it any time to go back to how things were.

  3. Approve from anywhere

    Requests and messages show up in a dashboard that works on your phone. You approve, deny, or call them back.

Why trust it

Rules it cannot break

We have no customer logos to show you yet, so judge us on what the system will not let the receptionist do.

  • It never invents a price. Every number comes from your price list and is computed by our system. The AI never does arithmetic.
  • It never double-books. Your units are tracked one by one in the database, so two callers can’t get the same one for the same dates.
  • It never says “you’re booked” unless our system saved it. If saving fails mid-call, it says so and takes the caller’s name and number instead.
  • It only sees your business. Each business is isolated, and that isolation is re-tested automatically on every change we ship.
  • It never asks for a card number. Payment stays between you and your customer.

How it works in detail

Questions owners ask first

Does it make up prices?

No. For dumpster rentals, every price it says is computed by our system from the price list you set. The AI never does the math and never quotes from memory. For pressure washing it doesn’t quote at all; it tells the caller you’ll call back with the number. If you’ve written typical starting ranges into your business info, it can share those only as non-binding ballparks, and it always adds that you’ll confirm.

Does it actually book, or just take messages?

That depends on your trade and your setting. For dumpster rental it takes a booking request with the date, size, delivery address, and callback number, and tells the caller you’ll confirm. You approve it on your schedule. If you’d rather it confirm directly, auto-book is available and we set that up with you. For pressure washing it never books, because it can’t see the job; it captures the lead and you schedule after you’ve quoted.

Do I keep my phone number?

Yes. You keep the number that’s on your truck and your website, and forward it to the line we give you. Forwarding is a standard carrier feature; we’ll walk through it with you, and you can undo it at any time.

All questions

Limited pilot spots

We’re onboarding a small number of businesses

Switchboard is new, and we take on pilot customers one at a time, so every call gets reviewed and every rough edge gets fixed with you. If you run a service business and you’re missing calls, we’d like to talk.