Notes from the night desk.

When a furnace quits on a January night, the homeowner calls down a list. The first shop that answers usually gets the repair, and often the replacement.

New data on more than 18 million missed calls shows most people hang up instead of leaving a message. For a plumbing shop, that’s booked work going somewhere else.

When a summer storm hits, basements on the same streets flood at the same time. Every one of those homeowners is calling a plumber that night.

A cold shower on a weekend morning sends people straight to their phones. The shop that answers usually installs the new tank.

Fewer shops service hydronic and in-floor systems, so boiler owners tend to stick with one company. That loyalty lasts until the night nobody answers.

Eligible Edmonton homeowners can get up to $800 toward a backwater valve, and a professional plumber has to install it. Those calls need answering.

If your Google Business Profile says open 24 hours, customers believe it. A phone that rings out at 2 AM does more damage than honest hours would.

Online forms are handy, but when something in the house is broken, people want a person to say yes. A phone call ends with a time. A form ends with a wait.

AI phone bots are cheap and getting better. For plumbing and heating calls, a real person still does the job better, and customers can tell.

When a caller says their CO alarm is going off, the first 30 seconds matter most. Here’s a simple, safe script for Edmonton heating companies.