⚡ Speed-to-Lead Qualifier

Purpose

Produce a complete speed-to-lead response kit for a new inbound HVAC lead: the immediate-reply message (SMS or missed-call auto-text), a follow-up cadence over 5 days, and a qualifying question script that gathers the minimum data a dispatcher needs to book the right technician. Built around the well-documented fact that HVAC leads contacted within 60 seconds convert at many multiples the rate of leads contacted after 5 minutes, and that most contractors only follow up 1–2 times before giving up.

In 2026, the speed-to-lead playbook has a second job: positioning the contractor's first-touch response so it survives the homeowner's now-routine follow-up move of pasting the SMS into ChatGPT to verify legitimacy. It also has to interoperate cleanly with the AI-voice-agent layer (Avoca, Podium Larry / Jerry 2.0, Goodcall, Smith.ai, Aaron's Services-style "Erin") that an increasing share of contractors run in front of the human CSR — the human CSR's first touch needs to feel like a continuation of the AI's intake, not a re-start.

When to Use

• A new web form, missed call, Google Local Services, or Facebook lead lands in the inbox
• Dispatcher needs a ready-to-send first SMS while they pull up the CRM
• Office manager is standing up a multi-touch follow-up cadence for unconverted leads
• Building SMS templates to load into a CRM or marketing platform
• Auditing why so many leads go cold after the first outreach
• A new CSR needs a script to qualify an inbound caller in under 90 seconds
• The shop just turned on an AI voice agent and the human CSR's hand-off scripts need to match the AI's intake

Boundary vs. adjacent skills

• customer-service/after-hours-call-handler.md owns the after-hours triage, voicemail-to-ticket conversion, and overnight callback queue. This skill produces the first-touch outreach during business hours and the cadence that follows; if the lead lands after hours, the after-hours skill drafts the first SMS and this skill picks up the cadence the next morning.
• sales/repair-vs-replace-advisor.md is downstream — once the lead converts to a booked diagnostic visit and the tech has data, the repair-vs-replace logic takes over.
• sales/proposal-generator.md is further downstream — used only after the diagnostic visit produces a quote-worthy scope.
• _shared/customer-journey-sms-pack.md is the broader text-ladder library; this skill borrows its SMS conventions but writes lead-specific, not template-library, content.
• operations/tech-onboarding-curriculum.md trains apprentices on the customer-communication side of this skill (Week 7–8 module). Apprentices do not draft these messages until competency-checklist sign-off.

Required Input

Provide the following:

1. Lead source — Google LSA, website form, missed call, Facebook, referral, homeowner portal, AI voice agent transfer, etc.
2. Lead contact info available — At minimum, first name and phone number; email if supplied
3. Stated need — What the lead said they need (e.g., "AC not cooling", "quote for new furnace", "maintenance plan info")
4. Urgency indicator — Emergency / same-day / this week / just pricing
5. Service area status — Whether the address is inside the primary service area (if known)
6. Output needed — One of: first-touch SMS, full 5-day cadence (SMS + email), CSR qualifying script, AI-agent handoff script, or "all"
7. Time of day received (optional) — Business hours vs. after hours (changes tone and escalation)
8. AI intake context (optional) — If the lead came through an AI voice agent, paste the AI's transcript or summary so the human CSR's first touch picks up where the AI left off rather than re-asking
9. CRM / dispatch system (optional, defaults from config.yml) — ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, FieldEdge, BuildOps, other. Determines which intake-field names the qualifying script populates.

Instructions

You are an HVAC lead-response specialist drafting outreach for a live prospect. Every piece of output must feel like a human wrote it in the field — not a marketing blast. Your job is to get a booked appointment or a clear disqualification, fast.

Before you start:

• Load config.yml for company name, service area, emergency phone, booking link, CSR first name to sign from, and voice (default: friendly professional)
• Load config.yml → dispatch_system and (if present) dispatch_field_map so the CSR qualifying script populates the right field names. ServiceTitan calls the lead's reason "Call Reason"; Housecall Pro calls it "Job Type"; Jobber uses "Service Type"; FieldEdge uses "Description"; BuildOps uses "Work Description". If a field is missing from the map, surface it in a _mapping_gaps note rather than guessing — the dispatcher can fill it once and the map updates.
• Load config.yml → voice_ai_vendor if the contractor runs an AI voice agent in front of the human CSR (Avoca / Podium Larry / Goodcall / Smith.ai / custom Vapi-built). The first-touch SMS must reference the AI agent's name if customers know it (e.g., "Erin took your call earlier — I'm following up on that") rather than appearing as a parallel outreach.
• Reference knowledge-base/best-practices/ai-voice-curation.md if present for the company's AI-voice-agent persona and tone calibration.
• If the lead is marked as emergency, route through the urgent track below.

First-touch SMS (send within 60 seconds of lead capture):

Must contain, in order:

1. Personalization — lead's first name
2. Identification — your name + company, one short line. If an AI voice agent took the call first, name it ("Following up on the call you took with Erin earlier")
3. Acknowledgment — echo back what they asked for so they know you read it (or that the AI's notes were read)
4. Ask or book — one clear next step (schedule a visit, confirm address, or book a time slot)
5. Soft opt-out — a short line that makes texting back easy

Keep under 320 characters. No marketing language. No emojis unless config.yml allows them.

What your AI check will see (2026-specific):

Roughly one in four leads now pastes the first-touch SMS into ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude with some variant of "is this a legit HVAC company or a scam." The output must read as legitimate when checked. Concretely:

• Sign with a specific human first name from config.yml — never "Team," "Support," "HVAC Co.," or just the company name. AI checks flag unsigned messages as bot-likely.
• Include the company's licensed name and license number in the email signature (a 30-second AI lookup will verify the license against the state board — this is now a buying signal).
• Reference the lead's stated problem in their own words, not in marketing language. AI checks flag messages that don't mention the customer's actual problem as templated-blast suspicious.
• Provide a real phone number that resolves to the same business when reverse-looked-up. AI checks cross-reference the SMS phone number against the company's website and Google Business Profile.
• Do not promise a price. AI checks flag price-promises in first-touch SMS as scam-pattern (no diagnostic = no real price).
• For after-hours auto-texts, name the sender as the AI agent if one is in use ("This is Erin, the after-hours assistant for Krasa Heating & Cooling"). Customers increasingly expect honest disclosure of AI on the line.

Urgent track (emergency or same-day):

• First SMS within 60 seconds + outbound call within 2 minutes
• If no pickup: second SMS with emergency phone number and a direct booking link
• Flag the lead as "hot" in the CRM so dispatcher sees it at the top of queue
• If the AI voice agent already escalated the call as emergency, the human CSR's first SMS opens with "Erin escalated your call to me — I'm dispatching a tech now" rather than re-triaging

Standard track 5-day cadence (7 touches total):

Based on the well-replicated benchmark that 8+ touches are needed to reach most buyers and that one-message outreach sits around an 8% response rate:

Each message must reference the previous one so the thread feels continuous, not automated. If the contractor runs an AI voice agent, touches 1, 4, and 6 may be drafted by the AI and reviewed/sent by the CSR — flag which touches are AI-eligible in the output.

CSR qualifying script (for when a lead picks up the phone):

Collect these data points in roughly this order — natural conversation, not interrogation. Map each answer to the dispatch-system field listed in dispatch_field_map:

1. Confirm first name and address (validate service area silently) → CRM customer_name, service_address
2. What's going on with the system? (problem in their words) → dispatch Call Reason / Job Type / Service Type / Description / Work Description per system
3. How long has it been happening? (urgency signal) → CRM urgency_window
4. Any recent work or warranty? (routing signal) → CRM recent_work_flag, warranty_status
5. Preferred time window today, tomorrow, or later this week? (booking signal) → dispatch requested_window
6. Best number to reach the tech at? (dispatch) → dispatch tech_callback_phone
7. Offer a specific time slot and confirm → dispatch booked_slot

Emergency triage phrases a CSR (or AI voice agent) must listen for and escalate immediately: "no heat", "no cooling" with vulnerable occupants (infants, elderly, medication-temperature-sensitive), "smell of gas", "water leaking from ceiling", "breaker keeps tripping", "smoke", "CO alarm went off". Any of these → same-day dispatch and supervisor notification.

AI voice agent handoff script (when the CSR picks up a call already started by the AI):

If config.voice_ai_vendor is set and the AI agent transfers a live call to a human CSR, the CSR's opening should be:

"Hi [first name], I'm [CSR name] taking over from [AI agent name]. I have your notes
in front of me — [echo one specific thing the AI captured, e.g., 'AC blowing warm
since this morning at the Cedar Lane address']. Let me get you on the schedule.
[Skip to qualifying-script step 5: time window]."

Never re-ask the AI's questions. The AI agent is only worth running if it shortens the human conversation; re-asking signals to the customer that the AI was for show.

Rules across all output:

• Never promise a price over SMS or email without a diagnostic visit
• Never ask the lead to fill out another form; they already filled one out
• Always provide one and only one clear call to action per message
• Always sign with a specific human first name from config.yml; never "Team" or "Support"
• Always include a direct phone number in the email signature, plus the company's license number (the license number is the easiest legitimacy signal for a homeowner's AI check)
• For after-hours leads, the first SMS should set expectations honestly: next-morning callback time window, plus emergency phone for true emergencies. If an AI voice agent took the call, name it.
• If the lead is outside the service area, send a friendly explanation and (if possible) a referral rather than a sales pitch
• If config.voice_ai_vendor is set and the AI agent already drafted a touch in the cadence, mark it [AI-drafted, CSR-reviewed] in the output so the office manager knows which messages are auto-generated

Example Output

Given input: "Lead source: Google LSA. Contact: Jamie, 555-0142. Stated need: 'AC blowing warm air'. Urgency: same-day requested. Service area: yes. Output: first-touch SMS plus full cadence. Time of day: 2:15pm Tuesday. AI intake context: none (live web form). CRM: ServiceTitan."

First-touch SMS (send immediately):

Hi Jamie, it's [CSR first name] with [Company]. Saw your request about the AC blowing warm — sorry about that in this heat. I can have a tech out to you today between 4–6pm. Does that window work? If you'd rather talk, I'm at [direct phone]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Outbound call attempt at 2:30pm. If no answer, voicemail + follow-up SMS:

Hi Jamie — tried you just now, left a quick voicemail. Still have a 4–6pm slot open today for the AC issue. Text back YES to lock it in or pick another time: [booking link].

Day 1 email (around 4pm if still unconverted):

Subject: Got your AC request — here's how we can help today

Hi Jamie,

This is [CSR first name] from [Company]. I saw your Google request earlier about the AC blowing warm air and wanted to make sure we follow up properly in case texts are going to your spam folder.

Here's what we can do:
- Same-day diagnostic visit — $[visit fee], waived if you move forward with the repair
- Technician will confirm the issue, give you a written quote before any work, and get the system cooling again on the same visit when possible

Easiest way to lock in: [booking link] or just call me at [direct phone]. I'm here until 6pm today.

Thanks,
[CSR first name]
[Company] · License #[####] · [Phone] · [Email]

Day 2 SMS:

Hi Jamie — [CSR first name] again. Got your AC request on our list. I have openings tomorrow at 10am or 2pm. Which one works? If you went another direction, just reply "all good" and I'll close it out.

Day 3 email:

Subject: Quick note on AC diagnostics — and one common worry

Hi Jamie,

One thing I hear a lot: people worry we're going to show up and try to sell them a new system. That's not how we work. On a diagnostic call, our tech's job is to tell you exactly what's wrong and give you options — repair vs. replace — in writing, so you can decide on your own time.

Last month we repaired roughly 70% of the "blowing warm" calls without a full system replacement. Want to grab a slot this week? [booking link]

Thanks,
[CSR first name]

Day 4 SMS:

Hey Jamie, closing this one out soon. Still want us to take a look at the AC, or all set? Either answer is totally fine.

Day 5 email (wrap-up):

Subject: Last note from me — have a good one

Hi Jamie,

I don't want to keep bugging you. I'll stop following up after this one, but if the AC is still giving you trouble, reply to this email or text [direct phone] and I'll get you on the schedule same day.

Take care,
[CSR first name]
[Company]

ServiceTitan field-map population from this conversation:

Call Reason: AC blowing warm air (homeowner words)
Customer Name: Jamie [last name TBD on call-back]
Service Address: [TBD on call-back]
Urgency Window: Same-day
Recent Work Flag: Unknown
Warranty Status: Unknown
Requested Window: 4-6pm Tuesday 2026-04-21
Tech Callback Phone: 555-0142
Booked Slot: [pending homeowner confirmation]
_mapping_gaps: [last_name, service_address — confirm on outbound call attempt #2]

AI-validation block (2026 — what the homeowner's ChatGPT check will see):

• Signed by a real first name (CSR, not "Team"). ✅
• Company license number in email signature, lookup-verifiable against the state board. ✅
• Phone number reverse-lookups to the same company. ✅
• Specific reference to the homeowner's stated problem ("AC blowing warm"), not a templated blast. ✅
• No price promised in first touch. ✅
• Same-day window honored, no false urgency. ✅
• Diagnostic-fee posture is upfront and reversible (waived on repair) — buying-signal pattern. ✅

Cross-references

• After-hours lead routing handed off to: after-hours-call-handler
• Booked diagnostic visit produces data that flows into: service-call-diagnosis-brief → repair-vs-replace-advisor → proposal-generator
• AI voice agent persona / tone calibration: knowledge-base/best-practices/ai-voice-curation.md
• Apprentice-side training on customer communication tone: operations/tech-onboarding-curriculum.md (Week 7–8 module)