Emergency maintenance dispatch
A dedicated line where the AI takes the address, assesses severity by your rules, pages the on-call tech, and texts the caller the ETA. Frontdesk runs it for residents and prospects.
Trigger
A call arrives on the emergency line, any hour.
Built from
Why teams set this up
Real emergencies and routine calls arrive on the same line sounding equally panicked, and a human has to stop everything to tell them apart.
Dispatch decisions made on facts gathered calmly
Techs roll with complete information
Callers hear an ETA, never a voicemail beep
How the automation runs
A frantic call reports water coming through a ceiling. The AI gets the address, unit access, and shutoff status in two minutes, pages the on-call plumber with all of it, and texts the caller a 40-minute ETA plus where the water main is. The plumber arrives already briefed.
- 1AI receptionist
The AI collects location, issue, and access details
- 2Conditional branch
Severity rules decide dispatch now versus first thing tomorrow
- 3Team notification
The on-call tech gets paged with the full picture
- 4Outbound SMS
The caller gets the ETA and safety guidance from your playbook
- 5Smart ticket
The job ticket is ready before the truck starts
How multifamily teams run it
Floods and lockouts page the right vendor with unit access details while the resident gets safety guidance.
Synced with your systems
Built from standard Frontdesk blocks
No custom development. Each step is a building block you can rearrange, retime, or extend, so this workflow can grow into the next one.
Retention journeys that include this workflow
This workflow is one step inside larger retention journeys that run the full customer lifecycle.
Customer retention
A resident with unresolved maintenance frustration receives manager outreach before deciding to move.
See the journey →Churn risk intervention
A resident with repeated work orders and negative sentiment receives a retention call and resolution plan.
See the journey →Renewal journey automation
A resident enters a 90, 60, 30, and 15-day renewal cadence with policy-aware offer handling.
See the journey →Common questions
How does the emergency dispatch line workflow start?
A call arrives on the emergency line, any hour.
Which channels does this use?
This workflow runs over inbound voice, sms. Each step can use the channel that fits the customer and the urgency.
Can my team stay in control of when it fires?
Yes. The trigger can be a field a person flips on a ticket or contact, so a human makes the decision and Frontdesk does the follow-through. Any step can also route to a teammate with the transcript and collected data.
Does it keep our records up to date?
Every call, text, and email in the workflow is logged against the contact and ticket, with transcripts attached. Frontdesk can also sync contacts and fields to your CRM.
What happens when a customer needs a human?
The workflow hands off with context: the right teammate gets the full history, the transcript, and the collected answers, so the customer never repeats themselves.
Which systems does this work with for multifamily businesses?
Frontdesk can work with Yardi, RealPage, Entrata, AppFolio, Buildium, ResMan, plus API and webhook connections for custom systems, so every conversation lands on the right record.
Thinking bigger than one workflow?
The customer journey library maps full lifecycle automations across activation, onboarding, retention, and growth.
Explore customer journeys →This workflow also runs for any industry.
See the all-industry version →More from field service operations
Dispatch, ETAs, parts, and emergencies coordinated over phone and text.
Work order status texts
Each stage of the job texts the customer as the ticket field changes: scheduled, en route, in progress, done. The phone stops ringing because people already know.
Parts arrival scheduling
When the part lands, flip Parts received and the AI calls the customer to book the install before the part gathers dust.
Vendor delay notices
When the morning job runs long, one field update texts the rest of the day’s customers their new windows. Nobody stands at a window wondering.