They Don't Want to Talk to You—They Want Their Pipe Fixed

"They don't want to talk to a person. They want their pipe fixed."

This came up during a conversation with Chuck Hill about AI receptionists. A plumber had told him customers "prefer to talk to a real person." Chuck's response cut through the noise.

The customer isn't calling to chat. They're calling because water is flooding their kitchen at 2 AM and they need someone to make it stop.

The Human Touch Myth

There's a persistent belief among service business owners that customers value the "personal connection" of speaking with a human when they call.

Some do. Most don't.

What customers actually value is getting their problem solved quickly and confidently. The medium matters far less than the outcome.

Think about your own behavior. When you call a service company, what do you want? You want to know: Can you help me? When can you get here? How much will it cost?

If a system—human or otherwise—can answer those questions clearly and book you on the calendar, you're satisfied. If you get a voicemail that says "leave a message and we'll call you back," you're already dialing the next company.

The "human touch" becomes important when there's a problem. When something goes wrong. When a customer is upset and needs to feel heard. That's when you want a real person with empathy and authority.

But the initial intake? The scheduling? The basic questions? Those can be handled systematically—and often better.

The Speed Premium

Here's what actually happens when a pipe bursts:

Customer calls Company A. Voicemail. They leave a message.

Customer immediately calls Company B. Someone (or something) answers. Books them for two hours from now. Confirms the address. Sends a text with the tech's name and photo.

Company A calls back 45 minutes later. The customer says, "Sorry, I already booked someone."

That's not a failure of service quality. Company A might have better plumbers, better prices, better reviews. Doesn't matter. They lost because they weren't available when the customer needed them.

Research from ServiceTitan shows that 85% of callers who don't reach a live answer won't leave a voicemail. They just call the next company. In emergency situations, that number is even higher.

The customer didn't want a relationship. They wanted their pipe fixed.

What "Available" Actually Means

Being available doesn't mean you personally answer every call. That's not realistic for anyone running jobs in the field.

Being available means something responds immediately and handles the basics:

• Confirms you're the right type of company for their problem
• Captures what they need
• Gets them on the calendar
• Gives them confidence that help is coming

That can be a dedicated office person. It can be an answering service. It can be an AI system. The mechanism matters less than the outcome.

What matters is that when someone calls with a problem, they don't hit a wall. They get traction.

The Follow-Up Call

Here's the part that actually creates connection: the follow-up.

If your intake system—whatever it is—captures the details of what's wrong, you can call the customer back with context. Not "Hey, you called earlier, what did you need?" but "Hey, I saw you've got a burst pipe in your kitchen. I'm on my way from another job and I'll be there in about 30 minutes. Is there anything else I should know before I arrive?"

That's customer service. That's the human touch. And it's only possible because the initial capture happened cleanly and quickly.

The plumber who thinks customers want to talk to a person is conflating two different moments. The intake—when customers want speed and confirmation. And the service—when customers want expertise and reassurance.

You can automate the first without losing the second. In fact, automating the first often makes the second better, because you show up prepared.

The Real Objection

When service business owners resist automation, the stated reason is usually "customers prefer humans."

The real reason is often something else:

• They haven't seen good automation in action
• They're worried about technology they don't understand
• They've had bad experiences with clunky systems
• They're attached to how they've always done things

These are understandable concerns. Bad automation is worse than no automation. A robotic, confusing phone tree that frustrates customers is a real problem.

But good automation—the kind that actually solves problems—is invisible. Customers don't think "wow, that was a great AI." They think "wow, that was easy."

The plumber with burst-pipe customers doesn't need to sell them on talking to a robot. They need to capture the lead and get on the calendar. Whatever does that fastest wins.

The Bottom Line

Your customers have a problem. That problem is not "I wish I could talk to someone." The problem is a broken pipe, a dead AC unit, a flooded basement, a car that won't start.

They're calling you to solve that problem. The faster you can acknowledge their need, capture the details, and give them confidence that help is coming—the happier they'll be.

If a human can do that in real-time, great. If a well-designed system can do it when no human is available, also great.

What's not great is a voicemail box and a callback "when you get a chance."

They don't want to talk to you. They want their pipe fixed. Give them confidence that it's going to happen, and you've won the job.