For plumbing shops
Plumbing shops: the 10 p.m. call gets sorted, and no quote goes quiet.
I'm Chris Poulos. I build small tools that handle the office side of a plumbing shop: a text back when you can't answer, quote requests that come in with photos, and polite check-ins on quotes nobody answered. It works next to the software you already use, and you approve every message.
(641) 530-2599 · chrispoulos@praxisaisolutions.io
Copied from the plumbing demo. Made-up shop, real workflow. Try it yourself →
The real problem
The phone rings when your hands are full.
You're under a sink, in a crawl space, or asleep. The phone rings and goes to voicemail. A lot of people won't leave a message when there's water on the floor. They call the next plumber on Google.
When you do call back after hours, it isn't always an emergency. Sometimes it's a running toilet that could have waited until morning, and you got out of bed for it.
The daytime leak is quotes. You send a price for a water heater swap and hear nothing back. Nobody has time to call five people to ask if they're still interested, so the job goes to whoever followed up.
Then there's the software bill. Many shops move up to a bigger plan just to get text reminders or two-way texting, or pay for a separate texting and review app on top.
Try it on your phone
What the plumbing demo shows
It's a made-up shop called Example Plumbing Co. Open it on your phone and tap through it the way your customer would. Nothing in it is live, so poke around.
The 10 p.m. burst pipe
A missed call after hours gets a text that asks one question: is water leaking right now? A real leak pages your on-call plumber with the address and a tap to call, and the customer gets shut-off steps while they wait. A running toilet gets offered a morning window instead.
A quote request with photos
The customer picks the job, says if it's leaking now, and adds a photo of the water heater label and the space around it. For water heaters and fixtures you can often price it from the photos, without a drive out.
Quotes that went quiet
Every quote with no answer gets a polite text on day 3, 7 and 14, then it stops. You can run 16 days on six sample quotes and watch it work.
The monthly bills
What plumbing shops often pay each month
These are tools plumbing shops often pay a monthly bill for, at published or reported prices. Each price links to where it came from.
| Tool | What it does | Price | My take | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housecall ProEssentials plan | Job, schedule and customer software | $189/momonth to month; $149/mo billed yearly | Usually worth keepingIf you moved up a plan only for texting or reminders, a smaller plan may do. | workzen.io |
| JobberConnect plan | Job, schedule and customer software | $139/momonth to month | Usually worth keepingSame here: check whether you moved up only to get texting. | getjobber.comJobber's own pricing page |
| PodiumCore plan | Texting and review requests | $399/mo | Worth a hard lookIf you mostly use it for review asks and texting, that's the part I can build for you to own. | softwarefinder.com |
| BirdeyeStarter | Review requests | $299/mostarting price | Worth a hard lookSame as Podium: worth a hard look if reviews are most of what you use it for. | contractortoolstack.com |
A shop on Housecall Pro Essentials and Podium Core pays $588 a month at those prices. That's $7,056 a year.
What usually stays: your job software, QuickBooks and your phone line. What I build sits next to them and takes over the texting, reminders, follow-ups and review asks.
Prices are what each linked page showed when I checked on October 23, 2026. Vendors change prices, and several sources are reviews or comparison sites rather than the vendor's own page, so check your own bill. I don't list my prices here. You get one written price after the free walkthrough.
How it works
How working with me goes
Every shop is different, so I don't guess from the outside. The first look is free, and nothing gets built until you've said yes to one written price.
Free walkthrough
A 20-minute call, or a free 2-minute video built for your shop. You tell me what eats your time. I tell you straight if I can fix it.
One price, in writing
A short write-up and one price before you pay anything. No hourly meter. If I can't build it, no charge.
Built around what you use
Your job software, QuickBooks and phone line stay. The new tool works next to them, so nobody learns a new system.
You approve every message
You read and okay the wording before the tool sends anything, and you can change it any time.
You own it
It's yours outright. It keeps working whether or not we ever talk again.
Up and running
Most tools are working in 2 to 4 weeks from your yes. I'm a phone call away if something needs a change.
Remote or in person, same price. I'm based in Mason City, Iowa. If your shop is in North Iowa, I'll come sit at your desk. Anywhere else, we do it over a screen share: you see what I see, and you're talking to me the whole time, not a team you never meet.
Straight answers
Questions plumbing shops ask
Will this wake me up for a dripping faucet?
No. The first text asks if water is leaking right now. Only a yes pages your on-call phone. Everything else gets offered a morning time. You decide the questions and what counts as an emergency.
Do I have to leave Housecall Pro or Jobber?
No. Your job software stays, and the tool works next to it. If you moved up a plan only to get texting or reminders, we'll look at whether you still need that plan.
Can customers really get a price from photos?
For water heaters and fixtures, often yes. The form asks for a photo of the label and the space around it. For remodels, the photos help you set up the visit.
Do you only work with plumbing shops in Iowa?
No. If you're in North Iowa, I'll come to you. Everywhere else, we work over a screen share, which is how most software gets built anyway. Your zip code doesn't change the price.
What does it cost?
It depends on what your shop needs, so I don't post prices. The walkthrough is free and ends with one price in writing. A one-time tool is a one-time price, and if I can't build it, there's no charge. Texting and hosting have a small monthly bill in your own name, and I'll show you that number up front too.
Let's talk
Tell me what's eating your time.
One free call, or a free 2-minute video of what this would look like in your plumbing shop. If there's nothing worth building, I'll tell you that too.
You'll be talking to Chris Poulos — 20 years selling to real people face to face, now I make AI work for them. No agency, no handoffs: the person you call is the person who builds it.
Or email chrispoulos@praxisaisolutions.io