For towing & recovery companies
Towing: stop answering “Where's the truck?” while you're on a scene.
I build small tools for tow companies whose drivers can't stop to answer the phone: a text back on missed calls, ETA texts so customers stop calling, and polite reminders on accounts that pay late. It works next to your dispatch software, and you approve every message.
(641) 530-2599 · chrispoulos@praxisaisolutions.io
Copied from the towing demo. Made-up company, real workflow. Try it yourself →
The real problem
You can't answer the phone with a car on the winch.
Your driver is hooked up on the highway when the next call comes in. The caller is stuck in a ditch, so they call again, and again. If nobody picks up, they call another tow company.
Once a truck is on the way, the calls keep coming: how long, where are you, do I call my insurance first. Each one is a call your dispatcher or driver has to take.
Then the money waits. Fleet accounts and body shops pay late, and someone has to make the awkward call. Tools like Towbook are usually worth what they cost. The waste tends to show up in a review and texting platform, per-minute answering fees, and moving up a plan just to text customers.
Try it on your phone
What the towing demo shows
It's a made-up company called Example Towing & Recovery. Open it on your phone and tap through it the way your customer would. Nothing in it is live, so poke around.
ETA texts, step by step
The customer gets a text at each step of the tow, so the “where's the truck?” calls stop. Each update is one tap for your team.
Accounts waiting on payment
Late fleet and body shop invoices get polite reminders with an easy way to pay, so nobody has to make the awkward call.
Missed call on a snowy morning
Kayla slides into a ditch at 6:41 a.m. while your driver is hooked up on I-35. She gets a text within seconds, sends her location and vehicle, and you see the job on your phone instead of a voicemail.
The monthly bills
What towing companies often pay each month
These are tools towing companies 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Podium or BirdeyeReview platforms | Texting and review requests | $300+/mowith yearly contracts | Worth a hard lookA few reviews a month can come from one polite text per job. | pulseops.us |
| RubyLive answering service | Answering calls | $250/mofor 50 minutes, then billed by the minute | Worth a hard lookNight and storm calls eat minutes. Compare it with a text back on missed calls. | upfirst.ai |
A $300 review platform comes to $3,600 a year.
What usually stays: your dispatch and impound software (like Towbook), your accounting, your phones and your GPS. What I build takes over the customer texts, missed-call replies and invoice reminders.
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 company 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 company. 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 dispatch software, accounting and phones stay. The new tool works next to them, so your drivers don't learn 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 company 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 towing companies ask
Do I have to stop using Towbook?
No. Towbook and tools like it are usually worth what they cost. What I build works next to it.
Can the first text check that the caller is safe?
Yes. In the demo, the first text asks if they're safe and where the vehicle is, then tells them to stay buckled in with flashers on while they wait. You choose the wording.
How do the invoice reminders work?
Accounts that are past due get a polite reminder with an easy way to pay, on a schedule you pick. You okay the wording first.
Do you only work with towing companies 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 company 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 towing company. 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