What the agent handles
- Captures exact location and landmarks
- Alerts the on-call driver
- Texts callers a job confirmation
- Quotes non-emergency tows
- Answers impound release questions
Automotive
AI receptionist for towing and roadside assistance
Takes breakdown calls day and night, pins down the caller's exact location and vehicle, and gets the details to your dispatcher or on-call driver right away.
CallerI'm on the shoulder past the overpass, my car just died and I've got two kids in the back.
CallerI need a flatbed to move a car that doesn't run, it's just sitting in my driveway, no rush.
CallerMy car got towed from a plaza lot and I don't even know where it is.
Where calls go
DispatchDriversImpound yardAccounts
Warm transfer: If a caller is stranded somewhere dangerous, like a live lane at night, the agent warm-transfers straight to the dispatcher so a truck is sent while they stay on the line.
What it books
Scheduled tows and vehicle transports
Why towing companies miss calls, and what an AI receptionist changes
Towing calls don't keep business hours. The busiest stretches are the first freezing rain of the season, a long-weekend Sunday night on the 401, and the 2 a.m. call from someone whose engine quit on a dark concession road. The person answering is often the driver, hooking up a car on the shoulder with gloves on, or the owner trying to sleep between calls. A missed call is a stranded driver phoning the next number on the search page.
A RealVoice AI receptionist, working as an answering service for towing, picks up every breakdown call on the first ring and pins down where the vehicle actually is: highway and direction, the last exit, the green kilometre marker, the cross street, which side of the overpass. It takes the vehicle, whether it rolls, whether it's in a ditch or an underground garage, and whether it needs a flatbed. Scheduled tows and vehicle transports are booked into the schedule, and the job details reach your dispatcher or on-call driver by text and email right away.
Once it's connected to your dispatch system during setup, it reads the caller the arrival time your dispatcher has set and texts them the driver's name, the truck and a link to follow it. A caller stopped in a live lane at night hears the safety instructions you set and is warm-transferred straight to dispatch. Someone hunting for a car towed from a plaza lot hears your impound yard's address, release hours and what to bring, and accounts, police and motor club calls are routed to the people you choose.
Example call, start to finish
- CallerMy car just died. I'm on the 401 eastbound past Kingston, on the shoulder.
- AI receptionistI'll get help moving. Are you fully off the road with your hazards on? And can you see a green kilometre marker or an exit sign?
- CallerHazards are on and I'm well off the lane. There's a marker that says 634, and I passed Joyceville Road a minute ago. My two kids are in the back.
- AI receptionistThanks, that's exactly what the driver needs. What's the vehicle, and is it all-wheel drive?
- CallerA 2019 Subaru Outback. Yes, all-wheel drive.
- AI receptionistAll-wheel drive goes on a flatbed. Because you have the kids with you, I'm putting you straight through to our dispatcher. Please stay on the line.
- AI receptionist(privately, to dispatch) Outback stalled on the 401 eastbound near kilometre 634, just past Joyceville Road, all-wheel drive so flatbed, parent with two kids on the shoulder with hazards on. Connecting now.
After the call: Dispatch takes the call already knowing the location, the vehicle and that children are on board, and gives the caller an arrival time directly. The job details also land in the dispatcher's texts and email in case the call drops, and the summary and recording are saved in the RealVoice portal.
How it fits your day
- Freezing rain and first snow
- When the ditches start filling, many calls arrive in the same minute. Each one is answered and the location and vehicle written down while your dispatcher works the board.
- 2 a.m. breakdowns
- The on-call driver gets a text and an email with the exact location, the vehicle and a callback number, instead of a voicemail with a half-heard exit name.
- Impound and private-property tows
- People looking for a car towed from a condo visitor spot or a plaza lot hear your yard's address, release hours and what paperwork to bring, so the yard isn't fielding the same call all night.
- Scheduled moves
- Non-running cars, dealer transfers and project cars headed to a body shop are booked at the rates you've set, during the quiet hours between emergency calls.
Your software
Today it books scheduled tows and vehicle transports into the RealVoice schedule in the portal, sends breakdown details to dispatch by text and email, and texts callers a job confirmation with driver details and the arrival time dispatch gives. If your company runs Towbook, Jobber or ServiceTitan, the team can set up a connection to it; custom integrations are quoted separately.
What a missed call costs
A highway tow with a hookup fee and kilometres often comes to $250 to $400, and an accident recovery or a long-distance transport can be worth several times that. If the phone rings out four times a night while the driver is hooking up another car, and three of those callers dial the next tow company instead, a busy winter month hands that competitor dozens of paid tows. Put your own rates and call counts into the missed-call calculator on our homepage.
Questions towing companies ask
Can it give callers an arrival time?
Yes, the one your dispatcher sets. As part of setup the team links it to your dispatch software, so once a driver is assigned it gives the caller that arrival time and texts the driver and truck details. It never invents a time before dispatch has one.
How does it get an exact location on a highway?
It asks for the highway and direction, the last exit or overpass, the green kilometre markers and any landmarks, then reads the location back to the caller to confirm it before the call moves on.
Can it quote a tow?
For non-emergency tows it gives the rates you've set, like your hookup fee, per-kilometre charge and flatbed rate. Recoveries, winching and anything unusual go to dispatch for a price.
What does it tell people whose car was towed from private property?
Your impound yard's address, release hours, how you take payment and what to bring, such as the ownership and photo ID. It doesn't argue whether the tow was fair; disputes become a message for your office.
Can an AI answer towing calls at 3 a.m.?
Yes, and that's when many of your calls come in. It answers every call overnight and wakes the on-call driver only for the jobs you choose, such as roadside breakdowns and collisions, while next-day transports are booked for the morning.
What if a caller is in danger?
If the caller is in a live lane, hurt, or somewhere unsafe, it gives your safety instructions first, such as calling 911, and warm-transfers them to your dispatcher while they stay on the line.
Hear it as your own towing company's front desk
Request a free demo call and the agent will phone you, set up as a business like yours.