Setup Guide
Follow-Up Questions Setup Guide
How to write questions that help your Voice Agent identify the right job type — and give your tech the context they need before they arrive.
After a caller describes why they're calling, your Voice Agent can ask up to three custom questions per issue to gather the information your team needs — before the job is booked. Think of it as training the VA to ask the same qualifying questions your best CSR would ask - to both determine the job type, as well as gather information your team needs.
Up to ten issue types per VA. Up to three questions per issue. We recommend as few questions as possible to optimize call length.
Understand the Difference: Issue Type vs. Job Type
These two concepts work together but serve different purposes. Getting this right is what makes your follow-up questions actually useful.
| Issue type | Job type |
|---|---|
| What the customer describes — in their own words | How ServiceTitan categorizes and routes the job |
| Higher level — broad enough to catch how customers naturally describe problems | More specific — tied to technician skills, dispatch, and reporting |
| Examples: "AC not working", "no heat", "water leak", "drain clogged" | Examples: AC Repair, Heating Repair, Pipe Leak, Drain Cleaning |
| Defined by you — up to 10 per VA, and should be mutually exclusive | Pulled from your ServiceTitan job types — matched via keywords in the job type description |
| Triggers your follow-up questions | Determines dispatch, dispatch fee, and technician routing |
How they connect: A caller says "my AC isn't working" → the VA identifies this as the "AC not working" issue type → asks your follow-up questions → uses the caller's responses, combined with keywords in your job type descriptions, to identify the correct job type (e.g. AC Repair vs. AC Replacement).
How to Write Good Follow-Up Questions
The best follow-up questions do one of two things: help the VA route to the right job type, or give your technician useful context before they arrive. Focus on those two goals — nothing else.
The question to ask yourself first
Before writing any question, ask: "If my best CSR answered this call, what's the first thing they'd want to know?" That's your question. For HVAC, it's almost always system age. For plumbing, it's often whether the issue is isolated to one fixture or whole-home. For electrical, it's whether something stopped working or they want something new installed.
Rules for writing questions
Keep it to one clear question per box — The VA reads this aloud. Two questions at once confuse callers. The one exception: you can string two short related questions together naturally — e.g. "How old is your system and is it a gas or electric furnace?"
Ask something that changes what happens next — HVAC System Age may determine whether you send a repair tech or a comfort advisor. Inside vs. outside determines scope. If the answer doesn't affect the job type or dispatch, skip the question.
Use plain language — Write it the way you'd say it on a phone call — not like a form. "Is the water leaking from the tank itself or from the pipes around it?" not "Please identify the leak origin."
Don't ask about scheduling — The VA handles booking automatically using your AdCap. Don't ask preferred dates or times — it creates confusion and duplicates what the system already does.
Make issue types mutually exclusive — If your issue types overlap, callers can match more than one — and the VA may ask duplicate questions. "Heating issue" and "furnace not working" should be one issue, not two.
Keep questions as short as possible — While you can add up to 3 follow-up questions, we advise the fewest necessary to determine the job type. Every extra question extends call time and increases drop-off risk.
Keep disabled job type descriptions up to date — The VA uses issue types and job type descriptions together — if the follow-up questions successfully disambiguate toward a disabled job type, the VA needs the description of that disabled type to redirect gracefully.
Examples by Trade
Use these as a starting point — edit to match how your customers actually talk and what your technicians actually need to know.
| Issue type | Follow-up question | What the answer tells you | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| AC not working | How old is your AC system? | Routes to Repair vs. Replacement — 10+ years old = comfort advisor | Determines who you send and what they bring |
| AC not working | Is this a central AC unit, a mini split, or a heat pump? | Narrows equipment type for tech dispatch | Prevents a tech showing up without the right parts |
| No heat | Has your system stopped producing heat completely, or is it just not reaching temperature? | Complete failure = Heating Repair / emergency; not reaching temp = could be thermostat | Avoids over-dispatching for a simple fix |
| Maintenance / tune-up | Is this for your cooling system, heating system, or both? | Determines job type and duration | Right tech, right slot, right dispatch fee |
| New system quote | Is this to replace an existing system, or is this a new installation for a home that doesn't have one? | Replacement vs. new install are often different job types and require different techs | Sets expectations and routes correctly |
| Issue type | Follow-up question | What the answer tells you | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drain issue | Is this one slow drain, or are multiple drains backing up at the same time? | Single drain = Drain Cleaning; multiple = Mainline — these are different jobs | Prevents a drain cleaning tech being dispatched to a mainline issue |
| Water leak | Is the water leaking from a pipe or fitting, from a fixture like a faucet or toilet, or from your water heater? | Routes to Pipe Leak, Fixture Repair, or Water Heater Repair | Three completely different job types — same answer from the VA routes correctly |
| Water heater | Is your water heater not producing hot water, making noise, or actively leaking? | Narrows to Repair vs. different repair types | Helps tech arrive with the right expectations |
| Water heater | Approximately how old is your water heater? | 10+ years and failing = likely Replacement conversation | Routes to correct tech and sets dispatch fee |
| Clogged toilet | Is this affecting just the one toilet, or are other drains in the home backing up too? | Toilet only = Clogged Toilet; other drains too = Mainline | Prevents the most common misclassification in plumbing |
| Issue type | Follow-up question | What the answer tells you | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlet / power issue | Did something stop working that was previously working, or are you looking to add something new? | Stopped working = Repair; adding new = Install | These are different job types, different techs, different pricing |
| Outlet / power issue | Is this affecting one outlet or one circuit, or has a larger portion of the home lost power? | Single outlet = Repair; larger loss = could be panel or utility issue | Prevents over-dispatching and sets customer expectations |
| Panel / capacity | Are you looking to upgrade your existing panel, or is this about adding circuits for something new like an EV charger or addition? | Panel Upgrade vs. EV Charger Install — different scopes | Routes to right tech and prevents scope confusion on arrival |
| Fixture / ceiling fan | Is this to install something new, or to repair something that's already there? | Install vs. Repair are often separate job types | Clean routing — no ambiguity for the dispatcher |
| Generator | Is this for a new generator installation, or does your existing generator need service? | New install vs. service are different jobs | Ensures the right tech and equipment are dispatched |
Good Questions vs. Ones to Avoid
These examples apply across all trades.
Write questions like this | Avoid questions like this |
|---|---|
| How old is your AC system? | Do you want to book a repair or a replacement? |
| Is the issue happening inside or outside the home? | What is your preferred appointment date and time? |
| Is this for a residential or commercial property? | Can you describe the issue in detail? |
| Has your water heater been making noise, leaking, or just not heating? | Is there anything else we should know? |
| Is this a new installation or a repair on an existing system? | Are you a current customer? |
Why avoid open-ended questions?
"Can you describe the issue?" sounds helpful but gives the VA nothing structured to work with. The VA already asked an open question at the start of the call. Your follow-up questions should narrow, not re-open.
Why avoid scheduling questions?
The VA handles booking using your AdCap capacity automatically. Asking "what day works for you?" creates an awkward handoff where the caller expects a choice the VA can't actually honor.
Need help setting up your Voice Agent follow-up questions? Contact your Voice Agent Account Specialist or your CSM for more details.