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.

What are follow-up questions?

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.

Limits

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.

HVAC

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

Plumbing

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

Electrical

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

Garage Door

Issue type	Follow-up question	What the answer tells you	Why it matters
Door won't open / close	Did the door stop working suddenly, or has it been getting harder to open over time?	Sudden = broken spring or cable; gradual = wear and maintenance	Routes to an urgent repair instead of a routine maintenance visit
Door won't open / close	Is the door stuck partway, hanging off to one side, or making a grinding or popping noise?	Off-track, cable or hardware failure vs. a clean full stop	Flags a door that is unsafe for the customer to force
Opener issue	Does the opener make any sound — clicking or humming — when you use the remote or wall button?	No sound = dead opener or wiring; sound without movement = motor or gear	Tech arrives with the right part instead of returning twice
New door / replacement	Are you replacing an existing door, or is this a new installation for an opening that doesn't have a door today?	Replacement vs. new install are different scopes	Sends an estimator rather than a repair tech
Commercial / dock door	Is this a rolling steel door, a high-speed door, or a dock leveler?	Narrows the equipment type before dispatch	Prevents a truck roll without the right parts

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.

Documentation Index

Voice Agent: Follow-up questions setup guide