Industry
AI Receptionist for Towing Companies: Location, Safety and Dispatch
A tow call from a stressed driver on the shoulder of a highway needs fast, accurate intake. Here's what to capture and what to leave to dispatch.
Nearly every towing call comes from someone stranded, stressed, and sometimes in an unsafe location. The intake has to move fast, get the location right the first time, and hand off to a dispatcher without making the caller repeat themselves.
Location capture comes first
Ask for location before anything else. Callers on the shoulder of a highway rarely know a cross street, so the receptionist should ask for landmarks, mile markers, exit numbers, or offer to note that the caller can share their location if they're using a phone that supports it. Getting this wrong wastes the most time of anything on the call.
- Exact location: address, mile marker, exit number, or nearby landmark.
- Direction of travel if on a highway.
- Whether the vehicle is in a travel lane or safely off the road.
- Nearby businesses or intersections the caller can see, as a backup reference point.
Vehicle and situation details
- Vehicle make, model, color and whether it's drivable or disabled.
- Reason for the call: breakdown, accident, lockout, flat tire, wrong fuel.
- Number of passengers and whether everyone is safely away from traffic.
- Callback number, confirmed on the call.
- Destination, if the caller already knows where the vehicle should go.
- Whether this is a private call or a request being relayed from a motor club or insurer.
Handling high-stress callers
Stranded callers are often anxious, especially at night or in bad weather. A calm, direct set of questions asked in a predictable order reassures people faster than open-ended small talk. Confirm safety first, then location, then vehicle details, in that order every time. A consistent script also reduces the chance of missing a detail dispatch will need later, which matters when the caller may not be reachable again right away.
Dispatch handoff
The receptionist's job ends at capturing accurate, complete information; assigning a driver and routing the tow is a dispatch decision that depends on truck location and current jobs. Get Assistant can transfer the call live to your dispatch line or on-call number, configured by role and reachable hours, or capture full details for dispatch to act on immediately if nobody is available to take the transfer. If a call comes in for a motor club job with its own case number, capture that number too, since it saves your dispatcher a lookup when they file for reimbursement later.
What you get from every call
- A summary, full transcript and recording retained for 30 days.
- Structured location and vehicle details ready for dispatch.
- Email notifications so no stranded caller sits unanswered.
Answer stranded callers 24/7, not just during shifts
Set up your escalation rules and dispatch handoff in about fifteen minutes. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.
Browse our industries for related services, or read call transfer rules for how to configure a live dispatch handoff.