Build a Voice AI to Automate Emergency Maintenance Dispatch
The top voice AI systems for property management emergencies are custom-built. They integrate directly with your tenant and vendor databases for automated dispatch.
A production-grade system connects a phone number to a voice-enabled AI that understands the tenant's issue, identifies the property, and executes a specific emergency protocol. The scope is defined by the complexity of your vendor rules and the API access of your existing property management software. It is not an off-the-shelf product.
We built a dispatch system for a property manager with 15 staff and 400 units. They previously routed all after-hours calls to a manager's cell phone. The new system went live in three weeks and now handles over 80% of emergency calls without human intervention, logging every ticket automatically in AppFolio.
What Problem Does This Solve?
Most property managers start with a standard 24/7 answering service. This introduces a human delay, as operators manually search through a binder or spreadsheet to find the right on-call vendor for a specific building. A 2 AM call for a burst pipe can take 10 minutes from initial call to plumber dispatch, while the operator asks basic questions the system should already know.
A typical failure scenario involves a tenant in a 75-unit building calling with a heating failure. The answering service operator does not know this building has a new HVAC contractor. They call the old vendor, who does not answer. The operator then has to call the property manager, waking them up to find the correct contact. This single call takes 20 minutes, frustrates the tenant, and defeats the purpose of the service.
More technical solutions like RingCentral’s IVR creator fail because they are too rigid. A simple "Press 1 for plumbing" tree cannot handle a nuanced issue, verify the caller is a current tenant, check vendor schedules, or log an auditable ticket in your management software. These tools can route calls, but they cannot take action.
How Does It Work?
Our process begins by connecting a dedicated phone number through Twilio, which provides the raw audio stream. This stream is fed into a real-time transcription service, converting speech to text in under 500ms. This text is immediately sent to a FastAPI endpoint we deploy on AWS Lambda.
This endpoint uses the Claude API to perform three tasks: intent recognition, entity extraction, and tenant verification. It identifies the emergency type (e.g., 'water leak', 'no power'), extracts the property address and unit number, and queries a Supabase database to confirm the caller is a registered tenant. This entire triage process takes less than 5 seconds.
Once verified, the system executes the dispatch logic. It queries the Supabase database, which stores your vendor lists and property-specific protocols. A query to find the on-call plumber for a 500-unit portfolio with complex routing rules executes in 150ms. The system then uses an API to text the chosen vendor with the job details and simultaneously creates a maintenance ticket in your property management software, such as AppFolio or Buildium. The total time from call start to vendor dispatch is under 30 seconds.
Every action is logged using structlog for detailed, structured records stored in Supabase. If a vendor does not confirm the job via text within 5 minutes, the system automatically escalates the issue by calling a human property manager. You get a daily email digest of all after-hours incidents, including call transcripts and vendor response times.
What Are the Key Benefits?
Dispatch in 30 Seconds, Not 10 Minutes
The system verifies the tenant, identifies the problem, and contacts the correct vendor in under 30 seconds. No more manual lookups by a slow answering service.
One-Time Build, Not Per-Call Fees
After a single fixed-price build, your only ongoing cost is for cloud hosting, typically under $50/month. You are not penalized for high call volumes.
You Own the Emergency Playbook
We deliver the complete Python source code to your GitHub. Your custom dispatch logic is an asset you own, not a script a third-party operator follows.
Auto-Escalation If a Vendor Is Unresponsive
The system monitors for vendor acknowledgment. If a vendor fails to respond to the automated dispatch within 5 minutes, the system automatically calls the on-duty manager.
Logs Tickets Directly in AppFolio or Buildium
Direct API integration creates maintenance tickets in your existing property management software. No manual data entry is needed the next morning.
What Does the Process Look Like?
Week 1: Protocol & Data Ingestion
You provide vendor lists, property addresses, and escalation rules in a spreadsheet. We load this into a Supabase database. You receive the database schema for review.
Week 2: Core Logic and API Build
We write the Python code for the FastAPI service that handles call intake, AI processing, and dispatch logic. You receive a private API endpoint for testing.
Week 3: Voice Integration & Testing
We connect the live phone number and speech-to-text service. We conduct end-to-end tests with simulated emergency calls. You receive a test number to call yourself.
Week 4: Go-Live & Handoff
We point your after-hours line to the new system. For 30 days, we monitor all calls to ensure accuracy and deliver the full source code and runbook documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How much does a custom voice AI system cost to build?
- The cost depends on the number of unique properties, the complexity of vendor routing rules, and the specific property management software integration. A typical build is a 3-4 week fixed-price engagement. There are no per-seat or per-call fees after launch, only minimal cloud hosting costs. We can provide a detailed quote after a short discovery call at cal.com/syntora/discover.
- What happens if the AI misunderstands a tenant's emergency?
- If the AI's confidence score for the issue is below a set threshold, or if the caller says something ambiguous like 'I need help', the system automatically transfers the call to a human manager. These failed interactions are logged for review, allowing us to refine the AI's prompts and logic over time. The system is designed to fail safely by defaulting to human intervention.
- How is this different from a 24/7 human answering service?
- Answering services are slow, prone to human error, and cannot write data directly into your systems. Our voice AI system accesses your data in real-time to verify tenants and select the correct vendor in seconds. It also creates an auditable, time-stamped record of every event directly in your property management software, which a human service cannot do.
- Can the system handle tenants who speak Spanish?
- Yes. The transcription service we use can detect the language being spoken. If it detects Spanish, it can route the call to a pre-recorded Spanish message or transfer directly to a bilingual staff member you designate. The system can also use the Claude API to translate simple requests and log them in English for your team.
- What if our vendor on-call schedule changes every week?
- We build a simple web interface connected to the Supabase database where your office manager can update the on-call schedule. You don't need a developer to make changes. The system will query this schedule in real time for every call, ensuring it always dispatches to the correct person. This interface is part of the standard deliverable.
- Does the AI voice sound robotic?
- No. We use modern text-to-speech engines like Amazon Polly or Google WaveNet, which produce natural-sounding voices. We can select a voice, accent, and gender that matches your company's brand. The goal is a calm and professional tone that reassures tenants during a stressful emergency situation, which is often more consistent than a human operator.
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