Homeowners call the roofer because the roofer is the person who goes up the ladder. So you get calls about gutters, siding, a chimney that looks wrong, solar panels that have to come off, a stain on the bedroom ceiling, and one loose shingle.
If your office answers all of those with "sure, we can send someone out," you pay in drive time. An AI receptionist says what you tell it to say, so make the decision once, in writing, before the phone rings.
Sort every odd request into four buckets
Take the out-of-scope calls from the last year and put each one in a bucket:
- Decline. You will not do it and have nobody to hand it to. - Refer. You will not do it, but you trust someone who does. - Upsell. It sits next to your trade and should be quoted with the roof. - Route. You do the work, but not at this size, so it skips the full estimate.
Gutters and siding
Many roofers hang gutters. Many do not. Siding is usually its own trade.
A gutter request attached to a roof estimate is an upsell. A gutter request alone is a refer or a route. The receptionist should ask whether the caller has roof concerns too. Granules in the gutter or a soft fascia board is a roofing conversation. The EPA's home moisture guide tells homeowners to clean and repair roof gutters regularly ([EPA](https://www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home)), so tying gutter calls back to the roof is honest, not pushy.
Chimneys
Flashing, the cap, and the shingles around the chimney are roofing. The flue, the masonry, the liner, and the firebox are not.
The Chimney Safety Institute of America certifies chimney sweeps and runs a "Find a Certified Pro" tool on [its site](https://www.csia.org/). If you know a certified sweep or a mason, the receptionist can name them. If you do not, it should not invent a referral. It says you don't handle the chimney itself and suggests a certified chimney professional.
Water staining at the base of the chimney goes to an estimator. A smoke smell or a cracked flue tile does not. Give the AI examples of both.
Solar removal
A homeowner with a failing roof under solar panels will often call the roofer first. Detaching and resetting the array is usually electrical work, and it controls your schedule, because the roof cannot start until the panels are off.
Rules vary by place. The city of Wheaton, Illinois says an electrically licensed solar company must be named on the permit alongside the state-licensed roofer, and that the solar contractor must disconnect the system ([City of Wheaton](https://wheaton.il.us/1367/Roof-Replacement-with-Solar-Panels)).
Treat it as refer plus route. Have the receptionist capture who installed the system, whether the homeowner has a solar company in mind, and how soon the roof has to be done, so the estimator knows the roof date depends on a second contractor.
Interior water damage
A roof leak drips into a ceiling and the caller wants it all fixed. You fix the roof. Drywall, insulation, flooring, and drying are another trade.
The EPA says to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, and that cleaning up mold without fixing the water problem will most likely let it return ([EPA](https://www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home)). The roof repair stops the water. Someone else dries the house. The IICRC publishes ANSI/IICRC S500, a standard for professional water damage restoration in residential, commercial, and institutional buildings ([IICRC](https://iicrc.org/s500/)).
The script should do three things. It says you handle the roof side of the leak. It tells the caller wet materials inside need quick attention from a water damage restoration company. And it promises nothing about insurance, mold, or ceiling costs. If the caller mentions a claim, your claim intake rules take over.
Tiny repairs below your minimum
Every roofer has a minimum job size. Few have told the phone system what it is. Set the number, and decide what happens below it: a flat-fee repair day, a handyman referral, or a decline. Sending an estimator to look at one lifted shingle is the only wrong answer.
Still ask about the roof overall. One missing shingle on a 22-year-old roof might be a replacement lead. On a five-year-old roof it is a small repair. Capture roof age and whether other shingles are lifting first.
Script the no
A good decline is short, gives the reason, and offers a next step. Adapt these:
- "We're a roofing company, so we don't do siding. A siding contractor is the right call. If your roof needs a look too, I can set up an inspection." - "We handle the roof and flashing around the chimney, but not the chimney itself. If you're seeing water near it, I can schedule someone." - "For water inside the house you want a water damage company quickly. We can fix what's letting the water in from the roof. Want me to book that?"
No apology paragraph, and no hint that asking again might change the answer. Log the address, the reason, and any roof concern the caller mentioned. A siding caller with a 25-year-old roof is a lead under a different label.
Set hard limits too. The AI should not price work you do not do, and should not vouch for another contractor's license or insurance. If you refer someone, you chose that person.
Test it with the awkward calls
Pull ten out-of-scope calls from last quarter and read the receptionist's answers aloud. Ask your office manager whether each matches what she would have said.
Then call it yourself. Ask for a gutter price on the spot. Push back on a chimney refusal. Say the ceiling is dripping now. Check that the rule holds and nobody is promised a visit you never meant to make.
If you want help writing out-of-scope rules for your phones, [book a call with Chosen AI Solutions](https://chosenai.co/book).
Sources
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home." [epa.gov](https://www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home) - IICRC. "ANSI/IICRC S500, Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration." [iicrc.org](https://iicrc.org/s500/) - Chimney Safety Institute of America. [csia.org](https://www.csia.org/) - City of Wheaton, Illinois. "Roof Replacement with Solar Panels." [wheaton.il.us](https://wheaton.il.us/1367/Roof-Replacement-with-Solar-Panels)