Yapper is an AI-powered phone receptionist that answers incoming calls for small service businesses 24/7, using natural voice AI to replace missed calls and voicemail. It captures job details, appointment preferences, and sends text summaries to the business owner. Built by James McKinney for trade-specific needs, it runs on proprietary voice-AI architecture.
What is Yapper?
Yapper is a 24/7 AI phone receptionist that answers every call in three rings, engages callers in real conversation, and captures appointment requests, urgency, contact details, and preferred times. It takes your business website URL as input to learn your services, hours, and location, then outputs a text summary to your phone seconds after each call ends, plus full transcripts and AI summaries accessible in a web dashboard. The platform is built specifically for trades and small service businesses by James McKinney.
Key Features
- 24/7 Call Handling — Answers every call in three rings, day or night, weekends and holidays, so no caller reaches voicemail.
- Smart Emergency Detection — Detects urgent situations (e.g., burst pipes, no heat) and instantly transfers the call to your cell phone with a spoken brief before you answer.
- Appointment Request Capture — Collects what the caller needs, their preferred appointment time, and contact details, then texts you the booking request for confirmation.
- Full Call Transcripts & AI Summaries — Every call is transcribed and searchable in the dashboard; an AI-generated summary is sent via SMS and email with caller name, request, and outcome.
- Dashboard & Analytics — Web dashboard shows call logs, transcripts, audio replay, and revenue tracking (calls that turned into jobs); Pro plan adds analytics like call volume by hour and top topics.
- Calendar Integration — Syncs with your calendar to confirm appointments (Pro plan, requires one-time setup).
- Custom AI Instructions — Yapper learns your business from your website URL; you can review and tweak how it answers before going live.
- Trade-Specific Vocabulary — Understands industry terms like water heater, condenser, panel upgrade, and drain cleaning; emergency detection is tuned for trade emergencies.
Who is it for?
- Solo tradespeople — Plumbers, electricians, HVAC techs, roofers, and locksmiths who are often on a job site and can't answer the phone; Yapper captures leads and emergencies without interruption.
- Small service teams (2-10 employees) — Contractors, auto repair shops, landscaping crews, and pest control companies that need overflow coverage during busy hours or after hours.
- Business owners who rely on phone leads — Any small service business where missed calls directly lose revenue; Yapper ensures every inbound call is handled professionally.
What can you do with Yapper?
- Never miss a lead: Yapper answers every call, even during busy stretches or after hours, and texts you a summary so you can call back qualified leads quickly.
- Handle emergencies without delay: When a caller describes an urgent issue (e.g., water heater leaking badly), Yapper detects the emergency and transfers the call to your cell with a situation brief so you can respond immediately.
- Reclaim lost revenue: The dashboard tracks "revenue recovered" by showing how many missed calls turned into booked jobs; one recovered job often pays for a full year of Yapper.
- Free up staff for billable work: Instead of having a human receptionist or stopping work to answer phones, Yapper handles pattern-based calls while you stay focused on customers.
How does Yapper work?
- Sign up and paste your website URL — Yapper reads your site and learns your business name, hours, services, service area, and common questions automatically.
- Get a dedicated phone number — A local number is provisioned instantly; you can forward your existing number to it or use it as your main line.
- Never miss a call — Yapper answers 24/7, engages callers in natural conversation, captures booking details, detects emergencies, and texts you a summary after every call. Setup takes about 5 minutes, and you can test during a 7-day free trial (no credit card required).
Pricing
Yapper offers two paid tiers: Starter at $199/month (200 minutes, 1 phone number, call logs, transcripts, SMS summaries, calendar integration, smart emergency transfer) and Pro at $349/month (500 minutes, everything in Starter plus priority support). Annual plans are $1,990/year (Starter) and $3,490/year (Pro). A 7-day free trial is available with full access and no credit card required.
FAQ
Can I try Yapper before paying?
Yes. Yapper includes a 7-day free trial with full access, and no credit card required to start a trial. If you do not add billing before the trial ends, call answering pauses but you can still view your dashboard data.
Does Yapper sound robotic?
No. Yapper uses the latest AI voice technology that handles natural conversation, interruptions, and follow-up questions. Most callers don't realize they're talking to AI.
How is Yapper different from voicemail?
Voicemail loses customers because most callers hang up without leaving a message. Yapper answers the call, has a real conversation, captures what the caller needs, and texts you a summary so you can follow up immediately.
What if I already have a business phone number?
Keep it. You can set up call forwarding from your existing number to your Yapper number in about 2 minutes with your phone provider. Your customers never know the difference.
Does Yapper actually book appointments?
Yapper captures appointment requests and preferred times during the call, then sends you the details so you can confirm the job. This keeps scheduling honest while avoiding voicemail and phone tag.
What happens with calls Yapper can't handle?
When Yapper detects an emergency or a request that needs you personally, it transfers the call to your cell and whispers a one-line brief so you know what you are walking into before you say hello. Routine questions are answered from the business details you provided, while final prices and exact appointment times stay with you.
