How do I sort true electrical emergencies from jobs that can wait until morning?
Burning smells and sparking panels can't wait. A dead outlet usually can. Your phone script should know the difference.
- Every after-hours call says it's urgent.
- What counts as an emergency?
- Can an AI or answering service triage?
Write triage questions: is there smoke, burning smell, sparking, buzzing, heat at a panel or outlet, a downed line or a whole-home outage? For fire or a downed line, the caller should call 911 or the utility first. True emergencies get an on-call electrician; partial outages and single circuits get booked for the morning. Answering staff or AI follow the script and escalate.
Triage
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Smoke, fire, downed line | Call 911 or the utility first |
| Burning smell, sparking, hot panel | On-call electrician |
| Whole-home outage, utility fine | On-call or first thing |
| One circuit or outlet | Morning booking |
After-hours pricing
State emergency call-out fees on the phone and your website so customers decide with the facts.
How we look at it at ShoutEx
We write scripts with your electricians, set up answering and escalation, and log calls in your software.
- No written triage.
- Safety advice from untrained staff.
- Every call wakes the owner.
- Hidden emergency fees.
- Written triage questions.
- 911 or utility for danger.
- Clear escalation.
- Fees stated upfront.
What electricians and safety authorities say
Here is what electricians and safety authorities say.
Homeowners ask whether burning smells or tripping breakers are emergencies.
Browse the threads →Ontario guidance for homeowners on electrical safety and hiring licensed contractors.
Read ESA's page →Community summaries describe recurring themes in public threads, not individual posts. Vendor pages describe vendor claims, so test them on your own calls.
Read next
Go deeper in the ShoutEx guides, or check the sources behind this answer.
We'll write scripts and set up escalation.
Book a call →Follow-up questions
Can AI give safety advice?
It should follow your script only and escalate.
Should we take after-hours calls at all?
Decide based on your team and pricing.
What about commercial clients?
Set separate rules in their contracts.