How Leads Work

A customer has a plumbing emergency. Your phone lights up. You have 90 seconds to accept. Here's exactly how the system works — no surprises.

The 90-Second Rule

Every FloodLine lead comes with a 90-second accept window. This keeps customers from waiting and rewards plumbers who respond fast.

Lead Hits Your Phone

0 sec

A homeowner submits an emergency. If you're the best match (by distance, rating, plan, and availability), your phone fires an alert with full details — address, emergency type, distance.

Full-Screen Emergency Alert

0–90 sec

Your app shows a full-screen alert with a countdown timer. You see the customer's name, what's wrong, and how far away they are. Two buttons: Accept or Decline.

You Accept — It's Yours

You accepted

Tap Accept and the lead is locked to you. The customer gets notified that a plumber is on the way. No one else can claim it.

You Miss It — It Rolls

90 sec+

If 90 seconds pass with no response (or you decline), the lead automatically rolls to the next best plumbing company. They get the same 90-second window. This continues until someone accepts.

Why 90 seconds? Because 78% of homeowners hire the first plumber who answers. Speed wins the job.

3-Alarm Triage System

Not every call is a burst pipe at 2 AM. FloodLine categorizes every lead so you know what you're walking into before you accept.

RED — Emergency

Active flooding, burst pipes, sewage backup, slab leaks, gas leaks. The customer needs someone NOW.

Your phone will:

  • SOS vibration pattern (unmissable)
  • Emergency alarm sound
  • Full-screen takeover
  • Breaks through Focus Mode

YELLOW — Priority

No hot water, clogged drains, running toilets, water heater issues. Needs attention today or tomorrow.

Your phone will:

  • Priority notification chime
  • Single haptic buzz
  • Banner notification

GREEN — Routine

Pipe replacement quotes, faucet upgrades, general service requests. Schedule at your convenience.

Your phone will:

  • Soft notification ding
  • Light haptic tap
  • Standard notification

How We Match You

When a lead comes in, FloodLine instantly ranks every available plumber. Here's what determines who gets the lead first:

1

Distance

Closest plumber to the customer gets priority. We calculate real distance, not just ZIP code.

2

Plan Level

Elite and Pro members are matched before Starter. Higher plan = first in line.

3

Availability

Your app has an On Duty toggle. If you're on, you're in the queue. Off means you won't receive leads.

4

24/7 Service

Plumbers who offer round-the-clock service get boosted for after-hours emergencies.

5

Rating & Response Time

Higher-rated plumbers with faster response times rank higher. Good service = more leads.

Solo Plumber vs. Team Dispatch

Whether you work alone or run a crew, FloodLine adapts to your business.

Solo — Pro Plan ($69/mo)

You're the only one receiving leads. Simple.

  • Lead hits your phone directly
  • 90 seconds to accept or decline
  • If you miss it, it rolls to the next company
  • Toggle On Duty / Off Duty anytime
  • Ace AI receptionist handles calls & texts

Team — Team Plan ($99/mo)

Multiple techs on your crew? Pick how leads get dispatched.

  • Add your techs to your FloodLine team
  • Choose a dispatch mode (see below)
  • Up to 3 team members notified per lead
  • 90-second window applies to the whole team
  • If no one on your team accepts, it rolls to the next company
  • Shared team calendar for on-call scheduling

3 Team Dispatch Modes

Team plan includes three ways to route leads to your crew. Switch between modes anytime from your dashboard.

All Hands

First to grab it wins

Up to 3 team members get the alert at the same time. The first person to tap Accept claims the lead — everyone else's alert instantly disappears with a message: "Steve claimed this one."

Lead alert → Johnny, Steve, Larry all get pinged → Steve accepts → Johnny & Larry's alerts auto-dismiss

Best for: Fast-paced shops where whoever is free should grab the next job.

Assigned Schedule

Set who's on call, by day and time

Use the team calendar to set your on-call rotation. Johnny gets Friday, Steve gets Saturday, Larry gets Sunday. Only the person on-call receives the lead. Their app automatically switches to On Duty mode when their shift starts.

Friday 8 PM lead → Calendar says Johnny is on call → Only Johnny gets pinged

Best for: Companies with clear shift schedules and after-hours rotations.

Round Robin

Automatic fair rotation

Leads automatically rotate through your team in order. Johnny gets lead 1, Steve gets lead 2, Larry gets lead 3, then back to Johnny. If someone's off duty, they're skipped.

Lead #1 → Johnny | Lead #2 → Steve | Lead #3 → Larry | Lead #4 → Johnny...

Best for: Equal distribution across your crew. No one gets burned out or left out.

After-Hours Emergency Calls

2 AM burst pipe. Saturday morning sewer backup. After-hours emergencies are where plumbers make the most money — but you shouldn't get woken up unless you've said yes.

You Choose. We Respect It.

After-hours leads are opt-in only. You must explicitly turn on after-hours availability in your settings. If you don't opt in, you will never receive a lead outside business hours. Period.

Business Hours

Monday–Friday, 7 AM – 5 PM

All plumbers on duty receive leads during business hours. No special opt-in needed.

After Hours

Weeknights after 5 PM, weekends, and holidays

Only plumbers who opt in to after-hours receive these leads. You must acknowledge the consent.

How After-Hours Opt-In Works

1

Toggle After-Hours On

In your app settings, flip the "After-Hours Emergency Calls" switch. This is off by default.

2

Read & Accept the Consent

You'll see a clear acknowledgment: "I understand I may receive emergency lead alerts between 5 PM and 7 AM on weeknights, and at any time on weekends and holidays. I consent to being contacted during these hours."

3

Set Your After-Hours Schedule (Optional)

Want Friday and Saturday nights but not Sunday? Customize which after-hours windows you're available. Team plans can assign different people to different nights.

4

Start Receiving After-Hours Leads

When an emergency comes in outside business hours, only plumbers who opted in are in the matching queue. Less competition = more leads for you.

After Hours + Team Plans

On a Team plan, after-hours gets even better. Use the team calendar to assign who's on call each night:

Mon–Wed nights → Johnny is on call
Thu–Fri nights → Steve is on call
Sat–Sun all day → All Hands (Larry, Johnny, Steve — first to grab it)

Each team member individually consents to after-hours when they join the on-call rotation. Nobody gets surprise 2 AM alerts.

After-hours emergency calls typically bill at $450–$600+. Most plumbers don't answer their phones at night — if you do, you're the only game in town. One after-hours job can pay for months of your FloodLine subscription.

What Happens When Nobody Answers?

The lead doesn't die. It cascades.

1

Your Company

Lead hits you (solo) or your team (up to 3 people). 90-second countdown starts.

No response...

2

Company #2

Next best match by distance and rating. Same 90-second window. Same alert system.

No response...

3

Company #3

Third match gets the lead. By now the customer has been waiting under 5 minutes — still faster than calling around.

Accepted!

The bottom line: Every lead finds a plumber. Customers never get ghosted. And every time a competitor misses a lead, that's your opportunity.

Common Questions

What if I'm driving and can't look at my phone?

If you miss the 90-second window, the lead rolls to the next company. You can always decline immediately to pass it faster. If you have a Team plan, your other techs can grab it.

Do I get charged for leads I don't accept?

No. You only count a lead against your monthly limit when you accept it. Declined and expired leads don't count.

Can I set quiet hours?

Yes. Toggle Off Duty in the app and you won't receive any leads. On a Team plan, your calendar handles this automatically based on your on-call schedule.

What if I'm a solo plumber — why does the 90-second rule matter?

It keeps you competitive. The plumber who responds first gets the job 78% of the time. FloodLine makes sure that's you — as long as you're on duty and tap Accept.

How many companies does a lead cascade through?

Up to 5 companies are queued for each lead, based on distance and availability. If nobody accepts within the cascade, the lead is flagged for manual dispatch by our team.

Can I have more than 3 people on All Hands mode?

All Hands notifications go to a maximum of 3 team members per lead. This keeps alerts tight and avoids notification fatigue. The 3 are chosen based on who's on duty, then by role.

What if I opt in to after-hours but want a night off?

Just toggle Off Duty in the app for that night. Or on a Team plan, update the calendar — your backup takes over automatically. You can also customize specific nights (e.g., available Friday and Saturday but not Sunday).

Will I get non-emergency leads at 2 AM?

No. After-hours leads are emergency-only (RED and YELLOW triage). Nobody is requesting a faucet quote at midnight. Routine GREEN leads are held until business hours.

What's the difference between the $69 Pro and $99 Team plan?

Pro is for solo plumbers — one person, one phone. Team adds multi-person dispatch with all three routing modes (All Hands, Assigned Schedule, Round Robin), plus a shared team calendar.

Ready to never miss another lead?

Join FloodLine and start receiving qualified emergency leads within minutes of signing up.