How it decides
Your words are read locally. NorthStar's own rules set the priority.
The assistant reads the message into facts: service, problem, urgency, property and ZIP code. The same rules that score website requests then set the priority, the tags and the diagnostic fee, on the server.
No cooling in a heat wave
No cooling is urgent from June to August, and in spring or fall when it is 85 degrees or more indoors. At 95 degrees, or with an infant or older adult at home, it becomes an emergency.
No heat in winter
No heat is urgent from November to March, and in spring or fall when the house is 62 degrees or colder. Freezing weather, a winter house at 62 or below, or a cold house with a vulnerable person at home makes it an emergency.
Gas, smoke or CO alarm
Always an emergency with a safety callout: leave the home and call 911 or the gas utility first. Emergencies outside hours add a $120 dispatch fee.
Leaks, new noises, short cycling
Booked this week: water can damage ceilings, and a new bang or squeal usually means a part is failing. A blank thermostat is treated the same way.
15 years or older
Tagged as a replacement candidate so the technician prices repair and replacement side by side.
Outside the service area
Still accepted, but flagged out of area so dispatch confirms coverage before booking. Replacements and commercial work lose less priority, because they are worth the drive.
For the office
Turn a voicemail into a job
Paste a voicemail transcript, an email or a text. Review the structured request, add the contact details and create it: it lands on the job board at stage New.
Prefer a form? Request Service or open the job board.