Warner Super Service Saves Up to $1,500 a Month with Podium AI

For years, Warner Super Service had invested in improving communication for their plumbing and HVAC leads and customers, but after-hours coverage was still creating missed opportunities. The team had tried voicemail, overnight call management, and answering services to stay responsive, but each approach added cost, created operational headaches, or failed to deliver the customer experience they wanted. 

When missed leads eventually contributed to losing a large job, the team decided it was time to rethink how customer conversations were handled.

The Challenge

Before adding an AI Employee with Podium, customer communication relied on manual processes and inconsistent coverage. Danielle Stewardson, the Warner Office Manager, shared more about the challenges the team faced:

Customer coverage was dependent on voicemail and expensive answering services

To stay responsive after hours, Warner tried multiple options—voicemail, an overnight call manager, and a third-party answering service. But costs added up quickly and the experience often created more problems than it solved.

“We had an answering service and that was super expensive. They charge you by the minute and our bills ranged from $800 to $1,500 every month.”

Missed calls created missed revenue opportunities

Without a reliable way to engage customers after hours, customer inquiries sometimes sat unanswered until the office reopened. The team had already noticed leads slipping through the cracks, but the turning point came when they lost a large job over a weekend.

“We had already lost a couple of leads before we added Voice AI. Then we lost an HVAC sale over a weekend and that’s when we decided we needed to do something different.” 

Customer demand became harder to manage efficiently 

As customer demand increased, the team found it harder to keep up with incoming calls and lead volume without adding overhead. Missed opportunities started to become more visible, and maintaining responsiveness with a smaller team became increasingly difficult.

“We were losing a couple of leads. It was just hard to handle the volume." 

The Day-to-Day Impact of Podium for Warner Super Service:

The Solution

With Podium, the team introduced always-on customer coverage by adding an AI Employee. It manages incoming conversations, captures lead information, and reduces dependence on manual phone handling. Rather than relying on voicemail or expensive answering services, customer conversations continue automatically while the team stays focused on running the business.

~$800–$1,500+/month reduced answering service costs

With an AI Employee that answers the phone after hours or during periods of high volume, Warner was able to eliminate their expensive answering service. 

“Our AI Employee has done a lot of the heavy lifting, especially with rolling phone calls over, even during the day. She has made us overall more efficient.”

Reduced headcount and higher profitability 

By adding an AI Employee, Warner has become more efficient. Even with two fewer technicians, the team has increased total profit for the business. 

“Our numbers operationally are the same, but we have way less overhead than we did and less staff. When you look at our books, there is a significant [increase] between last year and this year.”

+15% higher Google rating (4.1 → 4.7)

Warner had already been using Podium for reputation management and customer communication before adding an AI Employee. Over time, improved customer follow-up, booking communication, and easier customer engagement helped strengthen the customer experience and contributed to higher online ratings.

“When we signed up with Podium, our average review rating was at a 4.1. After implementing Podium, it went up to 4.4 and then a 4.6 and now 4.7. That's been fantastic.”

Faster customer communication with less manual work

Automated booking confirmations, texting, and customer updates created a smoother customer experience while reducing manual follow-up for the office team.

“People love getting the booking confirmation and the office staff loves texting customers to say, hey, your technician's on the way if they don't answer.”