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GC Front Office

Frequently asked questions

The basics

Do callers know Grace isn't a person?
Yes. Grace, our AI-powered virtual assistant, tells callers so. When she answers, she says, "This is Grace, an AI-powered virtual assistant." If a caller asks, she answers honestly: "I'm an AI-powered virtual assistant for [your company], not a person. I can take your details and make sure [the owner] gets them." She never claims to be human.
What is GC Front Office?
GC Front Office is a phone answering service for general contractors, custom home builders, and other small building companies. Grace answers your company phone when you can't, takes clear messages for the right person, and books intro calls.
Who should use GC Front Office?
Owner-led general contractors and custom home builders, typically an owner plus a few project managers.
What does Grace do on a call?
She answers in your company's name, figures out who is calling and what they need, answers common questions from information we write with you, takes a message for the right person, flags urgent calls, and ends robocalls and sales pitches politely. For new leads in your service area, she books a free 30-minute intro call. See How it works.
How does Grace know who is calling?
She checks the caller's number against your contacts before she speaks. If it matches, she confirms the name. If it doesn't, she asks how she can help and goes by what the caller says. She sorts every caller into one of six types: potential clients, current clients, past clients, vendors, friends, and everyone else.

Phone and setup

How big a team can Grace handle?
Grace is designed for teams of up to 5 people, and more on request.
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. You keep your number. Your calls reach Grace through call forwarding from your existing number. You can choose Delayed (your phone rings first, and Grace answers if you don't), Instant (all calls go to Grace), or Off.
Does it work with a landline or an office phone system?
Yes. Grace works with cell phones, landlines, and most office phone systems through call forwarding. Most phone providers can forward the calls you don't answer, and a few can only forward every call. We check your provider during setup and test a call before you go live.
Will my phone still ring first?
If you choose Delayed, yes. Your phone rings first, and Grace answers only when you don't.
Does Grace transfer calls to me?
No. Grace takes a message instead. She doesn't connect callers live.
How long does setup take?
We're onboarding our first contractors now. Send us your setup details and we'll tell you exactly what's next and when you can be live. We start with an intake call, set up your login and booking, and help you set up call forwarding.
What do I need to do?
Take part in the intake call, review what we write for Grace, connect your calendar if you use one, and set up call forwarding with our help. We handle the rest.
How does Grace book intro calls?
You tell us the days and hours you're open for intro calls and how much notice you need. Grace offers only those times. If you connect Google Calendar, Outlook or Microsoft 365, or Apple iCloud Calendar, she also skips any time you're already busy. If you don't use a calendar, she still books from the days and hours you set. To change your hours or notice, tell us and we update them.
How does Grace know about my business?
We write it with you at setup: your services, your service area, who handles what, and what Grace should never say. If she doesn't know an answer, she tells the caller it's a good one for you and makes a note.
Can I change what Grace says later?
Yes. Tell us what to change, and we update it for you.

What Grace will and won't do

Will Grace quote prices?
No. She doesn't give prices, ranges, or per-square-foot numbers. She tells callers you'll talk through their project on a free intro call.
Will Grace promise when I'll call back?
No. She says you'll be in touch, or "as soon as possible" for urgent calls.
What about an urgent call?
Grace marks a call urgent when it can't wait, such as an active leak or a failed inspection. Urgent calls are flagged in red and listed first in your dashboard, with the caller's name, number, and what's going on. Grace doesn't diagnose the problem and doesn't promise a time. Grace marks urgent and priority calls in your dashboard, and each person on your team can choose to get those alerts by email, text, or both.
Does Grace ask callers about their budget?
No. Grace never asks what a caller wants to spend, and she doesn't comment on how big or small a job is. Budget is a conversation for you and the client after you've seen the project.Instead, she asks about the things that tell you whether the job is a fit: the type of work, where the property is, the timeline, and how they heard about you. She doesn't quote prices, ranges, or ballparks either.If a caller brings up a budget on their own, Grace says, "Thanks, I'll note that," and moves on. What they said usually shows up in the call's message or summary.
What if a caller is outside my service area?
You give us your towns, counties, and ZIP codes. In-area callers are offered the intro call. Borderline callers are passed to you to decide, and Grace does not promise a booking. If the caller is clearly too far, Grace says so politely and takes their details.

After the call

What do I see after each call?
Your team sees each call in a private dashboard: a short summary, the message and who it is for, a status (Open or Resolved), urgent calls first, a Priority flag on calls from clients or projects you mark as priority, a recording link, and the transcript.
Are calls recorded?
Grace tells callers: "This call may be recorded."
Who can see my calls?
Your team logs in with private logins we set up for you. Everyone with a login sees all of your company's calls. See our Privacy Policy for how information is handled.

Security and privacy

Is my call information secure?
We use several layers of protection, and we describe them in plain words on our Security page. Each company's records are kept separate in the app, and the database itself enforces that. The app uses a secure connection (HTTPS, the padlock in your browser), and our database provider states that it encrypts the data it stores. Sign-in is by email and password, GoThriveAI creates the accounts, and the public has no way to register. No online service is risk-free, so we don't make absolute promises. See Security.
Who can see my calls and messages?
The signed-in people on your team can see your company's calls, transcripts, and summaries. Everyone with a login at your company sees all of its calls. A small number of GoThriveAI administrators can also see data across companies, to set up and support the service. Our providers process call data to run the service. Other companies cannot see your data in the app.
Do you sell or share my information?
We do not sell personal information. We share information with service providers who help us run the service (for example, hosting and telephone providers), only as needed to provide the service to you, and when required by law. We do not share mobile phone numbers with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. See our Privacy Policy.
Where is my data stored?
Your data is stored with our providers. Our app runs on Lovable Cloud, which is built on Supabase (a database and sign-in service), and Supabase states that it runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS), a large cloud-hosting company. Phone calls and Grace's voice run on Retell AI, and booking runs through our scheduling provider. See Security for more about these providers.
Are calls recorded, and can I delete call records?
Calls are recorded, and callers are told at the start. Grace's opening greeting includes a recording notice and says that she is a virtual assistant. Our voice provider itself keeps call recordings and transcripts until they are deleted. In the app, you can delete your company's contact records. Deleting call records and project records is not available in the app yet. Deleting a record in the app removes it from our database, and it does not by itself remove a copy held by our voice provider. For other data requests, email admin@gothriveai.com.
Is my team members' phone information safe?
We protect it like the rest of your data. Each company's records are kept separate in the app, the app uses a secure connection (HTTPS, the padlock in your browser), and our database provider states that it encrypts the data it stores. We do not sell personal information, and we do not share mobile phone numbers with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. See our Privacy Policy.
Do you store credit card numbers?
No. The app has no payment form today, and we do not collect or store card numbers on purpose. Grace does not ask callers for payment details, so please do not read a card number out on a call, because calls are recorded and transcribed.
Are you SOC 2 or HIPAA certified?
No. GC Front Office does not currently hold a SOC 2 report or HIPAA attestation. SOC 2 is an independent audit of a company's security practices, and HIPAA is the U.S. law for health information. Several of our infrastructure providers state that they hold their own SOC 2 reports. GC Front Office is not designed for medical records or health information, and we have no HIPAA Business Associate Agreements (the contracts that law calls for when a vendor handles health information). We do not claim a provider's report as our own.
How do I report a security issue?
Email admin@gothriveai.com. Tell us what you saw and where you saw it.

Alerts and texting

Will I get notified?
Yes. You choose email, text, or both for urgent and priority calls. Everything else waits in your dashboard.
How do urgent and priority alerts work?
Every call Grace takes is saved in your dashboard with a summary. Calls that need fast attention are marked Urgent, and calls from the clients or projects you mark as priority are marked Priority. Each team member chooses how they hear about them: email, text, both, or dashboard only. Text alerts go only to team members who agree to receive them.
Does Grace send text messages?
Grace does not text callers. Text alerts go only to the people on your team who agree to receive them, and each person can choose email, text, or both. We won't send promotional texts. Callers who share an email address receive their intro-call confirmation by email from our scheduling provider. See Text Alerts.

Pricing and getting started

How much does it cost?
Pricing depends on your team's size and how many calls Grace handles. See Pricing, or book a demo and we walk you through it.
How do I contact you?
Email admin@gothriveai.com.