Question 1

What is missed-call text-back?

Accepted Answer

When you can't pick up because you're on a roof or under a house, the caller gets a text in seconds. It can answer basic questions, get the details of the job, and even put it on your calendar. So they wait for you instead of calling the next guy. An automated system connected to your business line that detects unanswered calls and texts the caller in seconds. From there, AI trained on your business can answer common questions, gather the job details, and book an appointment on your calendar.

Question 2

Do I keep my phone number?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your number never moves. Missed calls forward to our system, and if you ever leave, you turn forwarding off and you're done. If we set up texting on your own number, we turn that off for you too. Yes. We use call forwarding, not number porting, so your number stays with your current phone company. Texts go out from a local number we set up for your business, or from your own number if it's a landline or toll-free line we can turn on for texting.

Question 3

Will the texts sound like a robot?

Accepted Answer

No. The texts sound like your office. When you start, a real person on our team checks replies before they go out. If a customer asks something the system can't answer, it comes to us, and only the real head-scratchers go to you. Replies are written by AI trained on your business: your services, hours, service area, and anything you want customers to know. When you start, our team reviews replies before they're sent so the system learns your details and how you talk. Questions it can't answer come to us first, and anything we can't answer goes to you.

Question 4

What if a text doesn't go out?

Accepted Answer

Missed calls from a cell phone get a text in seconds. If one ever doesn't, we find out why and fix it. Your monthly report shows how many calls you missed and how many got a text back, so you can check us. Missed-call texts are monitored. If one fails, we find the cause and fix it, then confirm with a test call. Texts go to callers on cell phones, since landlines can't receive them. Callers who hide their number or who've asked not to get texts won't get one.

Question 5

What is speed-to-lead?

Accepted Answer

The first business to answer is more likely to get the job. We make sure you respond right away, even at 8pm on a Saturday. The time between a customer's first inquiry and your first response. Faster first responses tend to win more jobs. Grippit replies right away to every form and chat message from your website. We call it Instant Replies.

Question 6

What is a Google Business Profile, and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

It's your storefront on Google. When someone in your town searches "AC repair near me," Google decides who to show based largely on this listing. We make yours one Google wants to recommend. Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the listing that appears in Google Search and Maps: hours, photos, reviews, services, and posts. It's one of the biggest factors in whether Google shows your business for local searches. We manage your categories, services, description, photos, and attributes, and post fresh updates every week.

Question 7

What are citations?

Accepted Answer

Your business info is scattered across dozens of websites, and some of it is probably wrong. Wrong hours here, old phone number there. We fix it everywhere, keep it fixed, and get you listed on the sites that matter for your trade so more people can find you. Unlike some agencies, we leave those listings in your name, so they stay yours even if you cancel. Citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number across online directories. Consistent citations support local rankings, and they're one of the main sources AI tools use to decide which businesses to recommend. We correct existing listings and build new ones on the major data sources and the directories that matter for your trade.

Question 8

What is schema markup?

Accepted Answer

It's a label on your website written in a format Google reads. It spells out what you do and where. You never see it, but Google does. Structured data code added to your website that tells search engines what your business is, what services you offer, and where you operate. Search engines use it to understand your site.

Question 9

What is GEO, and what does "AI visibility" mean?

Accepted Answer

More and more people don't scroll through search results anymore. They just ask AI "who should I call to fix my garage door?" and take the answer. We do the work that makes it more likely that your name gets into that answer. GEO stands for generative engine optimization: structuring your business data, reviews, listings, and website so that AI systems like Google's AI results and ChatGPT include and recommend your business when users ask for local service providers.

Question 10

What is geo-grid tracking?

Accepted Answer

A color-coded map of your town. Green where you're in Google's top 3, red where you don't show up at all. You see where you're winning, and we get to work on the red. Ranking scans run from dozens of points across your service area, producing a map of your local ranking position at each point rather than a single average.

Question 11

Do you guarantee rankings?

Accepted Answer

No, and be careful with anyone who does. Nobody controls Google. Every month you get a map of where you rank, so you can see the progress for yourself. No. No agency controls Google's rankings, so no one can promise a position. We report your ranking movement every month.

Question 12

What is review gating, and why won't you do it?

Accepted Answer

Some agencies quietly filter out unhappy customers before asking for reviews, so only the 5-star folks get the link. It breaks Google's rules, it can get your reviews removed or your profile suspended, and the FTC says it can count as deceptive advertising. We ask every customer. Your stars are real, which is why they're worth something. Review gating means screening customers first and only asking the happy ones for a public review. Google's policies prohibit it, and the FTC has said it can violate the FTC Act.

Question 13

How do you know when to ask my customers for reviews?

Accepted Answer

Once a job's done, your customer gets a text asking for a review. We connect to the software you already use when we can, or your office sends us a quick list each week. Everyone gets asked, not just the happy customers, which keeps you on the right side of Google's rules and makes your reviews believable. Review requests go out when a job is marked complete, through a connection to your scheduling software or a customer list your office sends us.

Question 14

Am I locked into a contract?

Accepted Answer

You can leave any month you want. That said, our advice is to give it at least 6 months: rankings usually take 3 months or more to start rising, and the results build from there. We'd rather tell you that up front than have you judge a marathon by the first mile. No. All Grippit service agreements are month-to-month with no minimum term.

Question 15

What happens to my stuff if I cancel?

Accepted Answer

You keep your Google listing, your business listings, your phone number, and your website if we built one. Take the site anywhere you like, or keep hosting it with us for $97 a month. We don't hold anything hostage. Your Google Business Profile stays under your ownership at all times. Citations built through our system stay live under your business. Your phone number never leaves your carrier. If we built your website, the site and domain are yours; move the hosting anywhere, or keep it with us for $97 a month.

Question 16

Do you run ads?

Accepted Answer

We don't touch ad budgets. Most contractors already get calls and lose some of them in the follow-up. We fix the leak before you pay to pour more water in the bucket. And everything we build for you (rankings, reviews, listings) keeps working without a daily ad bill. No. Grippit does not manage paid advertising of any kind, including Google Local Services Ads.

Question 17

Why don't you write blogs for us?

Accepted Answer

Nobody hires a plumber because of a blog post called "5 Signs Your Water Heater Is Failing." Agencies sell blogs because they're easy to produce and look like work. We spend that effort on the things that decide whether Google and AI recommend you: your listing, your reviews, and your visibility across the web. For local service businesses, Google Maps rankings are driven mostly by reviews, Google Business Profile signals, and how customers interact with your listing. Generic blog posts add little to local rankings or to whether AI tools recommend you.

Question 18

What do I have to do day to day?

Accepted Answer

Almost nothing. You do your job. When a customer texts back, you (or your office) jump into the conversation warm. Once a month you skim one page. After a brief onboarding period, ongoing client involvement is minimal: responding to the warm conversations we hand you and skimming a one-page monthly report.

Question 19

Where do I see the conversations?

Accepted Answer

On your phone. One app shows every text, chat, and website form, and you or your office can jump into any conversation with a tap. Nothing technical about this one!

Question 20

Do you work with other contractors in my area?

Accepted Answer

We might. We don't limit it to one company per town. Everyone gets the same work, and nobody's information, reports, or strategy gets shared with anyone else. Grippit doesn't offer territory exclusivity. Each client's data, reports, and strategy are kept separate and confidential.

Question 21

What's the Founding Member deal?

Accepted Answer

26 companies get 26% off for as long as you stay, plus half off setup. You get your start date when you sign up. When the spots are gone, they're gone. The first 26 companies to sign up before December 31, 2026 receive a 26% discount off standard pricing for as long as they remain a client ($1,478/month instead of $1,997) plus half off the standard setup fee ($1,498 instead of $2,997). Your onboarding start date is set when you sign up.

Question 22

How does billing work?

Accepted Answer

You pay the setup fee by bank transfer once you're approved, and the same account covers your monthly bill. Your first monthly bill comes two weeks after onboarding starts. If setup runs long on our end, billing waits until you're up and running. The setup fee is due by ACH bank transfer when you're approved and sign your service agreement. Monthly billing is by ACH from the same account and starts two weeks after onboarding begins. If setup takes longer on our side or the phone carrier's, billing waits until your system is live.

Straight answers. Both languages.