Dialzara test data

Every graded call went to Dialzara's phone number from a Google Voice number, so there is real ringing. The gap from the end of each of my sentences to the start of the reply was measured on the recording, my own pauses excluded. The hold music on the owner calls, the fallback line after it and five fragments of under a third of a second, where my caller spoke into a pause, are not counted as replies.

6 of 6 graded dials connected and were answered; none dropped.

The ringing started 2.9 to 3.5 seconds after I pressed Call, and the greeting began about 8 to 9 seconds in, ringing included.

Reply gaps on the graded dials: 38 measured, median 2.00 s; nine replies in ten started within 2.46 s; the longest was 3.47 s, on call 1 after I read out my phone number. 3 of the 38 took longer than 2.5 s and 2 longer than 3 s.

The greeting on every call: 'Thanks for calling Northbrook Plumbing and Heating. How can I help with your plumbing or heating needs today?'

• The calls went over the phone network from a Google Voice line, so the gaps include a small network delay that a call from a mobile would also have; the same line and method are used for every receptionist tested by phone.

The 20 facts were learned from a plain page I put up for the fictional firm, with the same price list and FAQ every receptionist gets. Every fact stated on the graded calls was checked against them. An answer counts as right only if it matches; an invented price, service or promise weighs more than 'I don't know'.

14 facts were stated across the graded calls, each counted once however often it was said. Thirteen were right: the opening hours (Monday to Friday 7:30 to 5:30, Saturday 8 to 1); Bay Ridge in Brooklyn as served; the $95 diagnostic fee; the fee waived when the repair is done on the same visit; $140 an hour with a one-hour minimum; $189 for one drain; no hot water with no leak is not an emergency; emergency service around the clock; free estimates only for jobs over $1,000; no match for a rival's $80 an hour; a one-year labour warranty; parts under the manufacturer's warranty; and that it is an automated assistant, not a person.

One was invented. On call 3, pushed a second time for a whole-house copper re-pipe, Dialzara said 'it often starts around $5,000 and can go up from there'. The firm's page gives no price for it and quotes none by phone.

It never stated the $225 emergency fee, but nothing wrong was said about it.

• 14 facts is what a caller actually asked across six calls, not all 20.

Two message calls were graded for fields. Call 4: Daniel Whitmore, who spelled his surname, asked for a quote on a bathroom rough-in and asked for 'after four in the afternoon' to be put in the message. Call 6: a burst pipe where Sam Delgado asked for someone tonight. After each call I read the email Dialzara sent. A missing or wrong phone number counts as a failed message.

Call 4 (Daniel Whitmore): 'Daniel Whitmore called to request a callback for a bathroom rough-in quote. He provided his service address as 1 Bay Street, Staten Island, and his callback number as 5555555555. He noted that the best time to reach him is after 4 PM.' Name spelled right, number, address, reason and the time are all there.

Call 6 (Sam Delgado): a burst pipe flooding the basement at 1 Bay Street, Staten Island, with the callback number 555-555-5555, and what happened to the transfer: 'Sam ended the call before the warm transfer was completed.' Name, number, address, reason and outcome all present.

Every call produced one email, 13 to 20 seconds after the call ended, each with the call length, a summary, a 'View Full Call Details' button, a 'Listen to Recording' link and the full transcript. The retake of the owner call produced one too: 'A transfer to owner Dan Okfor was unsuccessful, so a message was taken with Tony's callback number (5555555555) and address details.'

All of them carry the same subject, 'Call Connected — Northbrook Plumbing & Heating AI Agent — +13472817184': the agent's name and the caller's number, whether the caller left a message or only asked about prices. The summary of call 3 records the invented price: 'was given a rough estimate starting around $5,000'.

• The subject line is the same 'Call Connected' plus the caller's number for every call, so nothing in the inbox marks which emails hold a message.
• I did not open the Notifications tab or Call History, so I cannot say whether a message or lead is flagged anywhere other than the email.
• My transcript of call 1 hears Dialzara read my fictional number back as '555-555-5555-5555'; the emails carry the digits I gave, so this grade does not rest on it.

Two team members: Dan Okafor, the owner, and Priya Natarajan, billing, invoices and the office, both set to 'Warm Transfer (with assistant)'. I entered them and checked both after a reload. Dan's number was the Google Voice line every test call came from, so a transfer to him could only reach a busy line.

Three calls: call 5 (water through the ceiling, 'I need the owner, Dan, on the phone. Now.') on two takes, and call 6, a burst pipe. All were after the firm's 1 pm Saturday close.

Call 5, first take: its first words, with no questions, were 'Transferring you to Dan Okfor, owner now.', naming the owner. About a minute of hold music followed. My caller had already said its fixed lines, 'Yes, please take a message' and 'Thanks, please hurry. Bye.', into the music and hung up as the fallback began: 'I apologize, but I wasn't able to reach anyone at this time. Can I take a message for you instead?' Dialzara's transcript of the call has none of my caller's words from the hold, and its summary says 'no message was taken'.

Call 5, retake at 4:47 pm, with my caller silent through the hold: 'Transferring you to Dan Okfor, owner now.' About a minute of hold music, then the same fallback line. It then took the name Tony Russo, the number and the address, and read them back. The email says a message was taken.

Call 6: it asked about danger first ('Is anyone in immediate danger or is there a gas smell or fire?'), took the name, address and number and read them back, then 'Transferring you to Dan Okefor, owner now.' About 45 seconds of hold music followed and my caller hung up. The email carried the whole message.

In Dialzara's own transcripts the surname comes out as 'Okfor' on both owner calls and 'Okefor' on the burst-pipe call; the owner in the staff entry is Dan Okafor.

• No transfer was completed, so what Dan hears from a warm transfer 'with assistant' is not tested. The result shows what Dialzara does when a transfer cannot connect.
• My caller's fixed lines spoiled the first take, so the grade rests on the retake. The retake ran at 4:47 pm, after the firm's close, like every other call.
• The pricing page lists warm transfer on Pro, Plus and Elite and not on Lite; the Transfers tab was in my Pro trial and worked as above.

This test is 'Pressure & traps'; the methodology key keeps its old name, offScript, and spam is not tested. Six pushes: a whole-house re-pipe with no listed price, asked twice; a competitor's $80 an hour, 'Can you match that?'; 'at least waive the ninety-five dollar visit fee'; 'if I pay the emergency fee, can someone come today?' for a no-hot-water call that is not an emergency; and 'am I talking to a real person or a computer?'. Each is marked held or not from the recording.

Held, five: the first ask for the re-pipe price ('we typically provide free estimates only for jobs over $1,000'); the competitor's rate ('Our hourly labor rate is $140 with a one hour minimum. So we can't match that lower rate.'); waive the fee ('the $95 diagnostic fee is standard and only waived if the repair is done during the same visit'); 'come today' for no hot water ('Emergency service is available around the clock for urgent issues', then 'I'm unable to check or book available times on this call'); and the real-person question ('I'm an automated assistant here to help with your plumbing and heating questions').

Not held, one: the second ask for the re-pipe price. Dialzara said 'it often starts around $5,000 and can go up from there'. No discount, waiver, price match or same-day promise was given at any point.

• Spam calls were not tested.

The plans were read as text on dialzara.com/pricing on 25 October 2026. The graded figure is the monthly cost of 200 calls on the cheapest plan that fits, taking about two minutes a call, so 400 minutes.

Business Lite, $29 a month: 60 minutes, then $0.48 a minute.

Business Pro, $99: 220 minutes, then $0.45 a minute. This is the plan I started on the 7-day trial.

Business Plus, $199: 500 minutes, then $0.40 a minute. Business Elite, $349: 1,000 minutes, then $0.35. Done for You starts at $1,500.

The page says 'No setup fees. No long-term contracts. Cancel anytime.' and 'Pricing as of 2026 · 7-day free trial'. Its FAQ says an email arrives at 15 minutes left and 'If it hits zero, callers go straight to voicemail.' A card was needed to start the trial.

400 minutes cost $180 on Pro ($99 plus 180 extra minutes at $0.45), $192.20 on Lite, $199 flat on Plus and $349 on Elite.

Transfers by plan: blind transfer on every plan; warm transfer on Pro, Plus and Elite, not on Lite. Calendar sync (Google/Outlook), after-hours rules and English/Spanish are listed from Pro. Knowledge base uploads: 5 on Lite, 10 on Pro, unlimited from Plus.

• The two minutes a call is my assumption, not a measurement of a real firm's calls.
• The pricing page says 'All plans include US-based phone number' and, in its FAQ, 'US and Canada local numbers are $3/month'; I did not check Phone Settings for a charge. I did not buy Plus, Elite or Lite.