How to Have Grok Bot Triage Your Appliance Repair Calls for You (Step-by-Step)

This is part of How to Have Grok Bot ______ for You. Thirteenth niche spin. Appliance repair desk only. Real fridge, washer, dryer, oven, and dishwasher workflows, not a find-replace of garage door, locksmith, junk removal, cleaning, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscape, pest, roofing, realtor, or auto shop.

You are the tech and the phone. A washer flooding the laundry room while you’re mid-fridge no-cool across town. A “freezer warm, food soft” text with no reply. A gas-smell oven callback that sat while you finished an ice maker. Jobs do not die because you do not care. They die because triage never happened between calls.

Done tonight is not “AI books the service call.” Done is one named Appliance Repair Triage Clerk, one inbox where appliance texts die, and one dry-run stack of drafts sorted by real appliance urgency. Drafts only. You send from your phone.

Hire an Appliance Repair Triage Clerk

Name the bot Appliance Repair Triage Clerk. Or Service Call Drafter. Pin a three-line charter on it.

• Owns: unanswered appliance repair texts, DMs, and booking emails in the one inbox where work dies. Classifies each thread by appliance urgency. Leaves a send-ready draft (or a [NEED] line).
• Good: a morning stack on your phone: active water leak / flood from washer, dishwasher, fridge ice line, or water-heater-adjacent appliance first, then no-cool fridge / freezer (food at risk), gas smell / oven or dryer gas concern (calm callback language only), washer won’t drain / standing water, dryer no heat / won’t tumble, oven / range won’t heat or ignite, dishwasher dead mid-cycle / won’t drain, ice maker / water dispenser issues, warranty vs out-of-warranty / brand-model from thread, then quote / parts-on-order / reschedule / cancel asks that can wait a beat. Different copy per class. No one template.
• Never: send. Never invent an ETA, price, “we’ll be there in 20,” or warranty coverage yes. Never invent DIY refrigerant / sealed-system / gas-line advice. Never invent parts availability or brand diagnosis as a promise. Never invent shutoff DIY beyond asking if they already shut the water. Never book without a slot you typed and a customer yes you own. Never give legal, medical, or financial advice. Never talk to a live customer unattended.

That is the job. Sort the pile. Draft what you would actually say. Leave the send and the book to you.

This is not the generic follow-up with leads post (any local shop). Not garage door calls (stuck open, springs, openers). Not locksmith lockout texts (keys, cylinders, rekeys). Not junk removal texts (blocked drives, HOA clocks). Not cleaning job texts (floods, turnovers). Not HVAC call triage (HVAC system, no-cool AC, filters). Not plumbing work orders (pipes and water heaters as primary). Not electrical call triage (panels, outlets, sparks). Not landscape call triage (trees, irrigation). Not pest call triage (bites, rodents). Not storm lead chase (roof leaks, adjusters). Not showing follow-ups (tours, portals). Not auto shop call triage (no-starts, brakes). This is Small Business / appliance repair desk. Fridge. Washer. Dryer. Oven. Dishwasher. Ice maker. Brand and model from the thread. Warranty vs out-of-warranty. Reschedules.

What the stack has to hold

One screen. If every draft sounds the same, it failed.

1. Active water leak / flood from washer, dishwasher, fridge ice line, or water-heater-adjacent appliance. Same-day. Short. Calm. Ask address, which appliance, whether water is still running, and whether they already shut the supply (ask only; never invent shutoff DIY steps). Never invent an ETA or “we’ll be there in 20.” You own the callback window you typed.
2. No-cool fridge / freezer (food at risk). Ask address, fridge vs freezer (or both), how long it’s been warm, and brand/model from the thread. Never invent refrigerant / sealed-system DIY or “keep the door shut and it’ll be fine” as a promise. Missing address or brand → [NEED].
3. Gas smell / oven or dryer gas concern. Escalate with calm callback language only. Ask address and which appliance they named. Never invent DIY gas-line, pilot, or “just smell it again” advice. Never invent “safe to keep using.” Incomplete address → [NEED].
4. Washer won’t drain / standing water. Ask what they see (standing water, error code they typed, cycle stage), brand/model from the thread, and whether they already tried a drain they mentioned. Never invent “just unclog the hose yourself” steps as a promise. Incomplete description → [NEED].
5. Dryer no heat / won’t tumble (laundry pile). Ask electric vs gas only if the thread said it, brand/model from the thread, and whether it tumbles with no heat or won’t move at all. Never invent element, thermal fuse, or gas-valve diagnosis as a promise. Missing brand → [NEED].
6. Oven / range won’t heat or ignite. Ask electric vs gas from the thread only, bake vs broil vs cooktop, and brand/model. Never invent igniter, element, or gas-line DIY. Never invent brand diagnosis as a promise. Incomplete fuel type or brand → [NEED].
7. Dishwasher dead mid-cycle / won’t drain. Ask what they see (standing water, won’t start, mid-cycle stop), brand/model from the thread, and whether they already cleared a filter they mentioned. Never invent pump or control-board promises. Incomplete brand → [NEED].
8. Ice maker / water dispenser issues (lower urgency). Confirm the symptom they named and brand/model from the thread. Never invent filter-part stock or “it’ll freeze again overnight” promises. Hold parts language only if you typed it.
9. Warranty vs out-of-warranty / brand-model from thread. Capture brand, model, and any purchase or install date they gave. Never invent coverage yes, claim approval, or manufacturer ETA. Missing brand/model → [NEED].
10. Quote / parts-on-order / reschedule / cancel (can wait a beat). Honest priority. Name the appliance, address, or ticket they asked about. One clean next step. No guilt trip. Never invent parts availability.

What you connect (and what you don’t)

Grok Bot is early beta. SpaceXAI and Cursor are building it. Connectors live under Settings → Plugins. One shared computer for all your bots. Start thin.

Night one, connect only what the clerk needs:

• The one inbox where appliance repair work dies. Texts, Gmail (including after-hours forwards), or the messenger your desk actually uses. One. Not every booking app at once.
• Optional: a notes doc where you keep open service windows you can keep, service-area rules, “never invent warranty yes” language, and “we don’t invent ETAs” wording.
• Optional: paste three cold threads in chat if a plugin is not there yet. Paste works.

Do not connect banking, email send, or social write access. Do not paste a Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, or customer-portal password in chat. Authorize in the browser. Open Settings → Plugins from the sidebar, or press Cmd+,.

Tonight, in seven steps

1. Name what a missed appliance text costs you. A washer flood that went to another van overnight. A no-cool fridge that sat while you finished an ice maker. A gas-smell oven callback that never got a calm reply.
2. Pick the one inbox. Texts. Gmail with after-hours forwards. Where appliance calls die. Write it down.
3. Hire Appliance Repair Triage Clerk. Paste the charter below. Say drafts only. Say never send. Say this is appliance repair desk triage, not garage door calls, not locksmith lockout texts, not junk removal texts, not cleaning job texts, not HVAC triage, not plumbing work orders, not electrical triage, not landscape triage, not pest triage, not storm roof leads, not realtor showing chase, not auto shop triage.
4. Connect that one inbox (or paste). Settings → Plugins. Or paste three cold threads. Do not connect the whole stack.
5. Run one manual stack. Ask it to classify each thread and draft. Kill any invented ETA, price, “we’ll be there in 20,” or warranty coverage yes. Kill leftover garage door, locksmith, junk, cleaning, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscape, pest, roofing, realtor, or auto shop sections. Kill any DIY refrigerant / sealed-system / gas-line advice, invented shutoff steps, parts-availability promises, or brand diagnosis as fact.
6. Pick a trigger. Weekday mornings before the first call, tighter on Monday no-cool spikes and after holiday cooking weekends. Click the bot name in the chat header to open the info pane, or press Cmd+Shift+I. Save a routine: every weekday morning, scan that inbox, leave the appliance stack in this chat, do not send. Confirm the time zone. Water leaks, no-cool, and gas-smell concerns stay same-day when the thread says so.
7. Five-minute desk check. Skim class, draft, [NEED] lines. You edit. You send. You book. You fix the appliance.

That is tonight. A clerk that sorts appliance urgency the way your desk already thinks. You still own the send, the ETA, and the book.

Copy-paste charter

You are Appliance Repair Triage Clerk (Service Call Drafter) for my appliance repair desk.

Owns: unanswered appliance repair texts, DMs, and booking emails in the one inbox I connect. Classify each thread. Leave a send-ready draft or a [NEED] line.
Good: a morning stack I can skim in five minutes on my phone, sorted by real appliance urgency. Different copy per class. No one template.
Never: send, post, spend, or book. Never invent an ETA, price, "we'll be there in 20," or warranty coverage yes. Never invent DIY refrigerant / sealed-system / gas-line advice. Never invent shutoff DIY beyond asking if they already shut the water. Never invent parts availability or brand diagnosis as a promise. Never give legal, medical, or financial advice. Never talk to a live customer unattended. Never promise a slot I did not type. Never book without a confirmed slot I typed AND a customer yes I own.

Every weekday morning (tighter on Monday no-cool spikes and after holiday cooking weekends), look at that inbox. Skip anything I already answered or that said never mind. For each remaining thread, classify it as ONE of these and write a different follow-up:

1) active water leak / flood from washer, dishwasher, fridge ice line, or water-heater-adjacent appliance (same-day - never invent ETA or shutoff DIY steps; ask if they already shut water)
2) no-cool fridge / freezer / food at risk (never invent refrigerant / sealed-system DIY)
3) gas smell / oven or dryer gas concern (calm callback only - never invent DIY gas advice)
4) washer won't drain / standing water
5) dryer no heat / won't tumble (electric vs gas from thread only)
6) oven / range won't heat or ignite (electric vs gas from thread only)
7) dishwasher dead mid-cycle / won't drain
8) ice maker / water dispenser issues (lower urgency)
9) warranty vs out-of-warranty / brand-model from thread (never invent coverage yes)
10) quote / parts-on-order / reschedule / cancel (can wait a beat - never invent parts availability)

Write 4 to 8 sentences in my desk voice. Short. Plain. Use their name if we have it. Mention the actual address, appliance, brand/model, error code, or problem they asked about. End with one clear next step I can keep.

If a name, address, price, date, slot, brand, model, appliance type, electric vs gas, or warranty fact is missing, do not invent it. Put a [NEED] line under the draft that names the missing fact. Then stop on that thread.

Water leaks, no-cool, and gas-smell concerns stay at the top. Do not bury them under reschedule asks. Never coach DIY refrigerant, sealed-system, or gas-line work.

Leave the drafts in this chat. I send them. I book them.
If you cannot see the inbox, write [NEED] and stop. This is appliance repair desk triage, not garage door triage, not locksmith lockout triage, not junk removal triage, not cleaning job-text triage, not HVAC triage, not plumbing work-order triage, not electrical call triage, not landscape call triage, not pest call triage, not storm roof lead chase, not realtor showing chase, not auto shop call triage, and not a generic lead SDR. Drafts only.

What done means

You open the stack, spend five minutes on your phone, and send the ones that are clean. That is it.

If every draft sounds like “just circling back,” tighten the charter. If it invented an ETA, price, “we’ll be there in 20,” or warranty coverage yes, kill the line. If it claimed DIY refrigerant / sealed-system / gas-line advice, invented shutoff steps, parts availability, or brand diagnosis as a promise, kill the line. If it booked a slot you did not type, kill the line. Generic lead timing belongs in follow-up. Garage door urgency stays with garage door calls. Lockout urgency stays with locksmith lockout texts. Junk haul urgency stays with junk removal texts. Cleaning floods and turnovers stay with cleaning job texts. HVAC system urgency stays with HVAC call triage. Pipes and water heaters as primary stay with plumbing work orders. Electrical stays with electrical call triage. Landscape stays with landscape call triage. Pest stays with pest call triage. Roofing storm chase stays with storm leads. Realtor tours stay with showing follow-ups. Auto shop stays with auto shop call triage. Appliance Repair Triage Clerk stops when the pile is sorted and the drafts are yours to send.

Limits worth saying out loud

It is beta. Expect rough edges. One shared computer means protect the logins. Do not connect every tool night one. Do not let it send. Do not let it spend. Do not let it book unattended. Do not let it talk to a live customer unattended. Do not ask it for legal, medical, or financial advice. Never invent ETA, price, “we’ll be there in 20,” warranty coverage yes, DIY refrigerant / sealed-system / gas-line advice, shutoff DIY steps, parts availability, or brand diagnosis promises. Missing facts get [NEED]. Never paste passwords.

If you want the product itself, start at Grok Bot Explained. Sibling how-tos: follow-up with leads, garage door calls, locksmith lockout texts, junk removal texts, cleaning job texts, HVAC call triage, plumbing work orders, electrical call triage, landscape call triage, pest call triage, storm leads, showing follow-ups, auto shop call triage, research leads, daily business briefing, email to-do list, competitors, find customers, meeting prep, content week, morning briefing, watchlist, Chief of Staff.

If you want this built for your desk, that’s a different conversation.