EmpfangoAI phone assistant for commercial cleaning
Between 5 and 7 a.m. the phone rings in cleaning companies: sick calls, site questions, cover needed. Empfango answers every call, captures name, site and expected absence and sends the sick report straight to the site manager via WhatsApp.
An AI phone assistant for commercial cleaning answers calls when site managers and the office cannot pick up: sick calls before the shift starts, complaints from clients, requests for special cleaning and job applicants. Empfango captures every request in a structured way with name, callback number, site and subject, sends the summary to the responsible person and stores transcript and summary in the dashboard. It works with your existing phone number, from €99 per month as a fixed price with no overage.
Commercial cleaning in numbers
As of: 10/2026
What Empfango handles for your cleaning company
Capture sick calls before the shift
Empfango takes sick calls around the clock and captures name, site, shift and expected duration. The site manager receives the report immediately via WhatsApp and can plan instead of phoning.
Document client complaints
When a property manager or facility manager reports a defect, Empfango captures site, area, description and callback number. The complaint exists as a case with transcript before anyone calls back.
Take special cleaning requests and applicants
Empfango takes requests for window, post-construction or deep cleaning with property type, area and preferred date. Applicants get information on open positions from your knowledge base and an interview appointment.
A day on the phone at a cleaning company
Five typical calls Empfango answers at a cleaning company: what Empfango does in the call, what lands in the dashboard and who is notified.
- 05:40Cleaner, early shift at an office buildingSick call: "I can't come in today, probably until Wednesday."
- 09:10Property manager, client of a residential buildingComplaint: stairwell in building 12 not cleaned for two weeks, tenants are complaining.
- 11:30Prospect, facility manager of an office buildingSpecial cleaning request: window cleaning on 2,400 m² of facade before a client visit.
- 14:00Sales rep of a cleaning supplies wholesalerWants to speak to purchasing, "just five minutes".
- 23:50Cleaner, night shift at a logistics warehouseStanding in front of the site, the transponder does not open the gate.
| Call | What Empfango does | Record | Notification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05:40 · Cleaner, early shift at an office building | Empfango takes the sick call, asks for site, shift and expected duration and confirms the report. It does not ask for the reason. | Name, callback number, site, shift, absence expected until Wednesday, transcript | WhatsApp to the responsible site manager, copy by e-mail to the office |
| 09:10 · Property manager, client of a residential building | Empfango captures site, area, period and urgency, promises a callback from site management and gives no cause and no commitment on credits. | Complaint with site, area, description, urgency, contact person, transcript | WhatsApp to site management; with LiteLog also as a report in the LiteLog portal under the site |
| 11:30 · Prospect, facility manager of an office building | Empfango captures property type, area, requested service, preferred date and contact details. It quotes no prices and announces a quote after an on-site visit. | Request with site, area, service, date, company, callback number, transcript | E-mail to sales, contact added to the Brevo list "Enquiries" |
| 14:00 · Sales rep of a cleaning supplies wholesaler | Empfango does not put sales calls through. It takes company, subject and callback number and says someone will get in touch if there is a need. | Sales call with company, product, callback number, transcript | No immediate notification, entry in the handover list in the dashboard |
| 23:50 · Cleaner, night shift at a logistics warehouse | Empfango recognises the urgent case and forwards to the stored on-call number. If nobody answers after the ring timeout, it captures the request and announces a callback. | Access problem with site, time, name, callback number, forwarding result, transcript | Forwarded to the on-call person; if unreachable, WhatsApp to on-call and site manager |
Why cleaning companies use Empfango
Site managers make fewer calls
Sick reports arrive bundled and structured, not as constant ringing between 5 and 7 a.m. The site manager sees at a glance who is missing at which site.
Health data kept to a minimum
For a sick call, Empfango only records that someone is absent and for how long, never why. Processing runs in the EU, audio is not stored permanently and a data processing agreement is included.
No new technology, no industry software
Empfango works with your existing phone number and without planD, Blink or any other scheduling software. Reports arrive via WhatsApp, e-mail or webhook, wherever you need them.
Where the reports go
Empfango sends every sick call, complaint and request to where your company works: via WhatsApp to the site manager, by e-mail to the office, via webhook into your software or directly into the LiteLog portal.
LiteLog portal
If you use LiteLog for rounds and checkpoints, complaints and faults land directly as a report in the LiteLog portal under the affected site. If a client asks whether today's cleaning has been done, Empfango answers from the LiteLog round data.
WhatsApp to the site manager
After the call, sick reports go as a summary via WhatsApp to the responsible site manager: name, site, shift, expected duration, callback number. To several recipients at once if wanted, for example site manager and office.
Webhook into your industry software
After every call, Empfango sends summary, transcript and the structured fields as a webhook to a URL of your choice. That is how reports reach planD, Blink, Crew Active or any other system that accepts webhooks. Empfango writes nothing there without this interface.
Brevo for enquiries and applicants
Empfango creates contact details from quote requests and applicant calls as a contact in a Brevo list. From there you send quote follow-ups or interview invitations without retyping.
Calendar for site visits and interviews
Empfango checks free slots in Google Calendar, Outlook, Cal.com or Calendly and books site visits for special cleaning or interview appointments with applicants directly in the call.
Empfango also works without LiteLog and without industry software. WhatsApp, e-mail and the dashboard with transcript and summary are included in every plan.
Sick call at 5:40 a.m.: what happens today and what Empfango changes
In commercial cleaning, the site manager often starts the day with several phone calls because sick reports come in between 5 and 7 a.m. and cover has to be found. Sick leave in the industry tops all occupational groups at around 29 days per year, and 71.3% of companies reported a rise in sick leave in the BIV autumn survey 2024. Every sick call that lands on voicemail or gets lost in a group WhatsApp costs time in the morning that is missing on site.
Empfango takes the sick call as soon as it comes in. It captures name, callback number, site or route, the affected shift and the expected length of absence. After the call, a summary goes to the responsible site manager via WhatsApp, and optionally by e-mail to the office. Planning cover stays with the site manager. But he starts with a list instead of a ringing phone.
Complaints work the same way: when a client reports a bin that was not emptied or a dirty washroom, Empfango captures site, area, description, urgency and callback number. Transcript and summary are in the dashboard. That documents when the complaint came in and what was reported before anyone drives to the site. If you use LiteLog, the report lands directly in the LiteLog portal under the site.
Applicants are a caller group of their own in this industry: around 48,000 positions are unfilled, and many candidates call in the evening or at the weekend. Empfango answers questions about open positions from your knowledge base, captures contact details and, if wanted, books an interview appointment in your calendar. Sales calls and suppliers are not put through; Empfango notes a callback request instead.
Urgent calls are forwarded by Empfango to a stored number, for example the on-call person or the owner. If nobody picks up there, Empfango takes the request and announces a callback. What Empfango does not do: it does not schedule replacement staff and does not write into your scheduling software without a webhook. planD customers have an assistant with scheduling access in "Paula". For companies without planD, which is the large majority of the 34,824 cleaning companies in Germany, Empfango is the route without changing systems.
Data protection for sick calls and employee data
A sick report is health data under Art. 9 GDPR and therefore specially protected. Empfango processes it as a processor for your company on the basis of the employment relationship (Section 26 BDSG), and a data processing agreement is included in every plan. Speech processing runs via Azure OpenAI in the EU region and Deepgram in the EU; speech output via ElevenLabs is covered by a DPA. All sub-processors are listed in the privacy policy.
For a sick call, Empfango only records that someone is absent and for how long, not why. No diagnosis is requested, and if a caller volunteers the reason, it is not pursued. Audio recordings are not stored permanently by default; what remains is transcript and summary in the dashboard. That is data minimisation under Art. 5 GDPR, implemented in the call flow itself.
Every call starts with a fixed notice that an AI assistant is speaking and whether the call is being recorded. This wording is stored in the system, is not generated by the language model and meets the disclosure duty under Art. 50 EU AI Act as well as the requirements of Section 201 of the German Criminal Code (StGB) and Art. 13 GDPR for informing about a recording.
What does it cost compared to an answering service?
Empfango costs from €99 per month as a fixed price with no overage. A human answering service with 24/7 availability charges a base fee plus a per-minute rate; at 300 call minutes per month that is around €500.
| Provider | Base price / month | Per-minute price | Included minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Die Telefonhelden, 24/7 package (industry page for cleaning companies incl. sick call coordination) | from €199 per month | €0.99 per call minute, 3-month minimum term | – |
| Empfango Solo | 99 € | €0 (flat rate) | 1.000 min. included |
| Empfango Start | 249 € | €0 (flat rate) | 2.500 min. included |
| Empfango Pro | 449 € | €0 (flat rate) | 5.000 min. included |
| Empfango Verbund | from 899 € | €0 (flat rate) | unlimited |
Both models answer calls around the clock. The difference: with the answering service the bill grows with every minute, with Empfango the price stays the same and every sick call arrives structured with a transcript. All plans at /preise. All plans in detail
Set up in three steps
1. Enter sites, site managers and knowledge
In the dashboard you enter which sites and routes exist, which site manager is responsible for what, and what Empfango should know about services, open positions and office hours.
2. Set up call forwarding
You forward your existing number to Empfango: permanently, only from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., or only when nobody answers. You set up forwarding with your phone provider or in your phone system, with no new number.
3. Test call and check channels
You call yourself, report sick as a test and check that the WhatsApp reaches the right site manager. Then you adjust questions, forwarding and recipients as often as you like.
Common questions from commercial cleaning
Empfango asks for name, site or route, affected shift and expected duration and confirms the report to the caller. The summary goes immediately to the responsible site manager via WhatsApp or e-mail, and transcript and summary are in the dashboard.
No. Empfango only records that someone is absent and for how long, not the diagnosis. If a caller volunteers the reason, there is no follow-up question. This keeps the processing of health data to the minimum.
No. Empfango captures the sick call and passes it on. Who steps in is decided by your site manager as before, just with all details at a glance instead of after three phone calls. An automatic cover request is not part of Empfango.
Yes. Empfango speaks German, English, Russian and Ukrainian and detects the caller's language automatically.
Empfango captures site, affected area, description, urgency and callback number and forwards the complaint as a case to the responsible site management. With LiteLog, the report lands directly in the portal under the site; without LiteLog it arrives via WhatsApp, e-mail or webhook.
No. Without an on-site visit, Empfango quotes no prices. It captures property type, area, requested service and preferred date and announces a quote or a callback.
No. Empfango works with your existing phone number and without scheduling software. Reports arrive via WhatsApp, e-mail or webhook. If you use planD, its assistant "Paula" is an alternative with scheduling access. You will find a factual comparison on our planD Paula alternative page.
No. You forward calls to Empfango: permanently, only outside office hours or only when nobody answers. You set up call forwarding with your phone provider in a few minutes.
Every call starts with a fixed notice that an AI assistant is speaking and whether the call is being recorded. This wording is not generated by the language model and cannot be switched off.
Empfango costs from €99 per month as a fixed price with no overage, cancellable monthly. For comparison: a human 24/7 phone answering service starts at around €199 per month plus about €1 per minute. All plans are on the pricing page.
