How it works

From unfinished roofing call to accountable recovery.

The connected phone system remains authoritative for calls and messages. Your office remains in control of available times and the company schedule.

Version how-it-works-2026-08-v5. This surface describes the implemented product boundary.

1. Connect and certify your phone system

Choose the system that handles your company calls and authorize the exact provider account and number. Spillway runs a small, read-only certification handshake before payment. Only an account with the required call, content, number, messaging, and event access can continue.

2. Get a clear certification result

The free handshake checks only the smallest harmless provider facts needed to determine whether Spillway can operate: account identity, the selected business number, completed-call and content access, messaging readiness, and event-route readiness. It does not import the historical recovery backlog, run AI analysis, prepare homeowner follow-ups, or send a message.

3. Activate Spillway for $299

Only a GREEN provider certification exposes payment. The $299 activation starts Spillway and securely retains the contractor-authorized payment method. Only the signed Stripe webhook—not the browser return—authorizes historical recovery import, AI analysis, prepared follow-ups, homeowner messaging, and recovery on future eligible calls. If the call system cannot send and receive business messages, the contractor can connect a supported separate messaging provider or save progress while messaging is enabled.

4. Spillway begins recovery

After signed activation, Spillway imports the available recent call history, evaluates only legitimate roofing calls that ended without an inspection booked, and prepares and sends follow-ups only when every contactability, suppression, quiet-hours, and messaging gate passes. New eligible calls then follow the same bounded recovery path.

5. Your office supplies available times

When a homeowner is ready to schedule, Spillway emails the contractor for available times. Spillway offers only those times to the homeowner. It does not connect to another business system or write to the company schedule.

6. The recurring clock starts after the first recovered inspection

When the homeowner accepts a time, Spillway delivers the final inspection confirmation and emails the contractor to place it on the schedule. That first authoritative qualifying recovery creates no charge and establishes the recurring anchor. The next $299 is due exactly 30 days after the recovery timestamp, then every 30 days. We expect the first recovery within 10 days; if it takes longer, Spillway keeps working at no additional charge until it happens. Setup, elapsed time, message attempts, replies, and unconfirmed time suggestions do not start billing.