Trial-stall checks for contractors on Housecall Pro

• Online Booking lets customers book from Google, a website or a direct link; booking preferences are flexible scheduling, fixed start times or manual booking, editable under Settings > Booking.^[6]
• If no slot fits, the customer can Send request, which "creates a Lead in your Job Inbox"; the page notes a lead is not a booking and still needs someone to reach out and schedule.^[6]
• After a customer confirms an online booking, the business gets a text and an email, and the customer gets a text and email with appointment details.^[6]

Where the numbers live

• With Manual scheduling, online bookings go to the schedule of the employee marked as the Point of Contact; with Auto-scheduling they go straight into the assigned employee's schedule.^[6]

• SMS job reminders are at Settings > Notifications > Customer and "will be toggled off by default"; the default send is 9:00 AM, 1 day before the job, with a 160-character limit.^[5]
• If a reminder went out in the last 12 hours, a new one won't send until that window passes, even after changing the send time.^[5]
• Each organization needs a custom SMS number and must complete registration before sending SMS, including job reminders; customers who opted out reply START to opt back in.^[5]

• "Webhooks is only available on the MAX plan"; enable it at My Apps > All Apps > All apps tab > Webhooks, toggle on, enter a URL and Save, after which a signing secret is returned.^[2]
• The help article lists 41 events across customer, estimate, invoice, job, job.appointment, lead and pro (e.g. customer.created, pro.created, invoice.paid).^[2]

• Customers and Jobs export from Customers or Jobs > Actions > Export; the CSV is emailed (check spam if it hasn't arrived within an hour).^[3]

• Import customers or jobs from Customers or Jobs > Actions > Import; accepted files are .csv, .tsv, .xls, .xlsx, .xml and .txt, plus Google Contacts, and "You do not need to modify your data to match a template."^[3]
• Only one sheet of a multi-sheet file is imported, unmapped columns "will be discarded", and child (sub-customer) accounts "will not be imported".^[3]
• "Only employees who are listed as Admins will have the ability to export the Customers and Jobs lists."^[3]
• Price Book: Settings > Price Book > Services or Materials tab > Upload file or Export (CSV emailed); Services need Industry, Category and Name, Materials need Category and Name; access needs Admin or Office Staff with the Update company account info permission.^[4]
• Pros on the MAX plan can have the Data Import team import Customers, Job History, Equipment and Price Book data; the basic transfer is free, extra fees may apply for multi-file exports.^[3][4]

• "API is available only to Pros on a MAX plan." Only Admin users can generate API Keys; Office staff cannot.^[1]
• Keys are created at My Apps > All Apps > API Key Management > Generate API Key, with Permissions set to Full access or Read-only.^[1]
• Deleting an API key will break any integration currently using it.^[1]

1. API and webhooks only on MAX

   Housecall Pro states API access and Webhooks are only for the MAX plan, so a contractor on a lower plan cannot give your trial an API key or event feed.^[1][2]

   Fix: Ask the plan on the first call and fall back to the Customers/Jobs/Price Book CSV exports for non-MAX accounts.

2. Office staff cannot create the key or export

   Only Admin users can generate API keys and only Admins can export the Customers and Jobs lists.^[1][3]

   Fix: Book the setup session with the Housecall Pro Admin, not the dispatcher.

3. Sub-customers and unmapped columns dropped

   Customer import skips child (sub-customer) accounts, imports only one sheet and discards unmapped columns.^[3]

   Fix: Flatten sub-customers and map every column before import, then compare row counts.

4. Reminders off until SMS is registered

   SMS job reminders are off by default and need a custom SMS number plus registration before any send; a 12-hour window blocks re-sends.^[5]

   Fix: Check Settings > Notifications > Customer and SMS registration before measuring no-shows.

5. Online 'Send request' is a lead, not a booking

   When no slot fits, Send request creates a Lead in the Job Inbox, not a booking; someone still has to reach out and schedule the job.^[6][2]

   Fix: Watch lead.created and time the first reply on those leads.

Housecall Pro's own documentation, read on 9 November 2026. Products change menus, plans and limits; if your account shows something different, your account wins.

1. API Overview
2. How to Enable Webhooks
3. How to Import & Export Jobs and Customers
4. Price Book: Import or Export Services and Materials
5. Setting Up SMS Job Reminders
6. Online Booking Overview