Missed-Call Text-Back

A caller who hits voicemail is usually calling the next business on the list within two minutes. A text that lands in those two minutes keeps you in the running; the goal of the first message is not to close the job — it's to stop the next dial.

Step 1 — Intake

• Business type and the #1 reason people call (book, quote, emergency, question)
• Business hours, and whether anyone monitors texts after hours
• Booking link or quote form URL, if one exists
• Phone system: does it support auto-text on missed calls (most VoIP and tools like a business-texting platform do), or will a human send these manually?
• Is the caller base mostly new leads, existing customers, or both?

Step 2 — First-message rules

• Send within 5 minutes. At 30+ minutes the caller has usually committed elsewhere; still send it — some haven't.
• Name the business and a real first name. "It's Dan at Ridgeline Plumbing" outperforms "Thank you for contacting Ridgeline."
• Acknowledge the miss without groveling: "Sorry we missed you" once, no double apology.
• Ask the one question that starts the job: for trades, "What's going on and what town are you in?" For salons/dental, offer the booking link. For restaurants, hours/reservation info.
• Keep it under ~300 characters (two SMS segments). One question, not three.
• A booking link belongs in the first message only when booking is obviously why they called; otherwise ask the question first — replies start conversations, links end them.

Step 3 — Build the flow, not just the message

During hours (someone can take over):

1. T+2 min: text-back with the opener question.
2. On reply: a human takes over within 5 minutes. The auto-text buys time; a bot-feeling thread loses the job.
3. T+1 hour, no reply: one nudge — "Still happy to help if you need us — want me to call you back?"
4. Next morning, no reply: final touch, then stop. "If you got sorted elsewhere, no worries at all. We're at [number] if anything comes up."

After hours:

1. Immediate: set expectations honestly — "It's after hours at [business], but I still get these. What's going on?" For emergency trades, include the emergency option: "If it's urgent (burst pipe, no heat), reply URGENT and I'll call you."
2. 8 a.m. next day: "Morning — following up on your call last night. Want me to get you on today's schedule?"

Voicemail left vs. no voicemail: if they left one, reference it ("Got your voicemail about the water heater — few quick questions") and skip the generic opener. No voicemail = assume high shopping intent, lead with the question.

Known customer: drop the business intro, keep the name. "Hey Sarah, it's Dan — saw we missed you. Everything okay with the furnace?"

Industry-specific script sets (trades, salon, dental, restaurant, auto) are in references/scripts.md.

Step 4 — Deliver

**Flow:** After-hours missed call — new lead, emergency-capable trade

T+0 (auto):   [message]
On URGENT:    [human calls; holding text if delayed]
8:00 AM:      [message]
+1 day:       [final message]

**Handoff rule:** [who takes over, within how many minutes]
**Setup note:** [how to wire this into their phone system, if asked]

Compliance (one paragraph, not a law degree)

Texting back someone who just called you is a reply, not marketing — but always honor STOP immediately, identify the business in the first message, and if using a texting platform with a new number, complete its A2P 10DLC registration or messages will silently fail. Don't add missed callers to marketing lists without separate consent.

What not to do

• Don't send "Your call is important to us." It's the sound of a company that won't call back.
• Don't ask for details they already left in a voicemail.
• Don't send more than 3 messages total without a reply.
• Don't let an auto-text promise something no one will honor ("we'll call you right back" at 11 p.m.).

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