Free Missed Call Text Back Template Generator

With the default inputs the generator writes, for example: "Hi, it's Mike at Sample Plumbing. Sorry I missed your call, I'm on a job right now. What can I help you with?" That's 109 characters, one SMS. Change the trade and the question changes with it; change the tone and you get a different set of four.

What should a missed-call text say?

A missed-call text should say who you are, that you saw the call, and ask one question the caller can answer in a few words. Everything else is optional. The caller just tried to reach a person, so the text has to read like it came from one.

How fast should you send it?

Send the text within a minute of the missed call, while the caller is still holding the phone and before they dial the next number on the list. That timing is why most shops automate it: a text you type from the truck after the job lands after they've already booked someone else.

• During the day: automatic, within seconds. Then reply yourself as soon as you're off the ladder.
• After hours: still send it right away, but use the after-hours version so they know when you'll respond. Don't promise a callback tonight unless someone is actually on call.
• Follow-ups: if they don't reply, one follow-up the next business morning is plenty. FCC rules bar telemarketing calls to homes before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m.; a reply to someone who just called you isn't telemarketing, but the same hours are a sensible limit for any follow-up you send.

If you want to see what slow responses cost in booked jobs, run your numbers in the speed to lead calculator and the missed call revenue calculator. For callers who do stay on the line, the voicemail greeting generator writes the message they hear before the beep.

Do you need permission to text someone who called you?

Texting back someone who just called your business about a job is a reply to their request, which is very different from sending marketing texts to a list. The rules still apply, though. The FCC says autodialed texts to a mobile phone need the owner's prior consent, that commercial texts need written consent, and that for informational texts consent may be oral.

• Keep it informational. The text should be about the call they just made. Coupons, seasonal promotions and "leave us a review" turn it into a marketing message, which raises the consent bar.
• Honor opt-outs. The FCC says consumers may opt out of any robotext "at any time and in any reasonable manner." If someone replies STOP, or "don't text me," stop.
• Register your texting number. US carriers require businesses that send texts from a regular 10-digit number through software to register a brand and campaign (called A2P 10DLC). Your texting provider handles the form; unregistered traffic can be filtered.
• Check your state. Some states add their own telemarketing and texting rules on top of the federal ones.

How long can a missed-call text be?

A single text holds 160 characters if every character is in the standard GSM-7 set, or 70 if even one character isn't. Longer messages get split into segments of 153 or 67 characters and stitched back together on the phone. Keep it to one segment and the caller gets one short, readable text.

Missed-call text examples by trade

The best first question is the one your office would ask first on the phone. It tells the caller you know the work, and the answer tells you whether to call back now or book for tomorrow.

Which tone should you choose?

• Friendly sounds like the owner texting from the truck. It fits residential service work, where callers are often hiring a person as much as a company.
• Professional fits commercial clients, property managers and larger shops with an office. It asks for the details a dispatcher needs and includes the opt-out line.
• Brief is for owners who reply fast anyway. It gets one question in front of the caller and nothing else.

Common missed-call text mistakes

1. No business name. "Sorry we missed you!" from an unknown number reads as spam or a scam.
2. Asking them to call back. They just tried that. Ask for a reply by text instead.
3. Promising what you can't deliver. "We'll call you in 5 minutes" at 11 p.m. sets up a second disappointment.
4. Adding a promotion. A discount code turns a helpful reply into a marketing text and changes the consent rules.
5. Going over 160 characters. The message gets split into segments, and a long text is easier to skim past than a short question.
6. Never reading the replies. The text only works if someone answers the thread. Route replies to whoever books jobs.

What happens after the caller replies?

Treat the reply like the start of the call you missed: answer their question, get the address, and book the visit or send the quote. If they don't book on the spot, follow up the same day. The estimate follow-up templates and appointment reminder texts cover the next messages in the thread, and the never miss a call guide shows how to cut down on missed calls in the first place.