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Start with a text
When a call goes unanswered, the caller instantly gets a text from your business, so they have an easy way to tell you what they need. Texts send once your SMS registration is approved.
Missed call text back
Missed Call Text Back
Missed call text back automatically texts a caller when you miss their call, so the conversation continues by text instead of ending at voicemail. With Auto-Respond, the AI then asks what they need, collects the job details and offers a time when scheduling is on, while you finish the job in front of you.
7 days to try it Cancel anytime
Connect and test your business number to confirm your missed-call text flow.
Inside Auto-Respond Product walkthrough
Inquiry Conversation Next step
24/7missed-call response coverage
Your rulesservices, pricing, and instructions
7 daysto try it with your business
One platform. The channels you already use.
Keep doing what you do best
A missed call can still have a next step.
Make it easy for a customer to explain the job by text when you cannot pick up.
02
Get the job details
Use your questions to collect the service needed, location, and timing over text.
03
Make the next step clear
Offer available appointments when scheduling is enabled and keep the conversation ready for your team.
How missed call text back works, step by step
A missed call usually ends one of two ways: the caller leaves a voicemail you return hours later, or they hang up and call someone else. Missed call text back adds a third ending, a text conversation that starts while they still have their phone in hand.
- A call to your connected number goes unanswered. You are on a job, on another call, or closed.
- The caller gets a text from your SMS sender number: either the welcome message you wrote, or one the AI writes from your business details.
- The AI keeps the conversation going when they reply: what the job is, where, and how soon, for up to five or up to ten messages depending on the conversation length you choose.
- It offers a time when appointment scheduling is on, and you see the whole thread with the job details in your inbox.
- If they go quiet, the AI can send one to three follow-up texts, and stops the moment they reply or opt out.
You cannot pick up
A missed call triggers the configured text response. The customer can tell you what they need without waiting for you to work through a callback list.
You are ready to take over
Review the message thread and collected job details. Your team has the context to continue the conversation when you are available.
What should a missed call text back message say?
The first text has one job: get a reply. People reply to texts that are short, clearly from a business they just called, and easy to answer. Four rules cover most of it:
- Name your business first, so the text is not mistaken for spam.
- Say you missed their call, so they know why you are texting.
- Ask one easy question, usually "what can we help with?"
- Fit one SMS: a written welcome message is limited to 160 plain characters (no emoji), and it should include how to opt out.
Templates you can adapt (replace the brackets)
Everyday: "Hi, it's [Business]. Sorry we missed your call! What can we help you with? Reply here and we'll take it from there. Reply STOP to opt out."
After hours: "Thanks for calling [Business]. We're closed right now, but tell us what you need and we'll get you booked. Reply STOP to opt out."
Job-specific: "[Business] here, sorry we missed you. Is this about a repair or a new install? Send the address and we'll find a time. Reply STOP to opt out."
With the AI writing the welcome instead, it follows the same instructions and business details you set for every channel, and its texts are kept short to fit the format.
Missed call text back or an AI that answers the call?
Both stop a missed call from becoming a lost job; they suit different callers. Many businesses use the text when they cannot pick up and keep the phone line for the calls they can.
| Missed call text back | AI answering the call | |
|---|---|---|
| What the caller gets | A text right after the missed call, then a conversation by text | A voice answer instead of voicemail |
| Best for | Callers who are happy to text, quotes, scheduling, non-urgent jobs | Urgent calls, callers who want to talk, detailed questions |
| What you see | The text thread and the details collected | Recording, transcript and call summary |
| Needs | A voice agent number and the SMS Messaging add-on, with registration approved | A voice agent number and a forwarding rule |
If most of your missed calls are urgent, start with the AI answering service. If your callers mostly want a price or a time, a text is often the faster route to a booking.
Before the first text goes out: SMS registration and opt-outs
US carriers require businesses to register before they send texts to customers, so SMS Messaging starts with a one-time registration that the carriers review. Texts start sending once it is approved; until then the dashboard says so. Plan for it when you set up, rather than discovering it on your first missed call.
Opt-outs are handled for you. A reply of STOP, QUIT, END, REVOKE, OPT OUT, CANCEL or UNSUBSCRIBE suppresses the number right away, for texts and for outbound AI calls from your business, and every send and opt-out is recorded. The number texts come from is your chosen sender number, and replies to it continue the same conversation.
Who uses missed call text back?
Any business where the person who could answer the phone is busy doing the work: plumbers, electricians, HVAC and roofing contractors, cleaners and landscapers, and shops such as auto glass and window tint installers. The common thread is a caller who wants a quote or a time and would happily say so by text. Contractors will find a trade-specific walkthrough in missed call text back for contractors, and if your leads also come from marketplaces, see missed call text back for Yelp and Thumbtack leads.
What kinds of missed call text back services are there?
Missed call text back services come in three kinds: a phone system feature, a standalone texting app and a lead response platform. All three send the first text; how they handle the reply decides whether the call becomes a booked job.
| Kind | Sees the call through | After the first text | Fits when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone system feature | It is your phone system | Usually one fixed text; replies wait in its inbox | You answer texts yourself |
| Standalone texting app | Forwarding, or a number the app gives you | A fixed text or templates; you reply by hand | Calls are few and you reply within the hour |
| Lead response platform | Forwarding or a connected number | An AI conversation that qualifies the job and can book it | Work also comes from Yelp, Thumbtack, Google Local Services Ads, Facebook or Instagram |
Auto-Respond is the third kind. If you are on job sites all day, choose by how the reply is handled, since nobody is free to answer it by hand.
Questions to ask before you choose a service
Ask every option the same nine. This page answers them for Auto-Respond; the call forwarding guide covers keeping your number.
- Does it work with the number customers already call?
- Which number does the text come from, and can customers reply to it?
- Who handles US texting registration, and is its fee separate?
- Is the text fixed, or can it answer the customer's reply?
- Can it book into your calendar and update your CRM?
- What happens at night and on weekends?
- Does a STOP reply block both texts and calls?
- Is it priced per number, minute, text, contact or seat?
- When a caller needs to talk, can it answer the call too?
See the actual product
From setup to first response.
Watch the product walkthrough, then try it with your own business.
Recorded with a demo business. A walkthrough of the product, not a customer result.
Simple to start. Yours to control.
How do you set up missed call text back?
Start the SMS registration early, because texts send only after carriers approve it. The rest is your number, your message and your rules; the SMS Messaging guide covers each setting.
Set up my business- 01
Create your Auto-Respond account
Sign up and start the 7-day free trial. It covers missed call text back, multi-channel auto-response, and the AI voice agent.
- 02
Connect your business phone number
Link the number callers already dial - the one on your truck, cards, and lead profiles. No new number, no porting headache. Callers keep calling the same line.
- 03
Set your text-back message and trade
Pick your trade and pricing ranges. The AI writes a first message in your voice, or paste your own. This grounds every reply in your real services and service area.
- 04
Decide whether to add voice callback
Choose which leads get just a text and which get an AI voice callback on top. Typical triggers for a callback: high-value jobs, emergencies, or an explicit request to be called.
- 05
Set your booking and escalation rules
Connect your calendar so the AI can offer real open slots, and set which conversations escalate to your phone with full context attached.
- 06
Turn it on
The next call you miss gets a text instantly. Watch the first conversations land in your dashboard, tune anything that feels off, and leave it running.
Clarity for your team
Every missed caller becomes a conversation you can see.
The text thread, the job details the AI collected and the next step sit together, so whoever picks it up knows what the customer already said. These are real product screens from our demo business.
Know the price before you start
How much does missed call text back cost?
Missed call text back runs on an AI voice agent number at $10 a month per number plus $1 per minute of talk time, with the SMS Messaging add-on for the texts. No per-lead fees or contracts; the add-on and every channel are listed on the pricing page.
- Job-specific AI responses
- Business-specific instructions
- Lead conversations in one place
Missed call text back
$10/month per number
Plus $1 per minute of talk time. Texting uses the SMS Messaging add-on: $2/month plus a $20 one-time registration and carrier fees.
Start with a 7-day free trial.
See how it works for your business.
Start my free trial No setup fee. No long-term contract.A few things you might be wondering
Missed call text back questions
What the text says, when it sends and what it costs.
Explore the help centerHow does missed call text back work?
When a connected business call goes unanswered, the configured text-back flow sends a message to the caller. The AI can then ask qualifying questions and continue the conversation using your business information.
Can I choose what the text says?
Yes. Set the response instructions and business information the AI should use, including your services, service area, hours, and tone.
How do I respond to a missed call by text?
Right away, while they still have the phone in hand, and in one short message: say who you are, that you missed their call, and ask what they need, so they can reply without calling again. Keep it to one SMS (160 characters), add an opt-out line, and answer their reply with a next step such as a time to come out. Missed call text back sends that first message for you and lets the AI carry the conversation from there.
Does it work after hours?
The automated response flow can run outside staffed hours. Configure your after-hours instructions and test your business number before going live.
Can the conversation lead to an appointment?
Yes, when appointment scheduling is enabled and availability is configured. The AI can offer available times using your scheduling rules.
What happens if a caller replies STOP?
The number is suppressed for your business at once. Replies such as STOP, QUIT, END, REVOKE, OPT OUT, CANCEL or UNSUBSCRIBE block that number from further texts and from outbound AI calls, and the opt-out is recorded.
How much does missed call text back cost?
It runs on an AI voice agent number ($10 per month per number plus $1 per minute of talk time) with the SMS Messaging add-on for texting ($2 per month plus a $20 one-time registration and per-message carrier fees).
How can I tell whether it is helping?
Review missed calls, text replies, qualified inquiries, and booked jobs using your own business data. Compare the results with your previous response process.
Can I keep my business number?
Yes. You keep the number on your trucks and listings and forward its unanswered calls, with no porting: after a set number of rings (3 to 4 suits a team that answers most calls), or while you are on another call. VoIP systems set this in their admin console. Texts come from your chosen SMS sender number, so open them with your business name.
How fast does the text go out after a missed call?
The text goes out instantly when a call to your connected number goes unanswered, so it reaches the caller before they try someone else. Texts send only once your SMS registration is approved.
Why does business texting need registration in the US?
US carriers allow business texts from a standard 10-digit number (10DLC) only after the business and its texting purpose are registered and verified. A business cannot register directly with The Campaign Registry; its messaging provider registers for it, using details such as the legal business name, business type, registration ID, website, address, an authorized representative and sample messages.
Does missed call text back work for tint shops and auto glass shops?
Yes. When your installer is busy with a car and a call goes unanswered, the caller gets a text, and the AI asks the questions you set: the vehicle, which windows or what glass, and when they want it done. With scheduling on, it offers a time, and for mobile glass work it can weigh the estimated drive between job addresses. You see the whole thread in your inbox when you are free. Texts send once your SMS registration is approved.
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