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What to text when you miss a customer’s call
You cannot pick up on a roof or under a sink. A quick text back tells the caller you saw the call and gives them an easy way to keep going. CrewBuddy writes those texts. Your phone app or phone service sends any automatic one.
Text it like this
Fictional example.
Two kinds of text back
An automatic text back goes out from your phone service a few seconds after a call is missed. Many business phone apps and internet phone services offer it, so check the settings in the one you use. A personal text back is one you send after you hear the voicemail, answering what the caller actually said.
CrewBuddy does not see your calls and cannot send texts from your number, so it cannot be the automatic sender. What it can do is write the wording for the automatic reply once, and write each personal reply when you forward the missed call and voicemail. Your phone sends both.
Wording that works
Fictional example for the automatic reply, replace the brackets: “Sorry we missed your call. This is [company]. We are on a job right now. Reply with what you need and a good time to call, and we will get back to you today.” Name the business, keep it short, and only say “today” if you will really call today. Leave out prices, promotions and links.
For the personal reply, answer the voicemail. If they mentioned a leak, ask whether it is still wet. If they asked about a price, ask for the two details you need to give one. Then give a callback time you can keep. CrewBuddy drafts that message from your note and flags anything it assumed, like a time or a service area.
Why it is worth the setup
People who call a contractor often have a problem they want fixed soon, and if nobody answers they may try the next number. A text back does not replace calling them, but it buys you time to finish what you are doing. If you run Local Services Ads, Google also says missed calls may count against your responsiveness, which is one of the things it uses to order those ads.
Automatic texts are sent by software, and the FCC’s TCPA rules cover automated calls and texts. Keep the automatic reply about the call the person just made, and honor anyone who replies STOP. Your phone provider may also ask you to register your business before it lets you send texts from an app.
If you missed the call because you were already booked solid, say so kindly and offer a real date. The missed call reply recipe has the exact message to send CrewBuddy.
Sources: Local Services Ads Help: about ad rankings, FCC TCPA consent order (2024)
Set it up once
What to text when you miss a customer’s call, how automatic text-back works in phone apps, and what CrewBuddy does and does not do here.
- Write one short automatic reply and set it in your business phone app, if it offers text-back.
- Forward voicemails and missed calls to CrewBuddy for a personal reply.
- Call back at the time you said you would.