How do I set up missed call text back?
Short answer
Turn on the automation that fires when a call to your business number goes unanswered. Within seconds the caller receives a text that names your business, apologizes for the miss, and asks one question. Replies land in your shared inbox, and an assistant can carry the conversation until someone is free.
Before you start
- Business calls routing through a number the platform can see.
- One sentence you want sent after a missed call.
- A booking link, if you want callers to schedule themselves.
- Someone or an assistant watching the inbox for replies.
Step by step
- 1
Route your calls through a trackable number
Either publish a platform number or forward your existing line so missed calls are detectable. Keep the number customers already know.
Nothing can respond to a missed call it never saw.
- 2
Define what counts as missed
No answer after a set number of rings, busy, or voicemail. Include after-hours calls, which are usually the largest slice.
The after-hours bucket is where most lost revenue lives.
- 3
Write the one message
Sorry we missed your call, this is the office at your business name, what can we help with? One sentence, your name in it, one question at the end.
A question gets a reply. A statement gets ignored.
- 4
Send it within sixty seconds
Immediate is best. The caller is still holding the phone and has not yet dialed the next company on the list.
A five-minute delay costs you the caller who kept dialing.
- 5
Add the booking link when it fits
For appointment-driven work, include a link so the caller can grab a slot instead of waiting for a callback.
Some callers would rather book at 9pm than talk to anyone.
- 6
Route replies into the shared inbox
Replies attach to the caller's record with the call history, so whoever picks it up sees the whole thread. Overnight and busy-hour replies can be covered by an AI assistant that answers questions and books appointments.
An instant text with nobody to answer the reply is worse than voicemail.
- 7
Create the opportunity and the callback task
Every missed call becomes a record with an owner and a next step, so it lands in the pipeline rather than a call log nobody reads.
Missed calls are leads. Treat them like leads.
- 8
Test it from your own phone twice
Once during business hours, once after close. Confirm the timing, the wording, and that the reply reaches a human.
A two-minute test that protects your busiest channel.
What good looks like
- Callers who could not reach you get a response within a minute.
- After-hours and busy-hour calls convert instead of evaporating.
- Every missed call becomes a record with an owner and a next step.
- You stop losing jobs to whoever answered on the second try.
Common mistakes
The ways this goes wrong in communication, and what to do instead.
A message with no question›
We will call you back ends the conversation. Ask what they need.
Do this instead: End every first text with one easy question the caller can answer in three words.
Nobody watching the replies›
The text creates an expectation of a fast answer. Cover it with a person, an assistant, or both.
Do this instead: Assign an owner and a response window for the shared inbox during business hours.
Excluding after-hours calls›
Nights and weekends are usually the biggest share of missed calls and the easiest to win.
Do this instead: Keep the automation running nights and weekends with wording that sets a callback expectation.
Sending from an unrecognizable number›
Text from the number they dialed and name your business in the first line, or it looks like spam.
Do this instead: Text from the same number people call, and open with your business name.
Frequently asked
6 questions about set up missed-call text-backRelated guides
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