Templates
Missed call text back templates
Copy these, swap in your details, and send. Each one comes with the reason it is worded that way, because a template copied without its reasoning gets edited into something worse.
How to use these templates
Highlighted fields, like {business} and {price}, are yours to fill in. Keep everything else short. The rules behind all of them fit in one line: name the business, ask one question, promise only what you will do every time, keep promotions out, and say how to opt out in the first message.
If you are new to the idea, start with what missed call text back is and how to set it up. If you are choosing a tool to send these, see the software comparison.
First replies
The message that goes out when the call ends. These are written for any business; the trade examples further down change only the first question.
Hi, it's {name} at {business}. Sorry I missed your call, I'm with a customer. Text me what you need and your address, and I'll reply with a price and the next opening. Reply STOP to opt out.
Names the business, asks for the two things you need to quote, and says what comes back. One request, not a questionnaire.
Thanks for calling {business}. We're closed until {opening time}. Text us what you need and an answer will be waiting first thing. If it can't wait, reply URGENT. Reply STOP to opt out.
Sets an honest expectation instead of implying someone is about to call, and gives emergencies a way through without promising a callback you may not make.
Is this urgent? Reply YES and {name} will call you back within {minutes} minutes. If not, text what you need and we'll answer by {time}.
Splits emergencies from enquiries in one question. Only promise a number of minutes you can keep every time, including weekends.
{service} is {price} for {scope}, and that includes {inclusion}. Our next opening is {next opening}. Want me to hold it for you?
This is the reply most tools never send: the actual answer, drawn from your price list, followed by one next step. If the price is not written down, do not let anything guess it.
We can do {slot 1} or {slot 2}. Reply 1 or 2 and it's booked, and you'll get a confirmation text.
Two real options beat a booking link on a phone screen. Offer only times your calendar actually has.
Hi {first name}, sorry we missed you. Is this about {last job}, or something new?
Recognising someone is the cheapest trust you can earn. It only works if the reply is drawn from your own records, never a guess.
Thanks for calling {business}. We don't do {request}, but {referral} does. Sorry we couldn't help this time.
A fast, honest no is remembered. It ends the thread cleanly instead of leaving a stranger waiting on a reply that will never be useful.
Follow-up messages
For when the first text did not end the conversation. One follow-up is helpful. A string of them is a campaign, and campaigns sit under stricter consent rules than replies do.
Hi, it's {business} again. Still happy to help with {need}. Text back whenever suits you.
One gentle nudge, no pressure, no offer. If this one goes unanswered too, stop: a third unprompted text is where a reply starts to feel like a campaign.
Got your voicemail, thanks. {answer or next step}. I'll {next action} by {time}.
Proves someone listened, and answers in writing so they do not have to call again to hear it.
Sorry, two missed calls in a row, we're mid-job. {name} will call you at {time}, or text here and we'll answer faster.
Repeated calls usually mean urgency. Acknowledge both and give a fixed time, not a vague soon.
Tried you back at {time}. Text here whenever, it's the quickest way to reach us today.
Ends phone tag by moving the conversation to the channel that does not need both of you free at once.
Missed call text back examples by trade
The structure stays the same in every trade. What changes is the first thing you need to know: whether it is an emergency, or the one or two details a price depends on.
Hi, {business} here, sorry we missed you. Is water leaking right now? Reply YES and we'll call straight back. Otherwise text what's happening and your address. Reply STOP to opt out.
A live leak and a slow drain are different jobs on different clocks. One question sorts them.
Hi, {business} here, sorry we missed you. Is anything sparking, hot to the touch or smelling of burning? Reply YES and we'll call you right back. If there's smoke or fire, call 911 first. Reply STOP to opt out.
Safety first, stated plainly. Everything that is not a hazard can wait for a normal reply.
Hi, {business} here, sorry we missed you. Is your heating or cooling completely out? Reply YES and we'll call straight back. Otherwise text what's going on and we'll reply with the next opening. Reply STOP to opt out.
No heat in January is an emergency; a tune-up price is not. The reply has to tell them apart before it says anything else.
Hi, {business} here, sorry we missed you. Is water coming in right now? Reply YES and we'll call you back today. Otherwise text your address and we'll book an inspection. Reply STOP to opt out.
Active leaks after a storm are time-critical; everything else is an inspection booking.
Hi, {business} here, sorry we missed you. How many bedrooms and bathrooms, and is it one-time or recurring? We'll text you a price. Reply STOP to opt out.
Those two answers are usually all a quote needs, so ask for them and nothing else.
Hi, {business} here, sorry we missed you. What's the make, model and year, and which windows or service are you after? We'll text a price and our next opening. Reply STOP to opt out.
Price depends on the vehicle and the job, so ask for exactly that and promise the number back.
Hi, {business} here, sorry we missed you, we're with a client. What service are you after, and which day suits you? We'll text back the openings. Reply STOP to opt out.
People calling a salon want a time. Ask for the service and the day, and answer with real openings.
Hi, {business} here, sorry we missed you. What's your moving date and the from and to zip codes? We'll text back an estimate. Reply STOP to opt out.
Date and distance drive the price. Ask for both in one message.
Not on the list? Ask yourself what you would ask first if you picked up the phone, and put that question in the text.
Questions people ask
How long should a missed call text be?
Short enough to read at a glance, and ideally inside one text message. A standard SMS holds 160 plain characters; longer messages are split into segments, and each segment is billed. Emoji and some special characters shrink that limit, so plain wording goes further.
Should the first text include opt-out wording?
Yes. Messaging providers and carriers generally expect the first message in a conversation to name the business and say how to stop. It costs a few characters and it is the cheapest compliance you will ever buy.
Should I include a booking link?
Only when the caller is ready to book. A link in the very first message reads as a brush-off to someone who called with a question, and link-heavy texts are more likely to be filtered. Answer first, then offer the link or two real times.
Can these templates be sent automatically?
The first acknowledgement often is. The replies that answer a question are safer drafted and approved, because they quote prices and promise times, and a wrong price sent automatically is still your price.
Templates acknowledge the call. The reply that wins the job answers the question, with your real price and your next opening. Find out how often that answer is going out late today.
Book a $400 auditTwo weeks of measurement on your real inbox. If the numbers say you do not have this problem, we will tell you and stop there.