Steps
- Get a business number. In Settings, open Phone and choose Get a business number. You can ask for an area code.
- Put it everywhere. Use the business number on your truck, your website and your Google listing, so every new caller reaches it.
- Turn on missed-call text-back. On the same Phone page, switch on Missed-call text-back.
- Write the message. Start from the trade's message under What they get, and change it to sound like you. Say who you are and ask what the caller needs, or invite a photo for a quick price range.
- Block the numbers that should never get a text. Add vendors, robocallers and family to the Block list. Blocked numbers never get a text from the business.
What happens when I miss a call?
The caller gets a text from your business number within a minute. It goes out when a call rings out and when the caller leaves a voicemail, because most people who reach voicemail hang up and call the next shop.
Someone who keeps calling gets one text, not one per call. Their reply lands in your inbox in one thread with them, so you can pick it up between jobs.
What should the message say?
Short and specific beats clever. Say who you are, say why you missed the call, and ask one question. The starting message reads like this, with your shop’s name in it:
Hi, this is Ridgeline Plumbing. Sorry we missed your call, we’re probably on a job. What can we help with? Reply here and we’ll get you sorted, or send a photo of the problem for a quick price range.
Inviting a photo matters. A customer who sends one is serious, and the photo is what the assistant drafts a price range from.
Who never gets a text?
Numbers on your block list, and anyone who has replied STOP. A blocked number stays blocked until you remove it.