You're on a job.
You're up a ladder, under a sink, driving between jobs, or just trying to get five minutes to yourself.
Then your phone rings.
You can't answer it.
No big deal, right?
Actually, it could be costing you work.
The person calling might be looking for a roofer, plumber, electrician, landscaper, builder or another tradesman.
If you don't answer, there's a good chance they'll call someone else.
And once they've booked someone else, you've lost the job.
Missing Calls Is Part of Running a Trade
Nobody can answer the phone every time.
That's just the reality of being a tradesman.
You're not going to stop halfway through a job because your phone is ringing.
The problem isn't missing the call.
The problem is what happens after you miss it.
Most of the time, the customer gets your voicemail.
They might leave a message.
They might not.
Then you get busy, forget to call them back, or call them back hours later when they've already found someone else.
That's where you lose the work.
What If Your Missed Call Got a Text Straight Away?
This is where missed call text back comes in.
When someone calls your business and you can't answer, they automatically get a text from your business.
Something simple like:
Hi, thanks for calling. Sorry we missed you. We're probably on a job at the moment. Reply to this text and let us know what you need and we'll get back to you.
That's it.
You haven't answered the phone, but you've still made contact.
The customer knows you haven't ignored them.
More importantly, you've given them an easy way to get in touch.
You're Still Busy. The Customer Just Knows You're On It
This isn't about replacing you.
You still need to speak to the customer.
You still need to price the job, visit the property and do the work.
The text just buys you some time.
Instead of the customer thinking:
They didn't answer. I'll try someone else.
They're thinking:
They've got my message. They'll get back to me.
That small difference can save you jobs.
Here's How It Works
It's pretty simple.
- A customer calls your business.
- You're busy and can't answer.
- They automatically receive a text.
- They reply with what they need.
- You get the message and call them back when you're free.
Now you've got the customer's name, number and what they need.
You haven't had to stop working.
You haven't had to answer the phone halfway through a job.
And you haven't left the customer wondering if you'll ever call them back.
What Happens If You Don't Have It?
Let's say you're a roofer.
Someone has a leak and needs someone to take a look.
They call you.
You're on another roof, so you don't answer.
They wait a few minutes.
Then they call another roofer.
The second roofer answers.
They get the job.
You paid for your website, advertising, Google listing or whatever else brought that customer to you.
But because you couldn't answer one phone call, someone else got the work.
That happens every day.
You Don't Need to Answer Every Call
This is the important bit.
I'm not saying you need to sit next to your phone all day.
You can't.
You've got work to do.
What you need is a way of making sure the people who call you don't disappear just because you were busy for five minutes.
A missed call text back does exactly that.
It gives the customer an immediate response and gives you the chance to follow up when you're available.
It's Simple, But It Can Make a Big Difference
You don't need some complicated system that takes hours to set up.
You just need something that works in the background.
- Someone calls.
- You miss it.
- They get a text.
- They reply.
- You follow up.
Simple.
And if you're already spending money getting the phone to ring, it makes sense to do everything you can to make sure those calls don't go to waste.
Stop Losing Jobs Because You're Busy
Being busy is a good thing.
It means you're working.
But being too busy to answer the phone shouldn't mean you're losing the next job.
You can't answer every call.
But you can make sure every missed call gets a response.
That's what missed call text back is for.
It keeps the conversation going until you can get back to the customer.
And sometimes, that simple text is the difference between getting the job and watching it go to someone else.
