When you miss a call, a short text that says who you are and when you'll call back does most of the work. The caller knows they reached a real business and roughly how long to wait.
Below are six we'd send ourselves. They're examples, so change the words until they sound like you, fill in the brackets, and send them from your own cell. After that, we explain the one missed call text VettedCalls sends for you, and why it only goes to some callers.
Six missed call text reply samples
Example 1: you're on a job
Hi, this is [your name] with [business]. Sorry I missed your call, I'm on a job right now. I'll call you back by [time]. If it's easier, text me what you need.
Give a time you can keep. “By 4” is better than “soon” if 4 is real.
Example 2: after hours
Hi, [your name] at [business] here. We're closed for the day, but I saw your call. I'll call you tomorrow morning. If you'd rather send the details by text, go ahead.
Don't promise tonight unless you mean it.
Example 3: they left a voicemail
Thanks for the voicemail about [the job]. I've got it, and I'll call you [today / tomorrow] to talk it through.
Name what they asked about, so they know the message was heard.
Example 4: you need details first
Hi, this is [your name] with [business]. Sorry I missed you. So I can come prepared when I call back, could you text me the address and a quick description of what you need?
Use it when the first thing you'd ask on the phone is where and what.
Example 5: you called back and missed them
Tried you back just now and missed you. I'm free after [time] today, or text me a time that works better for you.
Offering a window keeps the two of you from trading missed calls all day.
Example 6: you can't take it on right now
Thanks for calling [business]. We're booked up through [date], and I didn't want to leave you waiting on an answer. If that timing works for you, reply and I'll call to set it up.
Say it early, so they can call someone else if they need to.
How to respond to a missed call by text
A good missed-call reply is built from four pieces. Not every text needs all four, but the examples above are some mix of them:
- Says who you are and the business name, since the caller may have called three places.
- Owns the missed call in a few words. No long apology.
- Gives a time, or a window, for the callback.
- Offers one easy next step, usually “text me what you need.”
Keep your two or three favorites in a note on your phone, so a reply is copy, paste and fill in the time. Leave prices and promises about the job out of it until you've talked. A text that quotes a number before you've heard the details is one you may have to walk back.
The text VettedCalls sends for you
You won't always have a free hand to type. So when a caller who pressed 1 doesn't reach you, we send them a missed call text that starts:
“[first name] at [business]: sorry I missed your call”
followed by a short reason, for example “on a job”, and the number you'll call back from.
A caller on a priority call never gets this text. They skip the press 1 question entirely, so they never agreed to texts, and the alert goes to you instead.
If the caller then leaves a voicemail, one more text follows once the message is in, under the same rule (they pressed 1):
“Got your message, thanks. [business] will be in touch soon.”
Why it only goes to callers who pressed 1
Every caller who gets through screening without a priority word hears this before they're connected:
“Press 1 to connect with [business] and receive informational text messages about your inquiry. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out. Or press 2 to connect without text messages.”
Pressing 1 connects the call and records the caller's consent to texts. Pressing 2 connects the call with no texts. So our text back goes to people who said yes, and nobody else. A caller who texts STOP gets no more texts from us, and texting START turns them back on.
When no text goes out
- You answered. The text back is only for calls you miss.
- The caller pressed 2.
- The call was a priority call. Those callers skip the press 1 question, so they're never texted.
- The caller is one of your saved contacts. No text goes either way, yours or theirs, though they can still leave a voicemail.
- You're on Receptionist and the AI receptionist answered the call you missed.
- The caller texted STOP at some point and hasn't texted START since.
What you get on your end
You get a text alert for every missed call that rang you, even if the caller pressed 2. If the same caller tries again within 10 minutes, those attempts send one alert, not one each. Priority calls always alert. If they leave a voicemail, you get the transcript by email too; the voicemail to text page has that sequence.
Writing back to the caller
The texts we send are automatic notices from your VettedCalls number, and that number isn't a texting inbox. When you want to say more, you write from your own cell, which is where the six examples above come in. If a caller texts your VettedCalls number, we forward it to your cell, one way, so you see it with your other messages and answer from your own number.
Missed-call texts to consenting callers are on every plan, Pro included. See the features page for the rest of what's included, or pricing for the plans.