The four rules
Almost every automatic text that fails does so for one of four reasons. Get these right and the wording barely matters.
- Say who you are in the first four words. The caller has just rung a number they found thirty seconds ago and does not have you saved. An unattributed text from an unknown number reads as spam and gets deleted without being finished.
- Give a reason. "I’m on a job" or "we’re with a client" does more work than any apology, because it tells the caller the silence was not about them and that you are a real business doing real work.
- Ask exactly one question. Two questions halve your reply rate. If you need the suburb and the job, phrase it as one thing to send: "what you need and what suburb you’re in".
- Give them a way to flag urgency. One word they can reply with — URGENT, PAIN, LOCKED OUT — sorts your callbacks for you and costs the caller nothing.
Length matters less than people think, but staying under about 160 characters keeps it as one message on most handsets, which looks cleaner.
Templates you can copy
Replace the name and trade and use them as they are. Each one has been written to fit the rules above.
Hi, it’s [NAME] from [BUSINESS] — I’m on a job and can’t pick up. Text me what you need and your suburb and I’ll come back to you today.
It’s [NAME] from [BUSINESS], hands full on a job. Text me what’s happening and the suburb. If it’s urgent, reply URGENT and I’ll ring you first.
It’s [NAME] from [BUSINESS] — can’t answer right now. Send me a photo of the problem and your suburb and I’ll tell you what’s involved this afternoon.
It’s [NAME] from [BUSINESS]. I’m booked about [TIME] out at the moment. If that works, text me what you need and I’ll get you in the book.
It’s [PRACTICE] — sorry we missed you, reception is with a patient. Text us what you need and when suits and we’ll call you back shortly.
It’s the team at [BUSINESS] — we’re with clients and couldn’t grab the phone. Text us what you’re after and a day that suits and we’ll lock it in.
It’s [BUSINESS] — we’re closed for the day. Text us what you need and we’ll get back to you first thing tomorrow. For emergencies reply URGENT.
It’s [NAME] from [BUSINESS]. I’m done for the day but text me what you need and I’ll call you in the morning. I don’t do after-hours call-outs, sorry.
It’s [NAME] from [BUSINESS] — on the tools, can’t answer. Text me the address and roughly what you’re after and I’ll book a time to come and price it.
It’s [NAME] from [BUSINESS]. I’m on a job — text me your suburb and what you need. I cover [AREA], so let me know where you are first.
It’s [NAME] from [BUSINESS] — not working today. Text me what you need and I’ll sort you out Monday morning, you’ll be first on the list.
It’s [BUSINESS] — both of us are on jobs. Text us what you need and your suburb and whoever’s closest will get back to you today.
What not to write
- "Sorry we missed your call." On its own it says nothing and asks nothing. It is the auto-reply equivalent of a shrug.
- "Your call is important to us." Nobody has ever believed this sentence.
- Three questions in a row. Every additional question is a reason to reply later, and later means never.
- A link as the first thing. An unfamiliar number sending an unexplained link is exactly what a scam looks like, and plenty of people will not tap it. Introduce yourself first; put the link in the second message if you need one.
- All caps or exclamation marks. It reads as marketing, and marketing from an unknown number gets deleted.
- A promise of a time you will not keep. "I’ll call you in 5 minutes" is worse than "I’ll come back to you today" if there is any chance you will not.
Tuning it after a fortnight
Run one message for two weeks and read what people send back. The replies tell you what to change more reliably than any advice.
If people are replying with detail you did not ask for, ask for it — they are telling you what they came to say. If people are replying with a single word, your question was too broad. If nobody is replying at all, check the first four words; almost always the message does not say clearly enough who it is from.
One change at a time, two weeks apart. Changing three things at once tells you nothing about which one worked.
Written by the team at Kryon. We sell a missed-call text-back service, which is a conflict of interest worth stating outright — so where a guide would be improved by telling you not to buy anything, it does.