How it works
The short version: a customer rings, nobody can get to the phone, and within seconds they get a text asking what they need. Below is every step of that, and every step of getting set up, in plain English.
What happens when a call is missed
All of this happens on its own. Nobody has to remember to do anything.
- 0:00
The phone rings and nobody picks up
You are under a sink, on a ladder, or driving. Your phone rings the way it always has. When you cannot get to it, the call forwards to your local number instead of dying in voicemail.
- 0:08
They get a text asking what they need
Not an apology — a question. “Sorry we missed your call. What do you need help with, and whereabouts are you?” A question gets an answer; an apology gets ignored. The text comes from the number they just dialled, so it looks like you, because it is you.
- 0:30
They reply, usually while still holding the phone
This is the whole point. Most people who reach a voicemail do not leave one — they press back and ring the next business in the search results. A text that lands before they do that keeps the job with you.
- 0:31
Urgent words are spotted immediately
“No heat.” “Water everywhere.” “Gas smell.” If the message contains words that matter in your trade, the lead is marked urgent straight away and pushed to the top of your list.
- 0:31
Any scheduled follow-up stops
The moment somebody replies, every queued message for them is cancelled — including ones already waiting to send in the morning. Nobody gets chased by software after they have answered a person.
- 0:32
You get an email, and the lead appears in your list
Their words, their number, and a link straight to the conversation. You reply when you are off the roof.
- Later
They book, or you call them back
They can pick a time themselves on your booking page, or you ring them. Either way it lands in the same list, and the job stops being a missed call.
Getting set up
About a week start to finish, and roughly twenty minutes of it is yours. We do the rest.
- 1
We ring your line and see what happens now
Before anything is installed we call your business after hours and write down what a customer gets today. Usually that is a voicemail nobody checks. This is the free missed-call audit, and it costs you nothing whether you buy or not.
- 2
You get a local number in your area code
We give you a phone number that looks like it belongs to your business, because it does. This is the number that goes on your Google listing and your van. It rings your existing phone exactly as it rings today.
- 3
Your provider forwards unanswered calls to it
One setting with your phone company. Calls you answer are untouched. Calls you do not answer come to us, so we know a customer tried to reach you and did not get through.
- 4
We register your business with the mobile carriers
American carriers require every business that sends texts to be registered, or the messages are silently filtered and never arrive. We do this paperwork for you. It takes a few days and is the reason texts from us actually get delivered.
- 5
We write your messages and you approve them
We draft the wording for your trade — what a plumber says is not what a salon says — and you read every word before anything goes out. Change anything that does not sound like you. Nothing sends until you switch it on.
- 6
You get a booking page, if you want one
A page showing only times you are actually free, based on your opening hours and what is already in the diary. Customers pick a slot themselves. If you already use Calendly or Housecall, we use yours instead.
What it will never do
The things people worry about, and why they cannot happen.
Text someone at three in the morning
Outgoing messages are held outside your business hours and released when you open. A reply coming in is never blocked — only messages going out wait.
Quote a price
Any message containing a price is refused before it sends. Prices change, jobs vary, and software should not commit you to a number it cannot see.
Promise a time you have not agreed
Messages that commit to arriving at a particular time are blocked the same way. Nothing here can see your van.
Keep texting someone who asked it to stop
Reply STOP and it stops immediately and permanently. Anything already queued is cancelled rather than sent, and a later enquiry from the same person will not restart it.
Send a message with a blank in it
If a message would go out reading “Hi {'{'}first name{'}'}” it is refused instead. A broken message tells your customer your supplier is running broken software.
Chase someone who already replied
A reply cancels every follow-up scheduled for that person, on the spot.
Questions we get asked
- Does anything change about my phone?
- No. Your existing line, handset and voicemail all stay exactly as they are. The only change is a forwarding rule your phone provider sets up, which sends calls you do not answer to a local number we give you. Your phone still rings first, every time.
- What if I answer the call?
- Nothing happens. No text is sent, nothing is logged as missed, and the customer never knows the system exists. It only acts on calls that go unanswered.
- What if the customer texts back at 11pm?
- Their message arrives and is waiting for you in the morning. Nothing you send goes out overnight — outgoing texts are held outside your business hours and released when you open. Replies coming in are never blocked.
- Can I take over the conversation myself?
- Yes, and it happens automatically. The moment a customer replies, every scheduled follow-up for that person stops. Nobody gets chased by software after they have already answered a human.
- How long does setup take?
- About a week, and roughly twenty minutes of it is yours. Registering your business with the mobile carriers takes a few days and we handle it. We write your messages, you read them and change anything that does not sound like you, and then it goes live.
- What happens if I want to stop?
- You remove the forwarding rule and your phone is exactly as it was before. There is no contract and no minimum term, and we export your leads and message history to you at no charge.
Still easier to just ask?
Ring us and we will talk it through in ten minutes. If it is not right for your business we will tell you.