Missed call text back that keeps unbooked callers talking to you

What an unbooked call costs you

Plenty of calls end without a booking. The caller only wanted a rough price. They needed to check with a spouse. They wanted a person, or the line dropped in a basement. None of these are lost causes, yet most businesses do nothing until someone has time to call back hours later.

Example: a handyman gets a call at 4:50 PM about a sticking door and a leaking faucet. The caller hangs up before picking a time. By the next morning they have booked someone else. The job was small, but a repeat customer who would have called again in the spring is gone too. Multiply that by a few calls a week and the slow follow up adds up, even if you cannot see it in a report.

How to fix unbooked calls, step by step

1. Answer as many calls as you can, live or with an answering tool.
2. Decide what counts as unbooked: a hang up, a question with no appointment, a request for a person.
3. Send one short text back after a missed call quickly, ideally within minutes, from a number the caller recognizes.
4. Make replies easy. Ask one question they can answer in a few words.
5. Put the conversation in one inbox your team watches, and log it on the customer.
6. Respect opt outs every time.

How Dheed missed call text back software works

Many tools promise to auto text missed calls on any line. Dheed ties this to its AI Receptionist, an add-on for the Pro and Business plans. Calls reach the business's Dheed number, where the receptionist answers with your business name, knows your services, hours and area, and books into open times. Every call is saved on the customer with a summary, transcript and recording.

When a call ends without a booking, the Missed call text back automation sends the caller a text about a minute later from that same number. Numbers that have opted out by texting STOP are skipped. Replies land in the shared texting inbox, so whoever is free can pick up the thread. Automatic customer messages also count toward a daily cap, which keeps a busy day from turning into a flood. Learn more about the AI receptionist for small business and business texting with a shared inbox.

What it is not

Think of it as an AI receptionist with text back. It is not a carrier voicemail feature, and it does not watch an arbitrary phone line. It works on calls answered by the AI Receptionist on your Dheed number. If you want calls to your current number covered, forward that line to the Dheed number whenever you want it answered. Calls that never reach the Dheed number cannot trigger the text.

Setting it up in Dheed

1. Choose Pro or Business, add the AI Receptionist and add business texting. Receptionist setup takes a few days, with test calls with you first. Texting needs carrier approval, which usually takes a few days to a few weeks.
2. Forward your existing line to your Dheed number when you want calls answered.
3. Open Automations and turn on the Missed call text back recipe. Recipes start turned off.
4. Review the message. It should name your business and keep the STOP line.
5. Use test mode to see which recent calls would have triggered a text, without sending anything.
6. Check the run history for the first week to confirm it behaves the way you expect.

Tips and mistakes to avoid

• Keep the missed call follow up text human. Example: "Hi, this is (your business name). Sorry we did not get you booked. What can we help with?"
• Do not send a long sales pitch or a link to a form. A reply is the goal.
• Do not add a second automatic text on top. One text, then a person.
• Watch the inbox. The text only helps if someone answers the reply.
• Trades with urgent calls, like plumbing companies and HVAC businesses, should also keep emergency scripts current so real emergencies get flagged, not texted.

Missed call text back software is one piece of the all-in-one business platform that runs your calls, schedule and payments together. See plans and pricing, or start free and add the receptionist when you are ready.

Frequently asked questions