Missed-call follow-up for trades teams

A plumber who answers second rarely wins the job. The customer already called the next name on Google. That is not a marketing problem. It is a response-time problem.

Missed-call follow-up is the cleanest first automation for HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and roofing teams. It has one trigger, one channel, and a number you can count at the end of the week.

The loop

1. Call hits a mobile or the office line and is not answered
2. The system sends an SMS from your number within 60 seconds
3. The message asks what they need and offers two visit windows
4. A booked reply creates a calendar event and a CRM row
5. Anything messy (angry, commercial tender, after-hours emergency) goes to a person

The full architecture is in our trade lead follow-up blueprint. The article here is the operating version: what to write, what to measure, what not to automate.

What the first text should say

Keep it short. Use the business name. Ask one question. Do not sound like a call centre.

“Kia ora, this is Sam from North Harbour Plumbing. Sorry we missed you. Is this a leak, a blocked drain, or a quote? Reply here and we will lock a time today.”

If they reply with a job type, the next message offers two slots you actually have. Fake availability trains people to ignore you.

What not to automate

Medical or gas emergencies, insurance rebuilds, and anything over a dollar threshold you set. The agent should know those words and pass the thread to a human with the transcript attached.

The number to watch

Track missed calls, texts sent, replies, and booked jobs. If replies are high and bookings are low, your slots are wrong. If replies are low, the first message is too long or too salesy.

For the rest of the week’s admin around those jobs, the trades workflow guide covers job updates and invoice chase without adding another app the crew will not open.