Missed-call text-back scripts that get replies

The setup is the easy part. The text itself decides whether you get a conversation or a STOP. Here are scripts you can use, and the reasoning so you can write your own.

Four rules behind every script below

1. Name the business in the first few words. The recipient is deciding whether this is spam before they finish the first line.
2. Ask one question they can answer in three words. "How can we help?" beats "please visit our website and complete the enquiry form".
3. Stay under 160 characters so it sends as a single segment.
4. Include the opt-out. Required, and it costs you nine characters.

For the mechanics (which number it comes from, timing, after-hours handling), see the setup guide.

Dental

Business hours:

Hi, it's Bright Smile Dental. Sorry we missed your call. Are you in pain, or booking a check-up? Reply STOP to opt out.

That question is doing real work: it triages in one step. "In pain" routes to a person immediately; "check-up" goes to booking.

After hours:

Hi, it's Bright Smile Dental. Sorry we missed you. We're closed now, open 8am. If this is a dental emergency, call (555) 123-4567. Reply STOP to opt out.

Note the emergency route is a phone number, not a text thread. Somebody with facial swelling should be calling a person, and your text should say so rather than starting a chat.

Med spa

Hi, it's Glow Aesthetics. Sorry we missed your call! Which treatment were you asking about? Reply STOP to opt out.

Med spa enquiries are usually specific and researched. Asking which treatment gets you a useful answer immediately, and it signals you will talk about the thing they actually wanted.

After hours:

Hi, it's Glow Aesthetics. Sorry we missed you. We're closed now, open 10am. Tell us what you're after and we'll reply first thing. Reply STOP to opt out.

Home services

Hi, it's Ridgeline Plumbing. Sorry we missed your call. What's the issue and what's your postcode? Reply STOP to opt out.

Two pieces of information, both of which you need before you can say anything useful. Location determines whether you can even help, and asking up front avoids a conversation that ends in "sorry, we don't cover that area".

Emergency trade, after hours:

Hi, it's Ridgeline Plumbing. Sorry we missed you. For emergencies call (555) 123-4567 now, we're on call. Otherwise reply here and we'll ring at 8am. Reply STOP to opt out.

Salon and barber

Hi, it's The Chair. Sorry we missed your call. Looking to book? Tell us the service and a rough day. Reply STOP to opt out.

Almost every missed call to a salon is a booking attempt, so skip the triage and go straight to it.

Legal

Hi, this is Harper & Associates. Sorry we missed your call. Briefly, what's the matter about? We'll have someone call you. Reply STOP to opt out.

Deliberately more restrained. Legal enquiries should not be handled by automated back-and-forth, so this collects just enough to route to the right person and sets expectation of a call rather than a text conversation.

Veterinary

Hi, it's Oakfield Vets. Sorry we missed your call. Is your pet unwell right now, or booking a routine visit? Reply STOP to opt out.

Same triage logic as dental, and the same rule: anything that reads as urgent goes to a human immediately, without the system attempting to assess it.

What not to send

The corporate non-answer:

Thank you for contacting us. Your call is important to us. A representative will contact you during normal business hours.

Says nothing, asks nothing, and reads as automated. There is no reason to reply to it.

The immediate upsell:

Sorry we missed you! Book this week and get 20% off your first treatment!

Somebody who called with a problem gets a coupon. It also changes the message's character from a reply into marketing, which is a different thing with different consent requirements.

The form redirect:

Sorry we missed your call. Please complete the form at example.com/contact and we'll be in touch.

They already contacted you. Asking them to do it again, in a harder way, is how you lose them.

Writing your own

Use the sentence: "Hi, it's [business]. Sorry we missed your call. [One question]. Reply STOP to opt out."

Then make the question the one your front desk asks most often. If your first question on the phone is "have you been in before?", that is your question here.

What happens after the reply matters more

The best script fails if the reply lands somewhere nobody watches. The text buys you a conversation; the conversation is the feature.

Test it end to end: ring your own number from a phone not in your contacts, let it go to voicemail, reply to the text, and time how long until a human answers. That number is what you have actually built.

A script needs something to send it. Frontiva's missed call text back page describes how this works, though it needs a phone number answering for you and carrier registration is still in progress, so it cannot run for anybody yet.

Not legal advice. Keep records of consent and honour STOP immediately. See STOP, HELP and the texts you must answer.