Missed-call SMS: the automation that pays for itself

This is the simplest, highest-ROI automation I know of for AU service businesses. It takes about 30 minutes to set up, costs $30–50/month to run, and will pay for itself in the first week. I'm going to give you the exact setup.

The problem it solves: you're a tradie on the tools. Someone calls at 10:30am. You can't answer. They get your voicemail, maybe leave a message, maybe don't. If you don't call back within 30 minutes, there's a 60% chance they've called someone else by then. You've lost the lead not because you were incompetent — but because you were busy doing your job.

The missed-call SMS fixes this. The moment a call goes unanswered, an automated SMS fires back to the caller within 60 seconds. The message is personal-sounding, non-robotic, and tells them exactly what to expect. The lead stays warm.

What the message should say

This is more important than the tech. The message has to sound like you typed it on your phone, not like it came out of a CRM. Here's a template that works:

"Hey, it's [Andrew] from [Westside Plumbing] — sorry I missed your call, I'm on a job right now. What's the issue? I'll call you back by [2pm/end of day/first thing tomorrow]. If it's urgent, text here and I'll sort it."

What makes this work:

• First name, not "our team" or "we." People respond to a person.
• "I'm on a job" explains the miss without making you sound disorganised.
• Specific callback time. Not "as soon as possible." A time.
• Permission to text creates a two-way conversation. Most callers will text back with the job details, which gives you the info you need before you even call them.

How to set it up: Zapier + Twilio (budget option)

Requirements: a Twilio account ($15 setup + ~$1/month per number + ~$0.05–0.10/SMS in AU), a Zapier account (free tier works), and a business phone number that supports webhook notifications on missed calls.

The most common setup uses a forwarding number through Twilio or a VoIP provider. When a call goes unanswered, Twilio can trigger a webhook. The Zapier zap catches that webhook and fires an SMS using Twilio's messaging API.

Total cost: ~$20–35/month depending on call volume.

The limitation: setting this up requires some technical comfort. If you're not confident with Zapier and webhooks, the GoHighLevel option below is much easier.

How to set it up: GoHighLevel (easier option)

GoHighLevel has missed-call text-back built in as a native feature. It's in Settings → Missed Call Text Back. You write your message, set the delay (default is immediate), and enable it. That's literally it.

GoHighLevel costs $97 USD/month (about $155 AUD at current rates). That's more than the Zapier option, but you also get a full CRM, pipeline tracking, two-way SMS, and appointment booking. For a service business taking more than 20 calls/month, the economics make sense.

The shape of the win

A typical scenario: a one-van operator who knocks off early on Fridays misses calls in the 3–5pm window every week. Before any automation, those leads are usually cold by Monday morning — the caller has already booked someone else.

Once a missed-call SMS is switched on (whether through GoHighLevel or a Zapier + Twilio setup), the same Friday callers tend to text back within minutes with enough info to triage — "just need a power point installed," "my RCD keeps tripping." A typical small reactivation/missed-call recapture pattern, on a steady stream of 20–30 missed calls per month, can recover 4–8 jobs in the first month. At a $380 average job value, that's $1,500–$3,000 in recovered revenue against a tool that costs well under $200/month. (Indicative; depends on call volume and trade.)

The one mistake people make

Setting up the SMS and then not responding to the replies. If someone texts back "yeah just need a quote on some lights in the kitchen" and you don't follow up for 4 hours, the automation has done its job but you've let it down. The SMS buys you time and holds the lead. You still have to close it.

Pair the missed-call SMS with a notification to your phone so you know when someone has replied. GoHighLevel does this automatically. With Zapier, you add a second step that sends a push notification to your phone via Pushover or a Slack message.