How it works
The short version: a customer rings, nobody can get to the phone, and moments later they get a text asking what they need. Below is every step of that, and every step of getting set up, in plain English.
If you would rather the call was answered, switch on the AI voice agent. It picks up in your business’s name, asks what the job is, takes the caller’s details and books the work into your calendar. What it does on a call
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, on the number it always has. When you cannot get to it, your phone system tells us the call went unanswered.
- 0:45
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. It comes from a local number in your area code and names your business, so it reads as you rather than as a marketing blast.
- 1:10
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.
- 1:11
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
Roughly twenty minutes of it is yours. The carriers usually approve in a few days and occasionally take a couple of weeks; we do the rest and chase it.
- 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 keep the number you already use
Nothing goes on your van that is not there today. The number on your Google listing, your website and your invoices stays exactly as it is. If you would rather use a tracking number so you can see which advert produced each call, you can — it is a choice you make per line, and you can change it whenever you like.
- 3
Your phone system tells us about the calls you miss
One setting in the software you already have — RingCentral, Dialpad, Zoom Phone, CallRail and most others can do it, and we will set it up with you if you would rather not. 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
You get a local texting number in your area code
The replies go out from a number in your area code, so the text looks local rather than like a marketing shortcode. Every message says which business it is from.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
You decide whether the voice agent answers
Every plan includes an AI voice agent that answers in your business's name, says it is an AI, asks what the job is, and books the jobs you mark bookable into your calendar. It starts switched off. Per number, you can leave it off and let the text do the work, have your phone ring first so it only catches what you miss, or have it answer every call. It never quotes a price and never promises a time nobody is holding.
What it will never do
The things people worry about, and why they cannot happen.
Chase someone at three in the morning
Follow-ups, reminders and review requests are held outside your business hours and released when you open. The one exception is answering somebody who has just called or texted, because they are still waiting on the phone. Messages coming in are never blocked.
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, and your phone rings first every time unless you choose otherwise. The only change is that your phone system tells us when a call went unanswered: one setting, in software you already have. If you switch on the AI voice agent, it answers the calls you miss, or every call on a number if you would rather, and you can turn it off again whenever you like.
- 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 straight away and is waiting for you. A reply to somebody who has just called or texted goes back immediately, whatever the time, because they are waiting on it. Follow-ups and reminders are held outside your business hours and released when you open. Messages 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?
- Roughly twenty minutes of it is yours. The rest is waiting on the mobile carriers, who usually approve a registration in a few days and occasionally take a couple of weeks — we file it and chase it. Meanwhile we write your messages, you read them and change anything that does not sound like you, and it goes live the day approval lands.
- What happens if I want to stop?
- You switch the setting off 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.