What to text someone when you missed their call

The best missed-call texts are short and sound like you. A good one does four things:

• Says who it is. Your name, your business name, or both. An unknown number with no name gets ignored.
• Says when you’ll call back. “By 5pm” or “first thing tomorrow” beats “soon”. Only promise a time you can keep.
• Asks one question. What the job is, their postcode, or a day that suits. One question gets a reply. Three feels like a form.
• Stays a reply, not an advert. If you ever send marketing texts later, those need permission and a way to opt out in every message. More on that below.

Change the brackets to your own details. If you want these sent automatically, the guide to missed-call text-back explains how the system works and has more examples by trade.

On a job

Hi, it’s [Name] from [Business name]. I’m up a ladder so couldn’t get to the phone. I’ll ring you back by [time]. What’s the job, roughly?

Thanks for calling [Business name]. I’m on site until about [time]. If it’s about a quote, send a couple of photos and your postcode here and I’ll call you this evening.

After hours

Hi, you’ve reached [Business name] after hours. We’re back at [time] tomorrow and I’ll call you first thing. Reply with what you need if you’d like me to have an answer ready.

Thanks for your call. The office has closed for the evening. [Name] will ring you tomorrow morning. What’s the best time to reach you?

At the weekend

Hi, it’s [Business name]. We’re closed on Sundays, sorry we missed you. I’ll call you on Monday morning. If it can’t wait, reply and let me know.

Thanks for calling [Business name]. We’re open until [time] on Saturdays and back on Monday. Reply with your name and what you need and yours will be the first call I make.

For locksmiths, heating engineers and electricians, the caller may be stuck or worried. Say how to flag it as urgent, and if there’s a safety number they should call instead of you, give it.

It’s [Name] at [Business name]. Sorry I missed you, I’m on another call-out. If you’re locked out, reply with your postcode and I’ll call you back with a time I can get to you.

Hi, [Business name] here. I missed your call but I’ll ring back as soon as I’m off this job. If you smell gas, don’t wait for me: call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.

Sorry I missed you, it’s [Name] from [Business name]. If you’ve lost power or it’s urgent, reply URGENT and I’ll call straight back. Otherwise I’ll ring you this afternoon.

For clinics, keep health details out of the text and ask people not to send them. A name and a good time to call is enough.

Hello, this is [Clinic name]. We’re with patients and couldn’t answer. We’ll call you back before [time]. To move an appointment, reply with your name and a day that suits. Please don’t send medical details by text.

Thank you for calling [Practice name]. Our reception team is on another call and will ring you back shortly. If it’s urgent and we’re closed, NHS 111 can advise.

Hi, it’s [Name] at [Salon name]. I’m with a client. Reply with the treatment you’d like and a couple of days that work, and I’ll text you the times I have.

A returning customer

If your system recognises the number, use their name and mention the last job. It shows you remember them.

Hi [Name], it’s [Name] from [Business name]. Sorry I missed you. Is this about the [job] we did in [month]? Let me know and I’ll call you back today.

Hi [Name], thanks for calling again. I’m tied up until [time]. If it’s about booking your next [service], reply with a day that suits and I’ll sort it.

A polite, personal-style text

For businesses where the relationship is the point, such as a personal trainer, tutor or solicitor’s office, a plainer text can feel more natural.

Hi, sorry I missed your call. It’s [Name] from [Business name]. I’ll ring you back in about an hour, if that’s OK.

Hello, this is [Name]. Apologies for missing your call earlier. When’s a good time for me to ring you back?

• Offers and discount codes. The ICO treats administrative and customer service messages as service messages, but says that if a service message includes direct marketing, even as a side point, it counts as direct marketing.
• Sending marketing later without permission. Under PECR, the ICO says you must not send marketing texts to individuals without specific consent, unless the soft opt-in applies to existing customers, and every marketing message needs a way to opt out, such as “Reply STOP to opt out”. A missed-call text doesn’t need one, because it isn’t marketing.
• No name. “Sorry, missed your call” from an unknown number looks like spam.
• Promises you can’t keep. “I’ll call in 10 minutes” when you’re on a full-day job does more harm than a later, honest time.
• Several texts per call. One reply per missed call. If someone rings three times in a row, they need a call, not three texts.

Writing a good text is the easy part. Sending it every time, within seconds, while you’re working is the hard part.

The Missed-Call Rescue is a fixed £800. I set up missed-call text-back with your own wording, a simple list for every enquiry, automatic reminders and review requests. It’s paid £400 to start and £400 at launch, typically 1 to 2 weeks. Text and app fees are paid at cost or directly by you, and listed before you agree.

Want to see what missed calls may be costing you? Try the missed-call cost calculator, or read what missed-call text-back costs.

• Identify direct marketing, Information Commissioner’s Office, accessed 30 September 2026
• Electronic mail marketing, Information Commissioner’s Office, accessed 30 September 2026
• What to do if you smell gas, Cadent Gas, accessed 30 September 2026