How can a roofer stop losing jobs to missed calls after a storm?
Set up an automatic text for every missed call that says you’re on a roof, asks for the address and a photo of the damage, and says when you’ll ring back. After high winds the calls come in all at once, and the replies let you ring the worst leaks first instead of whoever happened to get through.
By Sammy Morgan, who runs M1 Studio in Chichester. Updated .
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- Industry
- Roofers
- Problem
- Missed calls
- The fix
- Missed-Call Rescue, £800
- Do it yourself?
- Yes, the first steps below
Why it happens to roofers.
- Storms bring calls in bursts
- After a named storm or a night of gales, a week’s worth of calls can land in a morning, while you’re already on someone’s roof.
- You can’t answer up a ladder
- On a roof or scaffold, stopping to take a call isn’t safe. Calls go to voicemail at exactly the time people need you most.
- Urgent and routine look the same
- Water pouring into a bedroom, a few slipped tiles and a quote for a new roof next spring all show up as one missed number.
- Callers are wary after storms
- Homeowners are warned about doorstep roofers after bad weather. A voicemail with no name feels like the people they were warned about. A text with your business name and a real call-back time feels like a firm they can check.
What to do, in order.
Record a voicemail that names you
Your business name, that you’re on a roof, and when you ring back. Ask urgent callers to text a photo and their address.
Ask for photos and the address
A photo from the garden or the ceiling stain inside tells you how bad it is and whether it needs making safe today or a proper visit next week.
Offer make-safe first, if you do it
For active leaks, say you can come to make it safe and quote the repair afterwards. It gets you on site before the caller rings round.
Point storm callers to their insurer
Storm damage is often an insurance claim. Suggest they photograph the damage and check their policy, and say whether you can provide a written report and quote for the insurer.
Automate the reply
Missed-Call Rescue sends your text to every missed call, keeps each enquiry in one list and reminds you who’s waiting, so nobody gets lost in the storm rush.
Where M1 can do it for you.
Fixed prices, or a fixed quote before any work starts. No VAT is charged. Any running costs are listed before you agree.
- Missed-Call Rescue £800
It texts back every storm-day caller you can’t take and keeps them in one list you can work through by urgency.
Missed calls get a text back, automatically.
- Website Chat Assistant £1,800
It answers evening questions about make-safe visits, insurance reports and areas you cover, then hands the person to you on WhatsApp.
Questions answered day and night, then passed to you on WhatsApp.
- Growth Build from £6,500
A new roofing website with missed-call text-back, a CRM and a page for each area you cover, all in one build.
Turn enquiries into bookings.
Want to check the rest of your business first? Take the free Scorecard: 12 questions, about 3 minutes.
Before you decide.
Something else? Ask Sammy on WhatsApp.
What should a roofer’s missed-call text say?
For example: “Sorry I missed you, I’m up on a roof. If it’s leaking now, reply with your address and a photo and I’ll ring you back by 4. If it’s a quote, I’ll call this evening.” There are more examples in the missed-call text-back guide.
Will the text still go out if I have no signal on a roof?
Usually, yes. Most set-ups divert unanswered calls to a number the texting system watches, so the text goes from the system, not your phone. A conditional divert can also cover times your phone is unreachable; check your network’s settings.
How much are missed calls costing me?
Try the missed-call cost calculator with your own numbers. Missed-Call Rescue is a fixed £800 to set up, and text and app fees are paid at cost or directly by you, listed before you agree.
Keep reading.
Know what to fix. Then decide.
Sammy writes down what’s holding your business back and what to fix first. The Foundation Blueprint is yours within 5 working days of your answers.
From £200No VAT, one payment through Stripe
Not ready yet? Take the free Scorecard, 3 minutes.