These are the questions we hear most from contractors weighing missed-call text-back. The short answers are above; this section adds the background behind the trickier ones. If yours isn't here, ask us on the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does CallText.Chat cost?
Our work runs within Trades.Agency plans: from $1,999 per month month-to-month, or $1,499 per month billed annually, plus GST/HST by province (GST and QST in Quebec). Texting software is paid directly to the vendor you choose.
Is there a contract?
Nothing long-term. You're billed month by month and can leave on 30 days' notice; paying annually is optional and brings the monthly price down.
How quickly can text-back be running?
Usually two to three weeks, including a call audit, written messages and testing. The slowest step is often enabling texting on your existing number, which depends on your phone provider.
Who owns the phone number and the conversations?
Your business does. We set up texting in accounts in your name, paid by you, so the number and every thread stay with you if you stop working with us.
We tried an agency before and it went nowhere. Why is this different?
Texting is narrow and measurable. Before anything changes, we agree a baseline from your call log, then report missed calls, replies, response time and booked threads from your own records. If the numbers don't move, you'll see it, and you can leave on 30 days' notice.
Can you promise a set number of booked jobs?
No, and we'd be wary of anyone who does. Text-back gives each missed caller a second chance to reach you. How many of those become jobs depends on your replies, your prices and your availability.
Is texting someone who called me allowed under CASL?
Canada's anti-spam law covers commercial text messages, and an inquiry can create implied consent that is generally time-limited to 6 months, according to ISED. A reply about the job they called about is very different from a promotion. We summarise official guidance with links; for anything unusual, ask a lawyer.
Can I send promotions to all my old customers by text?
Be careful. ISED says implied consent from a purchase can last up to 2 years, and promotional texts need valid consent, your business identification and a working opt-out. Older contacts may need express consent first.
What happens when a customer replies STOP?
They stop receiving messages from your business, and the whole team respects it. ISED's guidance says unsubscribe requests must be actioned within 10 business days; we set things up so it happens right away.
Will automated texts annoy my customers?
Badly written ones will. We keep automation to the first message and perhaps one simple question, with no links and no sales language, then hand the thread to a person.
Do you install phone systems or do trade work?
Neither. We are not a contractor and we're not a phone carrier. We plan, write and configure texting in tools you own, and we review the results with you.
Do you work with businesses in Quebec?
Yes. For Quebec callers we plan French scripts and point you to the official language guidance from the Office québécois de la langue française. See our Quebec page for details.
What reporting will I get?
A short monthly summary from your own call and text records: calls missed, replies to text-back, median minutes to a human reply, threads booked, and opt-outs. No vanity metrics.
The business questions
Most owners start with price, contract and time, in that order. All three are covered above, but one point is worth repeating: texting software is paid directly to the vendor, in your name.
That arrangement costs us some convenience, but it means you never have to negotiate to get your own phone number or conversation history back. It's also why a "free" texting tool bundled into an agency contract deserves a careful read: if the agency owns the account, it owns your customer threads. See pricing for the full plan details and what sits outside our fee.
The consent questions
Texting rules come up early, and they should. Canada's anti-spam legislation (CASL) is technology neutral, so a commercial text is treated much like a commercial email.
A few points from official sources, as of October 2026:
- ISED's consent page describes express consent, which has no time limit unless withdrawn, and implied consent, which is generally time-limited.
- The same page lists what a commercial message must include: your business name, contact information valid for at least 60 days, and an unsubscribe mechanism.
- The Act itself, on Justice Laws, sets out certain messages that don't require consent, such as one that solely provides a quote the person requested.
This is a summary, not legal advice. Our CASL texting guide goes into more depth.
The "will it work for me" questions
Text-back works best where calls are already arriving and some are going unanswered. It does little for a business whose phone rarely rings.
The honest test is your call log. If you miss fewer than one call in twenty, a live answering arrangement may serve you better. If you miss one in five, text-back is almost always worth trying. Our missed-call math guide shows how to estimate the value either way.
The setup questions
Most of the practical questions come down to your phone provider and who replies. Get those two answers early and everything else moves quickly.
Before we configure anything, we check three things: whether your existing business number can send and receive texts, whether a tool you already pay for (a phone system or field-service platform) includes texting, and how many people will reply to customers. A solo operator with texting-capable software can often be running within two weeks. A team with several numbers and personal mobiles in the mix takes longer, mostly because people need to agree on who answers what.
If you're not sure what your current tools can do, a screenshot of your phone provider's account page or the name of your field-service software is enough for us to find out. The text-back setup page explains the steps in order.
The reporting questions
Owners who've been burned by agency reports usually ask what they'll actually see. The answer is a short page of numbers taken from your own call and text records, and nothing you can't check yourself.
We agree a baseline in the first week: calls received, calls missed, and how many of those missed callers were real new inquiries. After launch we add reply rate, minutes to a human reply, booked threads and opt-outs. If a number gets worse, we tell you why and what we're changing. There are no blended "engagement scores" and no averages from other clients. The results page shows the before-and-after table we use.
The "what if we stop" questions
You keep everything. The texting account, number and threads are in your name. Scripts we write for you are yours to keep using.
That's part of how we work generally, described on the about page. If you'd like to see what's involved first, the services overview explains each piece.
Sources
- OQLF: Francisation des entreprises (2026-10-22)
- ISED: Getting consent to send email (CASL) (2026-10-22)
- Justice Laws: Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (2026-10-22)