How long should the first text be?

Short enough to read in one glance on a lock screen: two or three sentences. If it needs scrolling, cut it.

Should the first text include a booking link?

We advise against links in the first text. Many people have learned to distrust links from numbers they don't know well, and ISED notes that customers will likely hesitate over links in texts. Let them reply in words first.

Is it OK to use the caller's name?

Only if your system genuinely knows it, for example a returning customer already in your contacts. Guessing from caller ID gets it wrong often enough to be embarrassing.

Should I mention prices in the first text?

Only a published, fixed price such as a standard service-call fee, and only if you'll honour it. Anything that depends on seeing the job belongs later in the conversation.

First-Text Templates for Missed Calls: A Guide

The first text after a missed call has one job: to keep the caller from dialling your competitor. It doesn't have to sell, explain your history or capture every detail. It has to show that a real business received the call, that someone will reply, and what the caller can do in the meantime. This guide gives you templates for the common situations, explains each line, and ends with a testing checklist.

All the examples use placeholders in square brackets, not real or invented businesses. Replace them with your own details, and read them aloud before you use them. We're a marketing and consulting service, not a contractor, so adjust the trade details to what you actually do.

The five parts of a good first text

Almost every effective first text has the same five parts, in roughly this order.

Who you are. Your business name, first. ISED's texting guidance specifically mentions making your business name visible in commercial texts.
One apology. "Sorry we missed your call." Once. Not three exclamation marks.
Why, briefly. "We're on a job" is honest and makes you sound busy in a good way.
One question. "What can we help with?" invites a reply in their own words.
A promise and an exit. When someone will reply, and "Reply STOP to opt out."

Leave out: links, attachments, requests for an address or payment details, prices that depend on the job, and anything that sounds like an advert.

Template 1: during business hours

Use this when someone could reasonably reply within an hour or two.

Hi, this is [Business name]. Sorry we missed your call; we're with a customer right now. What can we help with? [Your name] will reply by [time]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Why it works: The time promise is specific. "By 2 p.m." is believable; "shortly" isn't. Choose a time you will beat most days, not one you'll hit on a perfect day.

Variation for a solo operator:

Hi, it's [Your name] at [Business name]. I'm on a job and couldn't pick up. What do you need help with? I'll get back to you by [time]. Reply STOP to opt out.

First person sounds right for a one-person business. Don't pretend to be a bigger company than you are; callers often prefer the owner.

Template 2: evenings and weekends

Use this when nobody will reply until the next working morning.

Hi, this is [Business name]. We're closed right now and will reply at [time] on [day]. Tell us what you need and we'll be ready when we open. Reply STOP to opt out.

Why it works: It's honest about the wait and gives the caller something to do now: describe the problem. That reply is often more detailed than a voicemail, and it's waiting for you in the morning.

Template 3: when you offer emergency service

Use this only if someone really is on call. Promising emergency help you can't deliver is worse than not offering it.

Hi, this is [Business name]. Sorry we missed your call. If this is an emergency, reply URGENT and our on-call tech will phone you within [minutes]. Otherwise, tell us what's going on and we'll reply by [time]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Why it works: It sorts the urgent from the routine without making the caller explain. Your texting tool can alert the on-call person the moment "URGENT" arrives.

A safety note: if your trade involves gas, electrical or flooding emergencies, your after-hours message should never suggest the caller wait for you if they're in danger. Many contractors add a line directing people to the appropriate emergency number or their utility in those situations. Follow your utility's and regulator's published guidance on wording; we don't advise on safety procedures.

Template 4: after the caller replies

This is where most text-back setups lose the job. The caller has answered; now a person, or one careful automated question, has to move it forward.

Ask for one thing at a time:

Thanks. Is it [option A] or [option B]? And roughly what area are you in, [City] or nearby?

Then hand off clearly:

Thanks, [first name if they've given it]. This is [Your name]. I've read your messages. Can I call you at [time] to sort out a visit?

Or, for a quick quote request:

Thanks. For that kind of job our service call is [published fee], and we'd confirm the full price on site. We can come [day/time window]. Does that work?

Only use the last one if your service-call fee is published and fixed. If it isn't, offer a call instead.

Template 5: when it's not work you do

Saying no quickly is good for your reputation.

Thanks for reaching out. That's not a service we offer, sorry. You might try searching for a [type of trade] in [City]. Good luck with it.

Don't recommend a specific competitor unless you know and trust them; if they let the customer down, it reflects on you. And don't leave a "not our work" thread hanging; people remember being ignored more than being declined.

Template 6: confirming an opt-out

When someone replies STOP, your tool should stop all messages immediately. Some tools send an automatic confirmation; if yours lets you edit it, keep it plain:

You won't receive further texts from [Business name]. If you need us, you can still call [business number].

ISED is clear that offering a STOP option isn't enough on its own; the request has to be respected. Our CASL texting guide covers timing and record-keeping.

Writing for French-speaking callers

If you serve Quebec, or bilingual areas in New Brunswick, Ontario or elsewhere, plan French versions from the start rather than translating at the last minute.

A few practical points:

Mirror the caller. If the caller replies in French, reply in French. Many texting tools let you save both versions of each template.
Have a fluent speaker write or review them. Machine translation tends to produce stiff, oddly formal texts.
In Quebec, check the official language guidance. The Office québécois de la langue française publishes guidance for businesses on French in commerce. We don't give legal advice on the Charter of the French Language; read the source or ask a lawyer.

A simple French business-hours version, with placeholders:

Bonjour, ici [Nom de l'entreprise]. Désolés d'avoir manqué votre appel; nous sommes chez un client. Comment pouvons-nous vous aider? [Prénom] vous répondra d'ici [heure]. Répondez STOP pour ne plus recevoir de messages.

Have a fluent speaker adjust it to your company's tone.

Common mistakes

These come up again and again when we review contractors' texts.

Sounding like a robot. "Your call is important to us" belongs on hold music, not in a text.
Sounding like a teenager. "Hey!! So sorry!!" works for very few trades businesses.
Over-promising speed. "Someone will call within 5 minutes" fails the first time you're on a roof.
Asking for the full address straight away. It feels intrusive before you've helped. Ask for the general area first.
Sending a different message every time. Consistency builds trust. Use templates, and adjust them on purpose, not on a whim.
Never updating. Your hours, fees and holidays change. Put a calendar reminder to review your templates every season.

Testing before you go live

Run every template through this checklist before switching text-back on.

Call your business line from at least two different mobile carriers and let it ring out. Did the text arrive, and how quickly?
Does it come from your business number, and does your business name appear in the first line?
Read each message on a phone lock screen. Is the key information visible without opening it?
Reply "URGENT" (if you use it). Did the on-call person get alerted?
Reply "STOP." Did messages actually stop, and was the opt-out recorded where the whole team can see it?
Call after hours and on a weekend. Did the right version go out?
Ask someone outside your business to read all the templates and tell you which one sounds least like you. Rewrite that one.

Next steps

Templates are a starting point. The bigger gains come from what happens after the first reply, which is the focus of our reply scripts service. If you're still deciding whether text-back is worth it, start with the missed-call math guide. And if you'd like help setting it up, the contact page explains how to reach us.

Writing the first text after a missed call