LYCORE

Missed Call Text Back Service

A missed call text back service that texts the caller right after an unanswered call, so the job does not go to the next business on the list. Book a review.

What this solves

You cannot pick up on a roof, under a sink or with a patient in the chair. Invoca, a call analytics company, reports that 27% of calls to home-services businesses go unanswered, and that fewer than 3% of callers sent to voicemail leave a message. So most callers who reach voicemail hang up without ever saying who they are. A missed call text back answers that silence. Right after an unanswered call, the caller gets a short text from your business asking what they need, so the conversation can start before they dial the next number.

What we build

• A text sent automatically when a call goes unanswered
• A message in your own words, approved by you, with opt-out handling built in
• Replies routed to you or your team with the caller's details captured
• A simple prompt for the caller to describe the job or book a time

How it works

• A call comes in and nobody can pick up
• The caller gets your approved text
• They reply with what they need
• The request is captured with their details
• You or your team are notified
• The job is booked or a callback is set

What a missed call text back service does in the minute after a missed call

A missed call text back service watches for calls that go unanswered and sends the caller a text from your business right away. The caller has just hung up, is still holding the phone and is probably about to try the next name on the list. The text gets in front of that decision.

The whole sequence takes a few seconds and needs nothing from you in the moment. Your part is done beforehand: you approve the wording, the rules for which calls trigger it and who receives the replies.

The caller does not need to do anything special. There is no app to download and no form to fill in. They see a text from your business and answer it like any other message.

• A call comes in and nobody answers
• An approved text goes to the caller from your business
• The caller replies with what they need
• The reply is captured with their details and sent to you or your team
• A person picks up the conversation, and the automatic messages stop

What the text should say

Keep it short and put a question in it. A message that only apologizes gives the caller nothing to answer, and a message that asks what they need gives them a reason to reply. Say who you are, say you missed the call and ask one thing.

Here is the shape, with your own details in place of the brackets: 'Hi, this is [business name]. Sorry we missed your call. What do you need help with, and what is the address? Reply STOP to opt out.' You approve the final wording, so it sounds like your business and not like a template.

Write it so it does not pretend to be you typing on the roof. A plain message from the business is more believable than a fake personal one, and it avoids surprises when a person takes over the thread later.

Avoid anything that promises what your team cannot do. 'We will call you back in five minutes' is a bad line if the truck is on its way to another job. 'We will get back to you today' is better, if it is true.

Which calls should trigger the text

You do not have to text every missed call. Common rules are calls unanswered after a set number of rings, calls that arrive after hours, or calls that arrive while the line is busy. Which rules fit depends on how you and your team actually take calls, and they are agreed during setup.

Think about the numbers you would not want texted: your own staff, your suppliers, a regular customer who always emails. It also helps to decide what should happen with a caller who rings three times in ten minutes. One text is useful, and three are an annoyance.

After hours is worth its own rule. The text can say when someone will reply, which is more honest than pretending a person is at a desk. Approve only what your team can actually deliver.

What happens when the caller replies

Replies are routed to you or the person you name, with the caller's details attached, so the conversation continues with a human. The automatic messages stop when a person needs to take over. That handoff is the part that decides whether the service pays for itself.

A text is only as good as the speed of the answer. If a reply sits unread until the next morning, the caller has moved on. Decide before launch who watches replies during working hours, and what happens to replies that come in at night.

Replies also tell you something. A caller who answers with a job and an address is a real inquiry. A caller who never replies may have been a wrong number or a sales call, and that is worth knowing when you look at your numbers.

Consent, opt-outs and what to check with your advisor

Text messages come with rules about wording, consent and opt-outs, and the requirements differ by carrier and situation. Every message includes STOP handling, and anyone who opts out is not messaged again. LYCORE reviews consent requirements during setup.

LYCORE is not your lawyer. Confirm the rules for your own business and your own states with your advisor before you turn the service on.

Ask your advisor whether you need to keep records of consent and how to treat numbers collected for another purpose. Those are questions for a professional, not for a vendor. The setup should leave you with a clear, documented message and opt-out flow that you can point to.

Where a text works and where it does not

A text reaches mobile phones. It cannot be delivered to a landline, so a caller ringing from one will not see it. Someone with a flooded kitchen may also prefer a call back to typing, so offer a way to ask for one.

A text does not replace answering the call. It works well alongside an AI receptionist, which picks up the call itself, and the text back covers whatever still goes unanswered. It also cannot fix a business where nobody reads the replies.

It helps to picture the caller. Someone ringing at 6 p.m. with a dead water heater will read a text within seconds. Someone asking about a quote for next month may reply tomorrow, and that is fine too.

How to tell whether it is working

Count the calls that went unanswered, the texts that were sent, the replies you received and the replies that became a booking or a callback. Keep those four numbers separate, because a sent text is not a customer. Invoca, a call analytics company, reports that 27% of calls to home-services businesses go unanswered, which gives you a reason to check your own figure first.

Compare a few weeks before and a few weeks after, and note when a call was a wrong number or a sales call. Outcomes are never guaranteed. The point is to see what happens to your own missed calls.

Read the actual replies, not only the counts. Look for customers who asked something the text did not anticipate, and change the wording. Adjust it weekly at first, then leave it alone once it works.

What stays under your control

Your team keeps control of business rules, escalation decisions, approvals, customer data, and the tools it chooses to keep. LYCORE configures and documents the workflow around those rules.

Common Questions

How fast does the text go out?

It is sent right after a call goes unanswered. What counts as unanswered, such as a number of rings or a busy line, is agreed during setup, and the exact timing depends on your phone system. It is tested from a real phone before launch.

Can it send texts only after hours or only when I am busy?

Yes. You choose which calls trigger the text: every unanswered call, after hours only, or calls that arrive while the line is busy. You can also name numbers that should never be texted, such as your own team.

What if the caller texts STOP?

They are opted out and are not messaged again. STOP handling is built into the setup, and the opt-out is respected across the messages LYCORE sends for you.

Will it text a caller who phoned from a landline?

No, a text cannot be delivered to a landline. Those callers are one reason a missed call text back works best alongside a receptionist that answers the call itself, or a voicemail greeting that gives another way to reach you.

Do I need a new phone number for this?

It depends on your phone setup and carrier. How the text is sent and what number the caller sees is checked before the build is agreed, so you know the answer before you commit.

What about wrong numbers and sales calls?

A text back cannot always tell a customer from a wrong number. Rules such as time of day and known numbers reduce the noise, and replies from people who are not customers are simply not acted on. If you want calls screened first, that is what the receptionist is for.

Should I use this for emergency calls?

Use it as a first step, not as the whole plan. A caller with an urgent problem may not want to type, so offer a callback, and pair the service with a receptionist and clear escalation rules. LYCORE is not an emergency dispatch service and does not replace 911.

What does a missed call text back say?

You approve the wording. A typical message tells the caller who you are, that you missed their call, and asks what they need or offers a way to book. It reads as a message from your business, not from a person pretending to be you.

What happens when the customer replies?

The reply is captured with their details and sent to you or your team, so the conversation continues with a person. Automation stops when a person needs to take over.

Are missed call texts allowed?

Text messages need approved wording and opt-out handling, and the rules differ by carrier and situation. LYCORE sets up approved messages with STOP handling and reviews consent requirements during setup. Confirm the requirements for your own business with your advisor.

Does missed call text back replace answering the phone?

No. It gives an unanswered caller a fast, clear next step. It works well alongside an AI receptionist, which can answer the call itself, and it does not fix a lead process with nobody to pick up the reply.

Does LYCORE replace the software we already use?

No. LYCORE starts with the tools and operating rules your team already uses, then evaluates practical ways to connect the work around them.

Are outcomes guaranteed?

No. A system can improve the speed and consistency of a process, but LYCORE does not guarantee rankings, reply rates, booked appointments, revenue, or any other business outcome.