Compare

Voicemail, text-back or an answering service?

Three ways to handle the calls you can't pick up. Here's what each one does, how you pay for it, and where it falls short, ours included.

Side by side

What happens when the call rings out.

Option 1

Voicemail

What you have now.

The caller gets
Your greeting and a beep.
You get
A recording, if they leave one. Many hang up and call someone else.
How you pay
Nothing extra. It comes with your phone plan.
Setup
Already done.
Falls short when
The caller has other options and doesn't want to wait for a callback.

Option 2 · what we do

Missed-call text-back

An automatic text, within seconds.

The caller gets
One short text from your business asking what they need.
You get
Their reply, forwarded to your phone. You text back from your cell; they see your business number.
How you pay
Included in our Pro and Scale plans, flat monthly. No per-call charge.
Setup
Turn on call forwarding with one short code. You keep your number.
Falls short when
The caller needs a live voice right now. A text holds the job; it doesn't dispatch a truck.

Option 3

Answering service

A live person picks up for you.

The caller gets
A real person who follows your script, takes a message and sometimes books the job.
You get
A message or call summary, by text, email or the service's app.
How you pay
Usually a monthly plan plus per-minute or per-call charges. Busy months cost more.
Setup
Write a call script and forward your calls. Plan for some back and forth to get the script right.
Falls short when
The caller asks something the script doesn't cover, or your volume makes the per-call bill climb.

Which one fits

Pick by how your calls actually go.

There's no single right answer. If an answering service fits your business better, use one.

Voicemail is enough if

  • You miss very few calls
  • Your callers are repeat customers who wait for you
  • Most of your work comes in by referral, not search

Text-back fits if

  • You're on jobs all day and call back in batches
  • New customers find you on Google and call the next name if you don't answer
  • You want to know what the job is before you call back
  • You'd rather pay a flat monthly price than per call

An answering service fits if

  • Callers need a human voice right away, like a 24/7 emergency line
  • You want calls booked or dispatched while you sleep
  • Many of your customers won't text

Try text-back

See what your missed calls were about.

Missed-call text-back comes with Pro and Scale. Try it on your own line for 14 days. No credit card, no contract.

Start Free Trial How text-back works