A potential customer calls your business. No one answers. They hang up. In 2025, 75% of them will not leave a voicemail — they'll call the next business in their Google search results. Missed call text-back in GoHighLevel stops this from happening by automatically texting every missed caller within 60 seconds. This single automation recovers 15–25% of missed calls and converts them into booked appointments.
What Is Missed Call Text-Back?
Missed call text-back (also called MCTB) is a GoHighLevel automation that monitors your business phone line and sends an automatic SMS to any caller who didn't get through. The SMS arrives within 60 seconds of the missed call — while the caller is still on their phone and in "contact mode."
For service businesses that receive 20–100 calls per day, this automation captures leads that would otherwise be 100% lost. There is no manual effort required after setup.
Setting Up Missed Call Text-Back in GoHighLevel
- Go to Automations → Create Workflow
- Add Trigger: "Inbound Webhook" or "Customer Replied" — In GHL's latest version, use the "Missed Call" trigger under Phone calls. Set it to fire when a call to your GHL number goes unanswered.
- Add Wait step: 30–60 seconds — This prevents the text from firing if the call is still ringing or was a very short accidental dial.
- Add Action: Send SMS — Write your text-back message (templates below).
- Add Action: Create Opportunity — Automatically add the caller to your pipeline as a "New Lead" if they're not already a contact.
- Add Action: Internal Notification — Text yourself or your team so someone can follow up personally if the automated text doesn't convert.
Text-Back Message Templates That Convert
Template 1: Simple and Direct
"Hi! You just called [Business Name] and we missed you. We don't want to leave you hanging — reply here or book a time that works for you: [calendar link]. — [First Name on team]"
Template 2: Service Business (HVAC, Plumbing, etc.)
"Hi! You called [Business Name]. We're currently on a job but we're here. What's going on? Reply here or book an appointment: [link]. We'll respond within 15 minutes."
Template 3: After-Hours Version
"Hi! You reached [Business] after hours. We're back at 8 AM tomorrow but we don't want to miss you. Tell us what you need here and we'll call you first thing: [link]."
Template 4: Medical / Healthcare
"Hi! You called [Practice Name] and we were busy with a patient. Reply here and one of our team members will follow up within 15 minutes. For emergencies, call [emergency number]."
Advanced Configuration: Time-of-Day Routing
In GoHighLevel, you can add conditional logic to send different messages based on when the call came in:
- During business hours: "We're with another customer but will call you back in 15 minutes"
- After hours: "We're closed but we saw your call. Reply here and we'll reach out first thing tomorrow"
- Weekends: "It's the weekend but we don't want to miss you. Tell us what you need and we'll call Monday morning"
Real ROI Numbers
For a plumbing company receiving 40 missed calls per month:
- Text-back response rate: 18% = 7 responses
- Appointment booking rate from responders: 60% = 4 jobs
- Average job value: $350
- Monthly recovered revenue: $1,400
- Cost of text-back automation: ~$15/month in SMS costs
- ROI: 93x
See also: GoHighLevel Automation Guide → · How to Set Up GoHighLevel → · CRM Automation Service →