How to automatically text customers after a missed call
The short answer
Turn on conditional call forwarding so unanswered calls route to TextApprentice after about 10 seconds. Your phone rings first, your number never changes, and setup takes about 10 minutes. Here is exactly how.
TextApprentice is a Canadian missed-call textback service for trades businesses.
How it works, in one paragraph
Your phone gets the first chance at every call. If you do not answer within about 10 seconds, the call forwards to your TextApprentice number instead of going to voicemail. TextApprentice texts the caller within seconds, and their reply lands on your phone. When you turn forwarding off, everything returns to normal.
What you need
- Your business phone, iPhone or Android.
- Your TextApprentice number, provided during setup.
- About 10 minutes.
That is the whole list. No app to install, no hardware, no changes to the number you advertise.
iPhone setup
- Open the Phone app and go to the keypad.
- Type *61*, then your TextApprentice number, then *11*10#. With an example number it looks like *61*+15551234567*11*10#. The 10 at the end is the delay in seconds.
- Press call and wait for the confirmation message.
- Test it from another phone: call your business number, let it ring past 10 seconds, and check that the text arrives.
Android setup
- Open the Phone app, tap the three dots, and open Settings.
- Go to Calling accounts or Call settings, then Call forwarding.
- Choose When unanswered (it may be labelled Forward when unanswered).
- Enter your TextApprentice number and set the delay to 10 seconds.
- Test it from another phone the same way.
What the caller experiences
Nothing unusual. They dial your number. It rings for about 10 seconds. Then, instead of voicemail, they get a text: your business name, an apology for the miss, one question, and the opt-out notice.
From the caller's side it feels instant and personal. They do not know about forwarding or routing. They just know you replied in seconds.
How to turn it off
On iPhone, dial ##61# and press call. On Android, return to the same Call forwarding screen and disable When unanswered. Your voicemail picks right back up. Nothing else changes.
What TextApprentice does with the forwarded call
The forwarded call itself is never answered by a person. It triggers the automatic text and ends. The caller's reply comes to your phone by text, with their number attached, so you call back directly. That is the whole loop: forward, text, reply, callback.
Common setup mistakes
Three mistakes cause most setup headaches, and all three are easy to avoid.
- Forwarding to the wrong number. Double-check that you entered your TextApprentice number, not your own. Forwarding to yourself creates a loop where your phone rings forever.
- Setting the delay too long. At 20 or 30 seconds, impatient callers hang up before the forward happens. Ten seconds is the sweet spot: long enough for you to answer, short enough to catch everyone else.
- Skipping the test call. Always test from another phone before you rely on it. A thirty-second test catches typos that would otherwise cost you a week of missed texts.