Is missed call text back legal in Canada?
The short answer
Yes. Texting a customer back after they call your business is legal in Canada under CASL, the country's anti-spam law, because their call gives you implied consent to reply about it for 6 months. Your message must name your business and include a clear opt-out, like "Reply STOP to opt out."
TextApprentice is a Canadian missed-call textback service for trades businesses.
What CASL actually requires
CASL is Canada's anti-spam legislation. It says a business needs consent before sending commercial electronic messages, and that includes text messages. Consent comes in two forms: express consent, where the person clearly agrees, and implied consent, where the law infers it from an existing relationship or inquiry.
When a customer calls your business to ask about a job, that call is an inquiry. An inquiry gives you implied consent to contact them back about it for 6 months. If they go on to buy from you, the window for an existing business relationship is 2 years.
Consent is only half of it. Every commercial text must also clearly identify who is sending it, and it must give the recipient a working way to opt out. In practice that means your business name in the message and a line like "Reply STOP to opt out." When someone replies STOP, you must stop texting that number.
What this means for a trades business
Translated into daily practice, the rules are straightforward:
- Only text people who contacted you first. Missed callers are fine. Purchased number lists are not.
- Name your business in the message. The recipient should never have to guess who texted them.
- Include opt-out wording in every first text. "Reply STOP to opt out" is the standard.
- Honor every STOP reply immediately. No follow-ups, no exceptions.
- Keep a basic record. Your call log showing the customer rang you first is a reasonable starting point.
How TextApprentice handles this
TextApprentice only sends texts to people who just called your business and got no answer. It never sends to purchased lists or cold numbers. Every automatic text names your business and includes "Reply STOP to opt out," and anyone who replies STOP is blocked from future texts automatically.
This is general information, not legal advice. CASL has details, exceptions, and real enforcement powers that go beyond this guide. If you are unsure about your situation, talk to a lawyer before you start texting customers.