Does the text come from my number?

Yes. It goes out from your business number, so when they reply it lands in the same place every other message does. A text from an unknown number gets ignored, which defeats the point.

What if it was a supplier or my mum?

Known numbers get treated differently or skipped entirely. The list is yours and you can change it any time.

Will I get spammed with alerts?

No. You get told once, when the conversation has produced something worth knowing. The back and forth happens without interrupting you.

What if I would rather just ring them back?

Then it can be set to text only that you will call shortly, and leave the conversation to you. The point is that they hear something inside a minute, not that a machine handles it.

Missed calls

The phone rang while you were holding something.

Every trade business loses work this way, and almost nobody knows how much, because a call you never answered leaves no record of the job you did not get. This is the smallest useful automation there is and usually the first one worth building.

A missed call

You were under a house. The job did not go to whoever answered first.

Finished

Trigger
Call comes in
Unknown number, 6:42pm, while you are on a roof.
Logic
Nobody picks up
Rings out after 25 seconds. No voicemail left.
Decision
Do we know this number?
Checked against your contacts and past jobs.
- New number, treat as an enquirytaken
- Existing customer, different message
Action
Text goes out
"Sorry we missed you, this is Dave from Bright Electrical. What did you need a hand with?" Sent from your business number.
Wait
They reply
6:44pm. Two minutes. They had not rung anyone else yet.
Action
Details captured
What they want, where, and when suits. Held against their number.
Result
One notification, when you are down
Name, number, what they need, and the whole thread. Not seven alerts.

run log7/7

18:42:03inbound call +64 21 ••• 0117
18:42:28no answer after 25s · no voicemail
18:42:28lookup: number not in contacts → new enquiry
18:42:31sms sent from business number (28s after the miss)
18:44:12reply: "after a quote for a hot water cylinder in Renwick"
18:44:12enquiry created #4821 · job type: hot water · area: Renwick
18:44:13notified: 1 push, 1 email · thread attached

Demonstration of a system we build, not a recording of a live client system. Times, numbers and names invented.

This is a demonstration of a system of this shape, not a recording of a live client system. Times, numbers and names are invented.

Why the first minute is the whole thing

Somebody with a leaking cylinder is not shopping around, they are working down a list. The first business that responds is usually the one that gets it, and after about ten minutes the question is settled without you.

So the job of this system is narrow: make sure something true and useful reaches that person inside a minute, in your name, and then keep the conversation going long enough to find out what they need and when they are free.

What it actually says

The message on the demonstration above is close to what gets sent, because there is no clever version of this. It says who you are, that you missed them, and asks the one question that moves it forward. It does not pretend to be you typing.

After that it asks what it needs to ask: what the job is, roughly where, and when suits. Three things, not a questionnaire.

Where it stops

It does not price the job. Ever.
It does not promise a time your calendar has not got.
It does not answer a question you have not given it the answer to.
It sends one follow-up if they go quiet, then leaves them alone.

What you get at the end: one notification with their name, number, what they want and the whole thread. If you would rather ring them, you now know what to ring about.

What it is built on

Your existing business number, with call forwarding set so an unanswered call triggers the message. No new handset, no new app to live in, and nothing that changes how you make calls. If you ever switch it off, your phone works exactly as it does today.

Both sides of it

Their phone, and yours, over the same five minutes.

Their phone6:42pm, Tuesday

Bright Electrical

Call ended, no answer

Sorry we missed your call, this is Dave from Bright Electrical. What did you need a hand with?6:42pm
After a quote for a hot water cylinder in Renwick6:44pm
No problem. Is the old one leaking, or just past it? And is it electric or gas?6:44pm
Leaking. Electric I think6:46pm
Got it. Dave can look Wednesday morning or Thursday morning, both around 8. Which suits?6:46pm
Wednesday is good. Jo, 027 555 44106:47pm

Your phone6:47pm

6:47

Tuesday 18 August

Enquirynow

Jo · 027 555 4410

Leaking electric hot water cylinder, Renwick. Booked Wednesday 8am. Full thread attached.

One notification, at the end. Not seven.

Demonstration. Invented business, customer and number.

Questions

Before you ask.

Does the text come from my number?: Yes. It goes out from your business number, so when they reply it lands in the same place every other message does. A text from an unknown number gets ignored, which defeats the point.
What if it was a supplier or my mum?: Known numbers get treated differently or skipped entirely. The list is yours and you can change it any time.
Will I get spammed with alerts?: No. You get told once, when the conversation has produced something worth knowing. The back and forth happens without interrupting you.
What if I would rather just ring them back?: Then it can be set to text only that you will call shortly, and leave the conversation to you. The point is that they hear something inside a minute, not that a machine handles it.

How many did you miss last week?

Most people are surprised by the number when they actually look. That is usually where this conversation starts.

Talk it through