EE
O2
Vodafone
Three
giffgaff
Sky Mobile
SMARTY
Talkmobile
iD Mobile
Asda Mobile
Virgin Mobile
Missed call text service
for dog groomers
You have a wet, anxious animal on a table and scissors in your hand. Stepping away to answer the phone is not an option — not because it would be rude, but because you cannot leave a dog unattended halfway through a groom. So the phone rings, and the person trying to book their spaniel in books it elsewhere.
Why dog groomers miss calls
A groom takes as long as it takes and cannot be paused. Dryers are loud enough to drown out a ringtone entirely. And the dog on the table has to be watched every second it is up there, which means both your hands and your attention are committed for the whole appointment.
The maths
What one missed groom is worth
A single groom is decent money. A dog that comes back every six or eight weeks for a decade is a different proposition entirely, and that is the normal pattern in this trade. Every one of those long relationships started with one phone call that somebody answered.
TextTheCaller is £6.49 a month. Set against the value of the work above, it only has to keep one caller from ringing the next name on the list to have paid for itself several times over.
What to write in your text
You write the message once and it goes out on every missed call. Here's one that works for dog groomers:
Thanks for calling Meadow Dog Grooming. I'm with a dog and can't stop. I'll call you back this afternoon — or book online at meadowgrooming.co.uk.
It sends from your business name
The caller sees your business name, not a phone number — so there's nothing for them to reply to. Give them something they can act on instead: a booking link, an email address, or a time you'll ring back.
160 characters
One SMS segment. The example above fits with room to spare, and we'll show you the count as you write so nothing gets cut off.
How it works
No app, no new number, no contract.
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1
Sign up with your mobile number
Enter your number, pick your network and set your business name. No password — we email you a magic link.
About 30 seconds
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2
Set unanswered-call forwarding
Follow the tailored dial-code or handset instructions for your carrier, then make a quick test call.
One time only
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3
Write your text-back
Use the example above or write your own. Next time a call rings out, the caller gets it within seconds.
Change it any time
It works on your existing number on every compatible UK network, and only ever triggers on calls you don't answer. Pick up as normal and nothing happens at all. If you want the general version before the dog groomers detail, read the missed call text service overview.
Step two is the only one that changes depending on who your line is with. We have written the unanswered-call divert up for each network separately — EE, O2, Vodafone, Three, giffgaff, Sky Mobile, SMARTY, Talkmobile, iD Mobile, Asda Mobile and Virgin Mobile — because the menu names, the codes each one accepts and what happens after a SIM swap are genuinely different. If you are not sure where to start, the general guide to stopping calls going to voicemail covers the part that is the same everywhere.
Questions from dog groomers
160 characters does not stretch to a price list, and prices in this trade depend on breed and coat condition anyway. A link to your website does the job in a fraction of the space.
Once a week at most, and not at all if you add them to your skip list. Most groomers add their regulars, who tend to be ringing to move an appointment rather than to book a first one.
Add them to the skip list and they will never receive an automatic text.
Also built for
Every missed call is a job someone else gets
Keep your number. Two minutes to set up. Cancel whenever you like.
7 days free, then £6.49/mo. Cancel any time.