TextTheCaller

Missed call text service
for shop owners

Independent retail has a particular version of this problem: the calls you miss are mostly easy questions. Are you open on Sunday? Do you have it in stock? Where do I park? These are not conversations, they are facts — and the caller who cannot get hold of you to check just goes to a shop whose website answered the question instead.

Start your free trial How it works

Why shop owners miss so many calls

You are serving someone at the counter, and the customer in front of you comes first. You are on the shop floor, out the back checking stock, or dealing with a delivery. If you run the place single-handed there is nobody else to pick up, and the busiest trading hours — Saturday afternoons, the run-up to Christmas — are exactly when the phone rings most and you can least get to it.

The maths

What one missed shop call is worth

Any individual call may only be a small basket. But retail runs on footfall and repeat custom, so the real loss is the visit that never happens: someone who would have driven over, bought something, and come back. Over a year, a phone that goes unanswered on your busiest days quietly costs a great deal more than a slow Tuesday.

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 independent shops:

Thanks for calling Fern & Thistle. We're with customers in the shop. Open Mon-Sat 9-5.30, Sun 11-4. Stock and orders: fernandthistle.co.uk

This is the one trade where the text can often answer the question outright. Putting your opening hours directly in the message resolves the single most common reason people ring a shop, without anyone needing to call anybody back.

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.

  1. 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

  2. 2

    Dial one code from your phone

    We give you the exact code for your network. It tells your network to send unanswered calls to us.

    One time only

  3. 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.

Questions from independent shops

Yes, and for most shops it is the best use of the 160 characters. It answers the most common call outright, and anyone with a different question still has your website in the same message.

Any time, from your account. Seasonal hours are one of the more useful things to keep updated, since that is precisely when people ring to check before travelling.

Put them on the skip list. They will never get an automatic text, and they will not use up any of your monthly allowance either.

Also built for

Plumbers Electricians Builders Locksmiths Cleaners Estate agents Tutors Consultants Dental practices Photographers Landscapers & gardeners

Every missed call is a job someone else gets

Keep your number. Two minutes to set up. Cancel whenever you like.

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7 days free, then £6.49/mo. Cancel any time.

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