Should you return missed calls? Yes, and here is how.
Yes, you should return missed calls, and the sooner the better. For a business, a missed call is often someone who wants to buy, book or ask a question, and they usually call the next company if nobody answers. Here is who to call back first, what to say and how to miss fewer calls.
- Who to call back first
- What to say on the callback
- How to miss fewer calls
The short answer.
Yes. Return every missed call from a customer, a lead, or a number that left a message, and do it the same hour if you can. A quick text first helps: it tells the person you saw the call and lets them answer when they can.
Speed matters most with new leads. A 2007 study tied to MIT and InsideSales.com found the odds of qualifying a lead were 21 times lower when it was called after 30 minutes instead of 5. That measures qualifying a lead, not closing a sale, so I would not quote it as a promise. See what the studies really found.
Who to call back first.
New leads and anyone asking for a price or a quote
These are the calls most likely to turn into work, and the people most likely to call someone else if you wait.
Customers with a problem
A fast, calm callback protects a relationship you already paid to earn.
Voicemails from a number you do not recognize
Listen first. If it is a real person with a real question, call back. If it is a recording or a pitch, skip it.
Vendors and everyone else
Do these after the first three, but do them. An unreturned call is a small mark against you.
One ring from an unfamiliar international number
Do not call back. A call that rings once and hangs up from a number you do not know is a known scam pattern.
What to say when you call back.
Open with who you are
Hi, this is [Name] at [Business]. I am returning your call.
Ask one open question
What can I help you with? Then let them talk.
Close with the next step
Offer a time, a quote or a booking before you hang up, so the call does not end with maybe.
Text first or call first?
If the call was urgent, or the person left a voicemail asking for a call, call right away. Otherwise a short text first works well, then call. I put copy-ready messages in what to text when you miss a call.
How to miss fewer calls.
Look at your phone log and count how many calls go unanswered in a week, and when. Then pick one fix: a better voicemail greeting, forwarding to a second phone, or missed call text back, which texts the caller within seconds of an unanswered call and sends the reply to a real person. Texts cost a little over 2 cents each, a local business number is $1.25 a month and there is a one-time carrier registration fee of about $23.50, all billed at cost. The software is extra. See missed call text back for small business, the calculator or instant lead response for insurance agents.
Questions you may be asking.
Should you return missed calls from unknown numbers?
Listen to the voicemail first. If a real person left a real message, call back. If there is no message, or the number looks like a one ring international call, skip it. A text asking who it is also works.
How long should you wait to return a missed call?
As little as you can. The same hour is a good target, and within a few minutes for a new lead. The longer you wait, the more likely the person has called someone else.
Is it rude not to return a missed call?
For friends and family, a quick text is usually enough. For customers and leads, an unreturned call tells them you are hard to reach, and many will not try twice.
Should a business text back or call back first?
A short text first, then a call, works for most calls. If the person left a voicemail asking you to call, or the matter is urgent, call right away. See copy-ready messages.
What if the caller did not leave a voicemail?
If the number is saved or looks local and plausible, send a short text asking how you can help. If it is unfamiliar and no message was left, you can skip it.
How do I find out how many calls my business misses?
Check your phone system or carrier call log for unanswered calls over a week, and note the times. Then try the missed call text back calculator to see what those calls may be worth.
Want every missed call answered in seconds?
Tell me how your calls and leads come in and I will send a plan in writing, with the price.