Missed call text back: never lose a job to voicemail

A missed call doesn't have to be a lost job. Set your business phone to divert to TapBook's assistant when you don't answer, and it takes the call, texts the caller your booking link, and lets them book a time themselves, or takes a call-back for you. You choose which calls it takes: only when nobody answers, only when the line's busy or unreachable, or every call to that number.

Why a missed call is the moment that matters

A customer who calls a trade business usually has a job that needs doing soon: a burst pipe, a car that won't start, power out to half the house. If nobody answers, most don't leave a voicemail and wait. They call the next number on the list.

You can't always answer. You're under a car, up a ladder, or driving between jobs. The fix isn't answering every call, it's making sure a missed one still turns into a booking.

How it works

TapBook's assistant sits behind your business number. You choose how calls reach it, by diverting your phone:

• No answer. Calls only go to the assistant after ringing out.
• Busy. Calls go to it when you're already on another call.
• Unreachable. Calls go to it when your phone's off or out of range.
• All calls. Every call goes straight to it, and you never see your phone ring.

Most businesses divert on no answer, so calls still reach a person first.

When the assistant takes a call, it's built from your booking page: your services, your hours, your address and phone, and answers to common questions you've set for your business. It tells the caller it's a virtual assistant and that the call's being transcribed.

For most calls, it texts the caller your booking link so they can pick a service and a time themselves. If they'd rather you called back, it takes their name and number for a call-back. It flags anything urgent for you instead of trying to handle it, so a real emergency doesn't sit in a queue.

What you see afterwards

Every call gets a summary in your TapBook inbox: how long it went, what the caller needed, and whether the link was texted, a call-back was wanted, or it was flagged urgent. You can open the transcript to read exactly what was said, for 90 days, after which it's deleted and only the summary stays. If the assistant couldn't answer at all, you get a missed-call alert instead.

That means you're never chasing "who called at lunchtime". You mark the booking as normal, from the same inbox as your Google and website bookings.

When it earns its keep

• After hours. Set it to answer everything outside your working hours, so a caller at 8pm still gets your booking link instead of a ringing phone.
• Mid-job. Divert on no answer, so calls you can't get to during a job still get a text back within a minute, not whenever you next check your phone.
• Busy periods. A morning rush of calls doesn't mean the fourth caller gives up and rings someone else.

What it isn't

It's not a call centre and it's not trying to be a human. It answers plainly, gets the caller to a booking link or a call-back, and flags what needs you. For a routine "can you fit me in this week", that's often faster than waiting for a return call.

TapBook's assistant is part of Front of house, alongside your booking page and two-way texting. See how it works.