The Missed Call Fix — Guide 2 of 3

How to set up an automatic follow-up system for your service business

In Guide 1 we covered why leads disappear. Now we’re going to fix it. This guide walks you through setting up a system that responds to missed calls and new enquiries automatically — so no lead ever goes cold while you’re on a job.

What you’re building

By the end of this guide you’ll have three things working automatically:

✓An instant text message sent to anyone who calls and doesn’t get through
✓An automatic reply to anyone who submits a web enquiry or contact form
✓A simple follow-up sequence for leads that go quiet after a quote

None of this requires tech skills. If you can send a text message you can set this up.

The tool you need

G

GoHighLevel — $97/mo (approx. £75–80/mo)

An all-in-one platform that handles your CRM, automated SMS and email responses, missed call text-back, appointment booking, and follow-up sequences in one place. Pricing is in USD — your bank will convert at the current exchange rate. Used by thousands of UK service businesses and agencies.

Real monthly cost for a UK service business:
Starter plan~£75–80/mo UK phone number~£2/mo SMS usage (moderate)~£5–15/mo Calls (if used)~£5–10/mo Realistic total£87–107/mo
One recovered job per month covers this. Most service businesses recover 2–4 extra jobs in their first month.
Start free 14-day trial →

There are other tools that do parts of this — but GoHighLevel is the only one that handles all three components in one place at a flat monthly rate. No per-message fees for basic usage, no separate tools to stitch together.

Before you start: Sign up for the GoHighLevel 14-day free trial. You won’t be charged during the trial and you’ll have full access to everything covered in this guide. After the trial it’s $97/mo (approx. £75–80/mo at current rates) — charged in USD. Start your free trial here →

Step by step — building your system

1

Set up your account and business profile

Once you’re inside GoHighLevel, the first thing to do is set up your business profile. Add your business name, phone number, address, and website. This takes about 5 minutes and is the foundation everything else runs from.

Make sure your business phone number is connected. This is the number that missed call text-backs will send from — it needs to be a number your customers will recognise.

Tip: GoHighLevel gives you a dedicated business number. You can use this instead of your personal mobile — keeps business and personal separate.
2

Turn on missed call text-back

This is the single most impactful thing you can set up. When a call comes in and you don’t answer, GoHighLevel automatically sends a text message to that number within seconds.

In your GoHighLevel dashboard go to: Settings → Missed Call Text Back

Toggle it on. Then write your automatic message. Keep it short, friendly, and human — not corporate.

Example missed call text-back message
Hi, sorry I missed your call — I’m on a job right now. I’ll call you back shortly. What did you need help with? — [Your name], [Business name]
Why this works: The customer gets a response before they’ve even dialled the next number. Most will reply with what they need — and now you have a conversation started rather than a lost lead.
Important: Don’t make it sound automated. Write it in your own voice. “Hi, sorry I missed your call” converts far better than “Thank you for contacting us. A representative will be in touch.”
3

Set up your web enquiry auto-reply

If you have a contact form on your website — or if you’re going to add one — you can connect it to GoHighLevel so every submission gets an automatic reply instantly.

In GoHighLevel go to: Sites → Forms — you can either build a new form directly inside GoHighLevel and embed it on your site, or connect your existing WordPress form.

Then set up a simple automation: when a form is submitted → send an SMS and/or email to the contact.

Example web enquiry auto-reply
Hi [First name], thanks for getting in touch — I’ve got your message and I’ll come back to you within the hour. — [Your name], [Business name]
Tip: Send both an SMS and an email. SMS gets read within 3 minutes on average. Email is there as a backup and feels more formal for some customers.
4

Build a simple follow-up sequence

This is for leads that go quiet after you’ve sent a quote or had an initial conversation. Instead of manually remembering to chase people up, GoHighLevel sends a follow-up automatically at the right time.

Go to: Automation → Workflows → New Workflow

Build a simple 3-step sequence:

✓Day 2 after quote sent — “Hi [Name], just checking you received my quote. Any questions at all?”
✓Day 5 — “Hi [Name], still happy to help if you’d like to go ahead — just give me a shout.”
✓Day 10 — “Hi [Name], I’ll leave this with you — if you need anything in future don’t hesitate to get in touch.”
Note: Stop the sequence automatically when the customer replies or books. GoHighLevel handles this — set the trigger to “contact replied” and the workflow stops. You don’t want to chase someone who’s already said yes.
5

Set up your pipeline

A pipeline is simply a visual board showing where every lead is in your process. In GoHighLevel go to: CRM → Pipelines → New Pipeline

Create these stages:

✓New enquiry
✓Quote sent
✓Following up
✓Booked in
✓Job complete

Every time someone contacts you, add them to the pipeline. Move them through the stages as you progress. You’ll never lose track of where a lead is again.

Tip: GoHighLevel can move contacts through pipeline stages automatically based on their actions — replied to a message, booked an appointment, and so on. In Guide 3 we’ll cover how to get this running fully automatically.

What you’ve just built

If you’ve followed the steps above you now have:

✓Missed calls responded to automatically within seconds
✓Web enquiries acknowledged instantly — before the customer moves on
✓Quotes followed up automatically so nothing goes cold
✓Every lead visible in one place — no more scattered messages

That’s the core of the system. In Guide 3 we’ll show you how to get it running fully on autopilot — so your business keeps responding and following up even when you’re on jobs, on holiday, or simply not looking at your phone.

← Guide 1
Guide 2 of 3 — The Missed Call Fix
Next: Never lose a lead again →