Missed calls
What a missed call really costs a trades business, and how to catch it
Most callers won't leave a voicemail. Work out what missed calls cost your business, compare the ways to catch them, and see what an instant text-back should say.
Accelerator componentOptional, for Traction
Missed Call Text-Back
Every missed call gets a text back from your own number, before they call the next business.
Stop losing work to voicemail. When you're on a job or another line and can't answer, your landline signals MomentumOS and a text goes back to the caller from your exact business number within seconds, holding the lead before they call the place down the road.
Accelerator component · C$57/mo · or C$97/mo with Google Business Messaging · Requires Traction
The revenue leak
A missed call is a customer deciding who to call next.
Most missed calls aren't neglect. You're on a ladder, with a customer, or already on the phone. But the person calling usually has a list, and voicemail doesn't hold them.
Missed Call Text-Back gives them an immediate reply from the number they just dialled, so the conversation starts before they move down the list. Work out what missed calls cost your business.
These are US consumer figures. We are not aware of an equivalent published Canadian survey and do not present them as one. They describe consumer behaviour, not a forecast of your results.
Missed calls82%
of consumers say they'll call a competitor if a business doesn't answer. 21% call another business immediately.
CallRail consumer survey, 1,000 US consumers, September 2025
Voicemail42%
Only 42% say they leave a voicemail. The rest leave you nothing to call back.
CallRail consumer survey, 1,000 US consumers, September 2025
How it works
How conditional call forwarding turns a missed call into a text.
01
Switch on conditional forwarding
A short star code dialled on your office handset forwards unanswered and busy calls. The code depends on your carrier, such as Bell, Cogeco or Telus. We give you the right one and can stay on the line while you do it.
02
A call goes unanswered
After three to four rings, or on a busy line, your carrier forwards only that unanswered call to a dedicated MomentumOS routing line. Answered calls never leave your phone system.
03
The text goes out
MomentumOS detects the forwarded call and texts the caller from your landline number within seconds.
“Hi! Sorry we missed your call at [Business Name]. How can we help you today?”
04
Continue in the inbox
Their reply lands in your unified inbox, tagged as a missed-call lead, ready for whoever is free to answer.
Key features & benefits
Recovery without changing how you answer the phone.
Your exact landline number
The text comes from the number they just called, via Hosted SMS, not an unfamiliar number they might ignore.
Voice stays with your carrier
No porting and no new handsets. Only the unanswered or busy call event is forwarded to trigger the text.
Within seconds
The text-back is automatic, typically within about five seconds of the forwarded call.
Tagged in your inbox
Missed-call conversations carry their own tag, so your team knows how the customer arrived.
Assign and reply from the app
A push alert to your team, one person claims it, and the reply goes out from your landline.
Usage-billed texts
Text-backs and the conversation that follows bill from your usage credit at the standard per-segment rates.
Model it on your numbers
Does it pay for itself? Use your own numbers.
The arithmetic is simple. The add-on costs C$57 a month. If your average job is worth more than that, one recovered job a month covers it. The model beside this paragraph shows what your own missed calls could be worth, using assumptions you set.
Example inputs, not a forecast. Reply and booking rates vary by trade and by how quickly your team responds. The cost includes the C$57 add-on, one outgoing segment per text-back and a carrier lookup (C$0.012136) for each caller texted for the first time, counted here as every caller; replies and follow-up texts bill at the standard rates.
Missed-call recovery model
Change any number. Results update as you type.
percent, your assumption
percent, your assumption
Missed calls a month-
Text conversations started-
Jobs booked from them-
Monthly cost (add-on, text-backs, lookups)-
Modelled monthly value-
Break-even-
Accelerator component
C$57 a month, or C$97 in the Dual Accelerator Bundle.
Missed Call Text-Back is an optional add-on to an active Traction account, billed month-to-month. Bundle it with Google Business Messaging for C$97 a month and save C$17. Text-backs and replies bill from your usage credit at the standard per-segment rates.
Accelerator component
C$57 /mo
or C$97/mo with Google Business Messaging
(save C$17)
Requires Traction (C$297/mo). Not covered by the annual-plan discount.
Good to know
Straight answers.
Does this change my phone service?
No. Your number, carrier, handsets and bill stay the same. You switch on your carrier's conditional call forwarding, and can switch it off any time with your carrier's cancel code.
Which calls get a text?
Only calls that go unanswered or hit a busy line. If the caller is on a landline or a number that can't receive texts, the text won't be delivered.
Can I change the wording?
Yes. We set the message with you during setup, including your business name.
Does my carrier charge for forwarding?
Some carriers charge for call forwarding features or forwarded minutes. Check your phone plan; those charges are between you and your carrier.
Further reading
Learn more in our articles.
Texting
Texting customers from your business landline: what Ontario trades need to know
How a business landline can send and receive texts, why it beats texting from a personal cell, and the Canadian anti-spam (CASL) basics to follow.
Running the business
One inbox for every customer message: how trades teams stop losing leads
Customer messages scattered across personal phones, email and voicemail get lost. How a shared inbox and a few simple habits keep every conversation answered.