How to Set Up Missed Call Text Back in GoHighLevel (Step by Step)

Quick Answer: To set up missed call text back in GoHighLevel, open Settings, then Phone System, then Voice, and switch on Missed Call Text Back. Write a short SMS that names your business and asks the caller to reply, test it on your own phone, and save. For business-hours messages or follow-up steps, use the workflow builder instead of the built-in toggle.

Key Takeaways

• Missed call text back is built into every GoHighLevel plan. You only pay for the SMS itself.
• The native toggle takes about five minutes. Use the workflow builder for different messages by time of day.
• Never run the toggle and a missed-call workflow together, or the caller gets two texts.
• Complete A2P 10DLC registration first, or US carriers may silently block your texts.

Every missed call is a customer who chose your business and got no answer. Most do not leave a voicemail. They call the next business on the list. Missed call text back fixes that gap in about five minutes: the moment a call goes unanswered, your business number texts the caller. New to the platform? Start with my guide to what GoHighLevel is and how it works for small businesses.

What Is Missed Call Text Back in GoHighLevel?

Missed call text back is a built-in GoHighLevel feature that sends an automatic SMS to anyone whose inbound call goes unanswered. The text goes out from your business number seconds after the call ends, tells the caller you saw their call, and invites them to reply by text instead of calling the next business on their list.

When a customer calls your GoHighLevel number and nobody picks up, the call rings past your timeout and your pre-written SMS goes out. The reply lands in your Conversations inbox, where your team can answer it or hand it to Conversation AI to book a callback. It is set per sub-account, so each location gets its own switch and message.

How Do You Set Up Missed Call Text Back in GoHighLevel?

Two ways: the native toggle under Settings, then Phone System, then Voice, in about five minutes, or a workflow in Automation, then Workflows, which adds business-hours branches and follow-up steps. Pick one method only.

Method 1: The native toggle (about 5 minutes). This is the right choice for most single-location businesses:

1. Open your sub-account and click Settings in the bottom-left corner.
2. Click Phone System in the left menu, then Voice in the top menu.
3. Open Voicemail and Missed Call Text Back, then Missed Call Text Back.
4. Tick Enable Missed Call Text Back, click Customize, and type the SMS.
5. Set the ring timeout to 10 to 20 seconds. Too long and the text arrives late. Too short and you cut off calls your team would have picked up.
6. Send yourself a test, check it on your phone, then click Save.

Method 2: The workflow builder (for business-hours filtering and follow-up). Use this path for different messages by time of day or a second nudge:

1. Go to Automations, then Workflows, and click Create Workflow. Choose Start from Scratch or the pre-built recipe.
2. Add a Call details trigger. Set Call Direction to incoming and choose the missed outcomes: not answered, busy, and voicemail.
3. Set Allow Re-Entry to off so it fires once per contact.
4. Add a Send SMS action and write your message.
5. For different messages by time of day, add an If/Else action before the SMS step.
6. Publish, then call the number from your own mobile and confirm the text arrives.

Do not run both methods together, or the caller gets two identical texts. A detailed walkthrough of both methods is in this missed call text back setup guide.

What Should Your Missed Call Text Say?

Keep it under 160 characters, name your business first, ask one question, and say when a real person will reply. Skip links, offers, and generic lines like “your call is important to us.”

Say who you are, because the caller may have rung five businesses. Ask one question, such as “What do you need help with?” Say when a person will reply, for example “within 15 minutes”, and keep that promise. Leave out links and the sales pitch. Here are templates you can adapt:

• During the day: “Hi, it is [Business Name]. Sorry we missed your call. How can we help? A real person will reply shortly.”
• After hours: “Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We are closed now. Reply with what you need and we will get back to you first thing tomorrow.”

Once the reply comes in, treat it like a live call. Pair the text back with the follow-up system in my guide to lead follow-up automation in GoHighLevel.

What Does Missed Call Text Back Cost in GoHighLevel?

The feature itself is included in every GoHighLevel plan, starting with Starter at $97 per month, with no extra charge to switch it on. The only real costs are a US local number at about $1.15 a month, A2P 10DLC registration at $22.50 one time and then $1.50 to $10.50 a month per campaign, and roughly a cent per text segment. At those rates, 100 missed-call texts cost about $1.10 to $1.25 a month. Prices come from GoHighLevel’s pricing and help pages, as compiled in this missed call text back cost breakdown.

Why Is My Missed Call Text Back Not Working?

The most common cause is A2P 10DLC registration that is missing, pending, or rejected, which silently stops US texts. Other causes are the toggle being off, the contact opting out of SMS, or the toggle and a workflow running at the same time.

• Check A2P 10DLC registration first. Go to Settings, then Phone Numbers, then Compliance, and confirm the campaign shows Approved.
• Confirm the setting is on. Check that Missed Call Text Back is enabled under Settings, then Phone System, then Voice.
• Check for duplicates. If the caller gets two texts per call, both the toggle and a workflow are active. Switch the built-in one off.
• Check for carrier filtering. A link or an offer in the text can get it filtered as spam.

Most of these are setup problems, not platform problems. Test with your own phone first, as in my guide to automating appointment reminders in GoHighLevel.

A Real Example: A Plumbing Company in Dallas

Picture a small plumbing company in Dallas, Texas. The owner is fixing a water heater when a new customer calls about a leaking pipe. Nobody answers, and the customer is about to call the next plumber on Google. Instead, a text arrives seconds later: “Hi, it is Lone Star Plumbing. Sorry we missed your call. What is the problem and where are you? We will reply within 15 min.” The customer replies with the address and a photo of the leak. The office confirms a slot for later that afternoon, and the job is booked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does GoHighLevel automatically send a missed call text?

Yes. Enable Missed Call Text Back under Settings, then Phone System, then Voice, and GoHighLevel sends an automated SMS to any missed caller.

Can I send a different missed call text outside business hours?

Yes. Build a workflow with the Call details trigger, filtered to incoming calls that were not answered, then add an If/Else branch that checks Current Day of the Week and Current Hour.

Why is my missed call text back not sending?

The four most common causes are incomplete A2P 10DLC registration, the feature not enabled, the contact opting out of SMS, or the toggle and a workflow both active.

Does missed call text back work on all GoHighLevel plans?

Yes. It is available on every GoHighLevel plan, including Starter at $97 per month. The feature has no extra charge.

How do I stop a contact from getting the same text every time they call?

In the workflow version, turn off Allow Re-Entry so the automation fires only once per contact.

Is missed call text back legal in the US?

It falls under the general US rules for business texts, so keep it to one informational text with no offers or links, and always honor STOP requests. This is not legal advice.

Conclusion

Missed call text back is the cheapest automation in GoHighLevel, and one of the most useful. The native toggle takes five minutes, the workflow version adds business-hours control, and the texts cost about a cent each. The two mistakes to avoid are skipping A2P 10DLC registration and running the toggle and a workflow at the same time. Set it up today, test it with your own phone, and decide who answers replies. If you want the full system built around it, see my GoHighLevel work or book a free consultation.

Author: Muhammad Fahad Hussain, CRM and Automation Specialist. Published: November 13, 2026. Sources: Havstock and The Stack Insiders missed call text back guides, and GoHighLevel help pages on Missed Call Text Back and A2P 10DLC.