If you run a small HVAC shop in San Antonio, you already know the problem. It’s July, a homeowner’s AC stops cooling, and they call you while you’re up in someone else’s attic. The call goes to voicemail, and they call the next company on the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Missed-call text-back is the simplest fix: when a call goes unanswered, the caller gets an automatic text within seconds, so the conversation keeps going while you finish the job. The obvious next question for any HVAC owner is what missed call text back costs. Here’s an honest breakdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. The software<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Text-back is usually run on a CRM or marketing platform that can catch a missed call and fire off a text. Software that does this typically runs from under a hundred to a few hundred dollars a month, plus usage charges for the phone number and texts. HighLevel, a platform many agencies use, publishes plans starting at $97\/month. (HighLevel pricing<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The subscription is the small part. The bigger cost is the time it takes to learn the platform and set it up correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Texting registration (A2P 10DLC)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the US, businesses that send texts from a regular 10-digit number have to register a “brand” and a “campaign” with the carriers. Unregistered texts face more filtering and extra carrier fees. (Twilio: A2P 10DLC<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Twilio’s published fees, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Twilio 10DLC pricing<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dollar amounts are small. The real cost is time: the forms are picky, and a rejected registration means your texts don’t go out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Setup and upkeep<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the part most price lists skip. Someone has to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can do it yourself if you have the hours. Most owner-operators don’t, which is why agencies often charge a setup fee on top of a monthly fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A live answering service is the other common fix. Ruby, a well-known virtual receptionist service, lists plans from $250\/month for 50 receptionist minutes up to $1,725\/month for 500 minutes, with overage billed per minute. (Ruby billing plans<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n A live person is a good fit for some businesses. But a busy season means more minutes, and more minutes mean a bigger bill. For an HVAC shop, the busiest weeks (the first heat wave, the first freeze) are exactly when minutes pile up. Text-back doesn’t charge by the minute. It just makes sure every missed caller hears from you right away. (For a side-by-side, see our post on missed-call text-back vs an answering service<\/a>, and for what those missed calls add up to, how many jobs San Antonio HVAC owners lose to missed calls<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n RaveCode is based in San Antonio. We set up missed call text back for HVAC and other local service shops, including the automation, the bilingual message and the texting registration, so you don’t have to learn new software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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How that compares with an answering service<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What to ask before you pay anyone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Want it done for you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n