10 Auto reply templates to keep up with customers

When your schedule gets full or the workloads become extra heavy, often the hardest part of managing your business can be keeping up with customers during this time. In the past, if you were not able to get to the phone in a timely manner, a missed call could turn into a missed business opportunity, a frustrated customer or even worse an upset family member. However, with auto reply features now available through services such as ProPhone,  you never need to miss out on another job again! Setting up an auto reply text will help current clients know you care and demonstrates your professionalism to potential clients.

So what exactly are auto reply messages? They are pre-created text messages that will be automatically sent to clients who have called you in the case that you are unable to pick up the phone.

Top reasons you may want to consider using auto reply messages include:

• First Contact with customers
• After Hours calls
• Vacations
• Full schedule & no longer accepting new clients

That's why we have created the following list of 10 auto reply templates for your home service business and the scenarios in which you might find them helpful!

First Contact

First impressions need to send a clear image of the professionalism of your business and your care for your clients. That being said, first contact text messages should be friendly, address the fact that you will get back to the client soon, and potentially show a unique feature of your business such as being family-run. Though it is optional, adding a small blurb about a unique feature of your business can help your away message to feel less like a generic canned response and more like a thoughtful and personal communication.

1. “Thank you for contacting [insert business name]! I was unable to answer your call because I am currently on a job, but I appreciate your business and will call you back very soon. If you are a new client looking for [insert industry] services, please leave a brief message detailing your [insert industry] needs. Looking forward to learning how we can help you with all of you [insert industry] needs!

2. "Thank you for reaching out to [insert business]! We appreciate you putting your trust in our family-run business! We were unable to answer your call because we are currently on a job, but look forward to calling you back shortly."

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After Hours Calls

One of the ways that you may be loosing business unintentionally is through missing class that come in after business hours. It is important to have a healthy work-life balance, so we don't suggest staying glued to your phone 24/7, but we do suggest setting up an auto reply to let your clients know that you care and will return their call during the normal working hours for your business.

3. "Hello! Thank you for contacting [insert business name]! You have reached us after our normal business hours, but if you send us a brief message we will get back to you during the working day. We also welcome you to check out our website [insert website link] to learn more about our services."

4. "Thank you for reaching out to [insert business name]! We are currently closed for the day. Our normal business hours are [insert hours]. If you give us a call back during our work day we would be happy to assist you then or you can send more details over text."

5. "Thank you for contacting us! If you give us a call back during our normal business hours [insert hours] we would be happy to assist you with your [insert industry] request. We look forward to working with you soon!"

Vacation Mode

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Another time when you may want to set up an automated response message for customer inquiries, is when you go on vacation. Whether its two days off or two weeks off, you can never be entirely sure of how many client calls you could miss. Therefore, even if you can't give a prompt response yourself, you should set up auto response system so that clients are not left hanging. This rule also goes for extended periods of absence such as maternity leave. One difference with extended periods of absence is that if there are other coworkers who are continuing to work during this time, it is wise to direct potential clients to them and provide their phone number in case the client is in need of immediate assistance.  With ProPhone, you can actually allow other team members to access the business phone line from their own personal devices - allowing for seamless communication regardless of where in the world you may find yourself. Below you can find a few great options for out of office message examples.

6. "Thank you for contacting [insert your name] at [insert business name]. I am sorry I am unable to get to the phone right now as I will be on leave for the next week. If you contact [insert coworkers name] at [insert coworkers number] they will be happy to assist you with your [insert industry] needs!"

7. "Thanks for reaching out to [insert business name]. We are closed until the [insert date], but will be happy to get back to you when we reopen and greatly appreciate your business!"

8. "Hi there! We are currently on holiday until the [insert date]. If you leave a message, we would be happy to get back to you when we return."

No longer accepting new clients

Sometimes you simply have too much on your plate to be accepting new clients, but it's still important to maintain a good standing with those potential leads for the future. This is where auto reply messages can come in handy. They allow you to get back to the interested lead in a timely manner without diverting attention away from your existing clients.

9. "Thanks for reaching out and sorry I missed your call. If you are calling about an existing job please respond via text if urgent. If you are a new customer reaching out unfortunately we are only accepting customers on a waitlist. Note, this is an auto reply."

10. "Hi there! Thank you for reaching out to [insert business name]. If you are a current client, please send back a message and we will get back to you shortly. If you are not currently a client, our schedule is unfortunately full at the moment and we are unable to accept new clients at this time. We appreciate your support and look forward to serving you in the future!"

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If you are interested in reducing the hassle of customer communications with auto replies, checkout out the ProPhone app. Further, if you don't yet have one, it is always helpful to have a website that your clients or potential leads can reference for their common questions and service requests. ProPhone is here to help you create a memorable, custom website that will help you grow your business even when you can't get the phone.

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