After-hours text message examples for contractors
Disclosure: we wrote and sell a guide on this.
When a call comes in after you've closed, an automatic text can tell the caller three things: you got the call, when you'll reply, and how to flag an emergency. Here are free after-hours text message examples for plumbers, HVAC techs, electricians and other trades, plus the rules that keep them short and clear, and what your tool needs to send them.
The rules for every after-hours text
Business name first, one question, an opt-out at the end, about 160 characters or less, with no emojis or curly quotes (either can shrink a text's limit to 70 characters). Say when you'll reply, and only promise an emergency callback if someone is really on call.
After-hours text message examples
Swap the brackets for your details. Character counts include the brackets as written.
1. Closed for the night, reply time (145 characters as written; 155 with "Smith Plumbing & Drain")
[Business]: sorry we missed your call, we're closed tonight. What's the problem and your address? We'll reply after [7am]. Reply STOP to opt out.
2. Emergency flag (plumbing/HVAC) (145 characters as written; 157 with "Smith Plumbing & Drain")
[Business]: we're closed, but if water is coming in or you have no heat, start your reply with EMERGENCY. What's going on? Reply STOP to opt out.
Only if someone really answers emergencies after hours. If no one does, use example 1 or 3.
3. Short and polite (116 characters as written; 126 with "Smith Plumbing & Drain")
[Business]: thanks for calling after hours. Our office opens at [7am]. What can we help with? Reply STOP to opt out.
4. Weekend or day off (115 characters as written; 125 with "Smith Plumbing & Drain")
[Business]: missed you after hours. We're back [Mon 7am]. What do you need fixed, and where? Reply STOP to opt out.
5. Callback yes/no (122 characters as written; 134 with "Smith Plumbing & Drain")
[Business]: we got your call after hours. Want us to call you back in the morning? Reply YES or NO. Reply STOP to opt out.
Example 5 asks a yes/no question, so be ready to act on the YES in the morning.
Emergencies after hours
- Pick one flag word and use it everywhere: in your voicemail greeting, your after-hours text and your crew's phones. EMERGENCY is the one our voicemail greeting examples use.
- Decide who answers it. If a text says EMERGENCY at 11 PM, whose phone buzzes? If the answer is nobody, use example 1 or 3 instead of 2.
- Safety first, in the voicemail. A text has room for one instruction. Keep the gas line ("If you smell gas, leave the building and call 911 or your gas company from outside.") in your voicemail greeting, where it fits. See our after-hours voicemail greeting examples.
- The guide's text pack has a full after-hours emergency template (C1) and the manual replies to send when someone texts EMERGENCY (C2, C3).
Which tools can send a separate after-hours text?
- Quo (formerly OpenPhone): has a separate after-hours missed-call auto-reply. It depends on the business hours set in the number's settings, and Quo sends at most one auto-reply per contact every 3 hours (per Quo's help, Oct 2026).
- ServiceTitan: per ServiceTitan's help (checked Oct 2026), the Missed Calls SMS campaign only sends texts between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM, so a call at 10 PM may not get an instant text. Your voicemail greeting matters more at night.
- Housecall Pro and Jobber: check your text-back setting's hours before you rely on it after hours, and test it (below).
- Google Voice: Google's help (checked Oct 2026) lists no auto-reply setting. Use the voicemail greeting to ask callers to text you instead.
- Starting fresh with a texting tool? Automatic texts start once carriers approve your registration. Quo reports most approvals within 24–48 hours, but some take up to 20 days or longer.
After-hours calls: forwarding and on-call
How to handle calls after hours without the guilt of missing leads comes down to one decision: does anyone answer at night?
- Nobody on call: let calls go to an after-hours greeting that asks callers to text, and let the after-hours text say when you'll reply (examples 1, 3, 4).
- Someone on call: forward calls to the on-call phone during set hours if your phone system supports scheduled forwarding (check your provider's settings), and use the emergency flag (example 2).
- On a cell with a text-back app: use "no answer" forwarding, not "forward all," so you still answer the calls you can, and only unanswered calls go to the app.
Test it
After you close, call from a phone that isn't in your customer list and let it ring out. Did the after-hours text arrive (not the daytime one)? Does it start with your business name and include STOP? That's test #2 ("Same, after hours") on our free worksheet.
Before you turn it on
Before you turn on after-hours texts, check the federal and state texting rules that apply to you on consent and quiet hours.
FAQ
What should an after-hours text say?
Your business name, that you're closed, when you'll reply, one question (usually the problem and the address), and "Reply STOP to opt out."
How long can an after-hours text be?
Aim for about 160 characters. Emojis or curly quotes can shrink the limit to 70.
Should my after-hours text be different from my daytime one?
Yes, if your tool allows it. Daytime says you're on a job and will call back. After hours says when you're back and how to flag an emergency.
Can I text people about a promotion after hours?
That's not a reply to someone who just called you. Follow-ups, review asks or promos need the customer's permission.
Will my after-hours text go out at 2 AM?
It depends on your tool. Per ServiceTitan's help (checked Oct 2026), its Missed Calls campaign only sends between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM. Check your tool's settings, and check the quiet-hours rules that apply to you.
Keep it honest
- Send one automatic reply to someone who just called you. Follow-ups, review asks or promos need the customer's permission.
- Treat "stop", "quit" or "don't text me" as an opt-out, in any wording.
- Use only one text-back tool per number. Two tools texting the same caller looks like spam.
(This is general information, not legal advice.)
Get the step-by-step
- Free: the 1-page missed-call worksheet with the 8-call test, no email needed.
- Free: see what missed calls could cost you with the missed-call calculator.
- The Missed-Call Fix ($39 guide): exact setup steps for Housecall Pro, Jobber, ServiceTitan, Quo and your cell carrier, what to do if you're on Google Voice, plus a copy-paste text pack with after-hours (A2) and after-hours emergency (C1) templates. See the guide
- 30-day money-back guarantee: email vendorpapers@mail.grokbot.com within 30 days of your purchase for a full refund, no questions asked.
- Not affiliated with or endorsed by Housecall Pro, Jobber, ServiceTitan, Quo or Google. Product names belong to their owners.
Disclosure: we wrote and sell a guide on this.