The Missed-Call Fix

Quo missed call text back setup (formerly OpenPhone)

Disclosure: we wrote and sell a guide on this.

If you run your business from a cell phone, with no field-service software, Quo (formerly OpenPhone) is one way to text back missed calls. This page walks through Quo missed call text back in order. Quo calls the feature auto-replies. It works with any carrier: you set it up, forward your unanswered calls to it, and register for texting. Here's the honest order of operations.

Quo auto reply: what it does

Quo's auto-replies cover missed calls during business hours, with a separate after-hours missed-call message; there are also triggers for voicemails and incoming texts. Quo sends an auto-reply only once every 3 hours per contact, and skips it if you recently called or messaged that person.

What it costs

Quo starts at $15/user/month billed yearly or $19 monthly, plus a $19.50 one-time carrier registration fee and $1.50–$3/month in carrier fees (per Quo's pricing page, checked Oct 20, 2026; prices can change); the 7-day free trial doesn't include registration. Re-check before you buy. So you need a paid plan to start texting.

Step 1: Number and registration (do these the same day)

  1. Pick a paid plan and get a local number, or start porting your existing number.
  2. Register for texting in Settings → Trust → Register now, choosing For business (you have an EIN) or Sole proprietor (no EIN).
  3. Your website must be live with a business name that matches your registration, and sole proprietors also need a US or Canadian mobile number that can receive texts, for identity verification.

Timing: 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. Until then, auto-replies can be written, but unregistered numbers cannot text US numbers.

Step 2: Turn on Quo auto response (OpenPhone auto reply)

Quo says auto-reply setup works on the web and desktop apps only, not the mobile app. 1. Click Settings. 2. Select Phone Numbers under Workspace settings, and choose your number. 3. Open the Automations tab and scroll to Auto-Replies. 4. Turn on the missed-call auto-reply and the after-hours missed-call auto-reply, and paste your messages. 5. Set your business hours in the number's settings, because after-hours auto-replies depend on them.

Active auto-replies show in green. If you searched for OpenPhone automation, these are the settings you want.

Step 3: Keep your cell number with "no answer" forwarding

Forward only unanswered calls from your cell to your Quo number, never "forward all calls": - Verizon: dial 71 plus the 10-digit Quo number (turn off with 73). - T-Mobile: dial 61*1 plus the number and # (turn off with ##61#). - AT&T:** AT&T says call forwarding is changed from your wireless phone and points to its device tutorials. Follow AT&T's tutorial for your model.

Put the Quo app on your phone too, so you can still answer.

What to paste into the auto-reply

For the business-hours missed-call auto-reply, paste template A1 from the guide's text pack with your business name in the brackets:

[Business]: sorry we missed your call, we're on a job. What's the problem and your address? We'll call you back shortly. Reply STOP to opt out.

For the after-hours one, say when you'll reply instead of "shortly".

Test the forwarding and the reply

Once registration is approved, call your cell from another phone and let it ring out. Check the call forwards to Quo, the text arrives, and the caller's own number comes through on the forwarded call. Call twice in a few minutes: you should get only one text (the 3-hour rule above).

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Disclosure: we wrote and sell a guide on this.