Guide
Missed-call text-back in the UK: how it works, what to send and what it costs
When you can’t get to the phone, missed-call text-back sends the caller a text with a way to book. Here is how it works on a UK number, what the text should say, what the services cost, and how to set it up yourself.
By Keep Booked · Published
What missed-call text-back is
When a call goes unanswered, the caller gets a text from your business within seconds: a link to book a time, or “reply and we’ll call you back”. They have something to do straight away, instead of ringing the next number on Google.
It’s for anyone who can’t always pick up: a barber mid-cut, a plumber under a sink, a mechanic under a car. Calls you answer carry on as normal. With Keep Booked, the text goes out in your words, the link opens your booking page with times that are really free, and you get a text saying who called.
How it works on a UK number
There are two ways to do it, and you keep your own number either way.
Keep your number and divert the calls you miss
Your phone passes a call on once it has rung out, to a number that sends the text. You switch this on by dialling a short code from the phone itself. It only acts on calls you don’t answer, so nothing changes when you do pick up.
EE, O2, Vodafone and Three mobiles
- When you don’t answer (after 20 seconds)
**61*number**20#- When you’re on the phone
**67*number#- When your phone is off or has no signal
**62*number#- To turn them all off
##002#
BT or landline
- When you don’t answer
*61*number#- When you’re on the phone
*67*number#- To turn them off
#61# then #67#
number is the number that sends your texts, starting 0. On another network, ask them for the code that diverts calls when you don’t answer.
Or a business number that rings your mobile
Take a new number for the business and put it on the van, your cards and Google. Calls to it ring your mobile as normal; if you haven’t picked up after 20 seconds (you can change how long), the caller gets the text. There’s no code to dial, it works on any phone, and your own number stays yours.
What the text should say
Keep it short and specific: your business name, so they know who it’s from; one link, to where they can book; and what happens next. These are the words Keep Booked starts three trades with, which you can change.
A barber
MessagesnowRiverside BarbersHi, sorry we missed your call at Riverside Barbers, we're probably mid-cut! Grab a slot online: keepbooked.co.uk/book/riverside-barbers
A plumber
MessagesnowDoyle & SonsHi, sorry we missed your call at Doyle & Sons, we're on a job. Book a visit here, or reply and we'll call you back: keepbooked.co.uk/book/doyle-and-sons
A garage
MessagesnowMill Road MotorsHi, sorry we missed your call at Mill Road Motors, we're under a car! Book your MOT or service here: keepbooked.co.uk/book/mill-road-motors
Why short and specific works
- The business name tells them the text is about the call they just made, not from a stranger.
- One link has one job. A link to your home page leaves them looking for the booking; a booking page with real free times doesn’t.
- “Book here, or reply and we’ll call you back” tells them what to do next. A text that only says sorry leaves them where they were.
What it costs in the UK
Stand-alone missed-call text-back services, and an answering service for comparison, as each company’s website gave them on 1 October 2026.
| Service | What it is | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call Catchers | Missed-call text-back | £35 a month, plus texts | callcatchers.co.uk |
| Call2SMS | Missed-call text-back | £37, £67 or £97 a month | call2sms.co.uk |
| TextTheCaller | Missed-call text-back | £6.49 a month for 50 text-backs | textthecaller.com |
| Answer.co.uk | Call answering | £2.20 a call + VAT with a person answering. AI receptionist: £10 a month + 85p a call | answer.co.uk |
Prices change, so check the company’s own page before you buy. Booking apps, job apps and lead sites are in What UK barbers, salons and trades pay for booking and missed-call tools in 2026.
Keep Booked
Starter £39 a month, Solo £75 a month and Team £149 a month, month to month, with 300, 750 and 2,000 texts a month included, and no commission on bookings. Setup, done with you, is £49. Starter has the text-back, the booking page, reminders and review requests; the Business line is on Solo and Team, for £20 a month.
Setting it up yourself
- A number that can take the call and send the text. A new UK number has to pass the regulator’s checks before it goes live, so start here.
- The divert, or the ring-through. Dial your network’s divert code, or put the new number on the van and Google and let it ring your mobile. Then test it: ring from another phone and don’t answer.
- The message. Your business name, one link and what happens next, and a booking page for the link to open, with your services, prices and hours.
What Keep Booked does for you
We set it up with you for £49, free on a yearly plan: your services and wording, your number, the divert code for your network, and a test call that checks the text goes out.
Questions
Does it work on a landline?
Your landline can divert the calls you don’t answer, with the BT codes above; on another provider, ask them for theirs. Callers are different: a text can only go to a UK mobile, so someone who rings from a landline gets no text. They hear “We’ll get back to you as soon as we can”, and you get a text saying they called, so you can ring them back.
What if I answer?
Then it’s a normal call and nothing is sent. The divert only passes on the calls you don’t answer, and a business number only texts when nobody picks up.
What about callers who withhold their number?
There’s no number to text, so no text goes. You’re told about the call.
Can callers opt out?
Yes. A caller who replies STOP gets no more texts from you, and if they ring again they hear “We’ll get back to you as soon as we can” instead of a promise of a text. Replying START turns the texts back on.
Two minutes, no sign-up
Try it on your business
Ring Demo Barbers from the phone on the page, watch the text arrive, and book yourself in. Nothing is texted to you.
Written for your trade: barbers and salons, plumbers, sparks and builders and garages.