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Pest control techs spend their day in crawlspaces, attics, and backyards, and the office line rings while everyone is on a route. A homeowner who just found a wasp nest by the back door or droppings in the pantry usually doesn't leave a voicemail. They call the next company in the search results.
This page goes deeper for pest control companies: eight first texts, eight reply scripts, sting and pesticide-exposure safety lines from federal health agencies, EPA-based answers to "what did you spray?" and "when can we go back in?", and a HighLevel (GoHighLevel) setup that keeps service-plan customers separate from new leads. It's based on EPA, CDC, HRSA, and HighLevel sources checked October 8, 2026. It isn't legal or medical advice: pesticide rules and licensing vary by state, so have the owner and your licensed applicator approve every line.
TL;DR: A pest control company's missed-call text should name the company, say the techs are out on calls, and ask one question that sorts the call, usually "What pest are you seeing, and where?" Stinging-insect calls get a short safety line (anyone with trouble breathing or swelling after a sting needs 911), and pesticide-exposure questions go to Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222, or 911 if the person isn't breathing. "What did you spray?" and "when can the kids go back in?" answers should come from the product label, per EPA. Skip pressure tactics and "EPA-approved" claims; EPA lists both as red flags. In HighLevel, use the built-in text-back or a workflow that routes service-plan customers and sting replies. US texts cost about a penny per segment, plus A2P registration.
What should a pest control company's missed call text back say?
It should name your company, show you saw the call, and ask one question that sorts the call, usually "What pest are you seeing, and where?" Keep it to one SMS segment (160 plain-text characters); keep the example texts below short enough to fit with a 23-character company name. Avoid emojis and curly apostrophes, since either switches the text to an encoding with only 70 characters per segment (HighLevel: How to Calculate SMS and MMS Costs). Replace anything in [brackets], and only promise reply times you can keep. To check a message after you add your name, paste it into our free text message generator for pest control, which has a pest control preset.
First texts (sent automatically after a missed call)
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Daytime, techs on route:
Hi, it's [Company]. Sorry we missed you, our techs are out on calls. What pest are you seeing, and where? Reply here and we'll help. -
After hours:
[Company] here. We're closed now and open at [8am]. Reply with the pest, where you're seeing it, and your address, and we'll reply first thing. -
Weekend or holiday:
Thanks for calling [Company]. We're closed today. Reply with what you're seeing and your zip code, and we'll text you [Monday] to schedule. -
Stinging insects (warm months):
[Company] here, sorry we missed you. Calling about bees, wasps or hornets? Keep people and pets away from the nest and reply with where it is.
How do you set up missed call text back for pest control in HighLevel?
Start with the built-in feature for speed, then move to workflows when you want service-plan and sting routing. The steps below follow HighLevel's help docs as of October 2026.
Option 1: built-in text-back (five minutes). In the sub-account, go to Settings → Phone System → Voice → Voicemail & Missed Call Text Back, open Missed Call Text Back, enable it, send your text-back message, send a test, and save. HighLevel says an incoming call timeout of 10 to 20 seconds is typically recommended (HighLevel: Missed Call Text Back). The built-in feature texts on every missed call, and if the number called can't send SMS, HighLevel sends from another eligible number, so tell your team the text may come from a different number.
Option 2: workflows (more control). HighLevel recommends customizing its Missed Call Text Back recipe in Workflows to avoid duplicate texts. Three workflows cover most pest control companies:
- Text-back: trigger on Call Details (incoming; no-answer, busy, or voicemail) → short wait → send your text-back message → tag the contact (Workflow Trigger: Call Details).
- Service-plan customer vs. new lead: an If/Else step checks for a "service plan" tag or an open opportunity in your recurring-service pipeline (Workflow Action: If/Else). Plan customers get your message and an internal notification; new callers get your message. In warm months, you can swap your message in for new callers.
- Safety alert: trigger on Customer Replied, filter Reply Channel = SMS and the message containing "stung," "allergic," "swallowed," "exposed," or "breathe," then send an internal notification to the office lead with the message body (Workflow Trigger: Customer Replied). Test it with real spellings and typos.
If your field service software (route scheduling, service plans) doesn't sync with HighLevel, keep the "service plan" tag simple: add it at signup and remove it at cancellation. Our GoHighLevel vs Jobber comparison covers how a CRM and a field service tool split the work. To estimate what unanswered calls cost you in a busy season, try the free missed call calculator for pest control.
How much does missed call text back cost a pest control company in HighLevel?
About a penny per text segment, plus your number and A2P registration. From HighLevel's Phone System Pricing & Billing Guide (US, October 2026):
| Item | Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| SMS, per segment | $0.00747 outbound and $0.00747 inbound, plus a carrier fee (about $0.0025 to $0.0100) |
| MMS (photos), per message | $0.0220 outbound; $0.0165 inbound on a local number, plus carrier fees |
| Local phone number | $1.15/month |
| A2P 10DLC registration (Low Volume) | $22.50 one-time + $1.50 to $10.50/month per campaign |
Inbound replies are billed too, so a six-text back-and-forth costs roughly 6 to 11 cents, and a customer photo adds a few cents more.
Other trades: missed call text back for roofers and for cleaning services.
Get the full guide
This is a shortened version. Read the full guide with all scripts on Peace Call.
Originally published at getpeacecall.com.
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