Your questions about Call2SMS, answered

Most businesses are live within 24 hours of signing up, often the same day. You sign up, tell us about your business and the questions you want the AI to ask, then set up conditional call forwarding on your existing number (or we assign you a new UK number). We verify everything is working and let you know the moment your first missed call can be recovered.

No. You keep your existing mobile or landline number and set up conditional call forwarding — commonly called "divert on no answer" — so unanswered calls route to Call2SMS. Callers never know the divert is in place; the phone rings normally and only diverts if you don't pick up. Alternatively, we can assign you a brand-new UK number if you prefer.

None at all. Call2SMS is entirely cloud-based — there is nothing to install, no hardware to buy, and no technical skills required. Setup is done through our online portal and we walk you through every step, including the call forwarding configuration. If you can send a text message, you can use Call2SMS.

Conditional call forwarding (also called "divert on no answer" or "call divert when busy") is a standard feature built into every UK mobile network and most landlines. It tells your network: if this call is not answered within a certain number of rings, forward it to a different number. You set it once and it works silently in the background — calls you answer come straight to you as normal; calls you miss get forwarded to Call2SMS, which then texts the caller back within seconds.

All major UK mobile networks — EE, O2, Vodafone, Three and their virtual network operators — support conditional call forwarding. It also works on BT landlines and most VoIP numbers. We provide step-by-step setup guides for iPhone, Android and BT landlines. If your provider isn't covered, our support team will help you configure it.

Activating conditional call forwarding is free on all major UK networks. You may be charged a small amount for each call that is actually diverted (typically a few pence per call, depending on your tariff and whether the divert is to a geographic number). Check with your network if you are on a limited plan. Alternatively, use a Call2SMS number directly and avoid any divert charges altogether.

Yes. If your landline supports conditional call forwarding (most BT lines and many VoIP providers do), you can set it up to forward unanswered calls to your Call2SMS number. We have a dedicated guide for BT landlines and can help with other providers on request.

The first message goes out within seconds of the call ringing out. It is friendly, personalised and sent in your business name — something like: "Hi, sorry we missed your call to [Your Business]! How can we help? Reply here and we'll get straight back to you." The tone matches your brand, and you can customise the wording during setup.

The conversation happens entirely over SMS, so there is no voice involved and no obvious indicator that it is automated. The messages are warm, natural and focused on helping the caller. Most people are primarily interested in getting their enquiry answered quickly — and that is exactly what the AI does. If a caller directly asks whether they are talking to a person, the AI will be honest with them.

You choose the questions during setup. There are a set of standard questions (caller name, best number to call back, reason for getting in touch) that are asked by default. You can then add up to 10 custom questions specific to your business — for example, job type and location for a tradesperson, or appointment type and preferred time for a clinic. The AI asks them in a natural, conversational way rather than as a rigid form.

You still receive a notification that the call was missed, including the caller's number, so you can follow up manually. The text-back simply maximises your chance of capturing the lead before they move on. Studies show most callers ring the next business within five minutes of not getting a response — an instant text significantly improves your chances of keeping them.

Each plan includes a monthly allowance of recovered-lead conversations — complete back-and-forth text exchanges between the AI and a caller. Each conversation can involve multiple SMS messages but counts as a single conversation toward your allowance. Once your allowance is used, you can top up with pay-as-you-go SMS credits at a transparent per-conversation rate, or upgrade to a higher plan.

No. There are no setup fees, no minimum term and no exit penalties. You pay a simple monthly subscription that covers your included conversation allowance. The only additional cost you might ever pay is for optional top-up SMS credits if you have a particularly busy month above your plan allowance.

Yes, Call2SMS runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — including evenings, weekends and UK bank holidays. Every missed call, at any time of day or night, triggers an instant text-back. You can configure a different opening message for out-of-hours enquiries if you want a softer tone after hours (for example, setting expectations about when you will call back).

Yes, and we handle this automatically. If a caller replies STOP to any message, the AI immediately sends a confirmation that they will not be contacted again, and that number is added to a suppression list. It will never receive another automated text from your Call2SMS account. This is a legal requirement under UK PECR regulations and is built into the platform.

Yes. Call2SMS is designed to comply with UK PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations) and UK GDPR. The text-back is triggered by an inbound call from the caller — they initiated contact with your business, which provides a legitimate interest basis for the reply. All opt-out requests are honoured immediately and permanently. We are registered with the ICO (registration ZC065739).

All data — call logs, SMS transcripts and lead details — is stored on UK-based servers with 256-bit encryption in transit and at rest. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO registration: ZC065739) and operate in accordance with UK GDPR. Call transcript data is accessible only to you through your password-protected dashboard. We never sell or share your data with third parties.

Transcripts and lead data are retained for as long as your account is active. You can delete individual records from your dashboard at any time. When you close your account, you can export your data and we will delete it from our systems within 30 days, in line with UK GDPR requirements.

Yes, with one click from your dashboard. There are no cancellation fees, no penalties and no awkward phone calls. Your subscription remains active until the end of the current billing period, then stops. You retain access to your dashboard and transcripts until the period ends.

Yes, you can change plan at any time from your dashboard. Upgrades take effect immediately and are prorated (you only pay for the remainder of the month on the new plan). Downgrades take effect at the start of your next billing cycle.