How Call2SMS works
A missed call triggers an instant text from your business. The AI chats with the caller, captures what they need, and sends you a warm lead summary — all before they’ve even considered ringing the next number on the list.
Five steps from missed call to captured lead
The whole process happens automatically, with no action needed from you. Here’s exactly what happens from the moment a call rings out.
Connect your number
Connect your number
You have two options: keep your existing UK mobile or landline number and set up conditional call divert (so unanswered calls forward to Call2SMS), or take a fresh UK number from us. Either way, no new phone, no hardware and no technical skills are required. We walk you through the setup during onboarding — most businesses are connected in under 15 minutes.
A call goes unanswered
A call goes unanswered
You’re on another job, with a customer, in a meeting, or it’s simply out of hours. The phone rings out as normal — your caller doesn’t hear an automated message, they don’t hear a voicemail prompt. The unanswered call triggers Call2SMS silently in the background.
AI texts the caller back in seconds
AI texts the caller back in seconds
Within seconds of the call ending, the caller receives a personalised SMS from your business name. Something like: "Hi, sorry we missed your call to Riverside Plumbing! How can we help? Reply here and we’ll get straight back to you." The message is friendly, professional and written in your tone — the caller feels looked after rather than ignored.
AI asks your follow-up questions and captures the enquiry
AI asks your follow-up questions and captures the enquiry
When the caller replies, our AI continues the conversation by SMS. It asks the questions you’d ask — what they need, their name, the best number to call them back on, and any other details relevant to your business (job type, location, urgency, and so on). You choose the questions during setup. The AI handles everything politely and professionally, keeping the conversation brief and to the point.
You receive a warm lead summary
You receive a warm lead summary
Once the AI has what it needs, a clean summary is sent directly to you via email, WhatsApp or SMS — whichever you prefer, or all three. The summary includes the caller’s name, phone number, their reason for calling, any answers they gave to your questions, and a link to the full conversation transcript. The lead is warm, the details are captured, and all you need to do is call them back.
Live within 24 hours
Most businesses have Call2SMS recovering missed calls within a few hours of signing up. Here’s the typical timeline.
2 minutes
Sign up
Create your account, choose your plan and enter your business details.
10 minutes
Configure your AI
Tell us your business name, the questions you want the AI to ask, and who should receive lead summaries.
5 minutes
Set up call divert
Follow our step-by-step guide to set conditional call forwarding on your number (or we assign you a new one).
Same day
Go live
We verify everything is working and notify you. Your first missed call will now trigger an instant text-back.
Keep your existing number with conditional call divert
You don’t need a new phone number to use Call2SMS. Conditional call forwarding (also called “divert on no answer” or “call divert when busy”) is a feature built into every UK mobile and most landlines. It tells your network: if this call isn’t answered within X rings, forward it to this number.
Callers never know the divert is in place — the phone simply rings normally. If you pick up, the call comes straight to you as usual. If you don’t, Call2SMS takes over and texts the caller back within seconds.
Setting it up takes under five minutes. We provide step-by-step guides for the most common scenarios:
Or take a new UK number
Prefer a dedicated number for Call2SMS? We can assign you a UK virtual number (local area code or 03 number) that routes straight to our system. There’s no call forwarding to configure — you simply give out or publish the number wherever you want to use it.
This is popular with businesses that want to run a specific marketing campaign, test a new area code, or keep their personal mobile number private.
Get a UK number →Does conditional divert cost anything?
Most UK mobile networks include conditional call forwarding free of charge. Standard out-of-bundle rates may apply to the diverted call itself (typically a few pence), but this varies by network. Check with your provider if you’re unsure — or simply use a Call2SMS number to avoid any divert charges altogether.
What the AI captures from every missed call
Every lead summary includes the key details you need to follow up quickly and confidently. You can also add your own custom questions during setup.
Caller’s name
The AI always asks for a first name so you can address them personally when you call back.
Contact number
Confirmed during the conversation, so you have the right number to call back on.
Reason for calling
A clear, concise description of what they need — in their own words.
Your custom questions
Up to 10 questions you choose: job type, location, urgency, budget — whatever matters for your business.
Full conversation transcript
Every message in the conversation, time-stamped and stored in your dashboard.
Time and date
Exactly when the call was missed, so you know how hot the lead is when you follow up.
How you receive your leads
A formatted summary email with all captured details and a “View Transcript” link.
An instant WhatsApp message so you can see new leads without opening email.
A text to your mobile — useful if you’re on the tools with limited data.
You can configure multiple recipients and choose different channels for different departments.
Quick answers before you get started
Ready to stop losing leads to the competition?
Set up takes less than 30 minutes. Your next missed call could be the first one you actually turn into a booking.
No contracts · cancel anytime · live within 24 hours