Templates
Follow-up
message templates
Most follow-up doesn't fail because it's pushy. It fails because it never gets sent. Here are the messages every service business needs, from the first missed call to the five-star review, written to sound like a person, not a system.
Our three rules for follow-up that sounds human
Name the sender
"Nate at Innate", not "Innate Solutions Team". People reply to people.
Mention the specific job
"The walnut dining table", not "your inquiry". It proves a person read it.
Give one easy next step
A time, a question, or a link. Never three options.
Keep texts short. Around 320 characters is a sensible working limit; anything longer belongs in an email.
Three templates to use today
Hi {first_name}, it's {your_name} at {business}. Sorry I missed your call, I'm on a job. I'll call you back by {time}. In the meantime, what's the project?
Why it works: it explains the miss, commits to a time, and starts the conversation with one easy question.Hi {first_name}, {your_name} here. Just checking the quote for {project} came through OK. Happy to walk through any of it. Is a quick call this week useful?
Why it works: it confirms delivery (quotes do get lost), offers help rather than pressure, and asks one question.Hi {first_name}, thanks again for having us on {project}. If you're happy with how it turned out, a quick Google review would mean a lot to our team: {review_link}. — {your_name}
Why it works: it's sent while the customer is happiest, it's personal, and the link does the work.What's in the full set
During working hours · after hours
Instant acknowledgement · asking for photos or details
Day 1–2 check-in · day 3–5 questions on scope · day 7–10 polite close-the-loop
Confirmation · 24-hour reminder · no-show reschedule
Past customers at 6–12 months
Same-day request · day-3 reminder · reply to a positive review · reply to a negative review
Asking a happy customer to share their words and project photos
Each template comes with merge fields, a "when to send" note, and whether it works best as a text or an email.
Why reviews and replies deserve a template
Our rule
Ask every happy customer for a review, and reply to every review personally.
97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, 80% are likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews, and half are unlikely to choose a business that uses templated review replies.
BrightLocal · Local Consumer Review Survey, 2026That last one is why our review-reply templates are starting points, not scripts. Use the structure, then write the actual words about the actual job. And the testimonial and photo-permission template turns a happy customer into a story you can put on your homepage, with their blessing.
The rules to follow
Plain English, not legal advice.
Texting
Get consent for marketing texts: a clear, unticked checkbox on your forms, and a record of who agreed. Replying to someone who just contacted you is different from sending promotions, but when in doubt, get consent.
Honour STOP immediately, and respond to HELP.
Register your business number. Since February 1, 2025, US carriers block texts sent through business software from numbers that aren't registered under the A2P 10DLC system.
Email (CAN-SPAM, enforced by the FTC)
Use an accurate "from" name and an honest subject line.
Include your physical postal address.
Give a clear way to unsubscribe, and honour it within 10 business days.
We set these up correctly in every system we build, including our own.
Want these running on their own?
Book a free 30-minute strategy call. We'll show you how these messages can go out automatically, in your name and from your number, at the right moment for every lead.
Get all 16 templates
A Google Doc you copy to your own Drive: every message from first inquiry to five-star review, with merge fields and a "when to send" note for each.
Related resources
Nate designs custom websites and the CRM, automation and reporting behind them as one system, for builders, makers and established teams that have outgrown their setup.
Sources
BrightLocal. Local Consumer Review Survey 2026.
Federal Trade Commission. CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business.
Twilio. US A2P 10DLC is now a fully verified route (unregistered traffic blocked from February 1, 2025).
All 16 follow-up templates
A Google Doc you copy and make your own.
Get the templates