At a glance
  • Where it lives: Settings > Phone System > Voice > Voicemail & Missed Call Text Back, in each sub-account.
  • When it fires: on every inbound call that rings past your incoming call timeout, including repeat calls from the same person.
  • What it sends: one fixed message you write. AI replies need HighLevel's Conversation AI, set up separately.
  • What you need: a HighLevel number that can send SMS (A2P 10DLC registration for local numbers, toll-free verification for toll-free numbers).
  • What it costs: no separate feature fee. Each text is Phone System usage: $0.00747 per segment in the US plus carrier fees.
5 steps To turn it on in Settings
10-20s Ring timeout HighLevel suggests
$0.00747 Per SMS segment in the US, plus carrier fees

How to set up missed call text back in GoHighLevel

These steps follow HighLevel's official help article, Where and How to Configure the Missed Call Text Back Feature (updated September 2026). Some older third-party guides point to Business Profile or to a single phone number's settings instead. HighLevel's current article uses the Phone System path below.

Before you start

Turn on the built-in setting

  1. Open Settings

    In your sub-account, click Settings in the bottom-left corner.

  2. Open Missed Call Text Back

    Click Phone System in the left menu, then Voice in the top navigation, then Voicemail & Missed Call Text Back. In the side panel, click Missed Call Text Back.

  3. Enable the feature

    Check Enable Missed Call Text Back, then click Customize.

  4. Write your message

    Type your text in the Enter message field. You can insert custom values such as the contact's name, but they only fill in when HighLevel already knows the contact, so write a message that reads well without them.

  5. Send a test and save

    Use the test field below the message editor to send the text to a number you choose, check how it looks, then click Save.

  6. Check the incoming call timeout

    In the voicemail settings, the timeout slider sets how long a call rings before it counts as missed and the text goes out. HighLevel suggests 10 to 20 seconds.

Test it like a caller

From a phone that is not on your account, call your HighLevel number and let it ring out. The text should arrive after the timeout. If no number in the sub-account is eligible to send it, HighLevel logs the failed attempt and the reason in that contact's conversation.

Optional: build it as a workflow for more control

The built-in setting texts on every missed call, even when the same person calls three times in five minutes. HighLevel's article recommends starting from the existing missed call text back recipe in Workflows and customizing it, for example with a Wait step of about 20 minutes or with tags such as 1st call and 2nd call. You can also build it from scratch with the Call details trigger, earlier named Call Status, which many guides still use:

  1. Go to the Automation section and create a new workflow, or open the missed call recipe.
  2. Click Add New Trigger and choose Call details.
  3. Set the filters: Call Direction set to incoming, and call status set to not answered and busy. Add voicemail if you also want to text people who leave one.
  4. Add the action that sends your SMS, plus any Wait step or tag conditions.
  5. Save the trigger, test the workflow, then turn on the Publish toggle.

If the workflow sends the text, turn off the built-in setting so callers do not get two messages.

Missed call text back message templates

Keep each message under 160 characters and skip emoji. HighLevel bills by segment: a standard segment holds 160 characters, and a single emoji switches the message to an encoding that holds only 70. Name the business, say what happens next, and include opt-out language. HighLevel's A2P guidance also asks for sample messages that identify the sender and include opt-out wording.

General141 characters with the placeholder

Hi, this is [Business Name]. Sorry we missed your call! How can we help? Reply here and we will get right back to you. Reply STOP to opt out.

After hours142 characters with the placeholder

Thanks for calling [Business Name]. We're closed right now. Text us what you need and we'll reply when we open at 8 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.

Booking132 characters with the placeholder

[Business Name] here. Sorry we couldn't pick up. Want to book a time? Reply with your name and what you need. Reply STOP to opt out.

Swap [Business Name] for your real name and count again. Use straight apostrophes, since curly quotes pasted from a word processor can also push a message out of the standard encoding.

Limits and costs of the GoHighLevel approach

The built-in feature is quick to turn on. These are the trade-offs to know about, all taken from HighLevel's own documentation and pricing pages.

01

It sends one fixed message

The feature sends the text you wrote. When the caller replies, the message lands in Conversations and someone on your team answers it. To have AI reply, you set up HighLevel's Conversation AI separately and run it in Auto-Pilot mode on SMS. Conversation AI is billed at token cost, or included in HighLevel's AI Employee plans: $50 per month per sub-account for 1,000 AI responses, or $97 per month for unlimited use under fair-use rules.

02

It fires on every missed call

Repeat calls from the same person each trigger a text unless you move to the workflow version and add a Wait step or tag filters. HighLevel's setup steps also include no option to limit sending hours. A user request on HighLevel's Ideas board, opened in March 2025, asks for time restrictions for this reason.

03

It needs an SMS-ready HighLevel number

Local numbers need A2P 10DLC registration and toll-free numbers need toll-free verification before they can text. If the number the caller dialed cannot send SMS, HighLevel now sends from another eligible number in the account, so the text can come from a different number than the one they called.

04

Usage is billed on top of the plan

There is no separate fee for the feature, but every text is Phone System usage and counts toward your messaging limits. HighLevel's built-in phone service, LC Phone, is now the default; connecting your own Twilio account is still supported.

HighLevel costPublished rate (US)
Platform planStarter $97/month, Unlimited $297/month, Agency Pro $497/month
Phone number$1.15/month local, $2.15/month toll-free
SMS$0.00747 per segment, charged on both outbound and inbound texts
Carrier feesAbout $0.0035 to $0.0050 per outbound segment, depending on the carrier
A2P 10DLC registration$22.50 one time (Sole Proprietor or Low Volume) or $64 (High Volume), plus a monthly campaign fee of $1.50 to $10.50
AI repliesConversation AI at token cost, or an AI Employee plan at $50 or $97 per month per sub-account

For a one-segment text, that is roughly 1.1 to 1.2 cents including carrier fees. Agencies on the Unlimited and Agency Pro plans can rebill phone usage to client sub-accounts, and Agency Pro can add a markup, so if an agency runs your account your rate may be higher. Sources: HighLevel's pricing page, Phone System Pricing & Billing Guide (updated September 2026), and AI Product Pricing.

The honest take

If you already pay for HighLevel and your team answers texts quickly, the built-in setting is cheap per message and takes a few minutes to turn on. Do it. The gaps show up when nobody is free to answer the replies, or when you are paying for a full CRM mainly to get this one feature.

When a dedicated tool makes more sense

HighLevel is a full CRM and marketing platform, and missed call text back is one setting inside it. About 30% of business calls go unanswered, and 80% of callers who reach voicemail never call back, so the text matters. If you do not need the rest of the platform, or you want an AI to handle the conversation without building a bot, a dedicated tool is simpler. That is the job PepperSend does: your website answers, and you get the lead.

How PepperSend handles a missed call

Pricing: Pay-as-you-go is $15/month plus $0.03 per SMS and $0.40 per minute of AI voice. Inferno is $249/month with 1,000 SMS and 600 AI voice minutes included. No setup fee, month to month, cancel anytime. Per text, HighLevel's raw SMS rate is lower; PepperSend's price covers the AI conversation and the website chat. See full pricing.

GoHighLevel PepperSend
What triggers the text A call to your HighLevel number that rings past the timeout An unanswered or busy call forwarded to your PepperSend number
First text The fixed message you wrote AI-written text, sent within seconds
When the caller replies Your team answers in Conversations, or Conversation AI if you set it up The AI answers from your Knowledge Base, captures the lead, and alerts you
Sending number The number they called if it can text, otherwise another eligible number The PepperSend toll-free number
Texting registration You complete A2P 10DLC or toll-free verification Number is already Toll-Free Verified
Website chat Chat widget available; AI replies through Conversation AI Included on every plan, not metered
CRM Full CRM, pipelines, and marketing tools Built-in contacts list; custom CRM sync is a $2,000 one-time add-on
Starting price $97/month plus phone and AI usage $15/month plus usage, or $249/month (Inferno)

When HighLevel's built-in feature is the better fit

For a feature-by-feature breakdown of the two platforms, read PepperSend vs GoHighLevel.

What is missed call text back?How it works and why it recovers leads Best missed call text back softwareThe main tools compared AI website chatAnswer site visitors on every plan PepperSend pricing$15/month plus usage, or $249/month

Sources