Follow-Up That Runs While You're on the Tools: Automated Texts, Quote Chasing and the Spam Act Rules

Automated follow-up for a small business means your phone and job software send the right text at the right moment (after a missed call, after a quote and before a booking) so no enquiry goes cold while you're on the tools. It is a core part of our technology and automation consulting for trades.

This guide covers the first three automations in order, the finished wording, the Spam Act basics and how to work out whether it pays for your business.

Key Points

• The first three automations to set up, in order, are missed-call text-back, quote follow-up and appointment reminders.
• ACMA requires consent before you send marketing messages, even when your software provider sends them on your behalf.
• Every commercial message must identify you and carry a free unsubscribe that is honoured within 5 working days and works for at least 30 days.
• The onus of proving consent is on you, so you should record who gave it, when and how.
• SMS alphanumeric sender names generally cannot receive replies, so send from a number customers can text back.
• ServiceScale recommends a four-touch quote follow-up at day 0, 2, 5 and 10, with an optional day 14.

Which follow-up should I set up first?

Set up missed-call text-back first, then quote follow-up, then appointment reminders. That order follows the job: a call comes in, a quote goes out, a booking gets made.

Automated follow-up is not a chatbot and it does not replace you. It sends one short, honest text at a trigger point and hands the conversation back to you the moment the customer replies.

For quote chasing, ServiceScale's quote follow-up system recommends four touches at day 0, 2, 5 and 10, with an optional day 14. Stretch the spacing for bigger jobs where people take longer to decide.

Review requests come next. Our guide on asking customers for Google reviews covers the scripts, timing and ACCC rules.

GC Connected Homes, a Gold Coast smart home installer, had 32 Google reviews, every one of them five stars, yet almost none of that reputation was reaching people searching online. We delivered a refreshed Google review process and more 5-star reviews followed, which you can see in our Gold Coast client case studies; the record does not say that process uses an automated text, so read it as proof that a consistent ask works rather than as an automation result.

Past-client reactivation comes last. A 'time for your annual service' text promotes a new job, so it is a marketing message that needs that customer's consent and an unsubscribe under ACMA's rules.

Get the first three running and every enquiry, quote and booking has a set next step.

The first three automations for a sole trader

What should the messages actually say?

Write every message the way you would text a customer yourself, with your first name, the job, one clear next step and your business identification. Here is a finished set for an example sole trader, Sam from Smith Plumbing; swap in your own name, legal business name and ABN.

• Missed call: "Hi, it's Sam from Smith Plumbing. Sorry I missed your call, I'm on a job. Reply with your name, suburb and what you need and I'll call you back today. Sam, Smith Plumbing, ABN [your ABN]. Reply STOP to opt out."
• Quote, day 0: "Hi [name], your quote for [job] is in your inbox. Any questions, just reply here. Sam, Smith Plumbing, ABN [your ABN]. Reply STOP to opt out."
• Quote, day 2: "Hi [name], just checking the quote came through OK and made sense. Sam, Smith Plumbing, ABN [your ABN]. Reply STOP to opt out."
• Quote, day 5: "Hi [name], are you still looking at getting [job] done? If timing has changed, just let me know. Sam, Smith Plumbing, ABN [your ABN]. Reply STOP to opt out."
• Quote, day 10: "Hi [name], I'll close off your quote for now so I'm not chasing you. Reply here any time to go ahead. Sam, Smith Plumbing, ABN [your ABN]. Reply STOP to opt out."
• Reminder: "Hi [name], Sam from Smith Plumbing is booked for [day] between [time window]. Reply YES to confirm or call [mobile] to change. Sam, Smith Plumbing, ABN [your ABN]. Reply STOP to opt out."

Is automated follow-up legal under the Spam Act?

Yes, when you follow ACMA's rules on consent, identification and unsubscribing. ACMA's guidance on how to avoid sending spam applies whether you press send or your software does.

Any text that promotes a job, a service or a special is a marketing message and needs consent. The cleanest way to stay covered is to collect express consent when the customer first rings or fills in your form, and to put your name, ABN and an opt-out line on every automated text.

• You must have consent before sending marketing messages, even when someone else sends them on your behalf.
• Express consent is best practice, and customers can give it by form, ticked box, phone or face to face.
• You cannot send a text asking for consent, because that request is itself a marketing message.
• Each message must identify you and give contact details, using your legal business name or your own name and ABN.
• Every commercial message needs a free, functional unsubscribe that is honoured within 5 working days and works for at least 30 days.

How do I keep proof of consent?

Keep proof inside the software you already use, because ACMA puts the onus of proving consent on you. Record who gave it, when and how, every time.

• Add a tick box to your quote request form, such as "Text me updates about my enquiry and quote", and save it to a field on the customer record in your job software.
• Save a copy of the exact form wording and the date it went live, and keep the old version whenever you change it.
• When a customer agrees by phone or on site, add a dated note to the job card saying who agreed and to what.
• Record opt-outs the same way so they are honoured within 5 working days.

What happens when someone replies, after hours or in an emergency?

The automation stops the moment a customer replies, and you take over. Set your software to pause the sequence on any reply and notify you.

After hours, change the missed-call text to say when you will call back, such as "I'm off the tools for the day and will call you first thing tomorrow." Hold quote chasers and reminders that would land at night until the next morning.

Do not automate emergencies, complaints, disputed invoices or anyone who has gone with someone else. Add "If this is an emergency, call again and I'll pick up" to your missed-call text.

When storms roll through South East Queensland and the phone runs hot, switch to an honest surge message saying you are flat out and will call back in order. The automation does the chasing and you do the talking.

How do I set this up in ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus or Simpro?

Start with the job software you already pay for. Search your vendor's own help centre for "SMS", "automation" and "quote follow-up" to see what your plan includes and whether texting needs credits, an add-on or a connected messaging tool.

I only publish setup steps and vendor links once they are confirmed against current documentation, because menus and plans change. Accounting software such as Xero or MYOB holds your invoices, so check how it connects to your job tool rather than expecting it to run the texts.

Setup time and cost depend on what your plan already does. Our guide to what a fractional CTO does for a small business explains how to review your tools before buying anything new.

• Check whether your plan can send texts from a number customers can reply to.
• Check whether a missed call, a sent quote or a booked job can trigger a text automatically.
• Check whether a sequence pauses when the customer replies.
• Check whether the customer record has a field for storing consent.

How do I work out whether it is worth it for my business?

Work it out from your own numbers. Pull last month's missed calls from your phone log, the quotes you sent but never chased, and your typical job value.

Multiply missed calls and unchased quotes by your job value, then by the share you honestly think a prompt reply could win back. That gives you a realistic ceiling.

Be wary of statistics without a source. The often-cited Harvard Business Review article on online sales leads says most companies do not respond fast enough, but its detailed data is paywalled and comes from US business-to-business sales, so we do not repeat figures from it.

Run the sum on your own figures and you will know whether follow-up is worth setting up.

What are the most common mistakes?

Most problems come from a handful of setup gaps, and each one is easy to fix before you go live.

• Leaving a sequence running after a reply sends chasers to people who already said yes, so set every sequence to pause on reply.
• Sending texts with no opt-out breaks ACMA's rules, so end every commercial message with "Reply STOP to opt out".
• Leaving your ABN or legal business name off a template means it does not identify you, so check every message before it goes live.
• Using an alphanumeric sender name blocks replies, so send from a mobile number.
• Automating emergencies or complaints frustrates the people who most need you, so route those straight to your phone.
• Texting past clients without consent turns a friendly reminder into spam, so check consent before any reactivation text.

Who wrote this, and where do the facts come from?

Written by Jerrell Niu, owner of I Love Digital, who sets up websites, search and automation for Gold Coast and QLD trades.

• Australian Communications and Media Authority, Avoid sending spam.
• ServiceScale, Win 30% More Jobs: The Quote Follow-Up System.
• Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need consent to text a customer who just rang me? Yes, if the text promotes anything, because ACMA requires consent before any marketing message. Ask for it on the call: ACMA lists phone as a valid way to give express consent, and you cannot send a text afterwards asking for it, because that request is itself a marketing message.

How many times should I chase a quote? Four times is a sensible starting point. ServiceScale recommends day 0, 2, 5 and 10, with an optional day 14, and the sequence should stop when the customer replies.

Can my texts show my business name instead of a number? You can, but customers generally cannot reply to it. ACMA notes that SMS alphanumeric sender names generally cannot receive replies.

Who is liable if my software provider sends the messages? The responsibility stays with you. ACMA says you must have consent from each recipient before sending marketing messages even when someone else sends them on your behalf, a message sent by a third party must still identify you, and the onus of proving consent is on you.

How long does setup take and what does it cost? It depends mostly on what your job software plan already includes. Check its help centre for SMS and automation settings first, then request a free quote for a figure based on your setup.

Get Follow-Up Running While You Work

We will look at the software you already use, map your missed-call, quote and reminder texts, and build them to ACMA's consent and unsubscribe rules. You get messages that sound like you and a clear handover back to your phone.

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