TL;DR

• Hiya has launched its third annual report on the state of caller identification and call completion, titled Hiya’s State of the Call 2026. Here’s a key finding: 86% of unknown calls go unanswered, meaning your instant call is likely going straight to voicemail instead of reaching the intended recipient.

• YouMail’s 2025 robocall index found that 1.4 billion individual numbers issued 52.5 billion robocalls last year, leading consumers to assume unknown calls are likely spam.

• Our analysis of over 1 billion text messages sent (March–June 2025) found that 94% of SMS responses were neutral-to-positive, the highest of any recovery channel after a missed call.

• Are SMS texts better than calls for follow-up? The answer depends on context, but data from our test set supports the conclusion that SMS has lower friction, higher response rates, and more positive signals than calling after a missed call.

• A compliant, registered, and timed SMS can retrieve a cold lead within minutes, keeping the sale hot while using the correct SMS automation tools for customer engagement.

Does It Ring at All?

For anyone who has requested information from your site, their instant call to you will likely go directly to voicemail because they won’t recognize your number from the 81.1 million suspected spam calls received in the first half of 2024 (Hiya’s Global Call Threat Report H1 2024). This is a phone-call trust problem, not a lead-quality issue, and it’s worsening rapidly.

The contact center industry has spent years and billions of dollars developing best practices to achieve one simple goal: speed-to-call. Advisers must answer calls within 5 seconds, 30 seconds, or before the browser window closes; whatever the target, the typical prescription is the same: answer as fast as possible. However, data increasingly shows that this well-worn advice hits a hard behavioral limit.

Hiya’s State of the Call 2026 report found that 86% of unknown calls are ignored. This isn’t random; it reflects your customers’ behavior, shaped by the 52.8 billion robocalls received in 2025 (according to YouMail’s Robocall Index). Your lead filled out a form to indicate interest in your product or service, but for most businesses, that’s where the conversation ends. Lead abandonment is real and often happens because the lead doesn’t recognize your number.

According to the FTC’s fiscal year 2024 Do Not Call report, “Reports of Unwanted Telemarketing Calls Decline More Than 50% Since 2021”, but this doesn’t mean consumers are passively allowing telemarketing calls. Instead, they’re proactively adding their numbers to the Do Not Call list to reduce unwanted calls. Currently, 253 million numbers are actively listed on the Do Not Call registry, with 4.2 million new registrations in the last fiscal year.

First, understand what a “missed call” actually signifies. A warm lead doesn’t miss your call because they have low intent for your offering. In fact, they likely have high intent but low trust in an unfamiliar number. This is especially true if you’re calling from a non-familiar phone number. What this means is that your lead generation channel has failed, not your leads. Your follow-up strategy must pick up on these cues and understand why a warm lead missed your call. Without this, you’ll misread disengagement for disinterest and forfeit a conversion that’s merely one low-friction communication away.

Why Do People Miss Their Second Ring?

Unanswered calls can often be better addressed by sending an SMS because no social pressure is put on the lead to instantly answer, and they can respond at their convenience. Multiple surveys support this for both marketing and behavioral leads.

Analyzing over one billion texts sent from March to June 2025, we found that 94% of messages received neutral-to-positive responses. Excluding opt-outs, less than 1% of all messages received negative responses. What’s most interesting is the secondary metric examining interactions within a seven-day window of contact: on average, 87% of recipients did not opt out of future communication. Clearly, people tolerate text more and are more active recipients when messages are relevant, and timing is respectful.

There’s value in looking to healthcare research for insights on nurturing leads who didn’t convert through a sales call. A 2018 study published in ScienceDirect found that patients who didn’t show up for a doctor’s appointment and received a text confirmation were more likely to attend within six weeks than those receiving standard care. The analogy to sales is straightforward: the lead was hot, intended to convert, and was ready. Something intervened, likely competing stimuli or organizational noise. After a few days or a week, a quick SMS like “Hey, it’s X from [brand]. Just checking in.” can nudge the customer back on track without losing the thread of their opportunity.

A common question we’ve been asked lately is: are SMS texts better than calls for follow-up? This isn’t an interesting question for the reason you might think. From a seller’s perspective, leads close faster when called versus texted (especially if picked up immediately). But when 86% of unknown calls go to voicemail, we’re not as concerned with which closes fastest as we are with which channel recovers the most leads from the “missed call” state. By all accounts, it’s SMS.

Re-contacting non-respondents via other means isn’t new. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 methods research specifically examines using text to re-contact respondents who haven’t responded via primary methods, including time-of-day effects for such messages. However, for most organizations, including for-profit businesses relying on marketing to reach customers, using SMS to recover a non-response isn’t just another tactic.

What Does a Real Strategy for Automated SMS Sequences Look Like After a Missed Call?

How to Automatically Send SMS in Order and at Specific Times Without Losing Importance

Our strategy is rooted in three main tenets: establishing immediate identity, delivering increasing value, and making intent-driven call re-attempts. Each message earns the next, rather than assuming permission has been granted.

Data from TrueDialog on timing notes that most brand-to-student communication occurs at 11 a.m. ET. However, unsubscribe spikes around 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. remind us of the potential opt-out cost at those times. This data can inform automation rules, such as suppressing sends outside business hours, particularly around 6 a.m., when response rates and opt-out costs would be lowest.

Imagine this: the customer signs up for your service. They receive the first SMS automatically, then the second, third, and fourth in due time. A simple, automated process that can be incredibly effective in keeping customers informed. Here’s what each stage could look like in practice.

Stage 1: This Call Was for You

“Missed your call? Don’t worry, we’ve left you a message instead.”

I’m keeping this brief, so it must clearly state who I am and why I’m calling. Here’s a starting point:

“Hey [First Name] — this is [Rep Name] at [Company]. I’m following up on a call regarding [lead reason]. Would you prefer to text back or get a quick callback? Reply 1 to text or 2 for callback.”

The biggest reason leads ignore you after a missed call is because they can’t verify who you are. Reintroducing the lead’s name, company, and reason for calling in the first message renews the context briefly established by your missed call.

Stage 2: The Value-Add Nudge (15–45 minutes later, only if no reply)

By the third or fourth text in a sequence, it’s safe to assume you weren’t just looking for opportunities to say “I’m following up.” This message gives the lead a reason to respond beyond “just checking in.” A strong strategy for automated SMS sequences never sends a bare “just checking in.” Such messages add no value and signal that your number has nothing worthwhile to offer.

“If you tell me this one thing, I can send you 2-3 quotes within your budget—no call necessary.”

A single-tap reply mechanic (e.g., “Reply 1 for X and Reply 2 for Y”) significantly reduces the effort required to respond—a fraction of the effort it would take to compose a typed reply—and addresses the friction preventing leads from responding, even when they clearly intend to buy now.

Stage 3: The Permission Check (next working day, during working hours)

“Is it still alright for me to contact you regarding [topic]? If not, please reply STOP to opt out of future messages.”

This message shows respect for the lead’s independence and fosters trust. It’s also required for consent and opt-out management, as outlined in the CTIA’s Messaging Security Best Practices (October 2025), which relates to the risk of messages being filtered by carriers to prevent blocking.

Stage 4: The Intent-Gated Call Re-Attempt

Do not make follow-up calls unless the lead’s behavior suggests they’re ready to talk. For example, a response with a specific time, a click on a pricing link or calendar, or a qualifying question indicating urgency. Such behavior suggests the lead is ready. Dialing prematurely burns the trust established by the carefully sequenced lead qualification series.

5 Simple Mechanics to Convert More Leads with Text Messages. Learn Them Here!

• Build trust with your customers.
• Personalize your messaging.
• Know when to send the texts.
• Make every message count.

Text messages convert more leads with text messages by treating each message as a micro-conversion event, not a mass broadcast. The purpose of a text message is to garner the next interaction, whether a reply, a link click, or an answered call.

We analyzed the industry’s top research on lead conversion via text messages to highlight three key takeaways on how to convert more leads with text messages. These revolve around three execution variables in text message sequences: personalization tokens, message-length discipline, and reply-path clarity.

Personalization tokens (e.g., {{Lead.First Name}}) are NOT optional in high-converting outbound text messages. Compared to generic outreach, the difference-maker in this brief context window (where the lead submitted a form and you’re texting their number) is personalization. Nothing says “pay attention to this human” like acknowledging their reason for filling out the form and using their first name at the start of the message.

Message-length discipline means keeping messages within the 160-character limit for SMS and the 300-character limit for MMS. TrueDialog found that one of the greatest assets of the SMS channel is its low cognitive weight, the minimal effort required to read the message. As the effort to read increases, so does competition for the lead’s attention with other messages and alerts.

Clear reply-paths: Every message in a sequence should end with a clear call to action, one action, not two. One message per action, not confusing a link with a typing option. For example, “Reply YES to see pricing and get a callout in your social media stories” or “Reply 1 for a quote, Reply 2 for more information.” These messages greatly reduce decision friction in interacting with your bot and increase the likelihood of inactive leads taking action.

A useful update on no-show recovery data from the ScienceDirect Ratemaker article on “novel short-term text messages to maximize appointment attendances” shows that the best-performing texts for appointment completion within six weeks were simple, broadly relevant, context-sensitive, timely, and useful. An important takeaway for salespeople is that maximizing lead conversion rates using SMS requires knowing what to send and ensuring each message is clear and effective.

LeadChaser’s automated SMS follow-up system follows these rules: one automated follow-up is triggered as soon as a call goes to voicemail, without rep effort, and without tracking which leads have been texted.

What Do SMS Automation Tools for Customer Engagement Actually Need to Do in 2026?

In 2026, choosing the best SMS automation tools isn’t based on features like scheduled sends and customizable templates. Instead, the deciding factor will be the compliance architecture each platform employs. Why? The regulatory landscape is changing, and so are the carriers delivering SMS messages. Programs that don’t respect this new scrutiny will have their messages blocked before customers even see them.

The compliance landscape now has three non-negotiable components:

10DLC Registration. The Campaign Registry (TCR) defines 10DLC as one of the sanctioned A2P messaging channels. As of August 19, 2025, any business, not just marketing businesses, sending SMS over 10DLC, even for one-off individual messages, must register their brand and campaigns online. SMS automation tools that don’t include 10DLC registration in their onboarding process risk carrier filtering, leading to silent deliverability failures.

Consent capture and opt-out handling requirements for marketing text messages: The FCC’s implementation guidance for its new rules for all phone numbers goes into effect on July 24, 2024. By this date, sending a text message to any number on the National Do Not Call Registry will constitute a violation unless the sender has obtained prior express invitation or permission to contact that number for marketing purposes. With 253 million numbers on the DNC list, this isn’t an edge case; it’s how most consent will be granted for lawful customer acquisition and relationship maintenance via text messaging. 

Send behavior that avoids carrier filtering. Industry best practices, as set forth in the CTIA’s October 2025 Messaging Security Best Practices, are evaluated by all ecosystem players, including carriers, aggregators, and filtering services. Messages sent in contravention of proper consent and opt-out procedures will be blocked by carriers, regardless of content value. High-volume, non-personalized messages mimicking spam behavior will be automatically blocked at the carrier level, regardless of content quality.

While compliance with SMS standards is crucial when selecting customer engagement automation tools, functionality also matters for a deeper experience for both customers and staff. Key features include behavior triggering (in addition to time) for messages, CRM field updates, automated responses to detect replies, automated quiet hours for timezone support, and two-way conversation threading to route messages to the relevant staff member automatically without constant monitoring.

LeadChaser seamlessly incorporates these features into its lead follow-up workflow, ensuring that after a missed call, you can easily set up an SMS campaign without switching applications.

Lead Followup Automation Using AI for Unanswered Calls

We discuss options for automated lead followup using AI for calls where a customer hasn’t answered. This form of follow-up could be crucial for securing a sale or fostering brand loyalty.

What Are the Best AI Tools for Lead Followup Automation?

In order of importance, such a tool would automate: 1) detection of the event, 2) triggering of the sequence, 3) populating personalization tokens, 4) timing logic, and 5) monitoring of intent signals. The AI-powered tool would handle the automation layer of the follow-up process. In contrast, humans would handle judgment calls that close the deal, particularly for time-sensitive call re-attempts and messages requiring substantial customization.

Most people view automation for lead followup using AI simplistically. Instead of thinking about which tool can send automated texts to leads, consider whether that tool can read signals from leads and apply automated actions accordingly. For example, with a link click, it could check if the lead replied with a certain sentiment or check the Calendar API for a booking, triggering a call re-attempt rather than sending another nurture email.

The best AI tools don’t operate on a simple time-based drip but use a more advanced form of decision tree automation. Lead followup automation based on a smart, dynamic tree of conditions is far more effective in generating high-quality leads and maximizing ROI than a linear drip that doesn’t adapt based on real-time data.

• Did the lead reply? Establish a lead routing process for live conversations.
• The lead clicked on a pricing link for services they received a quote for, but didn’t reply. A value-add nudge with a price range was sent.
• The lead is the primary contact for your company, and after 24 hours with no communication or unproductive responses, send a permission check before following up via email.
• Did the lead provide a specific timeframe for a follow-up call? Use that as a timer to re-attempt the call.

A behavioral-signal architecture distinguishes elite lead followup automation tools from simple autoresponder programs. The difference in results between a time-based sequence and a behavior-based sequence is profound, particularly because the call re-attempt remains the highest-conversion touch when answered, now occurring against a backdrop of intention signals from the prospect.

I'm highlighting the roadmap for RCS (Rich Communication Services) development. Apple recently confirmed that in iOS 18, Messages now supports RCS between Messages users and non-Apple users. 

Interestingly, a survey released late last year by Sinch found that the “most engaging format for a message with branding and buttons to recover an abandoned cart in retail” was an RCS message at 54% (followed by SMS/MMS at 26% and Facebook Messenger at 11%). This suggests that the most engaging format for an abandoned-cart recovery message is similar to what you’d need for a missed-call recovery message.

According to a Juniper Research report, RCS business messaging traffic is expected to grow 50% in 2025, with over 7 billion Rich Communication Service-enabled smartphones forecasted to support this traffic. As Apple now supports RCS in Messages in its first full year, this figure is expected to grow rapidly.

The best AI tools right now set SMS as the default compliant methodology and RCS as the near-future upgrade, turning follow-up messages into full interactive landing pages. Your message becomes a chat with a header and several calls to action, Book a Table, Get a Quote, Send a Photo, Talk Now, all embedded into the RCS message thread.

Which Is Better After a Missed Call? SMS or Calls?

How Do You Choose Between Different Channels, Especially When It Comes to Driving Conversion During the Recovery Process?

While numbers vary depending on the metric tracked, across multiple client data sets, SMS has outperformed calls in the post-missed-call scenario on every metric except close rate on the call that is actually answered. The following chart shows how SMS stacks up on key metrics for a missed-call recovery strategy.