Missed Call Text Back in GoHighLevel: Step-by-Step Workflow Setup (and When to Use the Built-In Setting)

This is the step-by-step version of missed call text back in HighLevel (GoHighLevel). It follows HighLevel's help articles as checked October 11, 2026. Menu names change, so use the linked articles if a screen looks different.

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Which method should you use?

HighLevel's own warning: the built-in feature "triggers an SMS notification for every missed call — even if the same caller tries multiple times within a brief timeframe," and it recommends customizing the existing recipe in Workflows, for example with a 20-minute-or-so Wait step, or filtering by tags such as first call and second call (Missed Call Text Back article).

Before you start

1. A number that can text. Local numbers need A2P 10DLC registration for US texting; toll-free numbers need verification. Follow our A2P walkthrough and checker.
2. A message that fits one segment. Texts are billed per segment (up to 160 plain characters). Draft yours with the text generator.
3. A ring timeout. HighLevel says the timeout decides when a call counts as missed and suggests 10 to 20 seconds.

Method 1: The built-in setting

1. In your sub-account, click Settings (bottom left).
2. Open Phone System, then Voice in the top navigation.
3. Open Voicemail & Missed Call Text Back, then click Missed Call Text Back.
4. Tick Enable, then click Customize and type your message. Merge fields such as the contact's name only work if HighLevel already knows the contact.
5. Send a test message, pick the number to preview from, then click Save.
6. Set the incoming call timeout (10 to 20 seconds is typical).

If the number the caller dialed can't send SMS, HighLevel looks for another eligible number in a set order, which means the text can come from a different number than the one dialed. That is intended behavior per the docs. If no number is eligible, the failed attempt shows in the conversation with the reason. Contacts on DND don't get the text.

Method 2: The workflow version

HighLevel's Call Details trigger enrolls a contact when a call matches the filters you set. A workflow can enroll a contact only when an incoming call has a status of busy, voicemail or no-answer.

1. Go to Automation > Workflows and create a workflow. You can start from the missed call text back recipe or from scratch.
2. Add the Call Details trigger.
3. Add the filter Call Direction = Incoming.
4. Add the filter Call Status and select busy, voicemail and no-answer. You can pick several; the call qualifies if it matches any. Optionally limit it to one number with In Phone Number.
5. Add a Wait step if you want to avoid duplicate texts (HighLevel suggests about 20 minutes as an example) or to hold the text a few seconds so it doesn't land mid-call.
6. Add a Send SMS action and write your message. Use a message that works without the caller's name, because new callers may not be known contacts.
7. Optionally add an Add Tag step (for example "missed call"), an Assign to User step, and an internal notification so someone sees the conversation.
8. To send a different text after hours, add an If/Else step with a time condition before the SMS step.
9. Publish the workflow and save.

Important: if you use the workflow, turn off the built-in setting, or callers may get two texts.

How do you test it?

1. Call your HighLevel number from a phone that isn't the business line.
2. Let it ring out (and try voicemail too).
3. Check that the text arrives and the conversation appears in the contact record. For the workflow, check the enrollment history.
4. Call a second time within a few minutes to confirm repeat behavior matches what you intended.

If nothing arrives, check in this order: A2P status, the ring timeout, the trigger's Call Direction and Call Status filters, whether both methods are fighting, and whether the contact is on DND. Failed attempts are logged in the conversation.

What does it cost to run?

Texts count toward your usage: SMS is listed at $0.00747 per segment plus carrier fees, and a local number is $1.15 a month (Phone System Pricing). See our pricing guide for worked examples and the revenue calculator to size the benefit. The full order of operations is in our first-week setup guide; for the bigger picture read the GoHighLevel review.

FAQ

Does missed call text back work for after-hours calls? Yes, per HighLevel, as long as the call goes unanswered past your timeout.

Will an answered call trigger a text? No. Only calls unanswered past the incoming call timeout count as missed.

Can I use WhatsApp instead of SMS? Not with this feature. HighLevel lists a separate Missed Call WhatsApp Back feature.

Do these texts count toward usage limits? Yes, they count toward your phone messaging usage.

Why did the text come from a different number? The dialed number probably can't send SMS (a number pool, call tracking or unverified toll-free number), so HighLevel used an eligible one.

Sources (checked October 11, 2026)