Use HighLevel’s 14-day trial on one job: missed calls

Day 1

Open one sub-account and set the time zone

• From the agency view, start a new sub-account for the one business you are testing. HighLevel’s help article says to go to agency view and start creating a sub-account. It does not name a single button, so we don’t either. If it asks what type of account this is, choose This is my client’s account for a client’s business, or This is my own account for your own shop (Agency sub-accounts, modified May 19, 2026).
• Inside that sub-account, open Settings → Business Profile. Set Time Zone under Business Physical Address. HighLevel says automated events use this field (Business Profile; time zone field).
• Write down hours, service area, and any after-hours fee you are willing to say out loud. You will paste those into the Voice AI knowledge base later. There is no separate “business hours” switch we can point to for the whole account.

Days 1–2

Buy one local number

Stay in the sub-account. HighLevel’s purchase article (modified September 18, 2026) is for LC Phone. If the location uses your own Twilio account, buy the number in Twilio instead.

1. Settings → Phone System → Phone numbers.
2. + Add Number → Add Phone Number.
3. Choose the country, filter for voice and SMS, pick one local number, review the price on the screen, then Proceed to Buy.
4. If you are buying an eligible +1 number (US, Canada, or Puerto Rico) and this sub-account has not done it before, complete the Persona identity check when it appears. That is not the same thing as A2P registration.
5. Call the new number from another phone and confirm it rings.

A US local number is listed at $1.15 per month on the phone pricing guide (modified September 29, 2026). The price shown in your account is the one that applies. Source: How to purchase a phone number.

Days 1–2, before you rely on texting

Submit A2P 10DLC, then wait

US local numbers need A2P 10DLC before business texts to US recipients are ready. Toll-free numbers use a different verification and are not this checklist. Path from Brand and campaign registration (modified September 4, 2026):

1. Settings → Phone System → Trust Center. Under A2P Messaging (SMS), start registration.
2. Brand first. A business with an EIN or other tax ID uses a Standard brand. The legal name and EIN should match IRS records. Sole Proprietor is for a one-person business with no tax ID, not for an LLC.
3. Have ready: legal name, tax ID, address (not a P.O. box), a monitored business email, a live website, the real opt-in method, sample messages, and public privacy and terms pages.
4. Campaign next. Standard brands choose Low Volume or High Volume. Low Volume is the usual fit for a trial. Sole Proprietor uses its own single-number path.
5. Campaign registration opens on Chat Widget Setup. Use that only if the HighLevel chat widget will collect SMS consent. Otherwise choose Switch to manual setup and describe the consent method you actually use (website form, paper, verbal, and so on).
6. Review Application. Fix anything the compliance check flags, then submit. Do not create a second campaign just because the first one still says Pending.

Draft the description, samples, opt-in line, and STOP/HELP replies in the A2P 10DLC campaign helper before you submit, and read the registration guide. Quiet hours and consent rules that registration does not cover are in the texting laws by state table. Terms are in the glossary.

After approval, open Settings → Phone System → Phone Numbers and confirm the number shows the green A2P Verified label. If it does not, link it to the approved campaign. HighLevel says carrier systems can take several more business days to receive the update after approval. Fees have already started.

Days 3–4

Turn on missed-call text-back

You can configure this while A2P is pending. A real text from a US local number can still fail until a number in the location is eligible to send SMS. HighLevel logs that failure on the contact’s conversation. Steps from Missed Call Text Back (modified September 7, 2026):

1. In the sub-account, click Settings (bottom left).
2. Phone System → Voice → Voicemail & Missed Call Text Back → Missed Call Text Back.
3. Check Enable Missed Call Text Back, then Customize.
4. Write the message. Keep it to one SMS segment: 160 plain characters, no emoji and no curly apostrophes. Name the business, say you missed the call, and ask one question. Write it in the missed-call text generator, or start from the template pack or Spanish templates. Trade versions live on the trade hubs.
5. Send the in-app test, then Save.
6. On the same Voice screen, set the incoming-call timeout. HighLevel says 10 to 20 seconds is typical. That timeout is when a call counts as missed. Answered calls do not get a text.

The feature texts every missed call, including repeat calls a few minutes apart. HighLevel suggests a workflow with a wait step if you want to collapse those. It also tries the number the customer called first, then other eligible numbers, so the text may not come from the number they dialed.

On day 4, miss a call from your own mobile and confirm one text arrives, names the business, and fits one segment. If nothing arrives, check A2P status before rewriting the copy.

Days 5–7

Build one Voice AI agent and test it in the browser

Voice AI is listed on every plan, with usage charges. Web Call does not need a phone number, so you can do this while A2P is still pending. From How to create Voice AI agents (modified October 1, 2026):

1. AI Agents → Voice AI → Agent List → + Create Agent.
2. Choose Create Custom Agent (or a Marketplace agent only if you will replace its business details before anyone calls it). Continue.
3. Name it, pick a voice, model, and language, set the time zone with the clock icon, write a short prompt, and set the welcome message. Tell it not to guess prices, diagnoses, or arrival times.
4. Open Knowledge Base and add only approved facts: hours, services, service area, and fees you have already decided to say.
5. Add actions you will actually test. Common ones in the same article: Appointment Booking (needs a HighLevel calendar) and Call Transfer (a real on-call number). Skip everything else for this trial.
6. Save, then test with Web Call. Call Transfer does not run in a Web Call. Use a Phone Call test, or call the deployed number, before you trust a transfer.

Prompts and a test list for HVAC and plumbing are in the HVAC and plumbing AI receptionist guide. The free prompt builder writes a first prompt in the browser (no email). The prompt pack is a separate PDF (that one asks for an email). A wider look is the Voice AI review.

Days 7–9

Deploy it for after-hours only, then call from outside

On the agent’s Deploy tab (same article, modified October 1, 2026):

1. Select the local number. You can also buy a number from this screen; you already bought one, so don’t buy a second.
2. Call routing: Use as Backup if people should answer first and the agent only picks up when they don’t. Answer Calls Directly if you want the agent on every call during its hours. For this trial, backup or a limited schedule is the smaller test.
3. Working hours: Custom Schedule, and set the evenings or weekend hours you want covered. All Hours means all hours.
4. Save. Assigning the number does not by itself make the agent answer. Hours, routing, forwarding, timeout, and voicemail on that number all still apply.
5. Call from a phone that is not logged into the account. Confirm the greeting, one knowledge-base answer, a booking or a transfer, and that the call log has a transcript.

Days 10–12

Read what the trial actually cost

Usage is paid from the Agency Wallet, separate from the subscription. HighLevel charges the card on file to load the wallet, and refills it when the balance drops below your minimum (Pricing guide). Auto-recharge itself cannot be turned off; you can only change the amount and the threshold (Wallet auto-recharge). The phone pricing FAQ says a charge such as $20 can appear before you have made a call, because the wallet refilled.

1. Agency view: Settings → Billing → Wallet & Transactions. Open Transactions and filter to this sub-account if you can.
2. Note the number rental, any A2P registration and campaign fees, test texts, inbound minutes, and Voice AI.
3. Compare pay-per-use Voice AI with the optional AI Employee plans ($50 or $97 per sub-account on the pricing page) using the Growth vs Unlimited guide. Don’t buy an AI plan during the trial unless you mean to test that bill.
4. If you might cancel, delete the A2P campaign you will not keep (that stops future monthly campaign fees) and plan to release the number. Downgrading does not cancel phone numbers or campaigns by itself (Billing questions, modified September 16, 2026).

A worked example of a focused trial bill is in the free trial guide. It is our arithmetic, not a HighLevel quote. The missed-call calculator is for the other side of the decision: what unanswered calls may cost, using your own numbers.

Day 13, not the evening of day 14

Decide, and cancel if you are not keeping it

HighLevel’s pricing disclaimer (checked October 9, 2026): billing begins automatically at the end of any free trial unless canceled. Cancel from the agency billing screen (Billing questions, modified September 16, 2026):

1. Agency Settings → Billing.
2. Want to modify/cancel your subscription?
3. Show More, then Cancel Plan.
4. Pick a reason, Next, and read the data-loss warning.
5. I am sure I want to cancel, write the feedback (at least 30 words), Submit.

If you bought through another agency, that agency has to cancel. HighLevel says it cannot. The same article says agency accounts cannot be paused, and also says in its FAQ that data is deleted 90 days after cancellation and mentions a $27 per month pause plan. Those statements don’t agree. Ask HighLevel support which one applies to your account before you rely on either. Upgrades are charged a prorated amount right away, so “I’ll just click around on Agency Pro” is not free.

Day 14 is the last day the pricing page’s trial covers. If you did not cancel on day 13, do it today. Then check the wallet once more the next morning so a recharge isn’t a surprise.