How to recover customers from missed calls
A missed call doesn't have to mean a lost customer. Learn how to take the message, get an SMS with the topic and track each request until you call back.
TL;DR: You recover a customer from a missed call if you take their message, quickly learn what they wanted and call back prepared. In practice that is five steps: forward missed calls to voicemail, get a notification with the topic, confirm to the caller, track the request and call back. It doesn't guarantee a sale, but requests stop getting lost in a missed-call list.
What a missed call costs
A missed call is not only a lost chance to sell right now. It also wastes the marketing budget that brought that customer in: ads, SEO or referrals. If your salespeople or technicians are in the field or in meetings, some callers will pick the next number in the search results.
Example: if you miss 20 calls a month and one in ten of them is a job worth 1,000, the unanswered calls cost you about 2,000 in jobs a month. The numbers are hypothetical; calculate your own with the missed-call loss calculator.
Step 1: take the message when you can't answer
Set up forwarding to voicemail at your carrier. When you don't answer, the caller hears your greeting and leaves a message; Heilo does not talk to them. Heilo records the message, transcribes it and writes a summary.
In the greeting, ask for a name, the topic and a good time to call, and say honestly when your team usually calls back. See voicemail greeting examples.
Step 2: get a notification with context
With SMS notifications on, you get the caller's name or number, the topic and a link to the message in the dashboard. The time depends on processing and the network, so we don't promise one.
You can also get an SMS about calls where the caller left no message. That SMS contains only the number and the time.
Step 3: confirm to the caller that the request arrived
You can also switch on an automatic SMS to the caller with your own text, for example a confirmation that the message was received. By default Heilo adds a short call subject below it; you can choose a shortened quote of the message or nothing instead. If the caller hangs up without a message, Heilo can send them your text alone, without a subject; you switch that option on separately.
Don't promise a callback time your team can't keep. The SMS won't reach a landline either. The details are in the guide to automatic SMS after a missed call.
Step 4: track the request until you call back
Every call has the status "To do", "In progress" or "Done", so you can see at a glance who you haven't got back to. On the "Customer potential" card your team gives its own rating from 1 to 10 and enters an estimated value, which helps decide whom to call first. Heilo shows no automatic rating of its own.
Tasks suggested after a call go to "Tasks", which has a "Today" queue, and callers land in "Contacts". If you have your own CRM, once you configure the integration (API, webhooks, Zapier, Make) the data goes there (sending calls to your CRM).
Step 5: call back prepared
Read the transcript and the summary before you call. Then you know what the customer asked, and you don't have to start with "how can I help".
With a Heilo Line business number you can call back from the calls list with "Call via Heilo" (+48 numbers only). That call is recorded too, with a transcript and a summary. More in the call assistant overview.
How much does it cost?
Heilo Voicemail covers messages left after missed calls: the recording, the text, the summary and the SMS notification. It requires missed-call forwarding at your carrier. Billing is monthly and VAT is added at payment. Check your carrier's charges for forwarded calls separately.
If you also want to record calls you answer, there are two higher plans. With Heilo Select you keep your current number and add Heilo to chosen calls; voicemail is included, your carrier must support conference calling, and only the part after Heilo joins is recorded. Heilo Line is a +48 business number for salespeople, one per rep: calls through it are recorded automatically, with a transcript, a summary and tasks, and once you set up an integration the results go to your CRM through the API, webhooks, Zapier or Make. Read more about business voicemail; plans and prices are on the pricing page.
Checked: 20 October 2026
Summary
Heilo captures the message and the context, but the result depends on how quickly and how well your team calls back. A team that has the transcript, the topic and the status of each request in the dashboard loses track of fewer of them.
FAQ
How will I know about a new call?
If SMS notifications are on, you get the caller's name or number, the topic and a link to the call. The recording, transcript and summary are waiting in the dashboard.
Can I track the history of calls and requests?
Yes. The calls list shows the statuses "To do", "In progress" and "Done", plus filters and search. You give your own rating of a request on the "Customer potential" card.
Does the customer have to wait on the line?
No. After forwarding, the caller hears the greeting and can leave a message. The greeting should honestly say when your team usually calls back; Heilo does not hold a conversation or promise a contact time.
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