After a serious wind or hail storm moves through Metro Detroit, roofing phones can ring non-stop for days. Homeowners walk outside, see shingles on the lawn or dents in the gutters, and start calling. Some have water coming through the ceiling. Many just want someone to look.
No small roofing company can answer all of those calls in real time, and trying to do it from a roof is a bad idea anyway. What you can control is what every caller experiences when you don't pick up.
Two kinds of storm callers
The first kind has an active leak. They need a tarp or a temporary patch soon, and they'll call until someone agrees to come. The second kind has visible damage but a dry house. They want an inspection and probably an estimate, and they may be dealing with an insurance claim.
Both matter, but they need different responses. A text-back lets you find out which is which without answering the phone.
What the storm text should ask
A good storm-season text asks the caller to reply with their address, whether water is coming inside, and a quick description of the damage. With a batch of replies like that, you can sort the leaks to the top and plan inspection routes by neighborhood for the rest.
It should also be honest about timing. After a big storm, everyone is booked. Telling callers you're working through requests in order and will be in touch is better than letting them think someone is coming this afternoon.
Nights and weekends
Storms don't wait for Monday. With a text-back, you set your business hours and write a separate after-hours message. That message can say you'll respond when you're back, and ask leak callers to say so in their reply. If you do send crews out for emergency tarping, the after-hours text is where you tell people how to request it.
A written record of each request
Storm weeks blur together. A reply thread gives you a short written note of what each homeowner told you and when they reached out, which is handy when you're scheduling dozens of inspections and trying to remember who mentioned a leak over the garage. It's not a job-management system, just a clearer starting point than a list of phone numbers.
What it won't do
A text-back doesn't tarp roofs, handle insurance, or assign crews. It won't make the backlog shorter. It makes sure no caller is met with silence, and it turns a pile of missed numbers into a list of addresses and problems you can work through.
Your replies arrive where you choose: a Client Hub inbox, a text to your cell, or email. You can see how after-hours messages work on the Missed-Call Text-Back page.
Related reading
Missed-Call Text-Back is a text-back tool: it replies to the calls you can't pick up, and it doesn't answer calls for you. It's $89/mo list, or $49/mo at the founding rate while founding spots last, billed monthly with no contract. If it sounds like a fit, see how Missed-Call Text-Back works.