You know SMS gets opened but you are not sure what to send without annoying people. SMS open rates exceed 90%. Used correctly, it is the highest-impact channel for tradie follow-up. None of this requires an MBA — just a few changes you can stick to between jobs.
Why this problem sticks around
You know SMS gets opened but you are not sure what to send without annoying people.
If you are a tradies owner, you already know the craft. The friction is everything around it: enquiries going cold, quotes sitting in draft, jobs overlapping, and admin eating your evenings. SMS open rates exceed 90%. Used correctly, it is the highest-impact channel for tradie follow-up.
Left unchecked, this costs you booked jobs, slower payments, and the Sunday-night admin sessions nobody signed up for. Fixing it is less about working harder and more about removing friction from the parts customers never see.
What actually works in practice
Use SMS for transactional messages customers expect: appointment confirmations, quote sent, on-my-way, review requests, annual service reminders. Not bulk promotional spam.
Treat this like a job, not a New Year's resolution. Block 30 minutes weekly to review pipeline, cash, and what slipped through the cracks. Small course corrections beat annual panic.
You do not need to rebuild your entire business this week. Start with the first step below, run it on your next job, and adjust from there.
A practical approach you can start this week
1. Get consent for marketing SMS at job booking
Checkbox on quote form: 'SMS updates about my job — yes'.
2. Automate transactional messages first
Confirmation, reminder, quote follow-up, review ask — automate these before marketing.
3. Keep messages under 160 characters when possible
Short messages read faster and cost less if you pay per segment.
4. Always include business name and opt-out for marketing
Compliance: identify sender, honour STOP replies within required timeframe.
Quick tips for busy tradies
- Send appointment reminders 24 hours and 2 hours before
- 'On my way — ETA 20 mins' reduces no-shows and anxiety
- Personalise with first name and job reference
- Best send times: 9am-12pm and 4pm-6pm weekdays
- Track which SMS templates drive callbacks and bookings
Common mistakes to avoid
- Marketing SMS to people who only consented to job updates
- Sending at 6am or 9pm — infuriates customers
- Long messages with multiple links — looks like scam
How Automate Leads can help
Automate Leads handles SMS reminders, quote follow-ups, review requests, and service prompts — all from your customer database with compliance built in. That is the gap Automate Leads closes — sms reminders and automated follow-ups without juggling five separate subscriptions.