The moment it happens

Text back callers you miss

Anyone whose call goes unanswered gets a text within moments, and you get their number by email.

Runs: The moment it happens
Apps: Twilio
AI: Not needed
Access: read+write (set callback URL, send)

Send this to your assistant

Create a ClickRuntime automation: when a call to my Twilio number isn't answered, text the caller 'Sorry we missed you, how can we help?' and email me their number, but only once per caller per day.

Paste it into your assistant. It tells you what it will send or change before it runs live.

Add to ChatGPT Add to Claude

First time? Adding ClickRuntime to your assistant takes about two minutes.

Why use it

Why teams use this automation

When a call goes unanswered, the caller rarely leaves a voicemail. A roofer is up a ladder, a hairdresser is mid-cut, a locksmith is driving, and the person who called moves straight on to the next name in the search results. The business never learns who called, and the job goes to whoever picked up. For trades and appointment businesses, each missed call can be a job worth hundreds of dollars.

As soon as Twilio reports a missed call, this sends the caller a text, for example saying you are busy and will ring back shortly, and emails you the number so you can return the call. It ignores duplicate events and repeat callers within a short period, so nobody receives five texts for five rings.

It suits owner-operators who cannot always answer the phone.

What you get out of it

The caller knows they were noticed
A text within seconds tells the caller you got their call and will respond. Many will wait for your reply instead of dialing a competitor, which saves jobs that would otherwise be lost silently.
You get the number straight away
The email gives you the caller's number at once, so a return call can be made between jobs. Nobody has to dig through the phone log to work out who rang and when.
Repeat callers are not spammed
A person who calls three times in ten minutes receives one text, not three. That avoids looking robotic or annoying at the moment someone is already frustrated by getting no answer.
Recovers revenue that was invisible
Missed calls leave no trace, so the loss never shows up on any report. Texting back brings in work from people who would never have been counted as lost leads.
Works while you are working
The reply goes out immediately, without you touching a phone. You can stay focused on a delicate job and still treat every caller professionally, which builds a reputation for responsiveness.

How it works

What happens, step by step

When a call to your Twilio number goes unanswered or the line is busy, ClickRuntime hears about it straight away.
It skips callers it has texted recently, so someone who rings twice isn't texted twice.
It sends the caller a text saying you'll get back to them.
You get an email with their number and when they were texted.

Before it runs live

Connect Twilio
Paste your automation's link into the other app's webhook settings

What you get

RunsThe moment it happens

Text back callers you missjust nowSucceeded

Email · Missed call from +447700900456Texted them back at 2026-10-19T10:42:13Z.

Build your own

Need it to work differently?

This template is a starting point. Copy the prompt and change it, or describe a different automation from scratch, with your own conditions, more apps or an AI step. Your assistant writes it, tests it and runs it on ClickRuntime.

Your own rules
Conditions, thresholds, filters and exceptions, written the way you'd explain them to a colleague.
Any number of apps
One automation can read from one app and update several others. Over 248 apps are ready, and anything with an API works too.
AI where it helps
Summaries, classification, extraction and drafts use ClickRuntime's built-in AI, with no extra key.
On a schedule or on each event
Runs as often as every 5 minutes, or the moment an app sends an event, and keeps track of what it already handled.

Changes you can ask for

Act only on the items that match your own rules, and skip the rest
Add an AI step, for example to summarize, sort or draft a reply
Add another app, for example also send it to Slack
Combine it with other Twilio steps into one automation

Under the hood

The code that runs this automation

This is the Python script that runs each time the automation starts. Your AI assistant writes it for you when you send the prompt, and you allow each step in your assistant. To change how the automation works, describe the change to your assistant and it updates the script for you. For every function it can use, see the script reference.

missed_call_text_back.pyexample

import time
from clickruntime import on_event, credentials, http, state, notify

TEXT = "Sorry we missed your call! We'll ring you back shortly – or reply here with what you need. – Northwind Plumbing"

@on_event
def handle(event):
    call = event.json  # Twilio status callback (form fields)
    if call.get("CallStatus") not in ("no-answer", "busy"):
        return {"skipped": call.get("CallStatus")}
    caller = call["From"]
    last = state.get(f"texted:{caller}") or 0
    if time.time() - last < 6 * 3600:
        return {"skipped": "recently texted"}
    sid = credentials.secret("TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID")
    http.post(f"https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/{sid}/Messages.json",
              auth=(sid, credentials.secret("TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN")), data={"To": caller, "From": call["To"], "Body": TEXT})
    state.set(f"texted:{caller}", time.time())
    notify.email_me(f"Missed call from {caller}", f"Texted them back at {event.received_at}.")
    return {"texted": True}

FAQ

Common questions

Does it text spam callers and withheld numbers?

It can only text numbers that appear as a normal mobile or landline number. Withheld numbers cannot be texted, and landlines may not receive texts. You can add a block list so known spam numbers are ignored.

What does the text say?

You write the message, such as a short apology with the business name and a promise to call back soon. Keep it brief and honest, and avoid promising a specific time unless you can keep to it.

Will it text people who I am already talking to?

It acts on calls reported as missed or unanswered, not calls that connected. If you pick up, no text is sent. A call that rings out after a few seconds counts as missed, so callers who hang up early get one too.

What permissions does it need?

read+write (set callback URL, send). Nothing else in your accounts is used.

Does it need AI?

No. It runs without AI, so it doesn't use your plan's AI allowance.

How many runs does it use?

One run for each event the app sends.

Can I change how it works?

Yes. Describe the change to your AI assistant, for example a different schedule, channel or filter. It updates the automation, tests it and tells you what changed.

The moment it happens