A hearing clinic can follow up with a missed caller in three steps in GoHighLevel: an immediate text with a booking link, a same day call from the front desk, and a short, gentle sequence if the caller does not book. The bottom line: people who call about hearing often hesitate, so a low pressure follow up that makes booking easy works better than a hard sell, and the wording needs the same care as any health related message.
Why callers hesitate
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, quoted in a MedlinePlus magazine article, says hearing loss affects about 37.5 million US adults, one in three people ages 65 to 74 and nearly half of those 75 and older, yet only about a quarter of those who could benefit use a hearing aid. The article lists barriers: high costs, stigma, limited access, and a belief that hearing aids are not worth the benefit. It also notes that the FDA created an over the counter category for adults 18 or older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. NPR reported that devices alone typically ranged from $1,000 to $6,000 per ear before that rule.
That means a caller who hangs up may be comparing options, or unsure, or embarrassed. The follow up should lower the effort of the next step and avoid pressure.
A three step follow up
| When | What | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Within seconds | Generic text with booking link | SMS from missed call text back |
| Same business day | Front desk calls back | Phone, from a task |
| Two days later, if no booking | One short, helpful message with the link | SMS or email |
Health information cautions apply. GoHighLevel's support portal says accounts are not HIPAA compliant by default, and that its optional HIPAA add on costs US$297 per month and enables encryption of ePHI, business associate agreements, audit logging, and multi factor authentication. Guidance from law firms and a state university summary says text messages with appointment details can be ePHI under the Security Rule and that patients should be warned about unencrypted texting. Keep messages generic and consult your attorney.
Build it in GoHighLevel
- In your sub account, click Settings, then Phone System, then Voice, then Voicemail & Missed Call Text Back, then Missed Call Text Back.
- Tick the box to enable the feature, write your message, add merge fields such as the contact name, send yourself a test, and save.
- Write a generic message with the clinic name, a booking link, and your phone number. Leave out the hearing topic and any test details.
- Create a calendar for a hearing consultation and use its link in the message.
- Build a workflow with a missed call trigger. Add a task for the front desk to call back the same business day.
- Add a wait of two days, then an if else on whether an appointment was booked.
- If not booked, send one short message. Then stop.
- Add a tag for callers who reply STOP or ask not to be contacted, and exit them from the workflow.
GoHighLevel's help page says the path is Settings, Phone System, Voice, Voicemail & Missed Call Text Back, then Missed Call Text Back, and that you enable the feature, customize the message with merge fields, send a test, and save. Its phone number guide adds that Call Connect plays a whisper message so only calls answered by a human count as connected, which it recommends for missed call text back automations because it stops voicemail from being counted as an answered call. That whisper only plays when the call is forwarded to an outside number, and it does not play if the call is answered in the HighLevel app.
Speed matters, but the best known study covers web leads, not phone calls. A Harvard Business Review study of 1.25 million sales leads found that firms that contacted a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as firms that waited even an hour longer, and more than 60 times as likely as firms that waited 24 hours or longer. The same authors audited 2,241 US companies and found 37 percent responded to a web lead within an hour while 23 percent never responded. Treat the multiples as a direction, not a promise for a phone call.
What the workload looks like
For example, if a clinic misses eight calls a week and books one in four of them after a same day text and call, that is two new consultations a week (8 times 0.25) or about 104 a year. The sequence costs three messages per caller, and only for callers who did not book.
Mistakes to avoid
- Long sales sequences. One follow up after the first is enough.
- Mentioning test results or hearing loss in a text. Keep it generic.
- Ignoring older callers' preferences. Some prefer a call, so always leave a number.
- Forgetting the front desk task. Text opens the door, and a person walks through it.
How this was handled before
Clinics traditionally return calls when the schedule allows and leave a voicemail if no one answers. Callers with a hesitant question often do not call back after a voicemail. A text lets them respond privately and at their own pace, which matters when the barrier is uncertainty rather than lack of time.
Check before you switch it on
US text messages sent from a standard 10 digit number need A2P 10DLC registration. The HighLevel support portal says registration is required for texts to US recipients from 10 digit long code numbers and that toll free numbers do not require it. HighLevel's opt in guidelines also say a person cannot be forced to agree to text messages in order to submit a form, so keep the consent box optional. One compliance guide separates informational texts, which need documented consent, from marketing texts, which need prior express written consent. Ask your attorney which category your reminders fall into. Some callers are calling on behalf of a parent, so ask who the appointment is for. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
How common is hearing aid use among those who could benefit?
NIDCD, quoted by MedlinePlus, says only about a quarter of people who could benefit from a hearing aid use one.
Can I text about the hearing test?
Keep it generic, and check with your attorney. GoHighLevel says its accounts are not HIPAA compliant by default.
Should I follow up more than once?
One short follow up after the first text and call is enough for most callers. Stop if they reply STOP.
Ready to try it yourself? Start a GoHighLevel account here.
You can also see this in action in our GoHighLevel capabilities demo.