A named person follows up, and the workflow makes sure of it. The Call Details trigger in GoHighLevel starts a workflow when an inbound call ends with a status such as voicemail, no answer, or busy, and the workflow creates a task for an intake owner with a deadline and texts the caller. The bottom line: a voicemail is only a lead if someone is assigned to call back, and the trigger is how the assignment happens without a person noticing a light.
Why the callback is the whole game
Clio's Legal Trends secret shopper study of 500 firms, as summarized by the Oklahoma Bar Journal and the ABA Journal, found that 40 percent of firms answered a call from a prospective client, down from 56 percent in 2019, that about a third replied to an email, and that of the firms that missed a call, only 20 percent called back. The figures come from Clio's own research, so treat them as one vendor's benchmark, not a census of law firms.
The 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. It studied web leads across many industries, not law firms, so treat it as a direction, not a law firm benchmark.
What the trigger can see
GoHighLevel's help portal says the Call Details trigger starts a workflow when call related information is updated, and can be filtered by call direction, call status, phone number, number pool, and custom disposition. Its Call Status filter includes outcomes such as no answer, voicemail, and busy. An agency knowledge base adds that a workflow could enroll a contact only when an incoming call has a status of busy, voicemail, or no answer, and that custom dispositions are separate post call labels staff apply, such as Follow Up or Requested Callback.
Accuracy depends on Call Connect. A NextPhone guide says HighLevel built Call Connect because without it a call that hits voicemail can be logged as connected, and GoHighLevel's help page says Call Connect requires a keypress so voicemail is not counted as an answered call.
What the workflow does
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| Trigger | Inbound call with status voicemail, no answer, or busy |
| Business hours check | If open, task due in 15 minutes. If closed, task due at opening |
| Text to the caller | Short message that someone will call, with no case details |
| Task | Assigned to the intake owner or pool, with the caller's number and time |
| Escalation | Manager alert if the Called back tag is missing after 30 minutes |
| Disposition | Staff set Requested Callback or Wrong number after the call |
Build it in GoHighLevel
- Turn on Call Connect for the firm's number.
- Build a workflow with the Call Details trigger, direction incoming, and statuses voicemail, no answer, and busy.
- Add an If/Else on business hours.
- Add Assign to User and Add Task, using the task settings from our intake guide.
- Send the caller a short text, using the wording from our missed call guide.
- Add a Wait of 30 minutes and an If/Else on the Called back tag, then alert the manager if it is missing.
- Train staff to add the Called back tag or set a custom disposition after every call.
Worked example
For example, if a firm's line gets 100 inbound calls a month and 25 end in voicemail, no answer, or busy, the workflow creates 25 tasks (100 times 0.25). If 10 of the callers were prospective clients, the firm returns 10 calls it would otherwise have depended on someone to remember.
Mistakes to avoid
- Skipping Call Connect. Voicemails may be counted as answered.
- No owner. Assign the task to a person or pool.
- Texting case details. Keep it generic.
- No escalation. Add the 30 minute check.
How this was handled before
A receptionist or the answering service took messages, and someone returned them in order. When the office closed or the receptionist was busy, voicemail collected until the next day. A status trigger and a task turn the voicemail into a dated job.
What to measure after launch
Track voicemails, tasks created, time to callback, and escalations. Review escalations weekly to see whether staffing or the deadline is the issue.
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. Send the text only to numbers that can receive texts, and keep it about the caller's own request. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
Which call statuses can the trigger use?
GoHighLevel's help page says no answer, voicemail, and busy among others.
Why use Call Connect?
GoHighLevel's help page says it stops voicemail from being counted as an answered call.
What is a custom disposition?
A post call label staff apply, such as Requested Callback, which can also start a workflow.
Ready to try it yourself? Start a GoHighLevel account here.
You can also see this in action in our GoHighLevel capabilities demo.