Guide · November 8, 2026
A lead texts you at 9 PM: what to send back while you sleep
💬 CommentsA homeowner texts at 9 PM: "Do you do bathroom remodels?" You see it at 7 the next morning. By then they have asked two other contractors, and one answered in a minute.
What a good night reply looks like
- Short. Two or three sentences, like a person wrote it.
- Honest about the time. Say you are off for the night and will write back in the morning.
- One next step. A link to book a visit, or a question they can answer.
- Sent to strangers only. A client you already work with should never get "thanks for reaching out". Answer that one yourself.
A text you can start from
"Hi, this is Mike's Remodeling. We are off for the night and will text you back in the morning. If you want a visit sooner, pick a time here: [your booking link]."
How it works in WorkTime CRM
Open Settings → Phone → Client texts and find "Text the lead when nobody is calling". Write your text there. The link field is optional: leave it empty if the address is already in the text or you have nothing to show.
Outside your calling hours and on days off, a first-time texter gets this text. Set those hours in Settings → Phone → Hours, in your company time zone.
A client the company already knows gets no automatic text. That means any estimate, visit, project or invoice on the card, or a real conversation in the last 30 days. You are notified and answer yourself.
Texts you receive in the daytime are never answered by the AI. They land in the Inbox and in Telegram for you to answer. A text from an unknown number makes a card called "SMS Lead" with the number, and it takes the real name once the CRM learns it.
Texting runs on your own Twilio number, which Twilio bills you for.
Questions
Will an existing client get the night text by mistake?+
No. The night reply goes to first-time texters only. A client with an estimate, visit, project or invoice, or a recent conversation, gets nothing automatic, and you are notified instead.
Does the AI answer texts during the day?+
No. Daytime texts wait in the Inbox and in Telegram for a person to answer.
What does WorkTime CRM cost?+
7 days free, no card needed, then $99 a month per company. Texts go through your own Twilio account, which bills you.
💬 Discuss this article
Comments, likes and Ivan's answers live on the original page.
Open the comments →Work Time CRM
Every lead gets an answer: AI on the phone, estimates from a photo, payments and the whole job in one app.
Read next
Original on app.worktimealliance.com/guides/text-reply-when-a-lead-texts-at-night