Texting Your Customers: A Simple Guide for Service Businesses

Phone calls are still how most people book a plumber or an electrician. But after that first call, customers increasingly want to text. EZ Texting surveyed 1,074 US consumers for its 2025 Consumer Texting Report. Here is what they found:

• 86% of consumers have opted in to receive texts from businesses.
• 52% say they are sending more texts to businesses than before.
• 57% expect a reply within 15 minutes, and 74% within an hour.

The takeaway: texting is now part of good service. But customers also expect you to be quick when you use it.

• Booking confirmation. Right after the job is booked, so the customer knows it is real.
• Reminder. The day before. This cuts no-shows and “I forgot you were coming” moments.
• On my way. When the tech leaves for the job, with a time window.
• Job done and invoice. A short summary and a payment link.
• Review request. Within an hour of finishing the job. See our Google reviews guide for how to do it the right way.

Confirmation: “Hi Sarah, this is Smith Plumbing. You are booked for Tuesday, Oct 21 between 9 and 11 AM for a leaking water heater. Reply STOP to opt out.”

Reminder: “Hi Sarah, a reminder from Smith Plumbing: we will see you tomorrow between 9 and 11 AM. Need to change the time? Just reply here.”

On my way: “Hi Sarah, Mike from Smith Plumbing is on his way and should arrive in about 20 minutes.”

Notice the pattern: the customer's name, your business name, the key detail, and nothing extra. Short texts get read.

The main US law for texting is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). In plain English:

• Get permission first. Texting about a job the customer booked is generally fine once they have given you their number for that purpose. Marketing texts, like promotions and discounts, need clear written permission.
• Always say who you are. Put your business name in the text.
• Let people opt out. Honor “STOP” replies right away.
• Register your number. US carriers now require businesses that send texts from regular 10-digit numbers to register (called A2P 10DLC). Most texting tools handle this for you.

In Canada, texts fall under Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), enforced by the CRTC.

• Job-related texts that only confirm a booking or a transaction, with no advertising, do not need consent under CASL. They still need to identify your business and include a way to unsubscribe.
• Marketing texts need consent.
• Unsubscribe requests must be processed within 10 business days.

This is a simple summary, not legal advice. If you plan to send marketing texts in bulk, a quick chat with a lawyer is worth the money.

• Texting from your personal phone, so the history is lost when staff leave
• Sending long paragraphs instead of short, clear messages
• Texting late at night about non-urgent things
• Ignoring replies — if you text, be ready to answer
• Mixing promotions into booking confirmations (this can change the rules that apply)

When Mercvox books a job on a call, it sends the customer an SMS confirmation with a link to reschedule or cancel. You and your staff also get a text with the job details. After the job, Mercvox can send a review request. Every text comes from your business number, so the conversation stays in one place.

• EZ Texting — 2025 Consumer Texting Behavior Report
• FCC — Telemarketing and Robocalls (TCPA)
• Government of Canada — Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation