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Notes on the problems behind the recipes
Problem-first articles for small service businesses. Every number links to its source, and we say when a source is a vendor or an anecdote. Subscribe via RSS.
Texting · Law firms
Can lawyers text clients? A checklist for automated texts
Can lawyers text clients? Usually yes. What ABA Model Rules, Pennsylvania, Florida, the TCPA and Canada's CASL say about automated texts from a law firm.
· 9 min read
Missed calls · HVAC
Missed HVAC calls? Text back, priced out
HVAC missed call text back, explained: how it works, what it costs on Twilio's and n8n's published prices, cheaper fixes to try first, and its limits.
· 8 min read
HVAC · Missed calls
How many calls is your HVAC shop missing, and what it costs
Published benchmarks say a person answers about a third of HVAC calls. Here is what those numbers do and don't tell you, how to count your own missed calls in a week, and how to put a dollar figure on them.
· 7 min read
HVAC · Quotes
Why HVAC quotes go quiet: a 3-touch follow-up you can set up this week
Most quotes don't get a no. They get silence. Why that happens, what a respectful follow-up looks like (day 2, day 5, day 10, then the owner calls), and the exact texts, with honest caveats about the numbers.
· 6 min read
Compliance · Missed calls
Is missed-call text-back legal?
TCPA, A2P 10DLC and CASL for HVAC and plumbing shops that text back missed callers: what the rules say, where it's gray, and a setup checklist.
· 9 min read
Client intake · Law firms
Law firm web inquiries: a reply in 5 minutes without inviting a conflict
Many law firm web inquiries wait hours or get no reply. Cheap fixes first, then an auto-reply with intake and booking links that doesn't invite conflicts.
· 8 min read
Missed calls · Law firms
Missed calls at a small law firm: a text-back that doesn't solicit
Missed-call text-back for law firms: cheaper fixes first, then a text that isn't a solicitation, has no case details and never bot-answers a client.
· 8 min read