The AI My Business Today Team — led by our Founder
Our team has 15+ years combined in growth marketing and revenue operations for home service brands. We build SMS-first follow-up systems for roofing, HVAC, and solar operators — and we've sent millions of these messages.
Last updated: July 14, 2026
Key Takeaways
- • SMS open rates average 98% vs. ~20% for email (Gartner / SlickText).
- • A well-written 2-sentence reactivation text earns 40–60% reply rates.
- • The average sales rep gives up after 1.7 attempts; AI can consistently run 6–10 touches per lead.
- • A2P 10DLC registration is required for any business texting from a US 10-digit number.
- • Performance-based deployments book jobs in the first week, with zero retainer.
You already have the leads. You already have the phone numbers. The gap between a dead CRM and a full calendar is one thing: the follow-up nobody on your team has time to do.
What is AI SMS follow-up?
AI SMS follow-up is the use of an AI agent to text leads on your behalf, hold a real two-way conversation, qualify interest, and book appointments directly into your calendar. It sits between your CRM and your rep, handling every message no human has time to send and every reply nobody has time to answer.
Why does SMS beat phone calls and email for lead follow-up?
SMS beats phone and email because it matches how homeowners actually communicate now. Text opens at ~98% within 3 minutes, calls from unknown numbers are ignored more than 80% of the time (Truecaller), and email averages ~20% opens and under 3% clicks (Mailchimp benchmarks). Nothing else in your toolkit gets a real answer that reliably.
| Channel | Open rate | Reply rate | Time to response | Cost per contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMS (AI-driven) | ~98% | 40–60% | Minutes | $0.05–$0.25 |
| ~20% | 1–3% | Hours – days | Under $0.01 | |
| Cold phone call | Under 20% answered | 1–3% booked | Immediate or never | $3–$8 loaded |
| Voicemail drop | ~10% listened | Under 1% callback | Hours – days | $0.15–$0.50 |
What does a high-converting reactivation text look like?
A high-converting reactivation text is 2 sentences, uses the homeowner's first name, references the specific service they asked about, sounds like a person (not a marketer), and ends with a question. That's the whole formula — no discount, no branding, no emojis.
Three examples that work in the real world:
Roofing
"Hey Mike, it's Sarah from Apex Roofing. Still thinking about that roof replacement, or did you already get it handled?"
HVAC
"Hi Karen, this is Dave over at Frontier HVAC — quick check-in, is your AC still giving you trouble or are you all set for the summer?"
Solar
"Hey Jason, it's Priya from Sunline Solar. Did you end up moving forward on solar for the house, or is that still on the maybe-list?"
Notice what these do not do: no "Act now!", no discounts, no capital letters, no links, no signature block. They read like a message a real rep would send if they had 4 hours to personally text every lead in your CRM.
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How does the AI handle replies, objections, and booking?
The AI runs a simple pipeline: Lead Replied → Qualified → Booked. Once a homeowner texts back, the AI answers questions ("Do you service Aurora?"), addresses common objections ("We already got a quote — can you beat it?"), asks 2–3 qualifying questions (timing, decision-maker, budget range), and offers specific appointment slots pulled from your live calendar.
- Reply detected. AI classifies intent: interested / question / not now / opt-out.
- Qualify. Confirm service area, timeline, decision-maker.
- Handle objections. "Already got a quote" → offer a second opinion. "Not now" → schedule a future check-in.
- Book. Offer 2–3 real slots from the calendar. Confirm. Send a calendar invite.
- Handoff. Full transcript goes to the closer with a "warm summary" — no cold intro required.
For the follow-up strategy behind the messaging, see our database reactivation guide. For the case for responding to fresh leads this way in the first place, see our speed-to-lead breakdown.
What compliance rules apply to texting leads?
Business texting in the US is regulated primarily by the TCPA and the A2P 10DLC framework, which the major carriers enforce. In plain English: register your brand and campaign, only text people who gave you consent, honor opt-outs, and respect quiet hours. This is general information, not legal advice — confirm with counsel before launching.
- Register for A2P 10DLC. Required for any business texting from a US 10-digit long code.
- Only text with consent. Form submissions, prior calls, and existing customers count. Purchased lists do not.
- Include opt-out language. "Reply STOP to opt out" on the first message of each campaign.
- Honor opt-outs immediately. "STOP", "UNSUBSCRIBE", "END" — all must halt further sends.
- Respect quiet hours. Generally 8am–9pm local time to the recipient.
- Don't send prohibited content. Sex, hate, alcohol, gambling, and firearms rules apply even to home service adjacencies.
How do you start without buying software or hiring anyone?
The fastest path is a done-for-you, performance-based provider. They bring the platform, the A2P registration, the copy, the AI configuration, and the compliance workflow — and they only get paid when a booked or closed job hits your calendar. You don't buy software, you don't hire, you don't build. You get results and pay on outcomes.
That's how we structure engagements at AI My Business Today: free audit, performance-based deployment, and revenue in the first few weeks — not a 6-month software rollout.
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