Industry

Texting for Home Service Companies and Contractors

How HVAC, plumbing, roofing and other home service companies text leads and customers: consent, estimate follow-up, job updates, 10DLC and costs.

Home service work runs on speed. A homeowner with a leaking pipe or a dead AC unit requests quotes from a few companies at once and books whoever answers first. Texting is how HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, pest control, cleaning and landscaping companies answer first, keep the customer informed until the job is done, and bring them back next season.

What home service companies text

  • Estimate requests. The first reply to a web or phone lead, with a time for the estimate.
  • Job updates. Appointment confirmations, "on my way" texts with the technician's name, and a note when the job is done.
  • Follow-up. The estimate that hasn't been approved, a question about the work, a review request.
  • Seasonal campaigns to opted-in customers. Furnace tune-ups in the fall, AC checks in the spring, maintenance plan renewals.

Consent for contractors and home service companies

  • Booking and estimate forms. An unchecked box that names your company and says the customer agrees to texts at the number they gave. For marketing texts, the wording has to cover marketing and say agreeing isn't a condition of buying anything. See how to word SMS consent.
  • Phone bookings. When a customer books by phone, texting about that job is informational. Before you add them to seasonal campaigns, get their written agreement, for example a confirmed text-to-join.
  • Shared leads. A lead you bought from a lead-generation site may have been sold to several companies. Text it only if the consent the homeowner gave covers texts from your company.

Job updates ("your technician is on the way") are informational, but texts sent with automated systems still need the customer's consent. A tune-up offer is marketing and needs written consent.

Texting from the field

Technicians and office staff can answer from the same registered numbers: the office from a shared inbox, technicians from the mobile app, with each conversation assigned so two people don't reply to the same customer. STOP-keyword opt-outs are honored automatically; treat any reply asking you to stop as an opt-out too. Keep marketing texts between 8am and 9pm in the customer's local time (the FCC's calling-hours rule for telephone solicitations, used as the window for every marketing text), and before 8pm in states like Florida, Oklahoma and Maryland, which also cap telephone solicitations at three per 24 hours on the same subject. See SMS quiet hours.

10DLC registration for home service companies

Every company texting from local numbers registers a brand (legal business name and EIN, exactly as on its tax records) and a campaign that describes what it sends and how customers opt in. Reviewers check your website, so show the consent language on your booking form, and write sample messages that look like your real job updates and offers. Since February 2025, US carriers block unregistered business traffic from local numbers. See 10DLC registration and the 10DLC website checklist.

What texting costs a busy contractor

On Signilio, seats are included in each plan: Growth is $79.99 a month for 3,000 texts and 5 seats, and Pro is $189.99 a month for 12,000 texts, 15 seats and 10 numbers, then 3¢ a text, with carrier fees included and replies free. See pricing and the SMS pricing guide.

None of this is legal advice; have counsel review your program before you send.

Sample texts for home services

Starting points to adapt. Bracketed fields are merge fields or your own details; every marketing text names your business and says how to opt out.

Estimate request

Hi [First name], this is [Name] at [Your business name]. Got your request about the AC. We can come out today between 2 and 4pm for a free estimate. Does that work? Reply STOP to opt out.

On my way

[Your business name]: [Technician] is on the way and should arrive around 2:40pm. Reply here if anything changes.

Estimate follow-up

Hi [First name], [Name] from [Your business name]. Any questions about the estimate for the water heater? Happy to walk through the options. Reply STOP to opt out.

Seasonal campaign (opted-in customers)

[Your business name]: furnace tune-ups are [price] through October. Book a time: [link]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Common questions

What is 10DLC registration and why do home service companies need it?
10DLC registration is how a US business gets cleared to text from ordinary local numbers: a brand registration that verifies the company, and a campaign registration describing what it sends and how customers opt in. Since February 2025, US carriers block unregistered business traffic from local numbers, so a contractor texting leads and customers needs both. Signilio registers your brand and campaign during onboarding.
How much does a business texting platform cost for a contractor with high lead volume?
It depends on your volume and team size. On Signilio, Growth is $79.99 a month for 3,000 texts and 5 seats, and Pro is $189.99 a month for 12,000 texts and 15 seats, then 3¢ a text, carrier fees included and replies free. Compare the whole bill, seats and numbers included, at your real volume.
Can contractors text customers?
Yes, with consent. Job-related texts sent with automated systems need the customer's consent, and marketing texts such as seasonal offers need prior express written consent. Name your company in every message and honor opt-outs right away.
Can I text leads I bought from a lead-generation site?
Only if the consent the homeowner gave covers texts from your company. Shared leads are often sold to several companies; if the opt-in doesn't name you or clearly cover texts from you, treat the lead as not opted in.
Are appointment reminders and on-my-way texts marketing?
No, they're informational, as long as they don't include an offer. They still need the customer's consent if sent with automated systems. Once a text promotes a service or discount, it's marketing and needs written consent.
Can technicians text customers from their phones?
Yes, through the platform's mobile app rather than personal numbers. The customer sees the company's registered number, the office sees the conversation, and opt-outs are handled in one place. Keep your own consent records.