When a customer doesn’t answer: how many times and when to call again
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
Don’t keep redialling a number that didn’t answer. A good plan is three attempts over two or three days: 2–3 hours after the first, then the next day at a different time (morning before, evening now). Tell busy, switched-off and wrong numbers apart: call busy ones later, switched-off ones the next day and wrong ones never. When the attempts run out, send a short message. The call comes from your number, so the customer may call back, and that call mustn’t go unanswered either.
Why customers don’t answer
Not answering usually doesn’t mean “no”. The person is driving, at work, at prayer, or the phone is in a bag. Some people never pick up unknown numbers. Drop a number after one attempt and you lose some interested customers.
Too many attempts is the other problem: someone called five times in a day blocks your number or answers angrily. You want the middle ground: few attempts, at different times.
A retry plan: example
Motor Servis is reminding 600 customers that their oil change is due. The plan:
| Attempt | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | First call, for example at 11:00 | Middle of the working day |
| 2 | Same day, 2–3 hours later, for example 14:00–15:00 | The person is back from a meeting or the road |
| 3 | Next day at a different time, for example 18:00–19:00 | People who work days are free in the evening |
| Then | A short message, and stop | The customer calls when it suits them |
The times are only an example. The one rule: a few hours between attempts, and a different part of the day each time. For reminders about tomorrow’s appointment or today’s delivery, shorten the gaps: there isn’t much time.
Busy, switched off, wrong number: different cases
- Busy or declined: they can’t talk right now. Try in an hour or two, not straight away.
- No answer: the usual case. Next attempt as planned.
- Switched off or out of coverage: call the next day. Retrying the same day doesn’t help.
- Wrong or dead number: remove it from the list and mark it in your CRM.
- A stranger answered: apologise, delete the number from the list and say nothing about the customer.
What to do when the attempts run out
- Send a short message (SMS or Telegram) saying who called and why. For example: “Motor Servis: your oil change is due. Call this number back whenever it suits you.”
- Be ready for the call back: whoever answers that number should know who called and why.
- Mark the person as “not reached” in the list. In a week or two, if there’s a new reason, one more try is fine.
- Look at the results: if many didn’t answer, change the calling hours next time. More: reading outbound results.
Retries in Sado
Numbers that don’t answer are tried again later; you set the number of attempts under “More” when you create the auto-call. Calls go out only on the hours and days you chose. The auto-call page shows each person’s status and how many attempts were made. “Download results (Excel)” gives you the list of people not reached, so you can message them.
The call comes from the company’s own number. If Sado also answers your incoming calls, the operator picks up the customer’s call back at once, at night or at the weekend too. Unanswered numbers cost nothing: you pay only for talked minutes, 800 so‘m a minute. More: AI outbound calls and pricing. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
How many attempts are enough?
Three attempts over two or three days is usually enough. Then send a short message and let the customer call back.
Do retries cost money?
Not in Sado: numbers that don’t answer aren’t charged. You pay only for minutes of conversation: 800 so‘m a minute.
What if the customer asks “why do you keep calling me?”
Apologise, give the reason in one sentence and ask whether they want more calls. If they say “don’t call”, Sado won’t call that number again.