A big hail or wind storm can bring a roofing company more leads in a week than in the rest of the quarter. The phones never stop, the office falls behind by noon, and every hour of delay sends homeowners to whoever answered first, including out-of-town storm chasers. The text-back template is the easy part. The hard part is running the storm week around it.
If you haven’t set up a basic text-back yet, start with our missed-call text-back for roofers. This page assumes you have one and covers the storm operation.
Why storm leads break normal workflows
- Volume. Normal intake (call back, chat, book) doesn’t scale when calls arrive faster than anyone can return them.
- Urgency mix. Some callers have water coming through the ceiling. Most want an inspection “sometime this week.”
- Trust. The FTC warns homeowners about contractors who show up after storms, push fast decisions, and ask for money up front. Homeowners are wary, and your texts are read through that lens.
- Two lead sources. Inbound callers and canvassed doors look similar in the CRM but have different consent rules.
Step 1: Write the storm plan before the storm
Spend half a day before storm season writing a one-page plan:
- Who decides it’s a “storm week” and switches templates.
- Who leads intake, and who backs them up.
- The storm text, the photo request, and the scheduling reply, saved and ready.
- How many inspections per day each estimator can do.
- Where leads go (one CRM pipeline or shared inbox, not personal phones).
Put it where the office can find it at 7 AM on a chaotic morning.
Step 2: Pick a staffing model for intake
Three models work, depending on your size:
- Owner + one office person. The office person runs texts all day; the owner does phones. Works for small shops if the storm is modest.
- Dedicated intake lead + texters. One person sorts and assigns; one or two others (office staff, family members you trust, a temp) handle the back-and-forth from templates. Estimators never touch the inbox.
- Outside answering help for overflow. A live answering service or AI tool takes overflow calls and pushes leads into the same pipeline. Write rules first: no promises on coverage, prices, or dates. See our AI receptionist checklist for questions to ask vendors.
Whichever model you use, one named person owns the pipeline each day.
Step 3: Switch on the storm text
When the storm hits, switch the missed-call reply to your storm version:
Hi, this is [Company] Roofing in [Town]. We’re getting a lot of storm calls and we’ll respond to every one. Reply with your address and whether water is coming inside. Interior leaks get called first. Inspections are currently booking about [X] days out.
Update the wait time every morning. A stale “2 days out” when you’re really 9 days out creates no-shows and angry calls.
Step 4: Run photo-first intake
Photos let you sort leads without a truck roll. After the first reply, send:
Thanks, [Name]. If it’s safe, please send a few photos taken from the ground or inside: any ceiling stains or drips, damage you can see from the yard, and debris like shingles or branches. Please don’t go on the roof or a ladder.
Then ask the short intake questions in one message:
A few quick questions so we can schedule you: 1) Is anyone living in the home right now? 2) Is water coming inside? 3) Best days and times for an inspection?
Keep insurance out of the intake. If they bring it up, a person explains how your company works with claims. The text doesn’t.
Step 5: Sort and schedule by urgency
The intake lead sorts every lead into one of three buckets:
- Now: active interior leak, or opening in the roof. Call back today; a tarp crew if you offer it.
- Soon: visible damage, no interior water. Schedule in order received.
- Check: “neighbors are getting roofs,” no visible damage. Schedule as capacity allows.
Book by area to cut drive time, and confirm each appointment by text the day before. Cancel nothing silently: if you have to move an appointment, text the new time.
Step 6: Keep canvassing separate
Door knocking is common after storms. Not legal advice, but the basic line:
- Inbound leads (they called or texted you) can get replies about their inquiry.
- Canvassed leads haven’t necessarily agreed to texts. Before adding them to automated texts, get clear consent, record when and how, and keep them in a separate list or tag.
- Everyone can reply STOP, and you honor it immediately.
Register your texting number (A2P 10DLC) through your provider before storm season. Unregistered business texts can get filtered, which is the last thing you want on your busiest week. For TCPA basics, see the FCC’s consumer guide, and ask your texting provider or an attorney about your exact setup.
Step 7: Close out the storm week
When calls return to normal:
- Switch the text back to your everyday template.
- Send one final message to “Check” leads you couldn’t reach: an honest note with a booking link or number.
- Count: storm leads, inspections done, jobs signed, and leads that went silent.
- Write down what broke and fix the plan for next time.
Common mistakes
- No plan until the storm hits.
- Leads on estimators’ personal phones, where nobody else can see them.
- A stale wait time in the storm text.
- Mixing canvassed and inbound lists.
- Insurance promises in texts.
Related playbooks
- Storm-Season Lead Capture
- AI Answering for Plumbers
- AI for Roofing Companies
- All lead response playbooks
- Every roofing playbook
- Get a new playbook every week (free)
Next steps
Write your one-page storm plan and save the three templates this week, before the next storm. The roofing trade page has the roofing script pack, or join the free weekly playbook and get it free.
Want the scripts ready to paste?
Get the After-Hours Text-Back Script Pack free: 12 after-hours texts for your trade, plus the 60-Second Phone Setup Card and the Missed-Call Math Sheet. You'll also get one AI build for your shop every Tuesday.
- Ready to paste into Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, or your phone system
- Written to respect texting opt-out rules
- Free. Unsubscribe in one click.
Check your inbox
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Plus a per-trade issue every Tuesday: one AI play, under 5 minutes to read.
FAQ
How is this different from a regular missed-call text-back?
A regular text-back handles a few missed calls a day. A storm week can bring more leads than your office handles in a month. This page is about the operation around the text: who sorts replies, how intake works, and how you keep promises you can make.
Can we text everyone we canvassed after the storm?
Only with clear consent. Someone who called or texted you about their roof is asking you to respond. Someone your crew met at the door hasn't necessarily agreed to automated texts. Get consent in writing (many CRMs let them opt in on a tablet), record it, and honor STOP.
Should we promise a free inspection?
If your inspections are free, say so. Don't promise anything about the outcome, such as 'we'll get your roof paid for.' Coverage is between the homeowner and their insurer.
What if we can't get to everyone?
Tell them. An honest 'inspections are booking 8 days out' keeps more trust than silence. Some homeowners will go elsewhere; that's better than a missed appointment.
Sources
Checked 2026-10-15. Vendor pricing and terms change, so confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.
- FCC: Stop unwanted robocalls and texts (TCPA consumer guide), checked Oct 2026
- Twilio: A2P 10DLC registration overview, checked Oct 2026
- FTC Consumer Advice: How to avoid scams after weather emergencies and natural disasters, checked Oct 2026
- Ready.gov: Severe weather, checked Oct 2026
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