The Working Kit and Sources
Everything in this section is meant to be copied. The scripts and forms come from the chapters, and the list at the end names every outside source the book leans on, with the chapter where it shows up.
The voicemail greeting
From Chapter 3. Swap in your own details and keep it under half a minute.
You've reached {business name}.
Nobody can get to the phone right now, most likely because the crew is out on a job.
Leave your name, your number, the date you need and what you need done.
You'll get a call back by {a time you can keep, like 7 tonight}.
Hours, prices and booking are on {your website}.
If the job is today or tomorrow, say that first.
The text-back reply
From Chapter 3. Set it as the automatic reply for missed calls if your phone or carrier offers one. Keep it informational. Marketing texts need written consent, per the FCC consumer guide from Chapter 3.
Hi, this is {your name} at {business name}.
Missed your call while out on a job.
Reply with the date and what you need, and a call back is coming by {time}.
Hours and prices are at {link}.
Reply STOP and these texts stop.
The repeat questions to answer before anyone calls
From Chapter 3. The biggest piles on most call sheets are hours, price and booking. Put each answer where callers look first, meaning your website, your Google listing, your voicemail greeting and your text reply.
- Hours. Post your hours, your holiday hours and how far out you book.
- Price. Post a starting price or a range, or list what the quote depends on.
- Booking. Post the one way to book, whether that's a form, a link or a text.
The callback rule
From Chapter 4. Work the list top to bottom. Text first, then call, so your number is not a stranger when it rings.
| Tier | Who is on it | When to call back |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A booked customer with a problem or a change, anyone with a date coming up soon, or a voicemail that says today | At your very next break |
| 2 | New quote requests, general questions and unknown numbers that left no message | Your same-day callback block, with a text first |
| 3 | Vendors, sales pitches and marketing calls | When you get to it, or not at all |
The index-card test for automation
From Chapter 10. Before any software touches a job, write that job on one index card. Automate it only when every line below is true.
- It happens every week.
- The steps fit on the card, in order.
- Someone other than you could follow the card without calling you.
- A wrong result would be easy for you to spot.
If one line is false, keep doing that job by hand for now.
The three ground rules for AI on your phone line
From Chapter 12. Not legal advice. Check your state's rules with an attorney.
- Tell callers the line is automated and that the call may be recorded, wherever consent rules require it.
- Nothing goes out without your approval. A quote or a promised arrival time reaches a customer only after you sign off on it.
- It says it does not know instead of guessing, and it takes a message or gets you on the line.
Test all three by calling your own number from another phone before a customer does. If Kai answers your line, the KaiCalls AI receptionist setup guide lists test calls to try.
The Monday tally
From Chapter 7. Fill in one row every Monday from your carrier's call log, your voicemail and your texts.
| Week of | Calls in | Answered live | Missed | Called back same day | Booked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The book on one page
Part One is the phone. Price your missed calls with your own numbers. Quit blaming yourself for them, because one person holds one phone. Fix what is free first. Call back in order of what is at stake. Decide what after hours means before it happens. Carry every call into the order. Count every Monday.
Part Two is automation. Price an hour of your own time. Make sure the back of the business can keep up before you speed up the front. Write the steps down before software touches them. Keep the calls that need you. Set the ground rules and approve what goes out. Prove it paid with a before-and-after count.
Then work one week in order, and count again.
Sources cited in this book
Each source below carries the same link as the chapter where it appears. Sources linked twice in the chapters are listed without a third link.
Regulators and industry bodies
- Federal Communications Commission, FCC 24-17 ruling on AI-generated voices (2024): AI-generated voices count as artificial under the TCPA for calls a business places, Chapter 12 and the FAQ. The FCC's 2024 ruling on AI-generated voices
- Federal Communications Commission, Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts consumer guide (2026): written consent for commercial texts and opting out in any reasonable way, Chapters 3, 12 and 14.
- Federal Trade Commission, Operation AI Comply announcement (2024): no AI exemption from the laws on the books, Chapter 12. Its 2024 announcement on deceptive AI claims
- Federal Trade Commission, Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR Part 255 (2023): disclosing a connection between the person endorsing and the seller, Disclosures. The FTC's Endorsement Guides
- CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices (2023): consent to text customers and honoring opt-outs, Chapters 6 and 12. Messaging principles from CTIA
- The Campaign Registry, 10DLC introduction (2026): 10DLC as the sanctioned standard for business texting from a ten-digit number, Chapters 6 and 12. The Campaign Registry
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Reporter's Recording Guide (accessed September 2026): one-party and all-party consent for recording calls, Chapter 12. Recording guide for reporters
Research and surveys
- U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business (2026): how many U.S. small businesses have no employees, Chapter 2. The SBA Office of Advocacy's 2026 small business FAQ
- Pew Research Center, Mobile Fact Sheet (2025): how many Americans own a cellphone, Chapter 2. Pew Research Center's mobile fact sheet
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey (2026): how many consumers contact a business after reading positive reviews, Chapter 3. BrightLocal's 2026 local consumer review survey
- Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (2011): how long companies take to respond to web leads and what waiting costs, Chapters 1, 4 and 13.
- InsideSales.com and James Oldroyd, Lead Response Management (2007): how the odds of reaching a web lead fall in the first half hour, Chapter 4. The 2007 InsideSales.com lead response study
- Pew Research Center, calls from unknown numbers (2020): how many Americans let unknown numbers ring and check voicemail instead, Chapters 1, 4 and 5.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey (2026): how many U.S. businesses use AI, and the 2025 change to the survey question, Chapters 8 and 13. US Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey
- NFIB, Small Business and Technology (2025): how many small business owners use AI and what they use it for, Chapters 8, 9 and 10. NFIB 2025 Small Business and Technology survey
- Federal Reserve Banks, Small Business Credit Survey (2026): AI use among employer firms and the problems users run into, Chapters 8 and 9. Federal Reserve Banks' 2026 Small Business Credit Survey
- Pew Research Center, Americans and AI (2026): how many adults use AI chatbots, including for work, Chapter 11. Pew Research Center's June 2026 report on Americans and AI
Where this book comes from
The chapters come from Connor Gallic's own recorded interviews and videos, and from what he saw firsthand at his family's tent and party rental company and at KaiCalls. Figures about KaiCalls come from the company's month-one ledger, published in September 2026. Every outside figure is cited in the chapter where it appears and listed above. Where a source is old, was produced by a company that sells software, or measured web leads instead of phone calls, the chapter says so next to the number.
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