Getting Started with Local Service Stack
Welcome to Local Service Stack. This guide walks you through everything you need to go from zero to fully automated in about 15 minutes. By the end, you'll have missed call text-back, review sequences, lead follow-up, and a fully configured CRM pipeline.
In This Guide
Account Setup
Create your account and configure your business profile.
What to do
- 1Create your account — Sign up with your email address and set a strong password. You'll receive a confirmation email to verify your address.
- 2Set your business name — Enter your company name exactly as you want it to appear on all automated messages and review requests. This is what your customers will see.
- 3Upload your logo — Add your business logo (PNG or SVG, at least 400×400px recommended). This will be used in email templates and your CRM dashboard.
- 4Add team members — Invite your office manager, dispatchers, or technicians by email. Assign roles (Admin, Manager, or Team Member) to control what each person can access.
Pro Tip
Use your business name consistently across all platforms. If your Google Business Profile says “Smith HVAC Services LLC,” use that exact name here. Consistency builds trust with customers and helps with local SEO.
Expected outcome: Your dashboard is accessible, your business profile is complete with logo and name, and any team members have received their invite emails.
Import Your Contacts
Bring your existing customers and leads into the system.
What to do
You have three options for getting your contacts into Local Service Stack. Choose whichever method works best for you.
Option A: CSV Upload
Best for importing from spreadsheets or other CRMs that export to CSV.
Navigate to Contacts → Import and upload your CSV file. Your file should include columns for:
Phone numbers should include area code (e.g., 555-123-4567). Tags are optional and can be comma-separated.
Option B: Manual Entry
Best for adding a small number of contacts or new leads as they come in.
Click Contacts → Add Contact and fill in the contact form. You can add tags like “past-customer,” “lead,” or “referral” to organize your contacts from the start.
Option C: Connect Existing CRM
Best for syncing with tools you already use.
Go to Settings → Integrations and connect your existing CRM. We support direct integrations with popular platforms including ServiceTitan, Jobber, Housecall Pro, and more. Contacts will sync automatically going forward.
Pro Tip
Tag your contacts during import. Use tags like “past-customer” or “needs-review” so you can immediately send review requests to recent customers. Cleaning your data upfront saves hours later.
Expected outcome: Your contacts appear in the Contacts tab with names, phone numbers, and any tags you assigned. Duplicate contacts are automatically detected and merged.
Connect Your Phone Number
Link your business phone for missed call text-back functionality.
What to do
- 1Navigate to Settings → Phone Numbers and click “Add Number.” You can either port your existing business number or get a new local number assigned to your area code.
- 2Complete Twilio integration — Local Service Stack uses Twilio for reliable SMS and voice. If you don't already have a Twilio account, we'll walk you through creating one during setup. Your Twilio SID and Auth Token are entered in Settings → Integrations → Twilio.
- 3Verify your number — You'll receive a verification code via SMS or voice call. Enter the code to confirm ownership. This also registers your number for 10DLC compliance (required for business texting in the US).
- 4Set call forwarding — Configure where missed calls should forward after the text-back fires. You can send them to voicemail, a secondary number, or a scheduling link.
Pro Tip
10DLC registration can take 24-48 hours to fully process. Start this step early. In the meantime, you can continue setting up the rest of your account. We'll notify you the moment your number is verified and ready to send.
Expected outcome: Your phone number shows a green “Verified” badge in the Phone Numbers settings. Twilio integration shows “Connected” status. You're ready to send and receive SMS.
Configure Automations
Set up the automated messages that work for you 24/7.
What to do
Navigate to Automations → Workflows to configure each of the three core automations.
Missed Call Text-Back
When you miss a call, an automatic text is sent within seconds. Customize your message to match your brand voice. A good text-back message is friendly, identifies your business, and lets the caller know you'll get back to them.
Review Request Timing
Set when review requests go out after a job is marked complete. The default is 24 hours post-service, which gives the customer time to appreciate the work but keeps the experience fresh.
Lead Follow-Up Sequence
New leads get an automatic follow-up sequence to keep them engaged until you can personally reach out. The default sequence is:
Immediate
Acknowledgment text
+1 Hour
Friendly check-in
+24 Hours
Value-add follow-up
+3 Days
Final follow-up
Pro Tip
Keep your missed call text-back message under 160 characters to avoid being split into multiple texts. Short, personal messages get 3x higher response rates than long ones. Always include your business name so they know who texted.
Expected outcome: All three automations show “Active” status in your Workflows dashboard. You can preview each message before it goes live.
Set Up Review Sequences
Automate review requests to build your online reputation on autopilot.
What to do
- 1Choose your platforms — Go to Reviews → Settings and select which platforms you want to collect reviews on. We support Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Most contractors prioritize Google since it directly impacts local search rankings.
- 2Add your review links — Paste your direct review URL for each platform. For Google, you can find this in your Google Business Profile under “Ask for reviews.” This is the link customers will click to leave their review.
- 3Customize your request message — Personalize the text or email that asks for a review. The best messages are short, personal, and make it dead simple for the customer to click and leave a review.
- 4Set follow-up intervals — Configure how many follow-ups non-responders receive. The default sequence is an initial request at 24 hours, a gentle reminder at 3 days, and a final ask at 7 days. Customers who leave a review are automatically removed from the sequence.
Highest impact for local search visibility
Yelp
Strong for service-based businesses
Great for social proof and referrals
Pro Tip
Start with Google reviews only. It's the most impactful platform for local search rankings. Once you're consistently generating Google reviews, add Yelp and Facebook. Sending customers to too many platforms at once dilutes your results.
Expected outcome: Your Review Sequences dashboard shows active sequences with your chosen platforms, custom messages, and follow-up intervals configured. The sequence status will read “Ready.”
Customize Your CRM Pipeline
Organize your leads and jobs with a pipeline that matches your workflow.
What to do
Go to CRM → Pipeline Settings. Your account comes with a default pipeline that works for most home service businesses. You can rename, reorder, add, or remove stages to match exactly how your business operates.
Default Pipeline Stages
To customize, click any stage name to rename it. Drag and drop stages to reorder them. Use the “+” button to add new stages like “Estimate Sent,” “Waiting on Parts,” or “Invoice Sent” — whatever fits your workflow. Each stage can trigger its own automations.
Pro Tip
Start with the default stages and customize later once you see how your leads flow through the system. Fewer stages are better than too many. If a stage doesn't help you make a decision or take action, you probably don't need it.
Expected outcome: Your CRM Pipeline view shows a Kanban-style board with your customized stages. Any imported contacts with tags should already appear in their respective stages.
Test Everything
Verify every automation works before going live with real customers.
What to do
Run through each test below to make sure everything fires correctly. Use your personal phone number as the test contact so you can see exactly what your customers will experience.
Test Missed Call Text-Back
Call your connected business number from your personal phone and let it ring to voicemail. Within 30 seconds, you should receive the automated text-back message on your personal phone. Confirm the message content is correct and includes your business name.
Create a Test Lead
Manually add yourself as a new contact with your personal phone number. Move the contact to the “New Lead” stage. Verify you receive the immediate acknowledgment text from the lead follow-up sequence. Check the Activity log to confirm the 1-hour, 24-hour, and 3-day follow-ups are scheduled.
Verify Automations Fire Correctly
Check the Automations → Activity Log to see a timeline of all triggered events. Every test action should appear here with a green checkmark. If anything shows a red error, click it to see the issue and troubleshoot.
Pro Tip
Test from a phone number that is NOT your business number. Use your personal cell or have a friend call. Delete your test contacts after testing so they don't clutter your CRM. You can always re-test later by creating a new test contact.
Expected outcome: All tests pass. Your Activity Log shows green checkmarks for every triggered automation. You received the missed call text, the lead acknowledgment, and can see scheduled follow-ups in the queue. You're ready to go live.
What's Next?
You're all set up. Now dive deeper into each feature to get the most out of Local Service Stack.
Missed Call Text-Back
Advanced configuration, custom scheduling, and message templates.
Review Sequences
Multi-platform strategies, timing optimization, and response templates.
Lead Automation
Custom follow-up sequences, lead scoring, and conversion tracking.
CRM Pipeline
Advanced pipeline customization, stage automations, and reporting.
Integrations
Connect Twilio, ServiceTitan, Jobber, Housecall Pro, and more.
Reporting & Analytics
Dashboards, ROI tracking, lead source analysis, and performance metrics.
Need Help Getting Set Up?
Our team is here to help. Book a free onboarding call and we'll walk through setup together, or we can do it all for you.