On-my-way text generator for service teams
Pick your trade and tone, type your company name, the technician's first name and an ETA, and copy three ready-to-send texts: on my way, running late and arrived. It runs in your browser, saves nothing and needs no signup.
Free for 30 days · Then from US$49 a month · No setup fee, no contract
Technician app for iPhone and iPad. On Android, technicians use ArrivePing in the phone's web browser.What should an on-my-way text say?
Answer three things in one short text: who is coming, from which company, and roughly when. Add a live tracking link if you have one, and at most one practical ask, such as clearing a path to the furnace. Send it when the technician actually leaves, follow up only if the time slips, and use plain characters: a single emoji cuts an SMS segment from 160 characters to 70.
Last updated
What will your texts say?
Change any field and the three texts update. Copy one, paste it into your phone or messaging tool, and replace [tracking link] with your own link.
On my way
Send when the tech leaves for the job.
Hi! Jordan from Prairie Comfort HVAC is on the way, about 20 minutes out. Follow along live: [tracking link] Please clear a path to the furnace or AC.
Running late
Send as soon as you know the time will slip.
Hi, quick update from Prairie Comfort HVAC: Jordan is running a little behind and should reach you in about 20 minutes. Sorry to keep you waiting. Live status: [tracking link] Reply if that time no longer works.
Arrived
Send at the door, or skip it if they knock first.
Hi! Jordan from Prairie Comfort HVAC has arrived for your heating and cooling appointment.
What does a good on-my-way text look like in each trade?
Six worked examples made with the generator above. The companies and people are samples.
HVAC: friendly
- On my way
- Hi! Jordan from Prairie Comfort HVAC is on the way, about 20 minutes out. Follow along live: [tracking link] Please clear a path to the furnace or AC.
- Running late
- Hi, quick update from Prairie Comfort HVAC: Jordan is running a little behind and should reach you in about 20 minutes. Sorry to keep you waiting. Live status: [tracking link] Reply if that time no longer works.
- Arrived
- Hi! Jordan from Prairie Comfort HVAC has arrived for your heating and cooling appointment.
Plumbing: professional
- On my way
- Bluestem Plumbing: Your plumber Sam is on the way to your plumbing appointment. Estimated arrival: about 15 minutes. Live tracking: [tracking link]
- Running late
- Bluestem Plumbing: Update on your plumbing appointment. Sam is running late and now expects to arrive in about 15 minutes. We apologize for the delay. Live status: [tracking link] Reply if you need to reschedule.
- Arrived
- Bluestem Plumbing: Your plumber Sam has arrived for your plumbing appointment.
Electrical: brief
- On my way
- Northline Electric: Priya is on the way, ETA 25 min. Track: [tracking link]
- Running late
- Northline Electric: Running late. Priya now 25 min away. Track: [tracking link]
- Arrived
- Northline Electric: Priya has arrived.
Cleaning and maid service: friendly
- On my way
- Hi! Maria from Tidy Nest Cleaning is on the way, about 10 minutes out. Please secure any pets before we arrive. Reply STOP to opt out.
- Running late
- Hi, quick update from Tidy Nest Cleaning: Maria is running a little behind and should reach you in about 10 minutes. Sorry to keep you waiting. Reply if that time no longer works. Reply STOP to opt out.
- Arrived
- Hi! Maria from Tidy Nest Cleaning has arrived for your cleaning appointment. Reply STOP to opt out.
Delivery and installation: professional
- On my way
- Riverside Furniture: Your driver Dev is on the way to your delivery appointment. Estimated arrival: about 30 minutes. Live tracking: [tracking link]
- Running late
- Riverside Furniture: Update on your delivery appointment. Dev is running late and now expects to arrive in about 30 minutes. We apologize for the delay. Live status: [tracking link] Reply if you need to reschedule.
- Arrived
- Riverside Furniture: Your driver Dev has arrived for your delivery appointment.
Landscaping and lawn care: brief
- On my way
- Green Acre Lawn Care: Alex is on the way, ETA 12 min.
- Running late
- Green Acre Lawn Care: Running late. Alex now 12 min away.
- Arrived
- Green Acre Lawn Care: Alex has arrived.
How long should an on-my-way text be?
One SMS segment holds 160 characters when every character is in the standard GSM-7 set, and 153 per segment once a message is split. A single emoji, curly apostrophe or other character outside that set switches the whole text to UCS-2, which fits 70 characters, then 67 per segment. A 170-character text with one emoji is three segments, not two.
The generator counts characters and segments as you type, using those limits. Its templates stick to plain characters, with straight apostrophes and no dashes or emoji, so the brief versions stay within one segment for most company names. A real link replaces [tracking link], so check the count again once yours is in.
- Lead with your company name so the customer knows who is texting
- Use the technician's first name; it's who they'll open the door to
- Give a time in minutes or a clock time, never just "soon"
- One link and one ask at most
- Skip emoji and curly quotes
Do on-my-way texts need opt-out wording?
It depends on where you operate and what the message says, so get advice for your own business. Two primary sources are worth reading:
- Canada: CASL section 6 requires a commercial electronic message to identify the sender, give contact information and include an unsubscribe mechanism. Section 6(6) exempts messages that solely facilitate, complete or confirm a transaction, give factual information about an ongoing purchase, or deliver a service from the consent requirement in 6(1)(a), but not from those content rules.
- United States: in its 2024 order on revoking consent, the FCC said that replying "stop", "quit", "end", "revoke", "opt out", "cancel" or "unsubscribe" is a reasonable way to revoke consent to texts, to be honoured within 10 business days. The order delayed the effective date of some of its provisions.
- In practice: name your business in every text, keep marketing out of arrival texts, and act on a STOP reply. The generator's "Reply STOP to opt out" option adds that line.
How does ArrivePing send these automatically?
In ArrivePing nobody copies and pastes. When the technician taps Start Driving, the customer gets the on-the-way text with a live tracking link. By default it reads: "Prairie Comfort HVAC: Your technician Jordan Park is on the way! ETA ~3 min. Track live, see ETA & message them: [link]". The customer sees the technician's location only from that moment until arrival.
If a job runs 15 minutes past its promised time (the default), it's flagged on the dispatch board. If nobody sends, adjusts or mutes the notice within 10 minutes, ArrivePing texts the customer a running-late update with the new time and the live link: by text, not email, and never once the technician has arrived. An arrived text goes out when the technician gets there.
The setup agent drafts every message in your voice and you can edit any of them. See on-my-way text software, customer notifications and pricing.
Sources
Checked November 1, 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.
- Twilio: How long can a message be? (SMS character limits): GSM-7 and UCS-2 segment lengths
- Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), section 6, Justice Laws Website: content requirements and the 6(6) exemptions
- FCC, Strengthening the Ability of Consumers To Stop Robocalls, Federal Register, March 5, 2024: revoking consent by reply text
On-my-way texts: FAQs
Is this on-my-way text generator free?
Yes. It's free, needs no signup, and runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.
When should I send an on-my-way text?
When the technician actually leaves for the job, not when the day starts; that's when the ETA is real. If the time slips, send one running-late update with a new time rather than several small ones.
Should an on-my-way text include a tracking link?
If you have one, yes: a live link answers "where are they now?" without a call to the office. ArrivePing adds the link automatically and shows the technician's location only from on the way until arrival.
How many characters fit in one text message?
160 characters in one segment with the standard GSM-7 character set, or 153 per segment once a message is split. One emoji or curly quote switches the message to UCS-2, which fits 70 characters, then 67 per segment.
Can ArrivePing send these texts automatically?
Yes. ArrivePing sends the on-the-way text when the technician taps Start Driving, a running-late text when a job slips past your threshold and nobody acts, and an arrived text at the door. Plans start at US$49 a month for one dispatcher and two drivers, with a 30-day free trial.
Dispatch your first job today.
Sign up, paste your website and the setup agent builds your workspace while you watch. Free for 30 days, then from US$49 a month.
- Sign upNo sales call and no demo to book.
- Paste your websiteThe agent builds your brand, services, catalog, job templates and customer texts.
- Invite your teamTechnicians join from a text on the phone they already carry.
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- As many users as you like, for the whole trial
- Card on file, $0 until day 30
- Cancel before day 30 and you're never billed
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No setup fee, no contract, no GPS hardware.