On-my-way texts with tech photo and bio

What an on-my-way text does

An on-my-way text is the message a customer receives when the technician leaves for their home. At its simplest it says "your tech is on the way." The better version adds the tech's first name, a photo, the vehicle they are driving, a realistic arrival time and two or three lines about who they are. It costs almost nothing to send and changes how the visit starts.

The customer knows when to put the dog away, finish a meeting or come down from upstairs. They know who will knock. And the tech arrives to someone who already expects them by name, which makes the first minute at the door easier for both.

Why a photo reassures customers

People are wary of strangers at the door, with good reason. The Federal Trade Commission received fraud reports from 2.6 million consumers in 2024, reported losses topped $12.5 billion, and imposter scams were the most commonly reported category^[1]. Pew Research found that 91% of U.S. adults think people often or sometimes pretend to be someone else to steal personal information by phone or online^[2].

A photo sent from the company's known number, a few minutes before arrival, lets the customer check the face at the door against the face on the phone. That matters most for customers who live alone, older homeowners and anyone who has had a bad experience with a contractor before. Many companies also find it reduces the "who are you with?" conversation at the door.

What to include and what to leave out

Privacy limits for your techs

The text is about reassuring customers, but the photo and bio belong to your employees. Treat them with care.

• Get written consent from each tech before you use their photo and bio, and let them review the final text.
• Use a work photo taken for the purpose, in uniform, against a plain background. Do not reuse personal social media images.
• Keep bios to work facts: years in the trade, certifications, specialties, maybe one neutral personal note the tech chooses, such as a favorite sports team.
• Remove a tech's profile promptly when they leave the company.
• Location links should show the vehicle only while it is en route to that customer, then stop.
• Check your state privacy law obligations. California's CCPA applies to for-profit businesses with gross annual revenue over $25 million, or that buy, sell or share the personal information of 100,000 or more California residents or households, among other tests^[4].

Writing the tech bio

1. 01

   Interview the tech for five minutes

   Ask how long they have been in the trade, what they specialize in, which certifications they hold and what they enjoy about the work.

2. 02

   Write two or three short sentences

   Lead with experience and specialty. Keep it under 250 characters so it fits under the photo on a phone screen.

3. 03

   Add one human detail they chose

   Something neutral and safe, such as being a lifelong fan of a local team or coaching youth soccer.

4. 04

   Get sign-off

   Let the tech approve the final wording and photo, and record their consent.

5. 05

   Refresh yearly

   Update years of experience and new certifications each year.

• Example bio: "Marcus has 9 years in heating and cooling and is EPA 608 certified. He specializes in heat pumps and is known for explaining options clearly."
• Example bio: "Ana leads our cleaning team on the east side. She has been with us for 4 years and trains every new team member."
• Example bio: "Ray handles garage door repairs and installs and has worked on doors and openers for 12 years. Ask him about spring safety."

Older customers and the phone-only household

Older homeowners are a large share of many service companies' customers and often the most cautious at the door. Smartphone ownership is now high across ages: 97% of adults 18 to 29 and 79% of adults 65 and older own one, according to Pew's 2026 data^[3]. That still leaves about one in five older adults without a smartphone, so the photo will not reach everyone.

Ask at booking how the customer wants arrival notices. For households without a smartphone, offer a short call when the tech leaves, with the tech's first name and a description of the van, and suggest a simple check: "Our technician will show a company ID with his photo." Put that preference in the customer record so every visit follows it.

Timing and wording

• Send automatically when the tech taps en route, not when the job is dispatched hours earlier.
• Give a real estimate based on drive time; round to five minutes.
• Keep the text short, with the photo and bio on a linked page or as an image attachment.
• Include a way to reply or call if the time no longer works.
• Do not send if the tech is more than about 60 minutes away; send a schedule update instead.

Template: "Hi Linda, this is [Company]. Ray is on his way and should arrive around 2:20 in a white van with our green logo. Here is Ray's photo and a little about him: [link]. Reply here if anything has changed."

Back the text up at the door

The text works best when what happens at the door matches it. Give every tech a company photo ID worn where the customer can see it, a uniform shirt with the company name and a vehicle that matches the description in the message. If the van in the text is a white wrapped van, a tech who turns up in a personal pickup undoes the reassurance.

Train a short doorstep line: "Hi, I'm Marcus from [Company]. You should have had a text with my photo a few minutes ago." It invites the customer to check, which is exactly what you want a careful homeowner to do. Tell customers at booking that they are always welcome to call the office to confirm a technician's identity before opening the door.

When plans change after the text

Sometimes the dispatcher swaps techs after the message has gone out, because of an emergency or a skills match. Send a correction straight away with the new tech's photo and name, and a short reason: "Change of plan: Ana will be visiting instead of Marcus, as she specializes in your system." A customer who receives one photo and sees a different face at the door has every reason to be suspicious, so the correction is not optional. The same applies to ride-alongs: if an apprentice is joining, say so in the text, with their first name.

Example: rolling it out

Example (fictional): a seven-tech electrical contractor added photos and bios to its on-my-way texts after a customer refused entry to a new tech she did not recognize. The office manager interviewed each tech, booked a single photo session in uniform and loaded the profiles into the field service software. Within a month, techs reported fewer door-step questions, and several customer reviews mentioned knowing who was coming.

Measure whether it works

Track how many on-my-way texts were sent for completed jobs (aim for nearly all), how many customers replied to change the time, and how often reviews mention the tech by name or mention communication. If replies are frequent, your messages may be going out too early. Combine this with good late-arrival messages and check your consent practices against the texting rules guide.