Write the sequence down
A sequence is a list of touches with days attached. Day zero: call, text, voicemail. Day one: call at a different time of day. Day three: text with a specific appointment window. Day seven: short email restating what they asked for. Day fourteen: final message that leaves the door open.
Writing it down means nobody has to remember what they already tried, and nobody has to decide in the moment whether it is too soon to call again.
Vary the time of day
If your first three attempts all happen between nine and eleven in the morning, you have not reached three times — you have reached the same time three times. Move attempts across morning, midday and early evening.
Homeowners with jobs answer at different hours than retirees, and both are on your list.
Change the message, not just the channel
Repeating 'just following up' teaches people to ignore you. Each touch should add something: an appointment window, a short note about what you typically check on that kind of job, or a plain question about whether the timing changed.
Keep every message short enough to read on a lock screen. Long messages get saved for later, and later rarely comes.
Define the ending
The last message should close cleanly and without guilt. Tell them you will stop reaching out, restate what you can help with, and invite them to call whenever the timing is right.
A clean ending protects your reputation and, surprisingly often, produces a reply. People respond to a door being closed politely.