Messages and SMS

Messages is every SMS and MMS thread between your business and your customers, whether the AI sent it or you did. Threads update as messages arrive, so you do not need to reload.

Before you can text#

Carriers require a business to be registered before it can send application-to-person SMS. Until that registration clears, the page shows a notice explaining that texting is unavailable and replies cannot be sent. Calls are unaffected.

Registration is not instant, so start it early. See Text messaging registration.

The conversation list#

Each thread shows the contact's name (or their number if you have not saved them), a preview of the last message and when it arrived.

Search by name or phone number to find a thread.

Inside a thread#

Messages run oldest to newest, each with a timestamp and a badge saying who sent it:

• AI, sent by the receptionist
• Human, sent by someone on your team
• Customer, sent by them

The badge matters more than it sounds. When a customer refers to "what you told me yesterday", the badge tells you instantly whether that was a person or the AI, and the thread tells you exactly what was said.

Media sent either way appears inline. When a customer sends an image, the AI can read it, and its reading is shown alongside the image.

Replying#

Type in the box at the bottom of the thread and send. To attach something, use the paperclip, pick your files and check the previews before sending. Images, MP4 video, MP3 audio and PDFs all work.

Replies go out from the same number the customer already has, so the thread stays one conversation on their phone.

There is no way to start a brand new thread from this page. A thread exists once a customer has called or texted you, or once the AI has texted them. To reach someone new, call them from the Dialer or add them through Outreach.

STOP and START#

If a customer replies STOP, they are opted out at once and nothing further is sent to that number. START opts them back in.

This is a legal requirement under the TCPA rather than a setting, so it is enforced regardless of what else is configured, and it applies to the AI as much as to your team. Opted-out numbers also appear on your do not contact list.

Getting the most out of it#

• Text after a missed call. A short message beats a second ring, and it gives the customer something to reply to at their convenience.
• Send the thing that is hard to say out loud: an address, a booking link, a price list. The AI does this on calls too, and it is the single most useful thing a phone line can do.
• Read the AI's side of a thread occasionally. It is the fastest way to see whether your FAQ answers are doing their job.