Text Customers

Messages is where you text customers and read replies. Texting needs an active business number and an approved registration. Get a business number covers the setup.

Start a new text thread

A thread holds every text with one phone number.

1. Select the square pen icon in the list header.
   • On a phone with no thread open, the floating button also opens the New Message panel.
2. In the New Message panel, select Contact or Phone number.
3. Find the contact or enter the number.
   • For Contact, type a name in the search box and select the contact. Only contacts with a phone number appear.
   • For Phone number, type the number, then select Start chat.

An existing thread for that contact or number opens, or a new one starts.

Send a text

Replies go out from the text box in an open thread.

1. Select the thread in the list.
2. Type your text in the text box. A text can run up to 1,600 characters.
3. Select the send button. It stays off until the text box holds text.

Your text joins the thread and the text box clears. Its status moves from Sending… to Sent, then to Delivered once Twilio reports delivery. A failed or undelivered text shows Not delivered.

Link a thread to a contact

Linking puts the contact's name on the thread and attaches its earlier unlinked texts.

1. Select the thread for the number in the list.
2. Select Save as contact in the thread header.
   • On a phone, that button shows only an icon. Select the ellipsis button, then Add as a client.
3. In the Link this conversation to a contact panel, select Existing contact or New contact.
   • For Existing contact, select the contact under Search. The thread links as soon as you select one.
   • For New contact, fill in First name, Last name, and Email. Then select Create and link.

The header and the list show the contact's name. A contact with no phone number also gets the thread's number.

Retry a text that did not send

A failed text shows Not delivered and a Tap to retry button.

1. Select the thread that holds the failed text.
2. If the thread has no linked contact, link it first as described above, because a retry is refused without one.
3. Select Tap to retry under the failed text.

The retry sends the text again as a new message in the thread.

Filter the list and assign a thread

The Unassigned filter shows threads that nobody has taken.

1. Select Unassigned in the filters.
2. Select the thread you want to take.
3. Select the ellipsis button in the thread header, then select Assign to me.

The thread leaves Unassigned and shows under the Mine filter. To release it, select Unassign from me in the same menu.

Read the list and thread

The list shows pinned threads first, then threads by latest text, up to 200. Archived threads do not appear.

• Each row shows the contact's full name, falling back to the name stored on the thread, then the phone number.
• A row shows a preview of its latest text, or No messages yet when there are none.
• Opening a thread with unread texts marks them read.
• Texts from customers are saved as Delivered.
• The thread shows text only, and customer media is stored privately.

Access levels are view, edit, and full. The Messages page needs view access to texting. Without edit access, the square pen icon, the text box, Save as contact, and the ellipsis button do not appear. Sending, retrying, assigning, and marking texts read need edit access. Blocking and archiving need full access. See Create and edit roles and permissions for how roles set these levels.

Opt-outs and refused texts

When a customer replies STOP, their number is opted out and any linked contact is flagged. Replying START, or sending any text that is not a keyword, clears the flag.

Texts from opted-out contacts still save to the thread. Blocked numbers are dropped before anything saves.

The thread shows a flag above the text box when the contact is opted out.

A send is refused when:

• The contact has no phone number on file.
• Texting is turned off in Phone & Texting settings.
• The business number is missing or not active.
• Registration is not approved.
• The thread has no linked contact, and that number or a saved contact with it has opted out.