Once texting is approved, texts and picture messages to and from the business's numbers are in the Conversations inbox, one thread per contact with their emails.
Sending and receiving
- Reply by text in a conversation, or Text from a contact. The counter shows how many texts a message is (a long text, or one with emoji, counts as several). Picture messages: JPG, PNG or GIF.
- Text any number: in Conversations press New message, type a name or a number, and pick the contact or Text (512) 555-0144; or type it on the dial pad and press Text. A number that belongs to a contact (their main phone or any other phone on them) opens that contact's conversation; a new number becomes a contact with just the number (source Texted). The rules below still apply, and STOP always wins.
- The first text to someone new: when a contact hasn't agreed to texts and hasn't texted you first, the composer (web and the phone app) shows a tick box, This person asked us to text them, and Send stays off until you tick it. Only tick it if they really asked (on the phone, at the counter, in person). Ticking saves their agreement on the contact — who ticked it, when, and which number — and it shows on their Activity history as "Pat recorded that they asked to be texted at (512) 555-0144"; then the text goes. It covers replies, reminders and other informational texts, never marketing texts. STOP, a flagged "stop texting me", do not text and the usage limits still block it, the same as for any text you type (texting hours apply to automated texts, as before). Automations, campaigns, the Assistant, API keys and AI apps can't tick it — they still need the person to agree or text first.
- Someone who texts a number for the first time becomes a contact (with the number's marketing source, if it has one). Texts in are unread, notify the conversation's assignee (else the owner) as New text message, and start automations.
Text permission
- Marketing texts need the person's agreement: the text-consent box on a website form (an Opt-in field set to texts, unticked by default, with the business name, "Msg & data rates may apply" and STOP / HELP), START, or an import where you confirmed they agreed. We keep the proof: the wording shown, the page, the time and the IP.
- Informational texts (reminders, replies, review requests) are fine once they've agreed or texted you first.
- Imported phone numbers have no text permission unless the import says they agreed to texts.
STOP, START and HELP
- STOP (and STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT) is handled at once, whatever automation is running: one confirmation text, then nothing. They're on the opt-out list for every number of the business. Only the person can undo it, by replying START.
- HELP gets the business name and contact details.
- A plain "stop texting me" is flagged and stops every text straight away, including replies a person types, until someone confirms it (they become opted out) or releases it (if it meant something else) in Settings → Phone & texting → Opted out.
The rules (always on)
- Texting hours: automated texts only go out 9:00–20:00 in the recipient's time zone (from their contact time zone, else their address, else their number's area code). Texts due at night wait until the morning. Texts a person types aren't held.
- No more than 3 automated marketing texts to one person in 24 hours.
- Carriers block some content (cannabis, firearms, loans, adult content, tobacco) and public link shorteners like bit.ly. You're told what to change.
- Texts to other countries are off unless your agency switches them on.
- If many automated texts fail or many people reply STOP, automated texts pause and the business and agency are told; press Start again after checking.
Automations
Steps: Send a text (marketing or informational), Send a review request by text (uses the business value review_link), Text a team member. Triggers: Text received (optionally containing a keyword), Stopped texts, Agreed to texts again. Conditions: Has text permission, Last text from them (replied within N hours). Templates: Text a new lead within a minute, Review request by text.
What's billed
Texts are billed to the agency at all-in rates set in Admin → Pricing: texts sent and received (per text segment), picture messages, each number per month, the texting registration and its monthly fee. Texts and picture messages you receive cost the same as ones you send, unless your platform sets a separate rate. The automatic STOP / START / HELP replies are free; texts an automation sends to your own team members are billed like any other text. Re-billing works like email billing. The agency can set a monthly texting limit per business: automated texts pause at it; people's own replies keep working for a few more.