Integrations
SMS for your contact center
SMS reaches any phone – no app or mobile data needed. CONTACT.WORK sends texts through your SMS provider: reminders, status updates, follow-ups after a missed call, and next steps when someone calls after hours. Customers can reply, an AI agent or a live agent picks up the reply, and the conversation is saved in the customer's history.
ReminderTomorrow at 3pm: haircut with Anna. Still on?ComingReschedule
Reschedule
Agent AnnaThursday 4pm or Friday 11am – which works?
1,240 reminders sent · 87% repliedCapabilities
What you get with SMS
Examples
What a contact center uses SMS for
SMS isn't for long conversations. It's for short, important messages that reach any phone, even without internet.
Appointments, orders, deliveries
The platform sends a text when something happens: the day before a visit, when an order status changes, before a courier arrives. The customer replies "1" or "2", the platform confirms the appointment, and an AI agent or a live agent handles rescheduling.
- Sent on an event or schedule
- Confirmation by reply
- Rescheduling handled by an AI agent or a live agent
ReminderTomorrow at 3pm: haircut with Anna. Still on?ComingReschedule
Reschedule
Agent AnnaThursday 4pm or Friday 11am – which works?
1,240 reminders sent · 87% repliedCouldn't connect? Send a text
If a customer hangs up in the queue or an agent can't reach them, the platform sends a text: we'll call you back, or reply with a good time to talk. The reply becomes a callback task for the time the customer named.
- SMS after a missed call
- Callback task for an agent
- The customer picks the time
BotHi! How can we help?My ordersAgent
Can I move order #1024 delivery to tomorrow?
Agent AnnaMoved to tomorrow, 10am-2pm. We will remind you here the day before.
Mass texts and urgent alerts
When many people need to know something at once – a store promotion, a flight change, new business hours – the platform texts a list or a customer group, such as every passenger on one flight. High volumes go out through the provider over SMPP without delays. If a recipient replies with a question, an AI agent or a live agent handles it.
- Promotions, schedule changes, delays
- Thousands of texts in minutes over SMPP
- Recipient questions go to the queue
Marina, Main St officeTill 2 does not print receipts, customers are waiting
Oleg, warehouseWho confirms shipment for order #1024?
Ticket #1287 created · owner: Igor, ITIgor, ITMarina, on it. Restart the till – I will check remotely in 5 min
SMS as a follow-up to a call
A customer calls after hours and immediately gets a text: your business hours, where else to get help, and a link to a chat in a messaging app with an AI agent who can answer right now. During a call, an agent can also text an address, account details, or a payment link so the customer doesn't have to write it down.
- SMS on an after-hours call
- Link to a chat with an AI agent
- Address and details during the call
SMS doesn't replace messaging apps: use it when a message has to get through.
How it works
What to know about SMS
Sender
Register your sender number in advance
In the US, businesses text from a registered number: a local number (10DLC), a toll-free number, or a short code. Customers can reply to any of them. Carriers require registration first: for local numbers, your SMS provider registers your brand and use case under A2P 10DLC; toll-free numbers go through verification. You submit your company details, sample messages, and how customers opt in. Approval takes from a few days to several weeks, and carriers and providers charge registration and monthly fees.
- Local, toll-free, or short code
- Company details and opt-in proof
- Registration and monthly fees
Providers
Any SMS provider – via API or SMPP
The platform works with any provider. We usually connect through the provider's API – most often REST or XML. For high-volume sending we use SMPP: it's faster and handles tens of thousands of texts a day. You can keep the provider you already use.
- Provider API: REST or XML
- SMPP for high volume
- Your current provider
- Call logged to the customer record
- Task created: call back
- Recording attached
Fallback
SMS when a messaging app doesn't work
Not every customer uses WhatsApp or Telegram, and not every in-app message gets delivered. For important alerts, the platform tries the messaging app first and sends SMS only to customers who don't use it or whose message wasn't delivered. Important news reaches everyone, and you spend less on SMS.
- Messaging app first, then SMS
- Important messages arrive without internet
- Lower SMS costs
- Call 3:12 · Anna · recording
- SMS, company bot: "Move my delivery to tomorrow"
- Missed call → task "Call back"
- Deal #1024 moved to "Contract"
Rules
Marketing texts need consent
Reminders, status updates, and alerts go to customers about their own appointments and orders. Under the TCPA, marketing texts go only to people who agreed in advance to receive them, so we review your campaigns with you before launch. If a customer replies STOP or opts out another way, the platform removes them from marketing texts. No texts go out at night: you set sending hours in the platform (for example, 8:00 AM-9:00 PM in the recipient's time zone), and a reminder scheduled overnight arrives in the morning.
- Marketing only with consent
- STOP removes them right away
- No texts at night
Reports
How many were sent and what happened next
For each send, you see how many texts were delivered, how many customers replied, and the outcome: confirmation, rescheduling, or a call.
- Delivered and undelivered
- Customer replies
- Outcome of each reminder
Setup
How we connect SMS
- 01ProviderYou choose a provider with an API or SMPP, or keep the one you already use, and sign up.
- 02SenderYou register your sending number through the provider (A2P 10DLC or toll-free verification) – this can take up to several weeks.
- 03ConnectionWe connect the provider to the platform through its API, or over SMPP for high-volume sending.
- 04TemplatesWe write messages that fill in the name, time, and order number and set when they go out.
- 05TestingWe send texts to numbers on different carriers, check delivery, and confirm that customer replies reach the queue.
- 06LaunchWe turn on sending and track the delivery rate and customer replies for the first few weeks.
Requirements
What you need to connect SMS
- Provider
- Any provider with an API (REST or XML) or SMPP
- Sender
- A local, toll-free, or short-code number registered with carriers through your provider
- Messages
- Templates for service texts; marketing texts only with recipients' consent
- Platform
- Any deployment option – it only needs access to the SMS provider's API
- CRM
- Optional: customer replies and outcomes on the CRM record
- Cost
- The channel is free in the platform; your provider bills each message at its rates
Preparation
What to prepare for SMS
Q&A
Frequently asked questions
How do I add SMS to my contact center?
You need an account with any SMS provider. The platform connects to it through an API or over SMPP. Texts then go out from templates when an event triggers them, and customer replies land in the shared queue.
Which SMS providers does the platform work with?
Any provider, including carrier messaging services and aggregators. We connect normal volumes through the provider's API and high-volume campaigns over SMPP.
Can an agent send a text manually?
Right from the customer record – for example, an address, account details, or a payment link during a call. The text is saved in the customer's history.
Could a reminder go out at night?
No. You set sending hours in the platform, and a text due overnight reaches the customer in the morning.
Can customers reply to a text?
Customers can reply to texts sent from a phone number – local, toll-free, or short code. Replies go to the shared queue as a conversation.
Why register a sending number?
US carriers filter or block business texts from unregistered numbers, so customers may never get your message. Your SMS provider registers your brand and use case under A2P 10DLC for local numbers, or completes toll-free verification.
What does registration require?
Typically your company's legal name and tax ID (EIN), website, the type of messages you send, sample texts, and how customers opt in. Your provider tells you exactly what it needs.
How much does registration cost?
Carriers and SMS providers charge one-time registration fees and monthly fees per number or campaign; check your provider's pricing. The fees go to them, and the platform charges nothing for it.
How long does registration take?
From a few days to several weeks – carriers and providers set the timeline. It's best to apply right away, while we set up the platform.
Can we send marketing texts?
Only to people who agreed in advance to receive them, as the TCPA requires. An appointment reminder or order status isn't marketing as long as it doesn't try to sell something. This is general information, not legal advice.
How do customers opt out?
By replying STOP to a marketing text or telling an agent. The platform removes them from marketing texts right away, and they keep getting appointment reminders and order updates.
Can texts include the customer's name and appointment time?
The template includes fields – customer name, visit date and time, order number, address – and the platform fills them in for each recipient.
How many characters fit in one SMS?
160 characters of standard text, or 70 if the message includes emoji or special characters. Longer texts are split into segments, each billed separately, so we keep templates short.
Do texts show up in the customer's history?
Sent texts and replies sit in the shared history next to calls and chats. If a CRM is connected, they appear on its record too.
Will SMS work if the platform runs on our server?
It will – the server only needs access to the SMS provider's API or SMPP gateway.
How much does SMS cost?
The platform charges nothing for the SMS channel, and setup comes out of your support hours. You pay your provider for each message, plus any registration and monthly fees for your sending number.
Glossary
Terms on this page
- SMPP (Short Message Peer-to-Peer)
- The protocol a system uses to send SMS through a carrier. Learn more →
- API (application programming interface)
- The way programs exchange data with each other without a person in the loop. Learn more →
- REST: exchanging data between systems over HTTP
- The standard way software exchanges data over the internet. Learn more →
- CRM – customer relationship management
- Where a company keeps its customers, deals, and full communication history. Learn more →
- Callback
- The customer doesn't wait on hold but asks for a callback – and gets one when an agent is free. Learn more →
- Customer record
- The screen of customer data an agent sees during a conversation. Learn more →
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