Setting up and using text messages

Text messages run alongside voice on a Talk number, with rules about consent that differ by country.

Text messages run alongside voice on a Talk number, with rules about consent that differ by country.

Set it up

1. Open Admin Center, then Channels, then Talk and email, then Talk.
2. On the Lines tab, edit a number that supports SMS and choose Configure this number for Text at the bottom of its settings.
3. On the Text page under Channels, set what happens to incoming messages: which group, which greeting.
4. Send a test message and confirm a ticket appears.

Zendesk calls the SMS channel Text, and it sits under Messaging and social in the navigation rather than next to Talk.

Not every number can

Text support depends on the number type and the country. A voice number that cannot receive text is common, and it is a property of the number rather than a setting you can enable.

Consent and opting out

Sending texts to customers is regulated, and the rules differ by country. Two things hold nearly everywhere: people have to have agreed, and there has to be a way to stop.

Opt-out keywords are recognised, and somebody who sends one must stop receiving messages. That is not optional.

Where it is genuinely useful

• Short confirmations where the customer is not at a computer.
• Time-sensitive notices, such as an engineer arriving.
• A verification code.

For conversations, WhatsApp or messaging is generally better and cheaper. Text is for short, one-way, immediate.

Each message costs

Sending is charged per message, and long messages count as several. Worth knowing before automating anything at volume.

See also

• How WhatsApp works in Zendesk
• Adding a phone number