Send and receive text messages from your business numbers without a personal phone. This guide walks you through your first conversation.
Before you begin
- You need a text-enabled phone number on your account. Most local numbers support texting; toll-free numbers text after verification.
- If you are texting people in the United States at any real volume, your business also needs texting registration. See Business Texting Registration (10DLC), Explained.
Open your messages
- Click Messages in the sidebar.
- Your conversations appear on the left, newest first. A status shows whether you are Connected so new messages arrive in real time.
- Use the search box at the top to find a conversation by name or number.
Start a new text conversation
- On the Messages screen, click New Chat.
- Choose to start a text (SMS) conversation and enter the recipient's mobile number.
- If your account has more than one texting number, pick which one to send from using the From selector.
- Type your message and press Enter to send. Use Shift + Enter to add a new line without sending.
Your sent and received messages appear together as a single conversation, so you always have the full history.
Read and reply to incoming texts
Incoming texts land in the conversation they belong to and bump it to the top of your list. Open the conversation and reply from the same screen. New texts can also be forwarded to your email so you never miss one when you are away from the portal.
Know your character count
Standard text messages fit 160 characters. If you go longer, the message is split into segments and stitched back together for the reader, and each segment may be billed separately. Using emoji or certain special characters switches the message to a format that fits only about 70 characters per segment.
As you type an SMS, a counter shows your segment count and warns you before a message becomes several segments, so there are no billing surprises.
Tip: Shorter messages are more reliable and cost less. Say what you need in one or two segments when you can.
Good habits from day one
- Get permission first. Only text people who have agreed to hear from you.
- Identify yourself. Include your business name, especially in a first message.
- Honor opt-outs. If someone replies STOP, stop texting them. The platform helps you track this automatically.
- Text at reasonable hours. Respect the recipient's time zone and normal business hours.
Troubleshooting
My message will not send. Confirm the number you are sending from is text-enabled, check the recipient's number is a valid mobile number, and make sure the recipient has not opted out.
I am not seeing incoming texts. Make sure your number is text-enabled and that the Messages screen shows Connected. Incoming texts may be waiting in a conversation even without a pop-up notification.
For a deeper checklist, see the troubleshooting article on text messages not sending.
Read next
- Picture and Multimedia Messages (MMS)
- SMS Templates for Faster Replies
- SMS Consent, STOP, and Opt-Outs