Almost all smrtPhone phone numbers are text-enabled, but some quick setup is required to enable full texting capability.
To fully enjoy the benefits of texting with smrtPhone, this article will guide throughout some basic key points that need to be fulfilled:
Confirm Your Number is Text Enabled
The first thing to do is double-check that your number is text-enabled (SMS/MMS). You can do this in the Phone Number section of smrtPhone.
Sending Text Messages from smrtPhone
Without any additional setup, you are able to send outgoing text messages using:
smrtPhone Web App (browser) - All CRMs
smrtPhone Chrome Extension - All CRMs
smrtPhone Mobile App - All CRMs
CRM specific options:
Salesforce: from within the CTI dialer within your Salesforce and from the SMS task tab.
Podio: using the Chrome Extension click-to-text or Globiflow/PWA and the smrtPhone SMS API
InvestorForce users: using the Chrome Extension to click-to-text from inside IF3
⚠️ Important: if you do not do a quick setup, you will not receive any replies that are sent.
Enable Incoming Text Messages - Create an SMS Flow
To receive inbound text messages, you must have an SMS flow created and enabled for the phone number.
Incoming SMS Notifications
Within your smrtPhone dashboard, you can see real-life notifications of receiving a text message or a voicemail in your Inbox. These notifications are accompanied by a soft sound, letting you know that you just received a message.
This notification is available for both individual and group messages/voicemails.
You can disable these notifications from your Account: Dashboard > My Account > Toggle notification.
If you'd like to turn off the sound, just toggle off the Mute Inbox Notifications and you will still receive them, yet silently.
If you are interested to learn more about all these notifications, you can read our article here: My Account - Settings >>
SMS Bulk Actions
Within the Inbox - on the Web App or Mobile App - you have the option to multiple-select or select all of your messages/voicemails (individual and group) and to perform bulk actions:
Mark as Read - all selected messages will appear as open, clearing badge notifications
Mark as Unread - all messages will appear as unopened
Delete - remove the message or voicemail. Deletion is permanent.
These actions save time and help keep your inbox organized. Moreover, marking something "unread" can be a reminder to come back to it later (or good for groups, if you read the message but can't respond and want to keep it active/alive for your other team member).
Please, keep in mind that you do not have an "Undo" button for the deleted conversations and they will be gone for good.
Texting rules and /or prohibitions
smrtPhone uses Twilio as our underlying carrier to send SMS/text messages. Violating Twilio's regulations might affect your account.
Consent can't be bought, sold, or exchanged | The initial message that you send must include: | Anything that is illegal in the jurisdiction where the message recipient lives | First - work in good faith |
Prior to sending the first message, you must obtain an agreement (FCC compliance) |
| In the U.S. - keep in mind federal and state legislation applies (e.g. Cannabis.) Country-specific rules like age and Geographic Gating | Second - suspend or remove access if guidelines and standards are not respected |
Contact initiated by an individual doesn’t need a prior consent request |
| Hate speech, harassment, exploitative, abusive communication |
|
Informational content to an individual based on a prior relationship doesn’t need a consent request |
| Fraudulent messages or malicious content, such as malware or viruses |
|
Periodic Messages and Ongoing Consent of reconfirming consent |
| Spreading similar or identical messages misspelled words or non-standard opt-out phrases with the clear effect of evading |
|
Identifying Yourself as the Sender |
| Any content that is designed to intentionally evade filters |
|
If you need further information, please check Text regulations and compliance guidelines >>
🌐 Texting from Podio
You can send text messages from within Podio, but only if you have the proper setup.
Chrome Extension - the Chrome Extension enables "Click to text" from individual contact records. Learn more about this feature here>>
Globiflow/PWA + the smrtPhone SMS API - when you have the smrtPhone API configured, you can use Globiflow/Podio Workflow Automation to enable sending singular texts from the comments of a contact record or setup automated sending of text messages based on automated triggers.
☁ Texting with Salesforce
Sending Texts from Salesforce
There are three ways to send a text from within Salesforce using smrtPhone.
Open the smrtPhone dialer from the bottom left corner of your screen and use the blue "Send Message" button.
Reply to an existing conversation within the Inbox inside the smrtPhone dialer
Respond in the SMS tab of your activity feed. This must be set up ahead of time. How to create a visual display of texts within Salesforce>>
⚠️ Note: For outgoing texts to numbers that don’t exist in your Leads, there will be no Text Log created.
Receiving Texts within Salesforce
For each new text message received, you will see a small notification on your inbox including a preview of the message. You can click the preview to read the entire message.
The content of an inbound text can be found in both your smrtPhone dialer Inbox and in the Comments within your Tasks.
You can also view your text logs in two locations including:
On the right side of your Dashboard in Today’s Tasks
In the Activity section of the respective lead who messaged you
🗻Texting from InvestorFuse
You can send text messages from within InvestorFuse IF3, but only if you have the proper setup.
Chrome Extension - the Chrome Extension enables "Click to text" from individual contact records. Learn more about this feature here >>
💡Texting from REISift
You can send text messages from within REISit, with the proper setup, using the click-to-call feature.
Chrome Extension - this extension enables the feature "Click-to-call/text" and can be used from any tab or even from your CRM. Learn more about this feature here >>