---
title: "SMS Messaging"
canonical: "https://red-ant-documentation.refined.site/space/RET/240222233/SMS%20Messaging"
format: markdown
---
> Macro (toc)
## Overview
The Messaging app can support the sending and receiving of SMS messages to and from customers.
## Opt-in for SMS communications
Before you can start sending proactive business-initiated messages, you must first obtain opt-in from your customers to be contacted via this communication channel.
There is an option to opt customers in and out of receiving SMS communications when registering them as a new customer or via the full profile of existing customers.
#### Opting out
If a customer wishes to stop receiving messages from the business, they can reply ‘STOP’. This will automatically opt them out of SMS communications and update their communication preferences on their customer profile. They will also receive an automated confirmation from [Twilio](https://www.twilio.com/) informing them they have been successfully unsubscribed.
#### Opting back in
Customers who have opted out of receiving SMS marketing messages can resubscribe by replying ‘START’. They will then receive an automated response from [Twilio](https://www.twilio.com/) informing them they have been successfully re-subscribed.
> ⚠️ Note that the sales associate will need to opt the customer back in via the communications preferences on the full customer profile before they can reply to the customer.
> ⚠️ It is recommended to provide clear instructions to the customer on how to opt out of receiving messages within the body of your message templates to help prevent spamming and maintain quality rating - this is especially important to be included in the first message sent by the store associate.
#### Compose Message
There are a few different routes into the message composer, but the most common is via the ‘Messaging’ app, where the sales associate can select to create a new message, select a recipient and choose from the customer's available communication channels.
In addition to the communication channels, sales associates can also view which types of marketing the customer has opted out of.
> ℹ️ If you have selected to create a message via the customers profile they will be pre-selected as the recipient within the message composer.
> ⚠️ The available communication channels are derived from the customers communication opt-ins. Only channels they have explicitly opted-in for will be available to the sales associate. In the event the selected customer has opted-out of all available communication channels or hasn’t provided an email address / phone number, a message will be displayed informing the sales associate of this.
Sales associates can attach products, inspiration and upload images to their message.
> ℹ️ Maximum upload file size for image attachments is 5MB.
### Message Templates
#### Template Content
When composing a new message, sales associates can choose from a list of pre-defined, pre-formatted templates to help initiate a conversation with a customer. They can also refer to the customer's preferred language to help aid selection.
> ℹ️ SMS and Email communication channels share the same list of templates.
Each template can consist of:
- Name (the display name shown within the template dropdown)
- Pre-defined message body (text displayed within the ‘Communication Message’ field)
- Language
> 📝 Whilst the name of the template is always required, you can choose whether to supply a pre-defined message body. Where the message body is pre-defined, sales associates can still choose to overtype the message body to aid personalisation.
#### Template Branding & Examples
Messaging templates can be styled to suit your brand and are relatively simple for us to do if you’re able to provide us with the HTML.
> ℹ️ More information including examples can be found [here](https://redantdigital.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/RET/pages/284688486).
> 📝 Depending on the route into the message composer, a specified template can be pre-selected from the dropdown. For example, if the sales associate initiated a new message from the Waitlist, a template that is specifically designed to be used to contact customers when a product becomes available can be pre-populated into the message composer.
### Preview Message
After selecting a template and entering a communication message the sales associate will have the option to ‘Preview’ the message before sending it to the customer.
Selecting ‘Preview’ from the message composer will display an HTML-rendered preview of the message, including any media that they have attached.
> ℹ️ The content entered into the ‘Communication Message’ field will be sent to the customer as text within the SMS alongside an accompanying link which when opened will display the message as a branded HTML webpage.
### Save Draft
While composing a message, users have the option to save the message as a draft. Selecting **“Save Draft”** will close the message composer and store the message within the **Drafts** tab of the message listing. Draft messages are clearly marked with a red `[Draft]:` label prepended to the message body to distinguish them from sent or received messages.
> ⚠️ Draft messages are stored locally on the device where they were created. This means that if a user logs into the platform from a different device, their drafts will not be visible. Likewise, if multiple users share the same device, any saved drafts will be visible to all users accessing the platform on that device. Drafts saved in a desktop browser may also be lost if the browser’s local storage is cleared.
To continue composing a draft, users can simply select the draft message from the Drafts tab. This will reopen the message composer with all previously entered information retained, including:
- The selected recipient (recipients cannot be changed once the draft has been saved)
- Chosen message template
- Message body
- Any attached files
> 📝 If the template used when saving the draft is no longer available, the subject line and message body will still be preserved, but the user will be required to select a new template before sending.
Users can then review and make final edits before sending the message. Sending the draft will convert it into a standard outbound message. Alternatively, the draft can be **discarded** directly from the message composer if it's no longer needed.
> ❌ If the customer opts out of the selected communication channel (e.g., sms) between the time the draft is saved and when it’s sent, RetailOS will trigger a notification to the sales associate informing them that the message could not be delivered.
### Contact Frequency Warning
When a user selects to send a message to a customer who was last contacted within the past 7 days, a warning modal will appear. This modal displays the customer’s name and the number of days since their last contact, prompting the user to confirm they still wish to proceed. The warning is not blocking - the user can dismiss it and continue sending if required.
> 📝 This feature is controlled by a feature flag and can be enabled based on retailer needs.
### Retrying Failed Messages
In the event that a message sent by a sales associate fails to deliver (this is determined asynchronously), the platform will trigger a notification to inform the user of the failure. Selecting this notification will take the user directly to the message thread where the failure occurred. The failed message will be clearly marked, along with the reason for the failure where available.
From here, the user is given the option to retry sending the original message. This is particularly useful in cases where the failure may have been caused by a temporary issue with a third-party provider (e.g., Twilio). It’s important to note that the failed message cannot be edited—retrying simply re-attempts sending the original message content.
The error message shown typically originates from the third-party provider responsible for delivering the message, providing context to help users understand the nature of the failure.
## Reply to Message
### Free-form Messages
Whilst sales associates must select a template when composing a new message to a customer, they can choose to overtype the pre-defined message body to aid personalisation.
## Message SLA
The platform offers an optional message SLA feature to help sales associates manage timely responses. When enabled, a configurable SLA countdown starts for each incoming customer SMS.
A reminder notification is triggered ahead of the SLA breach, with the reminder timing also configurable. If the associate replies before the reminder is delivered, the notification will not be sent. When the countdown reaches zero, the SMS is flagged as having breached the SLA to support consistent and timely customer follow-up.
> 📝 **Default configuration:**
> 📝
> 📝 - **SMS SLA:** 24 hours
> 📝 - **Reminder notification:** 10 hours before SLA breach
## Message Threads
#### Message Thread List
Unlike Email and WhatsApp conversations, each SMS message from a customer is treated as a standalone conversation.
#### Message Thread Details
Unlike Email and WhatsApp conversations, sales associates are unable to reply to a customer SMS from within the thread details - they must go through the ‘Create New Message’ journey.
##### Message Attachments
Where a message to a customer contains attachments there will be an option to ‘View Attachment(s)’. Selecting this will open an HTML-rendered preview of the message, including any media that was attached.
> ℹ️ When a sales associate sends a product from the catalogue to a customer (assuming we’ve been provided it in the catalogue data) it will include a link to the brand's ecom site. We’re able to append predefined UTM parameters to the product links, so in the event the customer goes onto purchase the product online we can attribute the order back to the sales associate who originally sent them the product(s).
##### Report Message as Inappropriate
In the event a customer or sales associate sends an inappropriate message, there is an option within the thread to report it as inappropriate. This will flag the thread and the specific message within the thread so that appropriate action can be taken.
## Message Reactions
Customers are able to send message reactions as a reply to a sales associate's message. Sales associates will receive a notification of this reply and the reaction will be logged as a new message in the associated thread.
## Message Notifications
Sales associates are automatically notified each time a customer starts a new SMS conversation or replies to an existing thread.
Selecting the notification will automatically direct the sales associate to the associate thread to view the new message.
> ℹ️ If multiple sales associates have been messaging the same customer, only the sales associate who last messaged the customer will receive a notification when the customer next sends a message.
## International Considerations
Our SMS messaging functionality is designed for seamless two-way messaging between sales associates and customers within the same region.
Due to varying regulatory compliance standards in different international regions, certain carriers may face challenges in successfully transmitting SMS messages to Twilio's network.
Consequently, Twilio and other communication tools cannot guarantee the consistent delivery of international messages, acknowledging the limitations imposed by regulatory variations across different countries.
## FAQs
What happens if a customer who isn't registered in the system sends an SMS message to the retailers business telephone number?
The customer will receive an automated response informing them that they will need to reach out to customer support. With the customer’s consent, customer support should register the customer and opt them into receiving SMS communications. The contents of the auto-reply can be configured and can include a pre-defined customer support telephone number.
If a registered customer who has never previously been sent a message by a sales associate sends an SMS message, who receives the notification?
Typically the sales associate who last messaged the customer will receive a notification when the customer next sends a message. However, in this scenario, the message won’t be assigned to an individual, instead, it will appear as ‘Unassigned’ within the message list for all sales associates.
The sales associate who replies to the message will become the assigned recipient, and the thread will automatically move out of the ‘Unassigned’ tab.
Are there any character limitationations when sending an SMS?
When you send an SMS message over 160 characters, the message will be split. Large messages are segmented into 153 character segments and sent individually, then rebuilt by the recipient's device. For example, a 161-character message will be sent and charged as two messages, one with 153 characters and the second with 8 characters. However, from the recipient's perspective this will appear as a single message (most modern phones/networks support concatenation).
Are you expecting to receive SMS from an international number (a different country than your Twilio number)?
> Twilio promises support for receiving SMS **within the same country** as your Twilio SMS-enabled number. For example, a German mobile number can deliver SMS to a German Twilio mobile number.
>
> For **non-domestic incoming SMS,** some international carriers are unable to successfully pass off SMS into Twilio’s network. Because of this, Twilio cannot guarantee that incoming messages will be received. For example, a German mobile number *may* not be able to deliver SMS to a UK Twilio number.
>
> For this reason, we recommend always using a Twilio number local to your recipients if you need to receive reply SMS from your end users.
>
> In cases where non-domestic SMS are failing to reach Twilio, the sending party may choose to reach out to the sending carrier to troubleshoot. Please note, however, that receiving non-domestic SMS is not officially supported by Twilio and may not be successful.
Can the SMS number support incoming calls?
Can the SMS number support call forwarding and voicemails?