Sending and Receiving Text Messages

If you have text-enabled numbers in your account, you can send and receive text messages (SMS and MMS) through your text log.  This article will cover sending or replying to single text messages (messages with a single recipient).  For more information about bulk text messaging, see the full article here.

Text messages are broken into units of 160 characters for the purposes of billing.  You may compose messages of up to 800 characters at a time using this interface, but every 160 characters will be billed as an individual message.  Special characters may use more than a single character when composing a message.

Starting a New Text Message

From the Text Log

1. Navigate to Texts → Text Log.
2. Click the New Message button in the upper right corner of the text log page.
   
3. Use the drop-down menu to select the tracking number you would like to send the message from.
4. In the next field, select the country code and enter the phone number you would like to send the message to.
5. Enter the message you would like to send in the Message field.
6. Click the arrow on the right side of the message box to send the message.
   

From the Call Log

1. Navigate to Calls → Call Log.
2. Use the search bar or scroll through the call log to find the contact you wish to send a message to.
3. Click Edit to the left of the call record to open the detail panel.
4. Click the Text Message tab.
5. Use the drop-down menu to select the tracking number you wish to send the text message from.  By default, this will be set to the tracking number that the contact called.
6. Enter the message you would like to send in the Message field.
7. Click the arrow on the right side of the message box to send the message.
   

Replying to Text Messages

You can reply to messages from either the Call Log or the Text Log in your account.  To reply to messages, open the activity detail panel and select the Text Message tab, as in the instructions above.

As you reply to messages, the Text Message window will update to show the entire conversation.

How to Filter Profanity for SMS  

Using a Trigger, you are able to filter out unwanted inbound text message profanity. In order to set this up, you will need to go to Triggers:

Select → New Trigger

• Name your Trigger
• Add a description (Optional) 
• Next go to: Trigger (Drop down menu) Select → When a message is received 
• Toggle on: Trigger for all activities 

• Select Workflow
• Add Condition → If SMS Message Body 
• Add Condition → Is
• Add Condition → Obscene 
• Add Action →  Remove Conversation (or choose any other action you would like to initiate)
• Select Save 

How to Apply the MMS Safe for Work Filter 

CallTrackingMetrics offers a feature that classifies images for inbound Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) that restricts unwanted obscene images. (Additional costs per image apply and vary based on your plan.) The service cost is:

Business Plan:  $0.05, per image received 

Marketing Plan: $0.03, per image received  

Call Center  Plan: $0.02, per image received 

The recommended classifications for the images are as follows:

• Safe for Work (SFW)
• Not Safe for Work (NSFW)

In order to activate the service you will need to set up two triggers: one that you label SFW and the other you’ll label NSFW. To get started: 

• Go to Triggers and select → Create New Trigger 

• Name the Trigger “SFW”
• Add a description (Optional) – Safe for Work
• Next go to: Trigger (Drop down menu) Select →  When an activity is received 
• Toggle on → Trigger for all events
• Click “Save”
• Exit the triggers you created 

• Next create another: New Trigger

• Name the Trigger “NSFW”
• Add a description (Optional) – Not Safe For Work
• Next go to: Trigger (Drop down menu) Select →  When an activity is received 
• Toggle on → Trigger for all events
• Click “Save”

• Select Workflow
• Select Add Action (Drop down menu)
• Select Classify Image

• Go to Trigger Media When Not Safe for Work
• Select the new trigger marked: NSFW
• Next go to Trigger Media When Safe for Work
• Select the trigger for: SFW
• Save Changes