Assign Phone Numbers

Configure which phone numbers are active for SMS:

Configuration:

Phone Numbers:
+15551234567  →  Sales Queue
+15559876543  →  Support Queue
+18005551234  →  General Inquiries
+15552468135  →  After-Hours Team

Settings Per Number:

• Display Name: How number appears to agents ("Sales SMS Line")
• Default Queue: Where messages route by default
• Business Hours: Active hours for this number
• Auto-Response: Enable/disable automated replies
• MMS Enabled: Allow multimedia messages
• Recording: Log all conversations

Best Practices:

• Dedicate numbers to specific purposes (sales, support, billing)
• Use memorable numbers for marketing (vanity toll-free)
• Keep number count manageable (avoid confusion)
• Document each number's purpose
• Monitor usage per number

Individual Number Configuration

General Settings:

• Active: Enable/disable number
• Label: Internal name ("Main Support Line")
• Department: Associated department
• Status: Active, Inactive, Testing

Message Handling:

• Incoming Messages: Route to queue or agent
• Overflow: Backup destination if primary unavailable
• Business Hours: Operating schedule
• After Hours: Different routing outside hours
• Holiday Schedule: Special routing on holidays

Features:

• Two-Way SMS: Enable conversations (vs broadcast only)
• MMS Support: Allow image/video messages
• URL Shortening: Automatically shorten links
• Delivery Receipts: Track message delivery
• Read Receipts: See when customer reads (if supported)

Limits:

• Rate Limit: Maximum messages per second (carrier limit)
• Daily Cap: Max messages per day per number
• Character Limit: 160 (SMS) or 1600 (MMS)
• Attachment Size: Maximum file size for MMS

Number Pool Configuration

Use multiple numbers for high-volume sending:

Pool Setup:

SMS Pool: "Marketing Campaigns"
Numbers in Pool:
  +15551111111
  +15552222222
  +15553333333
  +15554444444
  +15555555555

Distribution: Round-robin
Rate Limit: 1 msg/sec per number = 5 msg/sec total
Use Case: Promotional campaigns

Distribution Methods:

• Round-Robin: Cycle through numbers sequentially
• Random: Randomly select from pool
• Least-Used: Use number with lowest recent volume
• Geographic: Match sender/recipient area code if possible
• Sticky: Same customer always gets same number

Benefits:

• Higher aggregate throughput
• Better deliverability (avoid carrier throttling)
• Redundancy if number fails
• Geographic distribution
• Regulatory compliance (separate marketing/transactional)

Configuration:

1. Create pool: Settings → SMS → Number Pools → Add Pool
2. Name pool: "Sales Outreach"
3. Add numbers to pool
4. Select distribution method
5. Set pool purpose (marketing, transactional, two-way)
6. Save and assign to campaigns/queues

Basic Message Routing

Default Queue Assignment:

All SMS to +15551234567 → Sales Queue
All SMS to +15559876543 → Support Queue
All SMS to +18005551234 → General Queue

Configuration Steps:

1. Navigate to Settings → SMS → Routing
2. Select phone number
3. Choose Default Destination:
   • Specific Queue
   • Specific Agent
   • Department
   • Auto-attendant (if configured)
4. Set Overflow Destination (if primary unavailable)
5. Save configuration

Simple Routing Example:

Phone Number: +15551234567
Primary Route: Sales Queue
Overflow: General Support Queue
After Hours: Auto-response only (no routing)

Advanced Routing Rules

Keyword-Based Routing: Route based on message content:

Message contains "SALES" → Sales Queue
Message contains "SUPPORT" or "HELP" → Support Queue
Message contains "BILLING" → Billing Queue
Message contains "STOP" → Opt-out list (no routing)
Message contains "START" → Opt-in, route to General Queue

Sender-Based Routing: Route based on sender phone number or customer record:

Customer VIP status → Priority Queue
Existing customer → Account Manager
New number → Lead Generation Queue
Previous conversation with Agent X → Route to Agent X

Content Analysis Routing: Use AI/NLP to analyze message intent:

Sentiment: Angry → Escalation Queue
Intent: Purchase → Sales Queue
Intent: Question → Support Queue
Intent: Complaint → Management Queue
Urgency: High → Priority Queue

Configuration:

1. Settings → SMS → Advanced Routing
2. Click Add Routing Rule
3. Define conditions:
   • Keyword match (exact, contains, regex)
   • Sender criteria (CRM status, history)
   • Time conditions
   • Content analysis (if enabled)
4. Set destination (queue, agent, department)
5. Set priority (1-10, higher = processed first)
6. Save rule

Rule Priority: Rules processed in order. First match wins:

Priority 1: VIP customers → VIP Queue
Priority 2: Contains "URGENT" → Priority Queue
Priority 3: Contains "BILLING" → Billing Queue
Priority 4: Business hours → Support Queue
Priority 5: After hours → Auto-response (no routing)
Default: General Queue

Time-Based Routing

Business Hours Routing:

Monday-Friday 9 AM - 6 PM:
  Route to → Sales Queue
  Agents available → Distribute to available agents
  All busy → Queue with position announcement

Monday-Friday 6 PM - 9 AM:
  Route to → After-hours auto-response
  Message: "Thanks for contacting us. We're closed but will respond tomorrow."
  No human routing

Saturday-Sunday:
  Route to → Weekend team
  Reduced staffing
  SLA: 4-hour response

Holidays:
  Route to → Holiday auto-response
  Message: "We're closed for [Holiday]. We'll respond on [Date]."
  Urgent: Include emergency contact number

Configuration:

1. Settings → SMS → Business Hours
2. Define schedules:
   • Regular: Monday-Friday business hours
   • Extended: Includes evenings/weekends
   • 24/7: Always-on routing
   • Holidays: Special days
3. Assign schedule to each phone number
4. Configure behavior per schedule period:
   • Route to queue
   • Route to specific agents
   • Auto-response only
   • Forward to another number
5. Save configuration

Time Zone Handling:

• Use customer's time zone if known
• Default to business time zone
• Respect quiet hours (no sends before 8 AM or after 9 PM local)

Automatic Welcome Messages

First Contact Auto-Response:

Trigger: First message from new number
Response: "Hi! Thanks for contacting [Business]. An agent will respond shortly. Business hours: Mon-Fri 9am-6pm."
Delay: Immediate (0 seconds)
Follow-up: Route to queue after sending

Business Hours Welcome:

Trigger: Message received during business hours
Response: "Thanks for your message! You're in the queue. Current wait: ~3 minutes. Agent will respond soon."
Delay: 30 seconds (if no agent response yet)

After-Hours Auto-Response:

Trigger: Message received outside business hours
Response: "We've received your message but are currently closed (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm). We'll respond when we reopen. For urgent issues, call 555-1234."
Delay: Immediate
Follow-up: Don't route to queue (no agents available)

Configuration:

1. Settings → SMS → Auto-Responses
2. Enable Auto-Response: Toggle on
3. Welcome Message: Enter text (160 char max recommended)
4. Trigger Condition: First contact, business hours, after hours
5. Delay: Immediate, 30s, 1min, 5min
6. Apply to Numbers: Select which numbers use this auto-response
7. Save

Keyword-Triggered Responses

Common Keywords:

"STOP" → "You've unsubscribed from SMS. Reply START to resubscribe or call 555-1234."
"START" → "Welcome back! You'll now receive SMS updates from [Business]."
"HELP" → "For support: Call 555-1234, email [email protected], or visit website.com/help"
"HOURS" → "We're open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 10am-4pm. Closed Sunday."
"LOCATION" → "We're at 123 Main St, Anytown, USA. Map: [Google Maps Link]"
"MENU" → "Options: HOURS (business hours), LOCATION (address), HELP (support)"

Custom Keywords:

"PRICING" → "View pricing at website.com/pricing or reply with your phone number for a quote."
"DEMO" → "Schedule a demo: website.com/demo or reply with your preferred date/time."
"STATUS" → "Check order status: website.com/orders or reply with your order number."

Setup Process:

1. Settings → SMS → Keyword Auto-Responses
2. Click Add Keyword
3. Keyword: Enter trigger word (case-insensitive)
4. Match Type:
   • Exact: Message must be exactly "STOP"
   • Contains: Message contains "STOP" anywhere
   • Starts with: Message starts with "STOP"
5. Response: Enter auto-response text
6. Action:
   • Send response only
   • Send response + route to queue
   • Send response + trigger workflow
   • Special actions (STOP = opt-out, START = opt-in)
7. Active: Enable/disable keyword
8. Save

AI-Powered Auto-Responses

Smart Auto-Response: Use AI to generate contextual responses:

Capabilities:

• Understand customer intent
• Provide relevant information from knowledge base
• Answer common questions automatically
• Escalate complex questions to humans
• Maintain conversational context

Example Interaction:

Customer: "What are your hours on Saturday?"
AI: "We're open Saturday 10am-4pm. Can I help with anything else?"

Customer: "Do you offer delivery?"
AI: "Yes, we offer delivery! Free for orders over $50, $5 for orders under $50. Delivery typically within 2 hours."

Customer: "I need to cancel my appointment"
AI: "I can help with that! To cancel, I'll need to connect you with our scheduling team. One moment please..." [Escalates to agent]

Configuration:

1. Settings → SMS → AI Auto-Response
2. Enable AI Responses: Toggle on
3. Confidence Threshold: 70% (AI only responds if 70%+ confident)
4. Knowledge Base: Link to FAQ/knowledge articles
5. Escalation Rules:
   • Complex questions → Route to agent
   • Low confidence → Route to agent
   • Customer requests human → Route to agent
   • After 3 AI messages → Offer human agent
6. Business Context:
   • Business name, hours, services
   • Common questions and answers
   • Policies (returns, shipping, etc.)
7. Tone: Professional, friendly, casual (select style)
8. Save

Best Practices:

• Start with high confidence threshold (80%+)
• Monitor AI responses regularly
• Add to knowledge base based on questions
• Have human review for first week
• Adjust confidence threshold based on accuracy
• Always allow easy escalation to human