I need to send text messages to customers from a business system, similar to appointment or service notifications sent by large organizations. Ideally, recipients shouldn't be able to start a normal conversation, but they should receive an automated response if they try to reply. What's the usual way to set this up?
3 Answers
Use an SMS gateway such as Twilio or MessageBird. You can send from an alphanumeric sender ID or a short code, which may not accept replies. If replies are supported, configure the provider’s inbound webhook to return an automatic response instead of having staff handle the messages.
The exact options depend on the country. In the US, businesses commonly use short codes or verified toll-free numbers for application-to-person messaging. Some services also provide six-digit sender numbers, like the ones often used for two-factor authentication.
It’s generally better to allow replies and handle them automatically rather than silently blocking them. Set an autoresponder such as “This number is not monitored. Please contact support through our help page,” so people aren’t left without a clear next step.
That approach also avoids the confusion caused by a message that looks like a normal text but offers no practical way to ask a follow-up question.