Overview
The conversations page of the application is where you will spend most of your time communicating with your contacts.
Active conversations are listed on the left. You may view an individual conversation by selecting it from the list. When viewing an active conversation, there are three types of messages:
Opt-in Status
Each contact has an opt-in status, which defaults to "opted-in." The opt-in status of a contact controls the ability to use automated features of the application, including but not limited to:
- Blasts & Contact Lists
- Drip Campaigns
- Reminders
A contact is opted-out when any one of the following keywords is received: STOP, END, QUIT, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE.
Conversely, a contact is opted-in when any of the following keywords is received: START, UNSTOP.
Depending on your carrier, you may still be able to send transactional and conversational (non-automated) text messages to a contact who has opted out. However, a contact opting out with a keyword may trigger a block on the contact's cellular network, and messages may not be delivered.
You may also manually opt-out a contact from their contact details page by checking the "Opted out" checkbox and clicking "Update Contact Details."
Consent Message Status
A consent message typically includes information about the sender, a notification of intent to communicate via text messaging, and an opt-out option (e.g. reply STOP to unsubscribe).
Some users may have a consent message requirement set at the organization level by their account administrator. If this is enabled for a user, the consent message status of their contacts will be displayed next to their names in the active conversation view.
When sending a message to a new contact or to a contact who has not yet received the consent message, the intended message will be preceded by a consent message. This allows the recipient an opportunity to acknowledge or opt out of receiving messages. Once the consent message has been sent, an indicator will be added to the contact details and conversation views to denote their status.
Starting a new conversation
To start a new conversation, click on "New Conversation" at the top right of the app.
- Next, you can choose to send a message to a phone number or select a contact from your address book.
- Send to Phone Number: Enter the phone number into the "Send to Phone Number" field and click "Start Conversation" to send a message.
- Choose Contact: Start a conversation with an existing contact by searching or scrolling through the address book and clicking on the contact.
Archiving Conversations
It is important to archive inactive conversations in order to maintain optimal performance and user experience. When a conversation is archived, all message history is retained, but the conversation is hidden from the active conversation list.
Note: Currently, there is no way to view all archived conversations, but they will appear in search results.
Bulk Archiving Conversations
If you need to archive a large number of conversations, we recommend using the bulk archive feature. To do so, select the checkbox next to each conversation, or use the checkbox at the top of the list to select all conversations. Then, click the archive button at the top right of the list.
Alternatively, to archive a single conversation, select the "Action" dropdown and choose the "Archive" option.
Delete Individual Conversation
You can delete individual conversations by choosing the "Delete" option on the top right corner of the message view. You will be asked to confirm the deletion of the message history. This will delete all messages for this conversation and this action is NOT reversible.
Notice: Some users and account types may have the delete option disabled by their administrator.
Conversation Features
Export Message History
You can export conversation history from an individual conversation using the Export Messages feature.
Click the "Export" button to open the export options.
Choose a start and end date.
Note: Start and end dates must be within 30 days of each other.
Select an export format. The options are CSV and HTML.
Click "Export" to begin the export. Depending on the number of messages in the conversation, the process can take up to 30 seconds. A download prompt will automatically open when the export is complete, allowing you to save it to your preferred destination.
Send MMS
You can send and receive MMS messages. MMS messages are currently limited to pictures and video in this app but will be updating it with better file support in the near future. MMS file support will vary per carrier.
To send a MMS file, click the camera icon from the message composer section.
Note: It is recommended that MMS files stay under 1.5 MB to prevent filtering by the recipient's carrier.
Send Canned Response
Canned responses are pre-written messages that you can use as replies to common inquiries, as away messages, and as automatic replies to keywords.
- To send a canned response, choose the double arrow icon in the message composer to launch the selection.
- Select a canned response from the list to pre-populate the message text area with the canned response. Canned responses are NOT automatically sent, to allow you the opportunity to edit the message before sending.
- Click Send (or hit Shift-Enter, when focused on the text area)
Apply Drip Campaign
Drip campaigns consist of a set of scheduled messages that can be used to gain your contacts' attention and engage them in conversation. When they are applied, they are automatically scheduled consecutively based on their interval from the time of application.
For example, if you apply a drip campaign that has a total of three messages, Drip 1 has an interval of 1 day, Drip 2 has an interval of 3 days, and Drip 3 has an interval of 5 days, the first message will be scheduled for 1 day from now. The second message will be scheduled for 3 days from now, and the third will be scheduled for 5 days from now.
Drip messages will be sent until a reply has been received from the contact. If a message is received from the contact before any scheduled drip messages have been sent, any unsent messages will be automatically deleted.
To apply a drip campaign to a contact, follow these steps:
- Choose the water droplet icon from the message composer area to launch the drip campaign modal.
- Choose a campaign from the list and a preview of the campaign will be displayed.
- Click "Apply Campaign" to initiate the drip campaign sequence.
Note: Some users and account types may not have the drip campaign feature enabled. Drip campaigns will also be disabled for any contacts that have been opted-out from marketing and automation.