Talk to customers by text without leaving the panel
Texts sent to your number arrive in the panel, and your reply goes back to the customer as a text. The whole exchange sits alongside your other conversations.
This is for you if customers already have your number and would rather text than open a chat window. You need an SMS gateway account of your own and a number bought inside it.
Step by step
Connect your SMS gateway
Open Settings > Notifications > Text message notifications and enter your SMS gateway account details there. The SMS notifications guide walks through this part in full.
Buy a number
Buy a number in your SMS gateway account. This is the number your customers text, and texts sent to it are what arrive in the panel.
Set the configuration URL on the number
On that number, set the configuration URL. This is what carries incoming texts through to the panel.
Answer from the panel
A text to your number now shows up in the panel like any other conversation. Reply there and the customer receives it as a text, which is what makes the channel two-way.
Settings reference
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Text message notifications | Found at Settings > Notifications, this is where your SMS gateway account is connected to Vera.Support. |
| Configuration URL | The address you set on your number at your SMS gateway so that incoming texts are delivered to the panel. |
Good to know
One setup, two jobs
The SMS channel and your text message notifications share the same gateway setup under Settings > Notifications > Text message notifications. You configure it once.
The number lives in your own account
You buy the number inside your SMS gateway account rather than from us. Anything you do with it there stays under your control.
Buying the number is only half of it
A number on its own is not connected to anything. The configuration URL set on that number is what links it to the panel.
What it costs
Plans start at $7 a month with every feature included, and you can cancel at any time. Your SMS gateway account is separate and carries its own charges.
Common questions
Where do I set up the SMS channel?
Can a customer text me and get a reply back from my team?
Do I need my own SMS gateway account?
Texts are not reaching the panel. What should I check?
Is SMS an extra on my plan?
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