How to send SMS to External contacts
Send an SMS right where you already are: from a contact card, your call history, or even during an active call. Available in the Web and Desktop app.
Before You Start
- The SMS option only appears for mobile numbers. Landlines, hidden callers, short codes and extensions don’t get an SMS option, as they can’t receive SMS.
- SMS is one-way. Replies from the external number do not come back into the chat.
Requirements
Capability: Group SMS requires the GROUP_SMS capability.
Option 1: Send an SMS from a Contact or Call History
From a contact card
- Go to Contacts and open an external contact.
- Click Send SMS.
From the contact list
- Hover over the contact and click on the three dots on a contact in the list.
- Select Send SMS from the menu.
From call history or queue call history
Queue call history
- Open Queue Call History.
- Hover over an unknown mobile caller, or a saved contact with a mobile number and click on the three dots.
- Select Send SMS.
Call history
- Open Call History.
- Hover over an unknown mobile caller, or a saved contact with a mobile number and click on the three dots.
- Select Send SMS.
Good to know
If you’ve already texted the same number, the existing conversation reopens. This works whichever format the number is written in, so 070-123 45 67 and +46701234567 open the same chat.
Option 2: Send an SMS During a Call
You can send an SMS without ending the call.
- During an active call, click the caller’s name or number in the call view.
- The contact card opens.
- Click Send SMS.
Option 3: Add Phone Numbers to a Chat (Group SMS)
You can include external phone numbers in a chat alongside your colleagues.
In a new chat
- Start a new chat.
- Type one or multiple mobile numbers in the To: field and press Enter.
- The number appears as a chip next to any colleagues you’ve added, and the conversation starts as an SMS chat. Click on the green arrow next to the Send button and choose to Send as SMS.
In a private room
- Open a private room.
- Go to Members.
- Click Add Member.
- Enter the mobile number and click on Add.
- The number appears as (External). Room admins can remove it at any time.
Colleagues receive your messages in the app. The phone number receives every message as an SMS.
Please note
- Phone numbers can only be added to private rooms, not public ones.
- Each phone number receives a separate, individual SMS. Recipients can’t see who else received the message.
- Adding a second recipient to an SMS chat requires group SMS to be enabled on your account. Without it, only 1:1 SMS chats are available.
- Adding someone to a 1:1 chat starts a new group chat with everyone, rather than adding them to the existing one. Adding to an existing chat only works in rooms.
Option 4: Send an SMS with a Different Caller ID
Want a single message to go out from another sender, without changing your profile settings?
- Write your message.
- Click the arrow next to the Send button.
- Select Send SMS with other Caller ID.
- Pick a sender from the list and send. Use the arrow keys to move through the Caller ID list. Press Escape to close it and return to the Send button.
Available sender types:
- Company name (alphanumeric)
- Your own mobile number
- A verified external mobile number
- The customer default
Good to know
This option only appears if you have more than one sender configured.