Getting started with Text

Text allows you to support customers using SMS. You can respond to inbound text messages, automate alerts, or send proactive messages. For example, you can send an automated text response when a customer submits a request, or alert an agent by text when a ticket needs attention.

What's my plan?

All Suites | Team, Growth, Professional, Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus

Support with | Talk Team, Professional, or Enterprise

Text allows you to support customers using SMS. You can respond to inbound text messages, automate alerts, or send proactive messages. For example, you can send an automated text response when a customer submits a request, or alert an agent by text when a ticket needs attention.

Incoming text messages automatically create tickets, so you can take advantage of automated workflows, centralized reporting, and full customer history.

Note: Text messaging isn't available for trial accounts or sandbox environments. Due to a change in US telecom regulations, businesses that want to text with consumers in the US must first register for A2P 10DLC, otherwise all texts will be blocked (see Registering to use A2P 10DLC for text messaging).

Text capabilities and limits:

You can send text messages of up to 160 characters in length at a time.

If you type a longer message, it will be split into multiple messages, each 153 characters in length. For example, if you type a message of 161 characters, it will be split into two messages; one of 153 characters, and one of 8 characters.

You can send up to 250 simultaneous text messages from the same number. If you exceed this amount, messages will no longer be sent, and you'll get a warning that the message was rejected by the provider.

Text doesn't support shortcodes or alphanumeric sender IDs.

You can receive inbound MMS messages on US local numbers, but Text doesn't support outbound MMS messages.

To learn about the supported countries and prices, see Zendesk Text number availability and pricing.

This article covers the following topics:

Choosing a text number

Sending an inbound text

Automating an outbound text

Next steps

Choosing a text number

You set up a new Text number in Admin Center.

To choose a text number

In Admin Center, click Channels > Messaging and social .

Click Text, then follow the instructions in Adding and managing Text numbers.

If your team uses another SMS provider and you want to use that number for Text, you can port over your existing phone number from the other provider. For more information see, Porting phone numbers.

Sending an inbound text

After you've chosen and set up a text number, send a test text from a mobile phone to your new text number. You’ll notice that your text automatically creates a ticket in Zendesk. Public replies in the ticket will send a text back to you.

The following example shows the texts the customer sees on their phone.

Note: To take advantage of user identification for inbound texts, add phone numbers to end-user profiles. Unique numbers are used to identify users as they are direct line numbers. For more information, see Understanding how calls become tickets.

Automating an outbound text

When you’ve received and responded to an inbound text, you can set up an automated outbound text using a trigger. For more information, see Automating SMS support with ticket triggers that send texts.

The following example shows a trigger that responds to text messages with a standard message.

Here is a corresponding example text message that a customer receives on their phone:

Next steps

Adding and managing text numbers

Automating SMS support with ticket triggers that send texts

Registering to use A2P 10DLC for text messaging

Zendesk Text number availability and pricing

Phone number FAQs for voice and text