Conversations: Group Chat for SMS

Overview

The Group Chat for SMS feature allows you to create a group and send SMS messages to multiple contacts in a single conversation. It’s perfect for businesses that need to keep several stakeholders informed at the same time, such as real estate agents coordinating with multiple clients.

This document covers:

• Requirements to use Group Chat
• How to use Group Chat
• Access

Requirements to Use Group Chat:

To use the Group Chat for SMS feature, you’ll need:

• A phone number provided by the platform.
• The phone numbers must be from the U.S. or Canada.

How to Use Group Chat

1. Go to the Conversations section of your account, click on Create a new message, and select Group Message. 

2. Choose the phone number from which you want to send the group SMS. It must be a phone number provided by the platform and a U.S. or Canada number.

3. Choose the contacts you would like to add to the group chat. You must add at least 2 and a maximum of 9 participants. You can also add both primary and secondary numbers of contacts.
   Note: If a contact has enabled DND (Do Not Disturb) or the number is not from the U.S. or Canada, you cannot add them to the group chat. 

4. Once the group is set up, type your message and click Send. All contacts will receive the message, and when anyone replies, their response will be sent to everyone in the group. 

5. On the top panel of the group chat window, you can see all the contacts that have been added to the group. You can search for participants by their name or number within the group chat. 

6. From the right panel, you can click on the chevron beside a contact’s name to see all the participants in the group. 

7. Once a group is created, messages will continue to be sent to the numbers that were initially added during group creation, even if a contact is deleted or their number is modified. Updated and Deleted tags will appear beside the names of those contacts. 
   

Access:

• Users with only assigned data access can create and view groups that include only contacts assigned to them.
• If a user has access to the phone number used to create the group chat, they can send messages within the group. Admins have access to all numbers added in the location, while users have access to the default number, numbers assigned to them, and all unassigned numbers.

Note:

• Once a group is created, you cannot change the participants or the business phone number selected to create the group chat.
• If a contact already in the group is deleted from your platform, group messages will still be sent to the phone number that was originally added. Even if the contact's number is modified in the system, the messages will continue to go to the initially added number.
• If a contact in the group enables DND (Do Not Disturb) after the group chat is created, you will no longer be able to use the group chat. To continue group messaging, you will need to create a new group excluding the participant who is marked as DND.