SMS - Sending and Receiving Messages From a Case

Related: SMS - Administrator Setup

In this Article:

• Sending an SMS Message from a Case
• Schedule an SMS Message for Later / Cancel a Scheduled Message
• Replies to Text Messages
  • Inbound Message Matching Logic
  • Replies that Include an Image
• SMS Log for an Individual Case
• SMS Reminders for Tasks and Calendar Events
• SMS Alerts on the Home Page

Sending an SMS Message from a Case

A site administrator creates an Actions menu link on cases to display the SMS form. The client's mobile number, if any, is the default phone number.

Site administrators often configure this form to require an "SMS Consent" field to be answered before you can send a text. The form should provide instructions on what, if anything, you need to do before sending a text.

You can choose to send the message immediately or schedule it for later.

Schedule an SMS Message for Later

Picking 'Schedule for Later' will prompt for a date and time to send the SMS.

Cancel a Scheduled SMS Message

If you have access to the SMS tab in the blue navigation bar, you can see messages that are queued to be sent, and can cancel them.

Replies to Text Messages

How replies to texts are handled depends on the site's configuration.

By default, an incoming text will be linked to and create a case note on:

• the case a text was sent from (regardless of the phone numbers on the case);
• any other case that has sent a text to that number (regardless of the phone numbers on the case);
• any other case that has the sending number in the mobile phone number field.

Inbound Message Matching Logic

Site Administrators can change the default behavior on the Admin > Telephony & SMS page.

All cases related to sender's mobile number (original logic)

• This is the default behavior above.

Most Recent Intake

• Link the reply to the most recent intake containing the sender's number in the mobile or home phone number fields.
• If that fails try most recent outbound message.
• If that fails try most recently opened case containing the sender's number in the case's mobile or home phone number.
• If that fails stop trying. The reply will still appear in the SMS Received Log, but it must be reviewed manually.

Most Recently Opened

• Link the reply to the most recently opened case containing the sender's number in the mobile or home phone number fields.
• If that fails try most recent outbound message.
• If that fails try most recent intake containing the sender's number in the mobile or home phone number fields.
• If that fails stop trying. The reply will still appear in the SMS Received Log, but it must be reviewed manually.

Most Recent Outbound Message

• Link the reply to the case (or intake or prescreen) that most recently texted to the sender's number (regardless of the phone numbers on the case).
• This option handles the situation where a user sends a text to a number that is not the client's mobile or home phone number stored on the case.
• If that fails try most recently opened case containing the sender's number in the mobile or home phone number fields.
• If that fails try most recent intake containing the sender's number in the mobile or home phone number fields.
• If that fails stop trying. The reply will still appear in the SMS Received Log, but it must be reviewed manually.

Replies that Include an Image

Replies that contain an image (also known as an MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) message) will upload the file to the case(s) as a document. The document will appear in the case note created by the incoming text, and will also appear in the document folders and document list on a case.

Example case note showing a reply to a text that included an image:

SMS Log for an Individual Case

On the Actions->SMS auxiliary form, your administrator can enable the sent/received log, which will show all sent and received text messages. Note that because cell phones may be used by a client with more than one case, and the SMS standard doesn't support threading, received SMS messages may appear in more than one case.

SMS Reminders for Tasks and Calendar Events

The SMS feature also provides options for getting reminders for tasks and calendar events by text message:

Reminders to Attendees (users) are sent to the Mobile Phone number on each user's profile.

SMS Alerts on the Home Page

Administrators can configure the Homepage Alert block to include alerts about SMS messages received on the logged in user's cases.

By default, alerts only appear on a user's home page if they are the Primary Assignment on a case. Administrators can change this on the Admin > SMS page to "All Assignments", with the likely increase in the number of people seeing alerts.