Conversations AI: What is SMS and How to Set it Up
Learn how SMS works with Conversations AI, including setup requirements, A2P 10DLC registration, common rejection reasons, dedicated business texting numbers, and how to manage customer conversations directly within the Business App.
What is SMS?
SMS stands for Short Message Service, the standard form of text messaging. It enables your business to send and receive text messages directly with customers using a dedicated business number, without requiring any apps or internet on their end.
With Conversations AI, SMS allows you to follow up with leads, send appointment reminders, respond to inquiries, and even automate text responses for missed calls—all from the same shared inbox your team already uses. This is a straightforward way to boost response rates and maintain conversations beyond just website chat.
How Do I Set Up SMS?
- Within your Business App, select “Administration.”
- Select “SMS Configuration.”
- Carefully read the requirements to submit your SMS application.
- You will need the following:
- Privacy policy URL
- Terms and conditions URL
- Legal Business Name
- EIN / Business Registration Number
- Business Address
- Authorized Representative Contact and Their Email
- Business Type
- You will need the following:
- After it is submitted, it’ll take anywhere from one to four weeks to hear about the approval status.
Why Might I Get Rejected after Submitting my Application?
SMS registration (A2P 10DLC) rejections are fairly common, but they’re usually easy to resolve. Carriers manually review your business information and website to ensure your SMS program is legitimate and compliant (not spam-related). The most common reason for rejection is website compliance issues, such as a missing or inaccessible Privacy Policy, missing Terms & Conditions, or insufficient opt-in consent.
Your Privacy Policy must clearly state that you do not sell or share customer phone numbers for third-party marketing, and your Terms page should include SMS program details such as message frequency and the “message and data rates may apply” disclaimer. Additionally, any lead capture form on your site must include an unchecked opt-in checkbox that the user actively selects to agree to receive text messages.
Other common causes of rejection include mismatched business details (your legal business name and address must match your IRS records exactly), newly issued EINs that haven’t yet appeared in verification databases, and restricted business categories such as cannabis/CBD, firearms, vaping, gambling, payday loans, or MLM programs. Technical issues can also trigger rejection, including broken policy links or the use of generic email addresses instead of a business domain email address. If your registration is rejected, you can review the carrier’s reason under Administration > Conversations Settings > Phone & SMS, correct the issue, and then resubmit the application.
Will These Texts go to my Personal Phone?
No, these text conversations will only appear in the Conversations section of your Business App.
Do I need a Special Phone Number to use SMS?
The Business App provides your business with a dedicated phone number. Since many business phone lines do not support text messaging, we can configure your chatbot to share this unique number with customers so they know exactly where to send SMS messages to reach your business.