Turn Your Business Number Into an Always-On SMS Agent
Connect your Twilio number, set compliance keywords and quiet hours, and let the agent answer appointment, order and FAQ texts around the clock.
Twilio
Bring your number
STOP/HELP
Honored automatically
$79
Growth plan per month
24/7
Text coverage
What is an SMS Chatbot?
An AI SMS chatbot replies to inbound texts on your Twilio number, honors STOP and HELP, and keeps SMS in the same inbox as WhatsApp and voice. Botcadence answers from your documents, captures lead details and escalates to a person when needed. SMS is included from the Growth plan ($79 a month).
The Problem
Why Business SMS Still Gets Dropped
Put inbound SMS on the same agent, knowledge base, and handoff path as your other chat channels.
Texts Sit Unanswered After Hours
Customers still text appointment, delivery, and pricing questions when the desk is closed.
The Same Number Splits Voice and SMS
Callers and texters use one DID, but SMS never reaches the AI inbox that already handles chat.
Opt-Out Is Easy to Miss
STOP and HELP replies are required in the US. Ad-hoc SMS tools skip confirmation and keep sending.
SMS Context Never Reaches Agents
Handoffs drop the thread, so humans restart in email or WhatsApp without the original text history.
Channel Features
Everything You Need to Run SMS as a Real Channel
SMS is a first-class inbox channel, not a one-off send tool. Connect a Twilio number, honor opt-out, and let the same chat agent that already runs on web and WhatsApp answer inbound texts.
Inbound SMS in the Shared Inbox
Every text to your connected Twilio number opens a conversation in Botcadence. Agents see SMS next to web chat and WhatsApp, not in a separate Twilio console.
Your Twilio Number, Not Ours
Pick an org Twilio DID and save it as the project SMS channel. We set the messaging webhook when Twilio credentials work; otherwise paste the URL from channel settings. The same number can stay on voice if you already use it for calls.
STOP and HELP Built In
STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, and QUIT opt the number out and send a confirmation with no agent reply. HELP and INFO return a canned help message.
Grounded Replies From Your Docs
The SMS agent answers from the same uploaded knowledge as website chat. Text-only in this version: picture attachments are ignored while the message body is still processed.
Human Handoff With Transcript
Escalate complex SMS threads to a person with the full text history attached, then continue from the same conversation instead of starting over on another channel.
Channel Analytics With the Rest of Chat
Track SMS volume, resolution, and handoff alongside other chat channels so text is not a black box next to WhatsApp reports.
Setup Guide
Go Live on SMS in Four Steps
If Twilio is already connected for voice, you can reuse that number for SMS. One SMS channel per project keeps routing unambiguous.
Connect a Twilio Number
From channel settings, choose an org Twilio DID. Botcadence saves it as the project SMS identifier and sets the Twilio messaging webhook when credentials work; otherwise paste the URL from channel settings.
Train From Existing Knowledge
Reuse the documents, links, and prompts already powering website chat. You do not maintain a separate SMS script.
Confirm STOP and HELP Behavior
Inbound STOP keywords opt the profile out of later SMS-channel sends. HELP returns a short canned reply. Agent turns still run for every other inbound text.
Text the Number and Watch the Inbox
Send a test SMS, confirm the conversation appears, and expand to production once replies match your brand voice.
See SMS in the Same Inbox as WhatsApp
Book a demo and we will connect a Twilio number, send a test text, and show STOP handling plus a live agent reply.
Example workflow
After-hours SMS appointment question resolved without a callback
A customer texts your Twilio business number after close asking about tomorrow's availability. Botcadence replies from your knowledge base, captures a name and service type, and keeps the thread in the same inbox as WhatsApp.
Trigger
Customer texts the business DID
At 8:40 PM a shopper texts the same number they call, asking whether you have a 10 AM slot and what to bring to the appointment.
AI action
SMS agent answers from docs and qualifies
The Botcadence SMS chatbot answers from uploaded hours and intake notes in your knowledge base, then asks for a name and service type.
System update
Conversation logged on the customer profile
Botcadence stores the E.164 number, tags the thread as SMS, and keeps STOP keywords ready so a later opt-out blocks SMS-channel sends.
Business outcome
The morning desk starts with a qualified text, not a voicemail
Staff see the SMS history next to other chat channels, reducing missed after-hours demand without staffing a night phone.
Trigger
Customer texts the business DID
At 8:40 PM a shopper texts the same number they call, asking whether you have a 10 AM slot and what to bring to the appointment.
AI action
SMS agent answers from docs and qualifies
The Botcadence SMS chatbot answers from uploaded hours and intake notes in your knowledge base, then asks for a name and service type.
System update
Conversation logged on the customer profile
Botcadence stores the E.164 number, tags the thread as SMS, and keeps STOP keywords ready so a later opt-out blocks SMS-channel sends.
Business outcome
The morning desk starts with a qualified text, not a voicemail
Staff see the SMS history next to other chat channels, reducing missed after-hours demand without staffing a night phone.
The Transformation
SMS as an Inbox vs One-Off Text Blasts
Treat SMS like WhatsApp and web chat: inbound conversation, shared knowledge, and a human path, not a disconnected bulk sender.
| Capability | Without AI | With Botcadence |
|---|---|---|
| After-hours texts | Voicemail or an unanswered thread until morning | Instant AI reply from your knowledge base, 24/7 |
| Number ownership | A second short code or a vendor-owned sender | Your Twilio DID, optionally the same one used for voice |
| Compliance keywords | Manual STOP handling or none at all | Canned STOP confirmation and HELP reply, then opt-out stored on the profile |
Industries
SMS Automation Across Industries
Wherever customers already text a business number, Botcadence puts an AI agent on that DID without splitting voice and chat into two products.
Common Questions
SMS Chatbot FAQ
No. You connect an existing org Twilio number. The same DID can stay assigned to voice. Each project has one SMS channel so inbound texts have a single destination.
Not in this version. Incoming media is ignored. If the message also has a text body, that body still reaches the agent.
STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, and QUIT opt the sender out, send a confirmation, and skip the AI agent. HELP and INFO return a canned help reply. Later outbound sends on the SMS channel are blocked for opted-out numbers. One-off agent SMS tools and escalation SMS follow their existing paths.
SMS is available on Growth, Business, Voice AI, and Enterprise. Free and Starter keep website and WhatsApp (Starter also includes Instagram) without the SMS inbox channel.
No. The SMS channel is the customer inbox for inbound texts on your Twilio DID. One-off agent SMS tools and escalation ladders stay separate so support SMS is not mixed with those send paths.
Ready to Answer Every Text?
Put a Botcadence SMS chatbot on the number customers already have. Same knowledge, same inbox, STOP honored.