Texting

Getting Started

Before you're able to text using Levitate, you must work with your Success Specialist to register for 10DLC compliance. Read more about this process here.

Once you've submitted your registration to Levitate and been approved by our upstream carrier, you're able to start texting!

Levitate can provide you with a unique phone number that you can use to text. Calling is not supported through Levitate.

To request a number, go to Texting in the main navigation menu. You can request a number based on area or zip code.

Once a number is assigned, it will be displayed in the top left-hand corner.

Start texting by clicking on the blue button next to your phone number. You can type in a contact's name or manually enter a phone number for texting.

Individual image attachments cannot exceed 1.7 MB, and the total for all attachments in a single message cannot exceed 3.5 MB. We recommend keeping PDFs under 1 MB for optimal performance.

Managing Text Notifications

You can manage text notifications by going to Settings (under your name in the upper right-hand corner) and scrolling down to the notification section.

Text Number Management

Shared Numbers for Texting in Levitate

Levitate's Texting ability is a great way to quickly communicate with clients. The Shared Numbers for Texting feature allows all Levitate Users of a company to text from one number, accessing the same text threads.

Details

• Levitate Admins request a phone number and choose to share the number with employees
• Levitate Users request a phone number and choose to use an individual number or the shared number
• Levitate Users will always text from either the individual or shared number
• When checking on text messages sent from a shared number, it'll be indicated which user sent the message from the shared number.
• All Levitate Users leveraging the shared number will have access to all text threads associated with the shared number
• Levitate Users can simultaneously communicate in the same text thread
• Companies that utilize the texting feature prior to the release of Shared Texting can reach out to Levitate Support to switch from their existing individual numbers to the shared number

Admins: Creating a Shared Number

When Levitate Admins request their number for texting, they have the option to "Make this number shared so other employees can also use it.

Users: Selecting the Shared Number

When Levitate Users request their number for texting, they will choose the Shared Number rather than an individual number

Text Archiving for Financial Users

Archiving client communication can be a regulatory requirement for various industries, such as the Financial Industry. Levitate facilitates regulatory compliance with Text Archiving, a default feature for Levitate Accounts in the Financial Industry. Text Archiving can be enabled by request for accounts in other industries.

How Does Levitate Facilitate Text Archiving?

When a user texts a client through Levitate, the enabled Text Archiving Feature triggers an email of the text thread to the user's Sent Box. This means that the text conversation lives on the company's email server, adhering to their corporate email archiving protocol. Levitate consistently sends the most recent version of the thread as the conversation continues.

In addition, a copy of the text conversation is accessible on the Contact's Timeline History of their Levitate Profile.

Using Auto-Reply with Levitate texting

There are two types of auto-reply for texts received in Levitate

General Auto-Reply

This type of auto-reply can be turned on if you're out of office for an extended period of time, but has to be turned off to stop sending a reply. It's best for when you go out on vacation, medical leave, or need all of your text messages coming through at any time to get an auto-reply message.

Auto-Reply for outside of business hours

In Levitate, your Success Specialist cam help you set business hours that dictate when your emails and text messages send out from you— but now, you can also use those business hours to decide when an auto-reply will go out. If you'd like to have a message for contacts that send you a text outside of your business hours that are set on Levitate, we can do that! It doesn't need to be turned off and on, just write a message and toggle it on once.

For example, if someone texts your Levitate number at 8PM, but your business hours end at 6PM, they will get an auto-reply from you!

Here's what an auto-reply can look like:

And here's what the setup looks like:

You'll go to Texting and click 'Manage Automatic Responses' in the upper right corner. From there, you'll get this pop-up to fill out

Just so there are no double auto-replies going out, you can only have one of these enabled at a time.

If you choose 'Enable Auto Reply' that will send every text you receive an automatic reply, regardless of the time of day or day of the week.

If you choose 'Enable Auto Reply after business hours,' you will only send an automatic reply if you receive a text outside of your set business hours.

In the instance of a Shared Number for texting, only the Owner of the number can set up Auto-Reply for the number.

A contact has multiple phone numbers on their contact profile, is there any preference when starting a text?

If there is a number that's been identified as a mobile number, we will attempt to text that first. Otherwise, if the numbers are al ljust listed as 'phone number' we will attempt to text based on what's listed on the contact profile first.

Text Campaigns

Click here to learn more about Text Campaigns!

Texting & Automation

Click here to learn more about Texting & Automations! 

Do's and Do Not's of Texting

Texting is another channel for you to communicate with your clients. As with emails, there are some good practices we recommend, and situations to avoid.

DO introduce yourself in the first text.

DO keep it personal and conversational — we included emoji's!

DO keep it short.

DO reply promptly.

DON'T mass blast — just as with emails, you must comply with the CAN-SPAM act. Similar to email addresses, your phone number can also be flagged for spam and be rejected by carriers. Levitate is not providing the mass blast capability for this initial release of the texting feature.

DON'T text clients at night — keep it during business hours.

DON'T text a client if they prefer another communication channel. Create a key fact to remind yourself their communication preference.

For more tips and texting use-cases, please watch our Webinar recording here.