Customers expect to reach businesses by text as easily as they do friends and family. With Telzio, any small business can turn its existing phone number into a full‑featured SMS channel with no new equipment. In this guide, you'll learn how to:
- enable SMS on your existing business numbers
- send and receive messages from your computer or mobile phone
- streamline conversations with collaboration tools, automated SMS, analytics, and more.
What’s in this article:
- How to enable SMS on your business numbers
- How to send and receive text messages for your business
- Advanced SMS tools from Telzio
- Tools for teamwork like comment and reassign
1. How to enable SMS on your business numbers
Port or get a new number
If you already have a local or toll‑free number you love where you want to enable text messaging services, you can port it to Telzio with zero downtime. Or you can browse the inventory inside your Telzio Dashboard and get a fresh new number.
Register with The Campaign Registry (TCR)
US carriers now require businesses that text customers to be registered. Telzio simplifies TCR registration within the dashboard so your messages get delivered reliably.
Set up routing for inbound messages
Choose where each incoming SMS should land: an individual user, a group, email, or another number.
This two‑minute video walks you through the setup.
2. How to send and receive text messages for your business
Create users for your team
Each employee gets a unique Telzio login, letting you track who said what and assign conversations quickly.
Use the mobile app or the dashboard
Reply in the Telzio Mobile App or on your browser from the dashboard. Both places show the full conversation history so anyone can step in and help a customer without missing context.
3. Advanced SMS tools from Telzio
Mobile app and dashboard
Text from your business number on any device. Messages stay synced so your team always has up‑to‑date information.
Collaboration
Forward or reassign a conversation to a colleague with one click. Mention teammates inside a thread to grab their attention and keep the customer experience seamless.
Automated SMS
Automatically text callers based on actions in your call flow. Here are four popular ways to use the feature:
Promotional messages: After a caller hears product details, automatically send a text with a purchase link.
Text-only hotlines: Advertise a dedicated text number and send instructions if someone calls instead.
Missed call alerts: Notify your team when a high-value call is missed and reassure the caller you will call back.
Payment confirmation: Send customers a receipt by SMS and alert accounting at the same time.
See automated SMS in action:
Analytics
Built‑in reports show message volume, response times, and top‑performing numbers so you can optimize staffing.
International texting
Reach customers worldwide with local numbers in over 65 countries and toll‑free numbers in many regions.
4. Tools for teamwork like comment and reassign
Tags make it easy to sort voicemails, recordings, and SMS threads. Custom tags can be created and added to conversations. One might filter by tags - to review "follow up" items or quickly see messages marked "urgent."
Not your responsibility? Use Reassign to pass control to a coworker without losing the chat history. Your customer never notices the hand‑off.
5. How to get an SMS enabled phone number
- Log in to your Telzio Dashboard and go to Plans and Numbers.
- Click Add Numbers.
- Choose a country, then select Local or Toll‑Free.
- Filter the list by the SMS icon to see texting‑capable numbers.
- Add the numbers you want to your cart and adjust the SMS slider to match your anticipated usage.
- Review and confirm your plan. All inbound SMS is included.
- Configure the Inbound Call Destination and Inbound SMS Destination so your calls and texts reach the right place.
Next Steps: Start with text messaging service for your business today
Talk to a Telzio sales advisor to get your numbers registered and your team onboarded. Telzio offers full support for your business phone and text messaging needs.