Use Voice Assist to send text messages

Overview

In addition to answering incoming phone calls, Voice Assist can also respond to your inbound texts 24/7, so no lead goes unanswered even when your office is closed or your team is busy. It responds instantly, answers questions about your business, shares booking links, and hands conversations off to your team when a person is needed.

Because Voice Assist’s text message service shares memory across your calls and texts, a customer who called your business earlier is recognized when they text. They never have to explain their situation from the beginning.

Before You Begin

Make sure the following are in place before setting up Voice Assist texting:

• Voice Assist subscription: Voice Assist texting is included with all Voice Assist plan tiers.
• 10DLC registration: To send and receive texts in the US, your account must be registered under 10DLC (Ten-Digit Long Code) compliance requirements. If you have not completed this step, see Text Message Compliance: 10DLC Regulations and Guidelines before continuing.
• Texting enabled on your tracking numbers: Each number you want to use for AI texting must have texting enabled. To check, go to Settings > Numbers, select a number, and confirm that Enable Texting is turned on under Text Options.
• Completed Business Profile: Your Business Profile tells Voice Assist texting about your services, hours, and booking options. You will complete or review this during setup.
• Booking URL (optional, but recommended): A booking URL in your Voice Assist settings lets the AI share a scheduling link when a customer asks to book. If you connect a Calendly or Google Calendar integration, the AI will send a link specific to the service or time slot the customer requests. If you have a booking URL but no calendar integration, the AI will send that URL. If you have neither, the AI will let the customer know scheduling is unavailable and offer to have someone follow up.

Setting Up Voice Assist Texting

The setup flow depends on whether you are new to Voice Assist or already using it for calls.

New Voice Assist Customers

This flow sets up both AI calls and AI texts at the same time.

1. In CallRail, go to Settings > Workflow > Voice Assist.
2. Click Get Started to launch the setup guide.
3. On the Guided Setup panel, review what you will configure and click Next.
4. On the Business Website panel, enter your business website URL. Voice Assist will use your website to learn about your services, hours, and more. Click Next.
5. On the Conversation Settings panel, review how Voice Assist engages with customers. This panel includes:

• A read-only display of the legal disclaimer that AI texts send to new contacts (required for SMS compliance).

6. Click Next.
7. On the Lead Intake Questions panel, add the questions you want Voice Assist to ask leads during calls and texts. Click Next.
8. On the Review Business Profile panel, confirm the Business Profile built from your website. When you are ready to preview Voice Assist, click Save and Test:

• Select Test AI calls to receive a test call to your phone number and hear how the call agent responds.
• Select Test AI texts to open a chat window where you can type messages as if you were a customer and see how the text agent responds.
• You can test both. After finishing one test, a prompt will appear to switch to the other channel.

9. On the Review Voice Assist Setup panel, confirm your configuration. Click Next.
10. On the Activation panel, choose which scenarios Voice Assist handles:

• Under Calls, select After-hours, Overflow, or both.
• Under Texts, select After-hours, On-hours, or both.
• A banner shows how many tracking numbers will be assigned. Click the link in the banner to review the list and deselect any numbers you do not want to include.
• Click Activate Voice Assist.

11. On the Setup Complete screen, you will see a link to the Simple Deploy page where you can further configure any settings you want.

Existing Voice Assist Customers

If Voice Assist is already handling your calls, use this shorter flow to add texting to your account. Your existing call configuration will not change.

1. In CallRail, go to Settings > Workflow > Voice Assist.
2. Click Set Up Voice Assist Texting.
3. On the Guided Setup panel, review what you will configure and click Next.
4. On the Conversation Settings panel, review configuration options for the text agent. This panel includes:
   • A read-only display of the legal disclaimer for AI texts.
   • A Context Sharing setting. When turned on, the text agent can reference your customers' prior call history, and the call agent can reference prior texts. This is turned off by default for existing Voice Assist accounts. Turn it on if you want the two agents to share context across channels.
5. Click Next.
6. On the Review Business Profile panel, review your existing Business Profile. Click Save and Test to open a chat window where you can preview how the text agent responds before going live. Click Finish Testing when done.
7. On the Review Voice Assist Setup panel, confirm your configuration. Click Next.
8. You will be directed via pop-ups in CallRail to the Number Settings page, where you can set up Number Forwarding for the tracking number you want to use.
9. You will then be directed to turn on SMS texting for the number, as well.
10. Once these two features are enabled, Save the settings, and Voice Assist will be complete.

Managing Your Numbers

After setup, use the Simple Deploy page to see and manage the Voice Assist status of all your tracking numbers. Go to Settings > Workflow > Voice Assist and click Simple Deploy.

The page shows two columns: AI calls and AI texts. Each number will show one of these statuses:

• Active: Voice Assist is active. The sub-label shows which scenarios are covered: After Hours, Overflow, and/or On Hours.
• Inactive: Voice Assist is not active for this number.If the number is managed manually in a call flow or message flow, it will show "Managed in a call flow" or "Managed in a message flow." When AI texts are inactive, this means texting is disabled at the number level. To resolve this, go to Settings > Numbers, select the number, and turn on Enable Texting under Text Options.
• 10DLC registration pending (AI texts only): The number is waiting for 10DLC registration to complete. Complete your 10DLC registration to move the number from Pending to On.

To update the Voice Assist settings for a number:

1. On the Simple Deploy page, check the box next to the number you want to update. You can select multiple numbers at once.
2. In the action bar that appears, check or uncheck After-hours, On-hours, and Overflow as needed.
3. To edit one number in detail, click Edit per number to open a settings panel for that number.
4. Click Apply.

How Voice Assist Texting Works

When a customer texts one of your Voice Assist-enabled tracking numbers:

1. Voice Assist texting sends an immediate reply with a legal disclaimer, as required for SMS compliance.
2. The AI uses your Business Profile to answer follow-up questions about your services, hours, and pricing.
3. If the customer asks to schedule, Voice Assist texting sends a booking link. If you have Calendly or Google Calendar connected, the link is specific to the service or time the customer asked about. Otherwise, it sends your static booking URL from Voice Assist settings.
4. If the conversation needs a human, Voice Assist texting escalates and notifies your team.

When Voice Assist Texting Hands Off to Your Team

Voice Assist texting will escalate a conversation to a team member when any of the following occur:

• The customer asks to speak with a person.
• The customer expresses frustration or anger.
• Health, billing, or technical topics come up in the conversation.
• The customer wants to schedule but no booking URL is configured.
• Questions arise that the AI cannot answer.

Taking Over a Conversation

Any team member can take over an AI-handled conversation at any time from the Messaging app. Open the conversation and click Take Over. Once a team member takes over, Voice Assist texting will not re-enter that conversation.

What You See in the App

• Text threads handled by Voice Assist texting are marked with a purple label and icon.
• Escalated threads show a yellow warning icon and a red dot.
• An escalation banner at the top of the thread explains why the conversation was handed off.
• The text reply field is hidden while Voice Assist texting is active. It reappears after a team member takes over.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Voice Assist texting schedule appointments for customers?

Voice Assist texting can share your booking link when a customer is ready to schedule, but it does not add appointments directly to your calendar. The customer clicks the link and completes booking on their own. If you have Calendly or Google Calendar connected, Voice Assist will send a link specific to the service or time slot the customer asked about.

What happens if a customer sends a photo or image?

Voice Assist texting cannot process images or multimedia messages. When it receives one, it automatically replies to let the customer know and offers to connect them with a member of your team.

Can I choose which tracking numbers use Voice Assist texting?

Yes. During setup, you can review and deselect specific numbers before activating. After setup, use the Simple Deploy page (see Managing Your Numbers above) to turn Voice Assist texting on or off for individual numbers at any time.

What is Context Sharing?

Context Sharing lets the call agent and text agent share conversation history with each other. When it is on, the text agent can see recent calls a customer has made, and the call agent can reference recent texts. This means customers do not have to repeat themselves when they switch from calling to texting or vice versa. You can find this setting under Settings > Workflow > Voice Assist > Conversation Settings.

Will setting up Voice Assist texting change how my calls are handled?

No. If you are already using Voice Assist for calls, the setup flow only adds texting. Your existing call configuration will not be affected.

What do I do if my numbers show a Pending status?

A Pending status means Voice Assist texting is configured for that number but is waiting for 10DLC registration to be approved before it can go live. Complete your 10DLC registration to resolve this. For help, see Text Message Compliance: 10DLC Regulations and Guidelines  .

Is Voice Assist texting available for HIPAA-covered businesses?

HIPAA compliance for Voice Assist texting is not yet available.