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Custom SMS Number

What a custom SMS number is and why you have it.

Alyssa Moretti avatar
Written by Alyssa Moretti
Updated over a week ago

What is a Custom SMS Number?

Pros must now Register for Text Messages in order to set up a Custom SMS number. While your registration is under review, you can familiarize yourself with our SMS features in the Custom SMS Number collection of our Help Center.

The ability to add a Custom SMS Number is available on all plans once you complete the registration process.* It allows you to select a custom, randomly generated phone number within the area code you choose. This phone number will be the number that your automated text messages come from.  

Setting your custom SMS number gives your customers the ability to reply to your automated messages! Their responses will go straight to the messages portion of your app. If your customer calls that number, it will forward to your business number you have set in your company settings.  

Clicking the edit icon within each message will allow you to customize the text. You also have the option to show the picture of the employee assigned to the job in the on my way text. A picture must be uploaded to the employee's user profile in order to be shown.

How Do I Set up a Custom SMS Number?

Choose your custom SMS number to receive customer replies to notifications and allow them to pay by text

Currently only available to: Essentials, Essentials +, and Max Plans (formerly Grow, Manage and XL).

*Click here to view a step-by-step walkthrough of Custom SMS registration

Follow these steps to Register and set up your Custom SMS number. This is the number your automated texts will come from and gives you the ability to send your customers invoices and estimates via text.

To set up your Custom SMS number, click on the setting gear icon in the upper right corner.

Next, select 'Text Messages.'

Click 'Register' on the Text Messages settings page.

Select whether you have an EIN > Confirm the populated info and enter additional items > Submit your registration

Once approved, you will be prompted to select your Custom SMS Number > Enter your area code > Click the arrow > Save Number

Remember that once you've selected a number, it cannot be changed.

Your custom SMS number has now been set!

*Click here to view a step-by-step walkthrough of Custom SMS registration

To read more about the notifications your customers can receive, click here.


How do I customize SMS notifications?

Create and edit schedule, on my way, and finish job text notifications.

First, be sure to register and select a Custom SMS Number. This number is what customers will see when they receive job notifications. When a customer responds to a text notification, the response will be sent to the Housecall Pro mobile app.

Once a number is selected, the job scheduled, on my way, and finished messages can be edited. To edit a message, click the edit icon at the top of the message you want to edit.

Within the edit area, there are several options for 'smart variables' that can be placed into the text notifications. Keep in mind that these messages will go to every customer and cannot be edited from job to job so you should not include a customer's actual name or any other specific information by typing it in.

The smart variables should be used to place things such as customer name, invoice number, or job date and time into the message. When a notification is sent to a customer, the smart variable will determine the correct information for that particular job and send a text message to the customer with the appropriate information.

When typing the custom message into the edit text area, the smart variables will display a sample message on the right side of the page. This represents exactly what a customer will see when they receive the text notification.

You also have the option to include the photo of the employee going to the job in the on my way text message. A picture must be uploaded to the employee's user profile to be shown, below is an example of the text message with a photo included.

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