How does it work?
Some information is not ideal to give verbally. You don't want the AI phone agent to say to callers that they can go to https://mystore.com/checkouts/28934071381, or to say their personal discount code is FNW83E8BIU.
Instead, the AI phone agent can send an SMS to the person it's calling with, during the call.
How to add the action?
First you need to buy a phone number and connect Twilio. See this guide to do that.
Next, open your agent and click on the "Actions" tab:
Create a new action and choose Send SMS with Twilio. You should then see the popup below, but then with Twilio connected (I didn't connect it here as you can see):
First describe when the agent should send the SMS. For example: When the user expressed interest in receiving an SMS with the checkout link to complete their order, invoke this action to send them the SMS.
Note: Also describe in the agent's instructions when to use this action – this will improve accuracy of the agent
Next, choose if you want to send an AI SMS or a Fixed SMS:
When to choose AI SMS:
Every message needs to be very different based on the conversation, or you need to use info that is gathered in the conversation and not available in the dynamic variables.
Example:
In this SMS, greet the customer by saying "Hey" plus their first name if they said their name. If they didn't say their name you can just say "Hey". Then take the product page link of the product they were most interested in and add it to the SMS. Here's an example of a good SMS: Hey Carlos, here is the link: https://superniceclothes.com/products/sweater-blue
When to choose Fixed SMS:
You have 1 message you send to everyone, but you can also add dynamic variables in this SMS, like {{customer_name}} or {{checkout_url}}.
Example:
Hey {{customer_name}}, you can complete your SuperniceClothes order by clicking here: {{checkout_url}}.
Tip: for SMS you pay Twilio based on the amount of characters you use, so don't make the SMSes too long!
Lastly, hit save and you're done!
Frequently asked questions
To what number does the agent send the SMS?
It will automatically send the SMS to the person it is on the phone with
When exactly does the agent send the SMS?
It does it instantly. So in the call it will just say "I'll send you the SMS with the code" and people will have it instantly. So it does not wait until the end of the call and send it afterwards or something.
The agent said it sent an SMS but it didn't, why?
First go to the call history page, go to the conversation, and check if the action was used:
If nothing there, the problem lies in the instructions. Double check if your agent's instructions and your SMS action instructions are clear enough, and there's no other way to interpret it.
If the action is executed correctly, the error has to do with Twilio. Click on the action to see what you received back:
If the error is that there are no SMSes allowed in the US, you need to register for that. Check the guide on integrating Twilio for SMS to see how it works.