Understanding How SMS Replies Work in Workflows

How SMS Replies Interact with Workflows

When a contact is in a workflow that sends them an automated SMS and then waits for their reply, it's important to understand how manual SMS messages can affect this process.

The Challenge with Manual SMS During Workflows

If someone manually sends an SMS to a contact while that contact is in a workflow waiting for a reply, the system may not correctly recognize the contact's subsequent reply. This happens because:

• SMS messages lack the threading capability that email has, making it difficult for the system to associate a reply with a specific outgoing message when multiple messages exist.
• The workflow's wait step is designed to listen for a reply to its specific automated message, not to any message in the conversation.

Consequences of Sending a Manual SMS

Sending a manual SMS after the workflow's automated SMS can break the chain of communication. If the contact replies, their response might not be attributed to the workflow's original message. Consequently:

• The workflow will not detect the reply.
• The contact will remain stuck at the wait step indefinitely, even though they have responded.

Best Practice

To ensure your workflows function correctly, avoid sending manual SMS messages to contacts who are currently in a workflow that contains a Wait for Customer Reply step for SMS. This prevents any confusion in reply attribution and keeps the contact moving smoothly through the workflow sequence.