Extensions

SMS Channel Add-on

Customers can text your existing agent and get a reply, on a number you own.

Text messages get read fast, and many customers would rather text than call or wait for an email. This add-on gives the agent you already run two-way SMS on a number in your own telephony account. Customers text a question and get a reply from approved knowledge, threaded like a normal conversation, with a handoff to your team when needed.

  • Holds two-way text conversations on a number you own
  • Replies from the knowledge your agent already uses
  • Hands conversations to your team using your existing rules
$1,500 10–20 working days
Small ceramic message block with two paper slips, two-way texts answered by an existing agent.

What it is

The SMS Channel Add-on adds two-way text messaging to an AI agent you already run or are buying now. Customers text a number in your own telephony account, and the agent replies with the knowledge and rules it already follows. Conversations stay threaded, and it is tested with the parent product.

Why businesses buy it

Customers text because it is quick and fits around their day. If your number cannot answer texts, or a person has to reply by hand, those conversations stall. Adding SMS to the agent you already run gives them an answer straight away, from the same approved knowledge, while you keep the number and the history. The scope is written down before you order: one number, two-way threading, handoff using your agent's settings, and testing with the parent product.

Problems this solves

Customers text your number and nobody replies for hours

The add-on adds two-way SMS to your existing agent. Customers text a number in your own telephony account and get replies from the knowledge and rules the agent already follows.

Some customers never open email or install messaging apps

Text messages reach almost any phone without an extra app. Customers who rely on SMS can talk to your agent in the way they already use every day.

Text conversations lose context between one message and the next

Conversations stay threaded, so the agent and your team can see the earlier messages. The channel is tested with the parent product before customers use it.

Scope card SKU UPM-A0006

SMS Channel Add-on

Everything this build includes, written down before you pay. Choose how you want it, own the code or license it yearly, then the delivery speed and any add-ons.

$1,500 one-time build price

What is included

Channel
As per the parent product
Integrations
As described in the add-on
Knowledge
As per the parent product
Workflows
Adds two-way SMS to an existing agent
Languages
As per the parent product
Testing
Tested together with the parent product
Revisions
1 round
Handoff
Written handover report
Support
14 days after launch

A good fit if

Customers text your business number and those messages go unanswered or wait for staff.
Your agent already answers well on chat, phone or WhatsApp and you want text messages handled the same way.
You have, or can open, an SMS-capable number in a telephony account such as Twilio.
Your customers are more likely to text than install an app or open a website.

Not the right fit if

Your customers mostly use WhatsApp. The WhatsApp Channel Add-on connects the agent there instead.
You want to send one-way alerts and reminders, not hold conversations. AI Notification Orchestrator sends the right alert to the right channel.
You want customers to speak rather than type. The Voice Channel Add-on gives a text agent a phone line.
Your product is not conversational, for example a reporting or document tool. SMS only fits voice, messaging, chat and action agents.

How it works

  1. We attach an SMS number. It comes from your own telephony account, and you keep it.
  2. Texts reach the agent. Each incoming message joins the right conversation, so replies follow the thread.
  3. Replies stay short and approved. The agent answers from its existing knowledge, written for a text message.
  4. People step in when needed. Requests outside scope follow the parent agent's handoff settings.
  5. Two-way tests are run with the parent product, then reviewed by you with one revision round before launch.

What you provide within 72 hours

Your portal lists these the moment you order. Delivery starts the working day after everything is in and your access is checked.

  • The order reference of the agent taking on SMS
  • A telephony account in your name with an SMS-capable number
  • Telephony access, shared securely in the way we agree at intake, never by email
  • Any opt-in or opt-out wording you already use for text messages
  • One person who approves the SMS replies
The 72-hour rule. Send everything on your checklist, including access, within 72 hours of ordering so your build starts on time.

Timeline

Start SMS number and access confirmed
Weeks 1–2 Number connected to the agent
Week 2 Reply length, threading and handoff set
Week 2 Two-way text tests with the parent product
Week 2 Your review and one revision round
Go-live SMS live, test report and walkthrough handed over
Delivery options, in working days (Monday to Friday) from completed intake. They can extend because of national or public holidays, technical issues outside our control (such as platform outages, third-party changes, account approvals or access delays), or natural disasters and other events beyond our control. If a delay happens, we tell you in writing with a new date.
OptionDelivery timePrice
Standard10–20 working days$1,500

What you receive at handover

  • Two-way SMS added to your existing agent
  • A number in your own telephony account, with threaded conversations
  • A test report from testing with the parent product
  • Updated documentation, a handoff note and a short written walkthrough
  • 14 days of support

Expected benefits and how to measure them

  • Can reach customers who prefer plain text messages.
  • Helps keep SMS conversations organized with full history.
SMS conversations
Count text conversations per week from your telephony account or agent logs, from launch onwards.
SMS reply time
Compare time to first reply on texts for the month before launch and the month after.
Resolved by text
Track SMS conversations closed without a handoff to your team, from the agent's logs, each month.

Before you start: Note how many texts your business receives each week today and how they are answered. Record typical reply times.

These are things to track, not promised results. Outcomes depend on your data, your team and your market.

Running costs

Text messages are charged per message by your telephony provider, and number rental is billed there too. AI model usage for the replies goes to your own model accounts. We add nothing per text, and the add-on is paid once.

Ask about running costs

Custom requirements

Bulk sending, several SMS numbers, or keyword campaigns are outside this add-on. Add a note at checkout and we send a written Change Quote, starting that work only after you accept it. Larger or bespoke projects go through the Custom AI request form instead.

Request a custom version

Keep it running

SMS is covered by the parent product's maintenance, which grows in line with the add-on's price. Reply wording, opt-out text and handoff changes use its monthly change hours.

Adds $75/mo to maintenance

Covered by the main product's maintenance, which grows by this amount.

How maintenance works

How this compares

Do it yourself with a SaaS toolHire a custom agencyUpmark Labs
Price A business texting tool bills monthly per number or per user An agency quotes an SMS integration Ours is one fixed price, shown before you buy
Number Often rented inside the tool Depends on the contract Ours uses a number in your own telephony account
Replies Canned responses you maintain Built to the brief Ours come from your agent's approved knowledge
Testing Left to you Set per project Ours runs two-way text tests with the parent product

Questions about this product

Can customers text the same number they already call?

Often, yes, if that number can receive SMS in your telephony account. Some landline numbers cannot take texts, in which case you add an SMS-capable number in your own account. We check this during intake so the plan is clear before building starts.

How are SMS charges billed?

Your telephony provider bills you per message and for the number, in your own account. AI model usage for the replies is billed to your model account. Upmark Labs charges a one-time price for the add-on and nothing per text.

Does the agent keep track of a text conversation?

Yes. Each incoming text joins the right conversation, so a customer who replies an hour later gets an answer that follows what was already said. Replies are kept short enough for text messages, while still coming from the agent's approved knowledge.

Can the SMS channel send marketing blasts?

No. This add-on handles two-way conversations started by customers or by the agent's existing flows. Bulk campaigns and keyword marketing are outside its scope. Note them at checkout for a written Change Quote, or look at a dedicated campaign product such as the WhatsApp AI Campaign Agent instead.

Is there a faster way to get the SMS channel live?

Yes. The add-on follows the delivery speed chosen for its parent product, so picking Express or Rush for the product brings SMS with it. Each speed has a fixed price and date, shown before you pay. Number registration with your carrier can take time in some countries, so start it during intake.

How do customers stop the texts?

Opt-out handling uses the wording you provide during intake, and we test that an opt-out request is respected. If you have no wording yet, agree it with whoever looks after your customer communications before launch, as rules differ by country.

Answer the texts your customers already send.

Add the SMS Channel Add-on and your agent holds two-way text conversations on a number you own, with replies drawn from approved knowledge.

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