Set up texting with Twilio or RingCentral

Texts go through your own phone provider, from a number you already have there. You need one of the two, not both. The system never registers your number with the carriers for you: that stays in your provider's account, and the card reads its status back to you.

Steps with RingCentral

1. Open Settings, System, Connections, Phone and find the RingCentral card.
2. Press Connect with RingCentral and sign in as the admin whose extension sends the texts. Or press Use your own RingCentral app instead and paste its Client ID, Client secret and JWT credential, then Connect my app.
3. Under Pick the number texts go from, press Show my numbers, pick one and press Use this number.
4. Read the Registration step. RingCentral keeps the registration in its own admin portal; the card links there.
5. Switch on Log calls, and Recordings if you record calls already.
6. Press Send me a test text. It goes to the mobile on your own profile.

Steps with Twilio

1. Make your Twilio account, buy a number and register it with the carriers: the Twilio setup guide shows each click.
2. On the Twilio card, paste the Account SID and Auth token and press Check and save.
3. Under Pick the number texts go from, choose the number and press Use this number. The system points the number's incoming texts at itself.
4. Read Carrier registration. Until it says approved, carriers may block your texts. Press Check again after Twilio approves it.
5. Switch on Log calls (and Recordings) if calls on that number should land on the client's record.
6. Press Send me a test text.

Good to know

• One service sends every text. With both connected, choose under Texts go through at the top of the page.
• Until client messaging is switched on, only the team and test contacts can be texted. See Turn on client messages.
• US carriers filter business texts from numbers that are not registered (A2P 10DLC, or toll-free verification). Start the registration early: it can take a day to a few weeks.
• Calls and texts from numbers nobody knows wait under Unfiled calls and texts on the same page. See Phone calls on the record.
• Another phone system (Dialpad, Grasshopper, Quo, Aircall and others) can log calls and texts through Zapier or the API: see Connect Zapier.

If something goes wrong

• Connect with RingCentral does not finish. The one-click sign-in needs your license activated (see Your license). Use Use your own RingCentral app instead meanwhile.
• No numbers to pick. On RingCentral, turn texting on for a number in the RingCentral admin portal. On Twilio, buy a number in the Twilio console. Then look again.
• The card says Not working. RingCentral refused the sign-in: an admin presses Connect again.
• Texts send but clients do not get them. Check the registration line: an unregistered number is filtered.