Text the Text Assistant
Text the business number to look up a customer or change a Service.
- An admin turns it on in Admin > Text Assistant and picks who can use it (Admin only to start). Each person needs their cell on their employee profile.
- Text the business number a customer's name, nickname, street or phone. Typos are fine. Add a word to ask something: next, last, balance, programs, properties, notes, estimates or contact. Text today or tomorrow for the day's Services.
- If two customers match, it texts a numbered list. Reply with the number.
- With Smart Routing on, best day Smith (or when can we fit in Smith) answers the best days to add a stop at their property: the team already nearby with room left, from the same engine as an estimate's Best Days to Start. It only suggests; nothing is scheduled.
- Ask in plain words, in any order: Ryan Boyd's last service and what step wirh chemical used answers the last Service, its step, the tech and each product with its rate. Ask several things at once (last service and balance Boyd). Words like chemical, applied, spray or what was put down ask for the products.
- To change a Service, say what to do. The word sets the status, so you never type it: done Smith or mark Smith done (Done), cancel Smith (Cancelled), put Smith on hold (Waiting), reopen Smith (back to Dispatched) and skip Smith: rain (Skipped). move Smith to Fri, give Smith to Ryan, unassign Smith and note Smith: gate code 1234 keep the status it has. It asks first and says the status it will set; reply YES before the time runs out, or NO.
- To dispatch: dispatch Chad Evans next service to Travis today or assign chad evans step 6 to me fri. Pick the Service with next (the default), last, a date (the 11/9 service) or its name or step. With no team or person named (dispatch Chad Evans today), it goes to your own team. Extra words like and have it dispatched are fine. YES assigns the team, moves it to that day and sets it to Dispatched, so it shows on their Route. give, send or hand off only change who has it, unless you add and have it dispatched.
- The Help & Chat Ask box understands all of this too, with Yes and No buttons.
- Use Try It on the settings page to see the answer without sending a text. Check a Number shows where a text from any number would go (Text Assistant or Messages) without sending anything. Recent Texts lists every question and answer.
What each role can be told is set under What It Can Share. Role permissions still apply: balances need Billing, changes need Base. Texts from anyone else, and unknown numbers, still go to Messages. Quiet Hours are on by default, 9 PM to 7 AM. Admins and technicians still get answers. Anyone else gets no reply, nothing changes, and the text shows in Recent Texts as not answered. Nothing goes out later on its own. The Help & Chat Ask box always answers.
Where and How
Text Assistant
Messages › Text Assistant
Your team texts the business number with a name, street or phone and gets a short answer back.
What It Does
Answers staff texts about customers and Services, and can move, skip or add notes when asked.
What It Changes
Staff phones are checked first; customers and unknown numbers still land in Messages. Each answer counts toward this month's texts and cost cap.
How to Use
- Turn the Text Assistant On.
- Pick who can use it below.
- Use Try It to see the answers before your team texts it.
Who Can Use It
Messages › Text Assistant › Who Can Use It
Who can text the assistant is set in Roles & Permissions: the Text Assistant permission, by role or for one person.
What It Does
Lists everyone who can use it now, and whether their cell is on file. The old role and people ticks moved to Roles & Permissions with the same people.
What It Changes
Only people allowed here get answers. Everyone else's texts go to Messages as usual.
How to Use
- Open Team, Roles & Permissions.
- Tick Text Assistant for a role, or add it for one person under Per-Employee Overrides.
- Check each person has a cell on their employee profile.
What It Can Share
Messages › Text Assistant › What It Can Share
Choose what each role can ask about, like balances, schedules or notes.
What It Does
A grid of topics by role, so a technician can see the day's stops but not balances.
What It Changes
The role's own permissions still apply on top: balances need Billing, and moves, skips and notes need Base.
How to Use
- Go down each topic.
- Tick the roles that may ask about it.
- Click Save.
Replies and Limits
Messages › Text Assistant › Replies and Limits
How the assistant answers: confirm before changes, short replies, a daily limit and quiet hours.
What It Does
Sets how long a YES is good for, how long answers can be, how many questions a person can ask a day, and quiet hours.
What It Changes
Applies to the next text. Past the daily limit, texts go to Messages until tomorrow.
How to Use
- Leave Text Me to Confirm on so changes ask first.
- Set the Daily Question Limit (0 = no limit).
- Check quiet hours and click Save.
AI Helper
Messages › Text Assistant › AI Helper
Optional: an outside AI reads only the texts the free matcher couldn't understand.
What It Does
The built-in matcher is free and handles names, nicknames, typos, streets and phones. The AI Helper is a backup for the rest.
What It Changes
When on, only the text of a question it couldn't read is sent to the AI. It never runs on the Demo. Each use counts toward your AI add-on.
How to Use
- Leave it Off unless texts often go unanswered.
- To use it, tick Use an AI Helper and add your AI key (or use Sprout AI Wording).
- Click Save.
Try It
Messages › Text Assistant › Try It
Type a text as one of your people and see exactly what the assistant would answer.
What It Does
Runs the same answer as a real text, with that person's permissions and confirms.
What It Changes
No text is sent and it isn't counted. A YES after a move or skip is real, so try those on the Demo first.
How to Use
- Pick who is texting.
- Type a question like "Smith tomorrow?".
- Click Send and read the answer.
Check a Number
Messages › Text Assistant › Check a Number
See where a text from a phone number would go: to the assistant or to Messages.
What It Does
Looks up the number against your employees and customers.
What It Changes
Nothing is sent or saved.
How to Use
- Type the phone number.
- Click Check.
- If it should reach the assistant, add it to that person's employee profile.
Recent Texts
Messages › Text Assistant › Recent Texts
The latest questions your team texted and what the assistant answered.
What It Does
Lists each text with when, who, the question, the answer and the result.
What It Changes
Read only. Try It texts are marked so you can tell them apart.
How to Use
- Look for answers marked Not Answered.
- Use Try It to test a better way to ask.
- Change What It Can Share if someone needed more.
Text Assistant
Messages › Text Assistant › Text Assistant
Each question and its answer, counted in text segments at the cost per text below. Try It is not counted.
Who Can Use It
Messages › Text Assistant › Who Can Use It
Everyone in a ticked role can text it. Starts with the admin role only.
Who Can Use It
Messages › Text Assistant › Who Can Use It
Add someone one by one, whatever their role. Their cell on their employee profile is how they're known.
What It Can Share
Messages › Text Assistant › What It Can Share
The role's permissions still apply on top: balances need Billing, moves, skips and notes need Base, the same as the pages.
Replies and Limits
Messages › Text Assistant › Replies and Limits
Moves, skips and notes ask first: "Move Aeration · Smith · 10/16 to Fri 10/17? Reply YES".
Replies and Limits
Messages › Text Assistant › Replies and Limits
One text (160 characters). Off allows up to three.
Replies and Limits
Messages › Text Assistant › Replies and Limits
0 = no limit. Past it, texts go to Messages until tomorrow.
Replies and Limits
Messages › Text Assistant › Replies and Limits
What the texting provider charges per segment, in and out. Used for the monthly cost.
Replies and Limits
Messages › Text Assistant › Replies and Limits
At the cap it pauses and texts the people above once (held during quiet hours). 0 = no cap.
AI Helper
Messages › Text Assistant › AI Helper
Optional and off. When on, only a text the free matcher couldn't read goes to the AI. Never runs on the Demo.
AI Helper
Messages › Text Assistant › AI Helper
Stored encrypted like the card keys; never shown again.
Check a Number
Messages › Text Assistant › Check a Number
Shows where a text from this number would go. Nothing is sent or saved.
From the same help as the card in the app.
Updated 10/23/26