Text Assistant

16
Claire GautreauxOwner

Top Tasks

Follow up on large patchSend estimate for bed weed controlFollow up on large patch
Clock InToday: 5 stops

Talk

MessagesEmailsShared Notes

Work

Tasks11My DayMy Timesheet30.7h

Me

Time OffMy PayMy FilesMy EarningsDocuments
My Settings
Help
Help CenterSupport ChatAnnouncementsFeature Requests
Sign Out
Log Out
Switch
OfficeCustomer
Text Assistant
Dashboard Base Board Waiting Services Upcoming Services This Month on Base Routing Today's Teams Tickets Waiting on Parts Done Tickets Route Quick Calc Tasks Customers Properties Quote Requests Tags Soil Tests Programs Services Products Equipment Reference Estimates Estimate Pipeline Estimate Templates Add-on Offers Renewals Estimate Reports Stages & Reasons Invoices Card Payments Statements Deposits Price Rules Price Changes Import Prices Vendors Expenses Bills Checks Purchase Orders Mileage Timesheets Time Off Pay Runs Commission 1099s Sales Tax Texting Bill Aging Revenue by Service P&L Cash Flow Budgets Ledger Money Log Reports Scorecard Employees Roles & Permissions Shop Wall Clock My Earnings Emails Messages Automations Text Assistant Send Safety Website Reviews Customer Survey Lead Sources Service Status Change Log Integrations
DemoSample company and data, reset every night. Demo: messages are simulated, nothing is actually sent.Exit demo

At A Glance

Who can text the assistant, how many roles are set up, and how many recent replies it sent.MoreLess
What It Does
Counts what is already on this page. Tap a number to open that list.
What It Changes
Nothing. It only counts.
How to Use
  1. Open Text Assistant.
  2. Read the numbers at the top.
Help Article
People21can text the assistant
Roles4set up
Recent4assistant replies

Text Assistant

Your team texts the business number with a name, street or phone and gets a short answer back.MoreLess
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
  1. Turn the Text Assistant On.
  2. Pick who can use it below.
  3. Use Try It to see the answers before your team texts it.
Help Article

Staff below text (225)555-0100 with a customer name, street or phone and get a short answer, or move, skip and note Services. Staff phones are checked before customers; anyone else who texts, and unknown numbers, still land in Messages.

Demo: replies are simulated and no text is ever sent. Use Try It below.

4 texts · $0.04 of $10.00 cap

Each question and its answer, counted in text segments at the cost per text below. Try It is not counted.

Who Can Use It

Who can text the assistant is set in Roles & Permissions: the Text Assistant permission, by role or for one person.MoreLess
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
  1. Open Team, Roles & Permissions.
  2. Tick Text Assistant for a role, or add it for one person under Per-Employee Overrides.
  3. Check each person has a cell on their employee profile.
Help Article

Set in Roles & Permissions: tick Text Assistant for a role, or add it for one person under Per-Employee Overrides.

PersonCell
Claire GautreauxOn file

What It Can Share

Choose what each role can ask about, like balances, schedules or notes.MoreLess
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
  1. Go down each topic.
  2. Tick the roles that may ask about it.
  3. Click Save.
Help Article
TopicOwnerClock OnlyOfficeTechnician
Today's and tomorrow's Services
Next and last Service
Programs
Properties and addresses
Phone and email
Notes
Balance and open invoices
Open estimates
Move, skip and note Services

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

How the assistant answers: confirm before changes, short replies, a daily limit and quiet hours.MoreLess
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
  1. Leave Text Me to Confirm on so changes ask first.
  2. Set the Daily Question Limit (0 = no limit).
  3. Check quiet hours and click Save.
Help Article

Moves, skips and notes ask first: "Move Aeration · Smith · 10/16 to Fri 10/17? Reply YES".

A YES after this does nothing; the ask has expired.

One text (160 characters). Off allows up to three.

0 = no limit. Past it, texts go to Messages until tomorrow.

On by default. Uses the company Quiet Hours (now 9:00 PM to 7:00 AM, change). Admins and technicians still get answers. Anyone else gets no reply; the text is logged as not answered and nothing is sent later. The cost cap alert waits until quiet hours end. The Help & Chat Ask box always answers.

What the texting provider charges per segment, in and out. Used for the monthly cost.

At the cap it pauses and texts the people above once (held during quiet hours). 0 = no cap.

AI Helper Off

Optional: an outside AI reads only the texts the free matcher couldn't understand.MoreLess
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
  1. Leave it Off unless texts often go unanswered.
  2. To use it, tick Use an AI Helper and add your AI key (or use Sprout AI Wording).
  3. Click Save.
Help Article

Never runs on the Demo.

Try It

Type a text as one of your people and see exactly what the assistant would answer.MoreLess
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
  1. Pick who is texting.
  2. Type a question like "Smith tomorrow?".
  3. Click Send and read the answer.
Help Article

Tries the text as if it were 11 PM.

Answers exactly as a text would, with the same permissions and confirms. No text is sent. Actions after YES are real (demo data).

Check a Number

See where a text from a phone number would go: to the assistant or to Messages.MoreLess
What It Does
Looks up the number against your employees and customers.
What It Changes
Nothing is sent or saved.
How to Use
  1. Type the phone number.
  2. Click Check.
  3. If it should reach the assistant, add it to that person's employee profile.
Help Article

Type a number and press Check.

Shows where a text from this number would go. Nothing is sent or saved.

Recent Texts

The latest questions your team texted and what the assistant answered.MoreLess
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
  1. Look for answers marked Not Answered.
  2. Use Try It to test a better way to ask.
  3. Change What It Can Share if someone needed more.
Help Article
WhenWhoTextAnswerResult
10/23 2:29am Claire Gautreaux note baker: gate code 2468 Add note to Premier Lawn - Pre-emergent Round 1 · Debra Baker · 10/26: "gate code 2468"? Reply YES (10 min) or NO. Asked
10/23 1:15am Claire Gautreaux rebecca Rebecca Wright. Next Premier Lawn - Winter Pre-emergent Mon 10/26. 10366 Oliphant Road. Answered
10/23 12:51am Claire Gautreaux balance maplewood drive Amy Wright owes $0.00. Answered
10/23 12:27am Claire Gautreaux next bell Amy Bell next: Signature Lawn - Pre-emergent Round 1 Mon 10/26. Answered
Quick Calc

Type a rate, mix or unit question, or tap an example.