ServiceM8's Two Way SMS Addon allows your customers to reply to messages sent from within ServiceM8.
Activate the Two Way SMS Addon
- Go to Settings > ServiceM8 Addons
- Scroll down the list of Addons to find "Two Way SMS" (or use the search function)
- Click the Addon to view its details
- Turn on the switch to activate the Two Way SMS Addon
Send an SMS Message
Once you've activated the Two Way SMS Addon, each message you send from ServiceM8 will have a link added to the end of the message. Tapping this link allows the recipient to reply to the message. Note that the appended link is not visible in the history of messages sent in the Job Diary. It will only appear on the recipient's mobile device.
You don't need to do anything else. Once the Two Way SMS Addon is activated, your customers will be able to reply to the messages you send from ServiceM8.
How Do Customers Reply to SMS Messages?
When a customer taps the "reply" link from a ServiceM8 message, their mobile device will show a conversation history of the messages that have been sent to and received by them, for that specific job. This is similar to the Messages application on any smartphone, but has additional benefits:
- highlighting of important links such as Invoices, Feedback and Track My Arrival
- separation of conversations between different Jobs
- branded with your business logo
The customer can reply by typing a message in the text box at the bottom of the screen and then tapping the Send button. They can also optionally attach photos to their message using the Photo button at the bottom left.
Viewing Customer Reply Messages
When a customer uses the Two Way SMS page to send a reply, their message (and any attached photos) will be added to the Diary of the relevant job in ServiceM8. ServiceM8 will also send a notification to the Staff member who last sent an SMS to the customer, so they're instantly aware that the customer has replied.
What happens if the customer replies months later, after the job is completed?
To prevent conversations from being lost in the Diaries of Jobs that have long since been completed and are no longer being viewed regularly, any replies that ServiceM8 receives for Completed Jobs which have also been Paid will be copied into your ServiceM8 Inbox, as well as in the Diary of the relevant Job.
This ensures you don't miss the message, and allows you to easily create a new Job from the received message in case the customer was enquiring about follow-up work.