Sending SMS and Email

You can send a text message or email to any customer directly from the messaging inbox. This page walks through both options step by step.

Sending a Manual SMS

1. Click Messages in the sidebar.
2. Find the customer in the contact list on the left. Use the search bar if needed.
3. Click on their name to open the conversation.
4. In the compose area at the bottom, make sure the toggle is set to SMS.

1. Type your message in the text area. A character counter to the right of the field shows how many characters remain out of the 160-character limit.

1. Check the phone number. It is auto-filled from the customer's record. Edit it if the number on file is wrong.
2. Click Send.
3. A success toast appears at the top of the screen. Your message shows in the thread as an outbound chat bubble on the right side.

Sending a Manual Email

1. Click Messages in the sidebar.
2. Find and select the customer in the contact list.
3. Open their conversation.
4. In the compose area, switch the toggle to Email.

1. Enter a subject line.
2. Type your message in the body field.
3. Check the email address. It is auto-filled from the customer's record.
4. Click Send.
5. The email is sent from "{Your Business Name}" <notifications@cleanestimate.pro>. The customer sees your business name as the sender.
6. When the customer replies, the reply is routed back to your inbox automatically.

Using AI Draft

The AI Draft button helps you write follow-up messages faster. It works for both SMS and email.

1. Open a customer conversation and go to the compose area.
2. Click the AI Draft button (the Sparkles icon next to the Send button).

1. The system analyzes the estimate's age, its current status, and the full conversation history.
2. A suggested message appears in the compose field.
3. Read the suggestion. Edit it to match your voice and add any details the AI missed.
4. Click Send when you are satisfied.

AI Draft works best on estimates that are three or more days old. At that point, the system has enough context to write a relevant follow-up.

What Customers Receive

SMS

The customer receives a plain text message from your Twilio phone number. There is no special formatting or branding. It looks like a regular text.

Email

The customer receives an HTML-formatted email. The sender line reads as your business name with the address notifications@cleanestimate.pro. The reply-to address is set to your organization's email address so that replies route back to your inbox.

Prerequisites

Before you can send messages, make sure the following are in place:

For SMS

• Twilio must be connected. Go to Settings then Integrations then Twilio to set up the connection.
• The SMS add-on must be active on your plan. Go to Settings then Billing to check.

For Email

• Email sending uses Resend and is configured automatically for all accounts. No setup is required on your end.

Troubleshooting

The Send button is grayed out. Check that Twilio is connected and that the SMS add-on is active on your plan. If either is missing, the SMS Send button will be disabled.

The customer says they did not receive my SMS. Verify the phone number format. It should be a 10-digit US phone number with no dashes or spaces. International numbers are not supported.

An email reply did not show up in my inbox. The customer must reply to the cleanestimate.pro address. If they forward the email or reply to a different address, the reply will not be routed to your inbox.