GoTo Connect Basic SMS Capabilities

GoTo Connect offers SMS capabilities as part of its cloud-based unified communications platform, allowing users to send and receive text messages from their business phone numbers. Available on both desktop and mobile devices, SMS messaging is integrated into the GoTo Connect softphone and web portal, providing seamless communication across platforms. It is offered as an Add-on to all GoTo Connect Base Licenses. 

The system supports two-way messaging, enabling real-time text conversations with customers and team members, though it does not currently support MMS (pictures, videos, or group texting). Users can access and manage message history within the platform, ensuring easy tracking and organisation of conversations. 

Administrators have control over SMS permissions, allowing them to assign messaging capabilities to specific users while maintaining security and compliance with industry regulations. Businesses use GoTo Connect SMS for appointment reminders, customer inquiries, internal  communication, and notifications, enhancing efficiency without requiring personal phone numbers.

GoTo Connect, SMS messages can be directed in three ways:

Direct to an Individual User – SMS messages are sent to a specific user’s assigned business phone number, and only that user can view and respond to them. Multiple people can use a single SMS service number, but every assigned user can see the complete SMS history. 

Shared Inbox Queue with Contact Centre– SMS messages are routed to a shared inbox, allowing multiple assigned users to view and respond. This is useful for teams handling customer support, sales, or general inquiries collaboratively.

A Shared Inbox with Connect CX (Customer Experience) in GoTo Connect is an advanced feature that consolidates multiple communication channels into a single, unified interface. This allows teams to collaboratively manage customer interactions across SMS, web chat, social media, and other messaging platforms.

Administrators can configure whether SMS messages go directly to individuals, shared inbox or into a shared inbox queue through the GoTo Admin Portal. 

Inbox Queues

An Inbox Queue is a centralised messaging system that allows multiple users to access, manage, and respond to incoming messages—such as SMS, emails, or voicemails—in an organised manner. It ensures that messages are handled efficiently by distributing them among team members instead of being assigned to a single individual.

This gives you the flexibility to organise campaign and channel information by team or individual. Each inbox can be customised with WhatsApp, SMS, Facebook, Instagram, and web chat, each with its own after-hours schedule and follow-up survey. This enhancement empowers Customer Engagement and CX to scale seamlessly with their business needs.

Instant SMS Response 

For non-existing Contacts (via Phone Number config)

In GoTo Connect’s SMS service, the Instant Response feature can be configured to only send automated replies to non-existing contacts—meaning the system will automatically reply to customers who have not previously messaged your business number. This ensures that the responses are used primarily for first-time inquiries or unfamiliar phone numbers. 

For Missed Calls (via User Config)

Instant SMS Response (per phone number config) In GoTo Connect, you can set up SMS Instant Response for Missed Calls for individual users, meaning that if a customer calls a specific user but the call is missed, the system can automatically send an SMS response to acknowledge the missed call and provide additional information.

To have access to this feature, Admin’s must authorise the user in the permission settings for the SMS phone number. Once authorised the user can configure:

• The time zone they are in
• Set a specific date and time messages are to be sent
• The frequency in which SMS messages are sent to a caller (once a day, week, month or first missed call from that caller only)
• Notification when an instant response is sent to a caller

SMS text to Email

GoTo Connect’s Text-to-Email feature allows users to receive SMS messages sent to their GoTo Connect phone number directly in their email inbox. This feature is useful for ensuring that important messages are not missed, especially when users are not actively monitoring their GoTo system.

The Text-to-Email feature in GoTo Connect is limited to SMS messages that are directed to a specific user’s phone number rather than a shared inbox or general company number.

Email communications will be sent from @goto.com, @jive.com or @jivecommunications.com. Please ensure these domains are allowed so that emails are not automatically filtered as spam.

Further details to keep in mind re SMS in GoTo Connect

• The customer is not required to buy SMS credits, they are billed monthly for actual usage. The fee is 5 cents per incoming and outgoing message of up to 160 characters. Messages greater than 160 characters are billed as additional SMS message per every 160 characters or part thereof. 

• The GoTo SMS service currently supports emojis and url links, but does not support MMS and attachments. This is on the roadmap. 

• The GoTo SMS service currently blocks messages containing 2-factor number responses. If the customer is porting an existing mobile number into the service they must ensure that number is not being used as a 2-factor response. 

• The GoTo literature states that basic SMS messages can be sent to up to 10 contacts simultaneously. This is not currently supported in Australia and the basic SMS service only supports send messages to a single user. If the customer requires sending to multiple contacts at once, they can do so via SMS campaigns which requires a Customer Engagement Pro add-on license or a Customer Experience (CX) base license. 

• In order to SMS via Contacts in GoTo, the phone number of the contacts must be saved in the +61 format. 

• The Customer Experience (CX) base license includes 100 SMS messages (per system, per month). The Customer Engagement Pro License (add-on to the Standard base license) does not include a monthly SMS inclusion.

GoTo SMS Outbound Campaigns 

GoTo SMS Outbound Campaigns allow businesses to send bulk SMS messages to a list of recipients for marketing, notifications, or engagement purposes. These campaigns can be automated and scheduled to reach customers with timely, personalised messages.

Key Features:

• Mass Messaging: Send SMS to a large group of contacts at once, helping to reach customers with promotions, updates, reminders, or alerts.

• Personalization: Customize messages with contact-specific details like name or order status.

• Scheduling: Plan and schedule campaigns for optimal delivery times.

• Tracking and Reporting: Monitor campaign performance, such as delivery rates, engagement, and response rates.

• Opt-out Compliance: Ensure compliance with opt-out laws, allowing customers to easily unsubscribe from future messages.

These campaigns are ideal for promotions, appointment reminders, or customer updates, providing an effective way to engage with a wide audience.

To use GoTo SMS Outbound Campaigns, you will need the GoTo Connect CX license or the Customer Engagement Pro add-on for Standard license users. This license includes the ability to send bulk SMS messages, set up outbound campaigns, and utilise the advanced features like tracking, scheduling, and automation for SMS outreach.

The CX license also provides access to omnichannel messaging (SMS, web chat, social media), which is essential for managing customer interactions and sending personalised outbound campaigns.

Setting up a GoTo SMS Campaign is straightforward, even for users without technical expertise. To get started, you’ll first need to have the GoTo Connect CX or Customer Engagement Pro license. Once you have access, you can log into the GoTo Admin Portal, where the process is streamlined with an intuitive interface. 

Begin by uploading or importing your contact list, which could include customers who have opted in for marketing or notifications. From there, you can create a new campaign by choosing your message content, which can be personalised with customer data like their name or purchase information. 

GoTo Connect allows you to schedule the delivery time to ensure your messages reach recipients at optimal times. After configuring your campaign, you can track its performance with built-in analytics, monitoring delivery rates, engagement, and responses. 

The system also supports compliance with opt-out laws, allowing you to include easy opt-out instructions for recipients. Overall, the process is designed to be user-friendly and efficient, ensuring that even small teams can run effective SMS campaigns with minimal setup time.

GoTo SMS Message Assistant 

Need assistance in creating the SMS message for your campaign? The GoTo SMS Message Assistant helps businesses craft SMS messages for campaigns by providing guidance and message suggestions tailored to the desired tone and campaign type. 

When setting up a campaign, the user can specify the campaign’s goal—whether it’s a promotion, customer feedback request, event reminder, or service update—and select the tone they want the message to convey, such as friendly, professional, urgent, or casual. Based on these inputs, the AI generates SMS message drafts that align with the specified tone and objectives.

For example, if the campaign is a promotional offer, and the user selects a friendly tone, the assistant might generate a message like:
“Hey [Customer Name], we’ve got an exclusive offer just for you! Get 20% off your next purchase with code SAVE20. Don’t miss out!”

If the campaign type is an appointment reminder with a professional tone, the assistant might suggest a message like:
“Dear [Customer Name], this is a reminder of your appointment with [Business Name] on [Date] at [Time]. We look forward to seeing you.”

The AI also helps with structuring messages that are concise, clear, and effective for SMS delivery, while making sure the content aligns with the campaign’s purpose. It gives users the ability to refine or modify suggested messages based on their preferences, ensuring that each SMS feels authentic and engaging for the target audience. This tool streamlines the message creation process, saving time and enhancing the effectiveness of SMS marketing campaigns.

I trust that this detailed overview of the various SMS features and capabilities offered by GoTo Connect has provided you with a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of what is available. These tools are specifically designed to enhance your communication strategies, streamline workflows, and improve overall customer engagement. 

Whether you’re looking to automate your SMS campaigns, manage inbound and outbound messages, create personalised responses, or make use of advanced tools like AI-driven message assistance, GoTo Connect offers a broad range of functionalities to help optimise your business’s communication efforts. Additionally, the platform’s ability to integrate with other communication channels ensures that your business can maintain a consistent and effective messaging experience across all touch-points. By utilising these SMS features, you cannot only save time and reduce manual effort but also foster stronger customer relationships and improve your overall service quality. 

Should you have any questions or require further clarification on any aspect of these features, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here to assist you every step of the way.