Manage and reply to marketing SMS messages in the conversations inbox

If you purchased the SMS Access Add-on and set up messaging in HubSpot, you can then connect your SMS number as a channel in the conversations inbox. Once connected, you can review, organize, and reply to incoming SMS messages in your inbox. You can also use SMS channel data in conversations-based workflows and in the reporting tool.

Connect SMS as a channel in your inbox

To connect one of your SMS numbers as an inbox channel:

• In your HubSpot account, click the settings settings icon in the top navigation bar.
• In the left sidebar menu, navigate to Marketing > SMS.
• Click Actions next to one of your registered phone numbers, then select Connect an inbox.
• In the right panel, select an inbox to connect your SMS number to, or click Go to inbox settings to create a new inbox.

• In the bottom of the panel, click Save. 

Your SMS number will then appear in the list of your connected inboxes.

Create an SMS view in the conversations inbox

Once you've connected your SMS number, incoming SMS messages will appear in the list of conversations associated with any of the status filters in the left sidebar (e.g., All open, All closed, Sent, etc.), but you can also create a custom view to filter for messages specific to your connected SMS channels.

To create a custom view for SMS messages:

• In the bottom left, click the Actions dropdown menu, then select Create a view.
• In the right panel, enter SMS for the view name, then click Next.
• In the Filter type section, select Conversations properties.
• In the search bar, search for and select Source.
• Click the is any of dropdown menu, then search for and select SMS.
• Click Apply filter, then click Create view.

The new view will appear below the other default inbox filters and views.

Learn more about creating and managing custom views in the conversations inbox in this article. 

Reply to incoming SMS messages 

When a contact receives a SMS message you've sent or scheduled or via a workflow, they can then reply to the message. Any replies they've sent will appear as a new conversation in your inbox. Agents in your inbox can then review the CRM data associated with the contact, and reply back to the contact, as long as they're still opted in to receive SMS messages.

Click on an SMS conversation to view the conversation history and use the reply editor to compose a response.

Please note: incoming and outgoing inbox messages count against your monthly SMS segment usage. As applicable, incoming MMS messages are counted as 5 message segments.

Review SMS activities on the contact timeline

You can review SMS conversations directly on a recipient's contact timeline alongside other important contact details and activities:

• In your HubSpot account, navigate to CRM > Contacts.
• Click the name of a contact that you've replied to.
• Click the Activities tab.
• Click the Filter by dropdown menu. Select the Select all checkbox to clear any existing activity filters, then select the SMS checkbox.
• An SMS reply will appear as an SMS Conversation on the record timeline.