Introduction

If you have a Lofty text package, you can send and receive text messages from leads. 

This article will review how to send and receive text messages with Lofty via desktop and the mobile app. 

Summary:  

• Character Limits
• Virtual Phone Numbers
• Text Subscription Message 
• Text Message Quiet Hours
• Sending Text Messages with Lofty (Desktop)
• Group Texting
• Receiving Text Messages from Leads
• Texting with the Lofty CRM Mobile App
• Group Texting
• Receiving text messages from leads
• Replying to a Lead
• Texting with the Lofty CRM mobile app

Character Limits

One text message can have up to 160 characters. If Non-GSM-7 Characters are included in the message, you can have up to 70 characters.

Common examples of non-GSM-7 characters:

• Emoji (😃🔥💯 etc.)

• Smart quotes: “ ” ‘ ’

• En dash and em dash: – —

• Curly brackets or non-standard symbols: • ™ © ® ±

• Accented letters not in GSM-7: á í ó ú ñ ç ê â ô (many others depending on the accent and language)

• Non-Latin characters: 你好, مرحبا, नमस्ते, etc.

If the text message exceeds the character limit (160 or 70 characters), it will be sent as two messages.

Virtual Phone Numbers

All text messages through Lofty will be sent from one of the virtual phone numbers set up with the dialer under Personal Settings > Call/Text Settings > My Numbers

There is NOT an option to “mask” the virtual numbers. When you send text messages via Lofty, they will be sent from the virtual number you select. 

For more information on setting up virtual numbers, please see these articles: 

• Getting Started with a Virtual Number
• Company Number

Text Subscription Message 

Regulations require that consumers should be able to easily opt-out or unsubscribe from receiving text messages from a business. To support this, the Text Subscription Message will be sent to leads following a text message that meets the following criteria:

1. The first time the lead is texted
2. When the lead is texted after having not communicated via text message in the last three (3) months.
   • This is a rolling 3 months, so for example, if the lead is texted for the first time on August 1, they will receive the text subscription message.
   • If the lead is texted or texting back regularly, they will never see this message again.
   • If the lead is not texted again until after November 1, they will receive the text subscription message again.

The Text Subscription Message will be added automatically to the text message that matches the criteria above and will be counted in the text message's total character count. 

This setting is located in Personal Settings > Call & Text > Info & Settings. 

Click Customize to update your name and your company name. By default, the data here will be pulled from your Lofty profile and 10DLC Campaign.

Text Message Quiet Hours

The Quiet Hours setting is a tool to ensure that text messages are not sent to your leads in the middle of the night. Many states have requirements around the times of day that a consumer can be contacted by call or text. We recommend that you get familiar with the regulations in your area.

This setting is located in Personal Settings > Call & Text > Info & Settings

When enabled, mass text messages will not be sent during the quiet hours and will be scheduled to be sent when the quiet hours are over.

The quiet hours do not affect 1:1 text messages or smart plan text messages.

Sending Text Messages with Lofty (Desktop)

To send a text message to a lead via the lead profile, click the "Text" option.

A pop-up window allows you to draft your text message. Click the drop-down menu on the From line to select the virtual phone number the text is sent from.

Select the lead's number that you want to send the text message to on the To line. If your virtual phone number is hosted on Twilio, you have the option to send a group text by clicking the + icon.

While you can enter any message you like in the text box, we also offer several tools to help you craft the best message possible. These icons are defined from left to right below:

1. AI Writing Assistant
   1. This tool utilizes AI to help you write a text using prompts and keywords.
2. Insert Listings
   1. This tool allows you to insert a link to your own or your team's listing
3. Video (Beta Feature)
   1. If you see the Video icon, you have the option to send a video text message. This feature is currently being beta-tested
4. MMS, Image Messaging
   1. The photo icon allows you to send an image. Your Design Center templates are also available to be sent
5. Text Templates
   1. Your personal and team text templates are available here
6. Email and Text Variables
   1. The hashtag icon contains lead and agent variables. This allows you to personalize a text without entering the personal information yourself
7. Virtual Business Cards
   1. The virtual business card is the contact card for you and your team members. 

You can also send mass text messages to leads from the People page.

Learn More: Send Mass Emails & Texts

Group Texting

A group text is a text message that is sent to multiple recipients, and all the recipients can see and reply to each other. 

How to Create a Group Text

Group Text Billing

Each Lofty text message package has an allocated number of text messages that are available to be sent each month. Learn more about this here: Billing, Usage, and Availability for Call/Text Packages. Please be mindful that you may hit your allocated number of text messages sooner than you typically do. The number of text messages sent each month is calculated as follows:

• Each text message sent counts towards your monthly allocation.
  • Example 1: If you send one (1) text message to one (1) number, this counts as one (1) towards your allocation.
  • Example 2: If you send one (1) text message to a group text with three (3) other numbers, this will count as three (3) towards your allocation. 
    • Now, if one of the numbers involved in the group text responds to the group text, you will have three (3) more text messages towards your monthly allocation. This is because you were the group text initiator, so you are responsible for all text messages sent by yourself and by the others in the group text.
  • Example 3: If you are involved in a group text, but did not initiate the group text, only the text messages that you send will count towards your monthly allocation. This is because you are not the initiator of the group text.

Receiving text messages from leads

Replies from the lead will appear in Lofty under the lead profile as well as your Lofty Workspaces.

To receive a notification that you received a message on your mobile phone, enable the option “forward incoming text messages to another number”. 

Please keep in mind that this is not an actual message from the lead; it is only a notification that you have received a new text message.

See this article for more information: Call/Text Package Settings

Replying to a Lead

To reply to a text message, first click on the chat icon. This will open the chat panel with the most recent messages at the top of the list. Select the lead that you want to respond to. The text can be crafted directly in the chat panel.

The same options will be available to select which number to text from, insert variables, and text templates.

Texting with the Lofty CRM mobile app

To send text messages through the Lofty CRM mobile app, start by selecting the lead you want to text, then tap on the messaging icon: 

Be sure to check which number the text message will be sent from. There will be an option to select your virtual phone number, company number, or personal mobile number. 
 

Tap the phone number to select, and the phone number selected will have a check mark.

*Please note that if the text message is sent from your mobile number, it will not be recorded in Lofty.

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding this topic or any others, please reach out to our Support Team via email at <support@lofty.com>, by phone at 1 (855) 981-7557, or by chat with us through your Lofty CRM.

Related terms: group text