Workflow: How to send a text to customers on a ticket that originated in a non-SMS channel

On tickets where the origin channel is not a text message, for example, a voicemail or a phone call, the system sends public comments via email instead of a text message.

This recipe explains how to create a workflow with a custom ticket field and a Text trigger to automate a short message service (SMS) reply to end users instead of an email notification.

The workflow includes these steps:

Expand all tabs

Step 1: Create the custom checkbox ticket field

Create a new custom ticket field and place it on ticket forms to indicate when you’ll send a text message to the requester.

1. Create a checkbox ticket field and name it Send text. Under the Permissions section, select Agents can edit.
   
2. Add the created checkbox to all the ticket forms agents use to talk to customers
   

Step 2: Create the new trigger

This trigger fires when an agent updates the ticket with a public comment and selects the Send text checkbox in the custom field. This sends the text message to the requester.

1. Create a new trigger that sends text messages if the Send text field is checked
2. Under Meet ALL of the following conditions, add the following conditions. Add Ticket details > Current user | Is | (agent). Add Object > Ticket > Send text | Is | Checked. Add Object > Ticket > Comment | Is | Public.

3. Under Meet ANY of the following conditions, add the following conditions. Add Object > Ticket > Ticket | Is | Created. Add Object > Ticket > Ticket | Is | Updated. 
   

   Important: If you already have a trigger to start a conversation with proactive outbound texts, don't use the condition Ticket | Is | Created because this causes a duplicate SMS notification.
4. Under Actions, add the following actions. Add Notify by > User text | Ticket > (requester), From | Your phone number, and Body | {{ticket.latest_comment}}. Add Object > Ticket > Send text | Unchecked.
5. Click Create trigger

Note: To send an SMS only when the checkbox is selected, you must review all triggers that send email, and add this condition: Ticket > Send Text | Is | Unchecked. If the agent selects the checkbox, the system sends the SMS. If the agent deselects the box, the system sends an email.

Step 3: Train your agents

Agents select the Send text field in the ticketing interface to send SMS messages.

For this workflow to function as expected, the customer's profile requires an SMS-compatible Direct line. See Understanding how Voice (formerly Talk) calls become tickets.

If the recipient replies to the SMS trigger notification, the system creates a separate SMS ticket because the ticket creation channel switches from email to SMS. Merge the two tickets.