Creating an SMS Agent

Configure your AI SMS agent in minutes. Write your instructions, set conversation limits, and you are ready to go.

Available on Growth and Scale plans.

Overview

Creating an SMS agent involves three main decisions: what the agent should say and how it should behave (your system prompt), how long conversations should run (max turns), and whether this agent should be the default for all incoming messages.

Once created, your agent is ready to handle inbound replies immediately.

How It Works

Step 1 — Open the SMS Agents settings

Navigate to Settings and select SMS Agents, or find the agent configuration panel in your SMS menu. Click New Agent to get started.

Step 2 — Write your system prompt

The system prompt is the set of instructions that defines your agent's personality, role, and goals. Think of it as a briefing you would give a new team member before their first shift.

A strong system prompt typically includes:

Who the agent is. Give it a name and a role. For example: "You are Alex, a scheduling assistant for Bright Home Services."
What it should do. State the primary goal clearly. For example: "Your goal is to help interested homeowners schedule a free estimate."
What it should not do. Set any boundaries. For example: "Do not discuss pricing. Direct any pricing questions to our team."
The tone. Friendly and concise? Professional and formal? Match the voice your contacts expect from your brand.

Step 3 — Set max conversation turns

Max turns controls how many back-and-forth exchanges the agent will have before it stops auto-replying. Each time the agent sends a message counts as one turn.

Setting a limit prevents endless conversations and keeps your AI usage predictable. A typical setting is between 3 and 6 turns. Once the limit is reached, the conversation is flagged in your inbox for human review if it has not already been resolved.

Step 4 — Set as default agent (optional)

If you have multiple SMS agents configured for different purposes, you can designate one as the default. The default agent handles any incoming message that is not explicitly routed to a different agent.

If you only have one agent, it automatically serves as the default.

Step 5 — Save your agent

Click Save. Your agent is now active and will begin responding to incoming messages right away.

Tips & Best Practices

Be specific in your system prompt. Vague instructions produce vague responses. The more clearly you define the agent's role, the more consistent and useful its replies will be.
Keep the goal singular. Agents that try to do too many things at once tend to produce confusing conversations. One agent, one primary goal.
Test thoroughly before deploying. Use the SMS Agent Tester to run through common scenarios and edge cases before your agent talks to real contacts.
Revisit your prompt after launch. Real conversations will surface gaps in your instructions that are hard to anticipate in advance. Plan to refine your prompt after the first few days.
Create separate agents for separate purposes. For example, one agent for post-call follow-up and another for inbound inquiries from new contacts.