> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.avoca.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# SMS Campaign Setup Guide Overview
> This guide will walk you through setting up your SMS campaigns in Avoca. Your CSM will walk you through this initially
**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER**
* Every use case requires a prompt in order for the AI to converse (text with your customers).
* To ensure that the quality of the texting AI, currently ONLY Avoca can add/edit the prompt.
* Without a prompt, you are still able to use our text messaging, but you will be responsible to responding to customer messages manually.
**Please** reach out to your Avoca CSM once you finish configuring everything you see on this Help Guide so they can assist you in setting up the prompt.
### Prerequisites
Before getting started, ensure your Dashboard has the following pages enabled:
* **Texts**
* **Workflows**
If you don't see the Workflows page, please contact your Avoca representative to have it enabled.
### Overview
Setting up a new SMS campaign requires **4 steps** in the following order:
## Step 1: Creating a Use Case
A use case defines the purpose of your text messages and how the AI will interact with your customers.
### Create Your Use Case
Navigate to **Settings** > **+ Add**
Next, select from one of our default use cases, or create a custom use case and click “Get Started” once you have selected one
Select the phone number you'll be using for this Use Case.
* Use the SCALED number that was provisioned for your account.
* **DO NOT** use LIMITED numbers, those are for testing purposes only.
### Configure Text Settings
**Basic Settings: Run through the configuration in the image above**
* **Enabled:** Toggle whether messages will be sent when a campaign goes live
* **Two-Way Texting:** Enable this if you want the ability to respond to customer messages or take over conversations manually
* **Write notes to ServiceTitan Customer Profile:** Enable to sync conversation history to customer profiles
* **Write text messages to ServiceTitan Job Notes:** Enable to write each text message as a note on the related job
* **First Message Template:**
Your first message should be clear and personalized. You can use dynamic fields (called Liquid Tags) to customize each message:
**Available dynamic fields:**
* customer\_name
* customer\_phone
* customer\_email
* customer\_address
* appointment\_option\_1, appointment\_option\_2, appointment\_option\_3
* appointment\_date\_option\_1, appointment\_date\_option\_2, appointment\_date\_option\_3
* lead\_source
* lead\_notes
*Note: Customers will see the personalized values, not the field names.*
**Opt-Out Message:**
We recommend including an opt-out message in your initial message. Here are some examples:
* "Reply STOP to unsubscribe."
* "To opt out of future messages, reply STOP."
* "You can stop receiving texts at any time by replying STOP."
**Tip:**
Include the opt-out message only in your first message, not in follow-up messages.
### Configure Escalations
**Escalation Reasons**
Select when you want conversations to be flagged for human review.
You can choose from common reasons or create custom ones.
**How Escalations Work:**
When a conversation is escalated, it will appear in the **Escalated** folder in your Conversations dashboard. You can then:
Click the info icon to see the escalation reason
Assign a team member to handle the conversation
## Step 2: Setting Up a Workflow
Workflows allow you to create sequences of messages that are sent based on specific conditions.
### Understanding Workflows
* Workflows are comprised of individual **nodes** arranged in a specific sequence
* Each node is an action (like sending a text message)
* Nodes can be connected to create multi-step campaigns
* Currently available: Text nodes and Call nodes
### Create Your Workflow
Go to **Workflows** > **+ New Workflow**
Give your workflow a descriptive name
Select the **Workflow Type** (e.g., Maintenance)
An initial node will be automatically created
Add a **Text Node** and connect it to the initial node
1. Configure your Text Node:
* **Display Name:** Give this node a clear name (e.g., "First Maintenance Reminder")
* **Text Script:** Select the Use Case you created in Step 1
* **Business Hours:** Set when messages can be sent
* We will send out the text messages in batches of 20, and will wait 5 minutes between batches.
### Advanced: Multiple Message Sequences
If you want to send follow-up messages, you can add additional nodes:
**Override First Message:**
* Use this to send different messages while using the same Use Case configuration
* Helpful for sending reminder sequences
1. First Maintenance reminder utilizes ‘HVAC Maintenance - Old Equipment’
As a reminder, this is where the Use Case first message lives.
Texting > Settings > Use Case
2. Second Maintenance reminder utilizes ‘HVAC Maintenance - Old Equipment’ but overrides the initial message in that use case.
**Connector Settings:**
Double-click the dashed line connecting your nodes to configure when the next message should be sent.
* **Delay Configuration:** How long to wait before sending the next message
* **Booking Status:** Send only to booked or unbooked customers
* **Text Result Qualifications:** Send only to customers who replied or didn't reply
### Save and Publish
1. **Save** your workflow to keep it in draft mode for further editing
2. **Publish** when you're ready to use it
**Note:** Once published, workflows cannot be edited
## Step 3: Build Your Audience
Define who will receive your SMS campaign.
### Create an Audience List
Go to **Workflows** > **Audience Builder** > **+ New Audience List**
Choose your audience source:
* **Option 1: ServiceTitan Audience**
* Import audiences directly from your [ServiceTitan Marketing Pro account](https://help.servicetitan.com/how-to/create-audiences)
* Lists sync automatically with your ServiceTitan data
* **Option 2: XLSX Import**
* Upload a spreadsheet with your target contacts using [this template](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14BSxk-jnfwEjvy9S69GD8V6cJPWyB0p1ebiJDDkRkIs/edit?gid=898861961#gid=898861961).
* *The upload WILL NOT work if they don’t save this as a regular .XLSX file and don’t follow this template.*
* Contact your Avoca representative for the correct template
* Include customer information like name, phone number, email, and address
* For ServiceTitan customers: Include Customer IDs to link with existing records
### Audience Settings
**Exclude Recently Contacted Individuals:**
* Prevents sending messages to people recently contacted via Avoca
* Set your desired exclusion window
**Excluded List:**
* Upload a list of phone numbers that should never receive messages
* Go to **Workflows** > **Exclusions** > **Upload List**
* *The only thing you need to do is upload a document with a single column with the column title: Phone Numbers 1*
### Testing Your Messages
Before launching a full campaign, we recommend testing:
Create a small test audience (max 20 contacts, or just your own number)
Click **Schedule** on your audience list
Select **Text** as the outbound channel
Select your use case
**Toggle on 'Test Run'** to enable testing
## Step 4: Creating the Campaign
Now you're ready to launch your SMS campaign!
### Launch Your Campaign
Go to **Workflows** > **Campaigns** > **+ New Campaign**
Configure your campaign:
* **Campaign Name:** Give it a descriptive name
* **Workflow:** Select the workflow from Step 2
* **Audience:** Select the audience from Step 3
* **Company Configured Number:** Select your phone number
* **ServiceTitan Campaign** (optional): Attribute booked jobs to a specific ST campaign
* **ServiceTitan Tags** (optional): Add tags to jobs booked via text
Choose your send timing:
* **Immediately:** Launch right away
* **Schedule for later:** Set a specific date and time
## Next Steps
Once you've launched your first campaign, you can:
1. **Monitor conversations** in your Conversations dashboard
2. **Review performance** in your Campaign Analytics
3. **Take over conversations** manually when needed
4. **Respond to escalations** assigned to your team
## Need Help?
If you have questions or need assistance setting up your SMS campaigns, please reach out to your Avoca Customer Success Manager or reach out to our support team at [support@avoca.ai](mailto:support@avoca.ai)