Table of Contents
Overview
Instantly communicate with your clients and manage your conversations in a single place.
Two-way messaging is available on select plans in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. Two-way messaging is not available while in trial.
Two-way text messaging allows you to carry on a conversation with a client in Jobber. When a client replies back to an automated text message it appears instantly in the message center, where you can respond to it and continue the conversation. On Jobber subscriptions where two-way text messaging is available, there is no additional cost to you associated with the messages you send through Jobber. Once the conversation starts you can have unlimited back and forth with that client. This article covers how to use two-way text messaging while using Jobber from a desktop, check out Two-Way Text Messaging in the Jobber App to learn more about how to use two-way text messaging while out in the field.
Two-way text messaging is available to administrators and users who have the two-way text message permission enabled. This permission can be updated by going to the Gear Icon > Manage Team > User and updating their custom permissions. Each message sent through the message center will display the name of the user who sent it.
Note: For your client's privacy, in the message center we hide private client hub links however when your client views the text message on their device, the links will be visible and clickable.
Select a dedicated phone number
Before messaging with your clients, make sure you select a dedicated phone number. This is the phone number that your automated messages will be sent from and where your clients can reply back.
You can select a dedicated phone number by going to the Gear Icon > Settings > Company Settings. If you open the message center before selecting a number, you will be prompted to select one first.
Message center
To view messages with your clients, open the message center by clicking the message icon in the top navigation from Jobber online.
The message center will open a drawer where you can see all the messages you have sent to clients. The client's name, phone number, and a preview of the message appears. If the client is a lead or has been archived, a label will show to indicate they aren't an active client.
When a message in the message center is unread, there will be red dot on that message indicating that it's new.
To find messages quickly, there is a search bar at the top of the message center. Searching client names or phone numbers, will pull up text messages that match those terms.
Note: The message center new message flag and red dot on conversations indicating if a message has been read is something that works at the account level. That means that if a user opens a new message, that message will appear as read to all users on the account, even to users who haven't opened the message yet.
Note: For your clients to receive a text message sent through Jobber, they must have a text message enabled phone number.
Send a message
In order to carry on a conversation with a client the client must have texted your dedicated phone number first or you need to start the conversation by sending them a text message through Jobber first. This could be a booking confirmation, appointment notification, an on my way message, or texting an invoice or quote.
Each message sent by your company will show the user that sent it. For automated notifications like an appointment reminder, it will show "Jobber" as the user who sent the message. Each message is time stamped so you can see when the message was sent. After 24 hours, the time will change from the time the message was sent to the day of the week.
When a message is sent regarding a specific item like a visit, quote, or invoice there will be a link to that item in the message center so you can view it in Jobber.
If someone texts your dedicated phone number and they are not currently a client in your Jobber account, they will show up as "unknown" since their phone number doesn't match a client in Jobber.
In the future once you get to know this person, if you add the unknown number as a client and they text you again, the message thread in the message center will update with the client name.
Sending images or attachments
Your clients can also send you images that can be viewed in the message center.
Note: Due to a limitation from our text messaging service, sending images is not supported in the UK.
Click View Image to open the image.
Note: Messages can contain up to 10 images and 1600 characters, as long as the entire message is under 5MB. If a client sends a video, since it is sent by MMS it will likely be compressed which can effect video quality.
Failed message deliveries
If a client ever wants to opt-out of messages from you, they can text "STOP" to your dedicated phone number. If this happens, you will receive an email to let you know that they have opted out. In the future if the client would like to opt back into messages, they can send a text saying "START" and they will resume. For clients who opt-out of receiving text messages, we suggest that you contact them via email instead.
If a text message ever fails to be delivered, the message will show up in the message center as red. In this situation, you would need to copy and paste the message into the text box and send it again.
Reporting
The client communications report shows a history of emails and text messages that have been sent to your clients through Jobber. This report includes messages like quotes, invoices, automated notifications, booking confirmations, and on my way texts. The client communications report does not include replies back to these messages from your clients. The back-and-forth messaging between you and your clients that happens in the message center, stays in the message center and does not appear in the client communications report.