AI text messaging on the levelpartner.ai platform lets an AI agent hold real two-way SMS conversations with your leads and clients, one person at a time. It answers questions, asks for missing details, books appointments and hands over to a colleague when needed, all from your business number and all logged in the contact record. This guide is about conversational texting, not bulk campaigns, and about making it feel like a competent person replying.
Why texting suits service firms
People answer texts faster than emails and more willingly than calls. A lead who will not pick up a call from an unknown number will often reply to a short text. For a firm with long gaps between first contact and first meeting, that responsiveness is valuable.
The problem is staffing. Texting conversations are fragmented: a reply at lunch, another at 9pm, a question on Sunday. A salesperson cannot keep up without living on their phone. An agent can. It replies within seconds whenever the contact writes, which keeps the conversation alive.
What good AI texting sounds like
Short. One idea per message. Plain words. A question that is easy to answer. A good AI text reads like a capable colleague on a phone, not a newsletter. Write your instructions to enforce that: a maximum length, no lists, no links unless needed, and the contact's first name only where it fits naturally.
Before you start
- A business SMS number on your account, registered where your market requires it.
- Consent to text each contact, recorded on their record.
- A conversation agent with a knowledge base and booking calendar ready.
- Instructions on message length and tone specific to SMS.
- A hand-off rule and a person who picks up texting conversations during the day.
How to set it up
- Go to AI Agents > Conversation AI and open Agents List.
- Select the bot, then click Deploy.
- Turn on the channel you need.
- Open the channel's edit icon if it has extra settings.
- Turn on Assign channel and choose the page, number, account or widget.
- Add any Has tags and Doesn't have tags conditions.
- Click Update, then click Save for the bot.
- Repeat for each additional channel and test the result.
Texting needs its own instructions on the agent, separate from web chat: replies short enough to read on a lock screen, one question per message and no formatting that breaks on a phone. Start in Suggestive mode so a colleague approves the first week of replies in Conversations. Test from two personal phones before going live, covering a booking, a factual question and a request to speak to a person, then move to automatic replies once the drafts stop needing edits.
Where texting fits in the funnel
Texting works best at three points. Just after a form is submitted, to confirm and qualify. Before a meeting, to confirm and handle changes. After a quiet spell, to restart a conversation. Each point needs a different instruction, so tell the agent which stage the contact is at by tag or pipeline stage.
Imagine the team receives around 200 property portal enquiries a month, and today a negotiator calls each lead when free and reaches roughly half. With a first text within a minute and agent replies after it, suppose about 110 conversations get going. If the agent books 45 viewings and passes 20 more complex enquiries to a negotiator, the negotiators' time goes to the leads that need them.
Time it takes to run
An afternoon to configure and test. Then 20 minutes a day for the first week reading conversations, dropping to 30 minutes a week after that. Texting conversations are short, so review is quick.
Agents written for web chat produce long, formatted replies that look odd on a phone. Always add SMS-specific instructions, even if you reuse a chat agent's knowledge base.
When not to text with AI
Do not text people who have not agreed to it. Do not use AI texting for sensitive conversations, such as payment problems or bereavement, where a person should write. Do not use it for marketing blasts; that is a separate set-up covered in AI SMS marketing. For text conversations that start on your website instead, see AI chat website.
Troubleshooting
Replies arrive as several split messages. The agent's replies are too long. Lower the maximum length in the instructions.
Contacts reply to an old number. Your team used personal phones before. Move conversations onto the business number and let contacts know.
The agent answers your colleagues' test texts as leads. Internal numbers are not excluded. Tag staff contacts and add a rule that the agent ignores them.
Delivery fails for some carriers. The number may need registration. Check messaging registration status in Settings and keep content free of link shorteners.
Frequently asked questions
Can contacts tell the replies come from AI?
Disclose it in the first message, briefly. Most contacts care that the answer is quick and correct. Offer a person whenever they ask.
Does AI texting work with WhatsApp too?
Yes. The same agent can be connected to WhatsApp once that channel is set up. Keep WhatsApp templates and consent rules in mind for the first message.
How much does texting cost?
SMS is billed as used per message, plus AI usage per reply. There is no separate texting subscription; the licence covers the feature.
Can texting and phone calls share one history?
Yes. Every text, call and chat is logged on the same contact, so a colleague picking up the conversation sees everything. The AI receptionist guide covers phone and text together, and AI customer support covers texting with existing clients.