Two-way SMS lets your recipients reply to your SMS campaigns and lets you reply one-to-one from the SMS inbox inside ContactMonkey. Replies arrive in a threaded, messaging-app-style inbox, so you can hold a full conversation with each recipient.
Prerequisites
- An active ContactMonkey SMS plan (two-way SMS is included in existing SMS plans)
- SMS recipients in North America
- Two-way SMS enabled for your account — reach out to your Customer Success Manager for next steps
Where Recipient Replies are Stored
Replies land in the Inbox section of the ContactMonkey dashboard, not in your email. The SMS inbox works like a messaging app: each new reply shows as unread, and selecting a conversation opens the full thread with that recipient. Replies come from the same number your original message was sent from.
How to Reply to a Recipient
- Click Inbox at the top of the ContactMonkey dashboard
- Select a conversation marked unread
- Type your message and send it. You're replying one-to-one with that recipient
Conversations are threaded, so your entire history with a recipient stays in one place.
Two-Way SMS Limitations
- One-to-one only. You reply to each recipient individually. There's no way to send a single follow-up to everyone who replied.
- On for all SMS once enabled. Two-way can't be turned on or off per message. Once it's enabled, recipients can reply to any SMS you send.
- Replies aren't split by campaign in the inbox. The originating campaign appears in the thread's context panel.
- No reply analytics. Replies don't count toward SMS campaign engagement metrics, and reply content is visible only in the conversation view — not in reports or exports.
- No auto-reply. There's no "this inbox isn't monitored" auto-response. If you won't monitor replies, say so in the body of your message.
- Approval workflows don't apply to two-way SMS.
Does two-way SMS change consent or compliance requirements?
No. Two-way SMS doesn't require different consent or carrier registration (such as 10DLC in the US) beyond what your SMS campaigns already use. Discourage recipients from sharing sensitive or personal information in replies, and consult your own legal team for guidance specific to your organization.
Don't rely on two-way SMS for real-time personal-safety situations, such as emergency or active-threat alerts. Replies are delivered as the carrier makes them available, but the feature isn't designed for life-safety use.