Business texting · Autessa Phone & Texting
Shared text inbox
Autessa Phone & Texting includes a shared business text inbox: every text to every company number lands in the Texts view, newest first, where anyone on your team can reply as the business number with their name attached. Each message shows who sent it: an AI agent, a person on staff, an auto-reply, a keyword reply or an automation.
The problem it solves
Business texts get stuck on one person's phone
When customers text a personal cell, nobody else can see the conversation or answer when that person is off. A shared inbox puts every business text in one place, so the team can pick up any thread, see what the AI already said, and call back with one click.
What you get
- One conversation list across all company numbers, with the other number, last message, time and which line it came in on.
- Reply from the thread as the business number; replies say "Sent from <line> with your name".
- Start a new text with From, To and a message of up to 1,600 characters.
- Labels show whether each message came from AI, staff, an auto-reply, a keyword reply or an automation, and failures are marked "Not delivered".
- A Call button in the thread calls the person back from the browser phone.
- Texts to anyone who replied STOP are not sent, and the composer reminds you to only text people who agreed.
- Incoming pictures appear as "Picture or attachment".
How it works
How does shared text inbox work?
Open Texts
In the Phone app, Texts lists every conversation across your numbers. Search by number or message, and refresh for new ones.
Open a thread
Click a conversation to see the whole history with labels for who sent each message. Show earlier messages loads more.
Reply
Type a reply and send it (Ctrl or Cmd + Enter works). It goes out from that line with your name attached.
Start a new text
Click New, choose the From number if you have more than one, enter the To number and write up to 1,600 characters.
Call when a text is not enough
Use Call in the thread to ring the person from your browser phone.
Every option
Texts view details
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Conversation list | Merged across every number, newest first, with search and refresh. |
| Sender labels | AI · name, Staff · name, Auto-reply, Keyword reply, Automation. |
| Reply | Sent from the thread's line with your name attached; Ctrl or Cmd + Enter sends. |
| New text | From (when you have more than one number), To, and a message up to 1,600 characters. |
| Delivery | Failed messages are marked "Not delivered". |
| Consent | Texts to people who replied STOP are not sent; sending follows your consent records. |
| Pictures | Incoming pictures and attachments are shown as a placeholder. |
| Before texting is set up | You can still read texts; sending waits for a number with texting on. |
Full reference: Phone Numbers guide on docs.autessa.com
Permissions
Who can do what?
| Who | Can |
|---|---|
| People whose role can use agents | Open the Phone app, read texts and reply from numbers they have access to. |
| Company admin | Turn texting on for numbers and set who answers texts. |
| AI agent | Reply to texts when it answers the number; its messages are labeled AI. |
AI on the line
What AI agents do here
When an AI agent answers a number's texts, its replies appear in the same thread with an AI label, so your team can read the conversation and step in.
FAQ
Questions about shared text inbox
Can my team share one business texting inbox?
Yes. Every text to every company number lands in the Texts view, and anyone with access can reply as the business number with their name attached.
Can I see what the AI texted?
Yes. Each message is labeled with who sent it, including AI, staff, auto-replies, keyword replies and automations.
How long can a text be?
Up to 1,600 characters.
100% customizable, code and all
Make Autessa Phone & Texting fully your own.
Use it out of the box, then change anything. Ask Autobot, Autessa’s AI builder, for a new field, screen, report, workflow or agent and it builds it into your copy of the app. Or open the code and edit it yourself. Nothing is locked: the app, its data and its code are yours.
Start free and make it yours