Introduction
Considering the prevalence of text-based communication today, it makes sense that customers would use Short Message Service (SMS) messages to initiate support requests with support organizations. Providing an SMS communication option to your customers ensures that they can connect with your organization, even in scenarios where no internet connection is available. When an organization is deciding whether to use SMS support, they need to consider the differences from other channels. One of the most significant factors to consider is the length of SMS conversations. Unlike conversations over live chat channels where communication is real-time, SMS support conversations can last longer. Customers might not respond back to agents as quickly as they would in a live chat. It's important that your organization considers that factor when deploying SMS channel support.
Omnichannel for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service lets you configure SMS communication channels so that your service agents can correspond with customers through text messages. Similar to live chat conversations, when customers send text messages, the conversation can be routed to the appropriate queue and then distributed to available agents. To help providing context, the customer who initiated the request is identified based on the Mobile Phone field on their contact entity. When the phone number is matched to the appropriate contact record, the conversation will be linked to the customer automatically.
Incoming SMS messages are available to agents through the Omnichannel Agent Dashboard. On this dashboard, agents can view the incoming SMS requests and respond accordingly. Because SMS messaging is an asynchronous form of conversation, agents can close conversations, and return to work in them later. Any conversations will be shown in the My work items stream on their dashboard.
Important
The maximum number of characters that are supported for sent and received messages is 1600.
Prerequisites for adding SMS support
Before you can configure SMS messaging in your organization, you must meet two prerequisites.
First, SMS functionality must be enabled in the Omnichannel organization where agents will be working.
Second, your organization must have an account and SMS phone number that is registered with a supported SMS message provider.
Currently, Omnichannel for Customer Service supports SMS messaging with Azure Communication Services (ACS), or through an existing TeleSign or Twilio account.
Enable SMS
Dynamics 365 for Customer Service Digital Messaging is an add-on subscription that provides agents with the ability to communicate with customers through digital messaging providers. It's a required service to enable Live Chat, SMS, or social channels in Dynamics 365 organizations. SMS capabilities are enabled through the Power Platform Admin center. Go to Resources > Dynamics 365 Apps and select Manage next to Omnichannel for Customer Service.
For more information, see Omnichannel for Customer Service for administrators.