How to send text messages to your customers (the right way)

Text messages are the most direct way to reach a customer. They're short, they're read quickly, and people can answer with a single word. That's why so many businesses want to text their customers, and why it's worth doing properly. Texting from a personal phone gets messy fast: replies go to one person, there's no record of who agreed to hear from you, and it's easy to send at the wrong time or forget someone entirely.

Doing it the right way comes down to a few rules. Only text people who have agreed to it, and keep a record of that consent, which is required under Canada's CASL and the US TCPA. Identify your business in every message and make it easy to opt out by replying STOP. Respect quiet hours so nobody gets a text at 10 PM. And make every message worth reading: a reminder, a confirmation, an opening in the schedule, or news they asked for. Texts that invite a reply ("Reply C to confirm") turn a broadcast into a conversation.

WentBack handles those details so you can focus on the message. Each location gets its own local number for two-way texting, and replies go to a shared inbox your whole team can answer from. Consent is recorded, STOP requests are honoured instantly and quiet hours are built in. You can text one customer in a couple of taps, send a group message, or set automatic reminders that go out on their own. And if a number can't receive texts, the message can fall back to WhatsApp, email, a call or a postcard.