AI Assistant: SMS Routing

Automatically route and respond to SMS messages with AI.

AI Assistant — SMS Module

The AI Assistant SMS Module handles inbound text messages on your business numbers, classifies them, and routes them into Taskyy as leads, appointments, or support threads—just like the email module but for SMS.

What This Feature Does

  • Receives inbound SMS/MMS via Telnyx webhook on your Taskyy phone numbers.
  • Classifies intent: New Lead, Existing Client Reply, Appointment Confirm/Cancel, Support, General.
  • Extracts entities: name, service, urgency, preferred time, address.
  • Creates/updates Leads, Calendar events, or Support tickets.
  • Sends AI-drafted replies (review or auto-send) from the same number.
  • Logs full conversation in Unified Inbox.

When To Use It

  • You advertise a "Text Us" number on vehicles, website, Google Business.
  • You want instant lead capture from SMS without manual triage.
  • You need automated appointment confirmations/reminders via text.

Prerequisites

  • Taskyy addon: AI Assistant Bundle.
  • At least one Telnyx phone number provisioned in Taskyy (Phone System plugin).
  • SMS webhook configured (auto-configured when you enable the module).

Setup Checklist

  1. Open AI Assistant → SMS plugin.
  2. Verify your Telnyx numbers show as "SMS Ready".
  3. Enable Auto-Reply for categories you want instant responses (e.g., New Lead → "Thanks! We'll call within 15 min.").
  4. Set Review Mode: Draft (default) or Auto-Send per category.
  5. Test: text your business number "Need a quote for roof repair"; verify lead appears.

SMS Processing Flow

Inbound SMS (Telnyx Webhook)
    → Normalize: strip formatting, handle MMS media URLs
    → Match Sender: phone → existing Lead/Client?
    → Classify Intent (LLM + rules)
    → Extract Entities
    → Action:
        • New Lead: create lead, source="SMS AI", status=New
        • Existing Lead: append note, maybe advance status
        • Appointment: create/update Calendar event
        • Support: create Ticket
    → Draft Reply → Review Queue or Auto-Send
    → Log in Unified Inbox (Communications)

Classification Categories

| Category | Trigger Examples | Default Action | |----------|------------------|----------------| | New Lead | "quote for fence", "need AC repair", "price for windows" | Create Lead, notify sales | | Existing Client Reply | "yes Thursday works", "running 15 late", "change address" | Update Calendar/Lead, notify assignee | | Appointment Confirm | "confirm", "yes", "cancel", "reschedule" | Update Calendar event status | | Support | "leak still there", "thermostat error", "warranty" | Create Ticket, notify support | | General/Other | "hours?", "do you do gutters?", "referral" | Note on Lead/Client, notify admin |

Entity Extraction Fields

  • Service Type: roofing, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, windows, general.
  • Urgency: emergency, urgent, standard, planning.
  • Preferred Time: "tomorrow AM", "next week", "Saturday", "ASAP".
  • Address/Zip: for service area validation.
  • Budget Hint: "insurance", "financing", "under $5k".
  • Media: MMS photos → stored in Lead/Client documents.

Sender Matching & Deduplication

  1. Exact phone match → existing Lead/Client.
  2. Fuzzy name + zip in conversation context → suggest merge.
  3. No match → new Lead with phone as primary contact.

Reply Handling

  • Draft Mode (default): AI drafts reply; appears in Communications → Drafts for review.
  • Auto-Send Mode: Enable per category (e.g., instant "Got it! We'll call you soon." for New Lead).
  • Templates use merge fields: {{lead_name}}, {{service_type}}, {{appointment_link}}, {{ticket_id}}.
  • Replies sent from the same number the inbound came to.

Compliance & Opt-Out

  • STOP/STOPALL/UNSUBSCRIBE: Auto-opt-out sender; logs compliance event; no further AI replies.
  • HELP: Auto-replies with support contact info.
  • TCPA: Only reply to inbound-initiated conversations; no cold outreach via this module.
  • Consent log stored per contact (timestamp, inbound message, opt-out if any).

Admin Observability

  • SMS Processing Log (Admin → AI Assistant → SMS Log):
    • Received, Classified, Processed, Failed, Opted-Out.
    • Search by date, phone, category, outcome.
  • Metrics: volume/day, classification accuracy, opt-out rate, avg response time.

Best Practices

  • Put "Text Us: 555-123-4567" on trucks, cards, website, GBP.
  • Use a dedicated number for SMS leads (separate from main office line).
  • Review drafts daily; corrections improve your account's classifier.
  • Set up Slack/Discord alerts for "Emergency" urgency classifications.

Common Issues And Fixes

Texts Not Appearing In Taskyy

  • Verify Telnyx webhook URL matches https://api.taskyy.io/webhooks/telnyx-sms.
  • Check Telnyx portal: Messaging → Webhooks → Delivery reports enabled.
  • Check SMS Log for "Failed" with error details.

Wrong Number Matched

  • Open SMS Log, find message, click Reassign to correct Lead/Client.
  • Correction improves future matching.

Auto-Reply Not Sending

  • Check category is set to Auto-Send in SMS settings.
  • Verify number has SMS capability (not voice-only).
  • Check Telnyx account balance/credits.

Media (Photos) Missing

  • MMS max: 5 MB per file, 10 files per message.
  • Supported: JPG, PNG, HEIC, PDF.
  • Large files: ask sender to email or use portal upload link.

SEO Context

This page aligns with contractor software, contractor management software, and contractor CRM keywords for SMS-based lead capture workflows.

Related Docs

  • Lead Management & CRM: /docs/core-leads
  • Calendar & Job Scheduling: /docs/core-calendar
  • Phone System & Call Routing: /docs/plugin-phone-system
  • AI Assistant Email Module: /docs/plugin-ai-assistant-email
  • AI Assistant Voice Module: /docs/plugin-ai-assistant-voice

Last updated: 2026-07-19