Setting up text messaging

Text messaging gives your business its own phone number for reservation reminders, payment receipts, review requests, and marketing campaigns. Setup is mostly a few clicks, but the number cannot start sending immediately — carriers require a registration that takes two to three weeks.

Start early. If you want texts running for a busy season, set the number up a month ahead.

What you need

• A subscription plan that includes Text/SMS Messaging. Without it, the SMS page shows an upgrade prompt instead of the number search.
• Account Owner access. Other staff roles cannot reach organization settings.

Choosing your number

Go to Organization > Settings > SMS and click the link to select an outbound number.

1. Enter the area code you want and click search. Petsoft shows up to ten available numbers with their locality.
2. Click Select next to the number you want.

Pick a local area code if you have one. Customers are more likely to read a text from a familiar area code than an unfamiliar one.

"That number is no longer available"

Available numbers are not reserved while you browse. If someone else buys the number between your search and your click, Petsoft tells you and returns you to the list — just pick another one. Nothing was charged and nothing was set up wrong.

After you pick a number

Your status stays Inactive and you will see a verification banner. This is expected, and it is not something you can speed up from your side.

Here is what is happening:

Stage	Who does it	How long
Your messaging account is created	Automatic, when you select a number	Immediate
Your number is purchased and attached	Automatic, when you select a number	Immediate
Carrier registration is submitted	Petsoft support, from a ticket raised automatically	Usually within a business day
Carriers verify your business	The mobile carriers	2–3 weeks
Texting switches on	Automatic, once verification passes	Overnight after approval

No texts send while the status is Inactive. Reservation reminders and receipts fall back to email during this window, so nobody stops hearing from you. Campaigns are the exception — the SMS delivery method stays hidden until your number is active, so campaigns during the wait are email only.

You do not need to do anything during the wait, and you do not need to contact support to check on it — the status on the SMS page updates itself.

Getting customers to receive texts

A verified number is only half of it. Text messages are opt-in per notification type — a customer receives reservation texts only if they turned reservation texts on. Email works the opposite way: customers get emails unless they opt out.

Customers choose this in their Pet Parent Portal profile, under their notification preferences. Each type — receipts, reservations, alerts, service announcements, and marketing — is a separate choice.

The text options are hidden until your number is active. Customers cannot opt in ahead of time, so no opt-ins accumulate during the verification wait.

Two practical consequences:

• Expect text volume to ramp up slowly from the day your number goes active, not to jump the moment it does.
• A customer who says they are not getting texts has usually not opted in, or does not have a primary phone number on their contact record.

It is worth telling customers the option exists once you go live — most will never go looking for it.

Changing or turning off your number

To change your number, use the edit button next to the outbound number and pick a new one. Your old number is released automatically. If the release runs into trouble, Petsoft raises a ticket internally and takes care of it — your new number still works.

Your customers will see texts arrive from the new number, so it is worth announcing a number change the same way you would announce a phone number change.

To pause texting, use Deactivate on the SMS page. This stops outbound texts without giving up your number or your verification. Activate turns it back on.

The Activate and Deactivate buttons appear only after verification finishes — there is nothing to pause before then, since no texts are sending yet.

What it costs

Texts bill per segment, not per message. A message over 160 characters counts as two segments or more, so a long reminder costs double a short one.

Review your usage at Organization > Billing > SMS Usage. See the billing FAQ if a bill comes in higher than you expected.

Troubleshooting

What you see	What it means	What to do
Upgrade prompt instead of number search	Your plan does not include Text/SMS Messaging	Change plans under Organization > Billing
Status stuck on Inactive for weeks	Carrier verification is still in progress	Wait it out; contact support if it passes four weeks
"That number is no longer available"	Someone bought it a moment before you did	Select a different number
"We could not reach the phone number provider"	A temporary problem reaching the number provider	Search again in a few minutes
A customer gets emails but no texts	Your number is not active yet, they have not opted in to that notification type, or they have no primary phone number	Check your SMS status first, then their notification preferences and contact record
SMS option missing when creating a campaign	Your number is not verified and active yet	Finish verification first