Two-way SMS for businessLet customers text the number they already call.
Two-way SMS and MMS from your business number, answered by your team from a browser, desktop or phone. No personal cells, no separate texting app — just conversations that stay with the customer record.
Business text · (512) 555-0187
Contact
- Owner
- Maria
- Last call
- Mar 3 · 4m
- Status
- Booked
Can I text from my business phone number?
Yes. Two-way SMS for business lets customers text the same local, toll-free or landline number they already call, and lets your team reply from it. On TalkerIQ you port or add the number, register it for 10DLC, and answer texts and MMS from web, desktop or mobile apps, with every message logged to the contact and CRM.
- Number types
- Local, toll-free and ported landline or VoIP numbers
- Message types
- SMS and MMS (photos, images, small files)
- Reply from
- Browser, iOS, Android, Mac and Windows
- While porting
- A temporary number keeps you texting
- Included in
- All plans from $29/user/mo billed annually
Sound familiar?
Customers kept asking "can I just text you?" — and the honest answer was "yes, but text my cell."
Customers prefer texting for quick questions, confirmations and photos. Without a business texting line, those conversations end up on personal phones, outside your systems, or unanswered. Two-way SMS is the foundation of business texting on TalkerIQ: get the number texting first, then add a shared inbox, campaigns and AI on top.
Your main line can't receive texts
Customers text the number on your website and get nothing back. They don't know their message never arrived.
Reps give out their personal cell
It works until someone is on holiday or leaves — and takes every customer conversation with them.
Photos and details get lost in email chains
A customer sends a photo of the problem, a model number and an address across three channels. Someone has to stitch it together.
None of it is in the CRM
The deal record shows the calls but not the texts that actually moved it forward.
How it works
How do you start texting from your business number? Five steps.
Here's how texting runs on your business number — and who does what.
Text-enable your numbers
Use the numbers you already have (ported to TalkerIQ) or add new local and toll-free numbers. Calls and texts share the same number.
Your team · with our helpGet registered to send
We help you complete 10DLC registration for US local numbers so carriers deliver your messages.
We do it with youCustomers text, you reply
Texts and MMS photos arrive in the app on every device. Reply with a saved answer or type your own — from your business number.
Your teamAI covers the gaps
Outside hours or when everyone is busy, an AI SMS agent can reply instantly and hand the thread back with notes.
AI agentEverything is logged
Messages, photos and outcomes are saved to the contact and synced to your CRM automatically.
Automatic
Reply
Answer from whatever's in front of you.
Your business texts follow your team — the browser at the office, the desktop app at home, the mobile app in the van. Whoever replies, the customer sees one consistent business number and one continuous conversation.
- Web, desktop and mobile apps for iOS, Android, Mac and Windows
- Saved replies for the answers you give ten times a day
- Scheduled messages for reminders and follow-ups at the right time
One number, every device
Share
Texts that belong to the team, not one phone.
A shared number means a shared SMS inbox. Threads are assigned to an owner, colleagues can add internal notes, and anyone can pick up where someone else left off — without the customer noticing a handover.
- Assigned threads with open, waiting and resolved status
- Internal notes the customer never sees
- No double replies — see who's already typing
Team inbox · (512) 555-0187
Can I move my install to Saturday?
Maria · openWhat's the price for the 3-zone unit?
AI handlingThanks, see you Tuesday!
ResolvedFollow up
Missed the call? Text them back first.
Because calls and texts run on the same system, a missed call can trigger an instant text back, and a rep can follow a no-answer with a quick message. The conversation keeps moving even when the phone doesn't get picked up — and if nobody's free, the AI SMS agent takes the reply.
- Missed-call text back on your business numbers
- Calls, voicemails and texts in one contact timeline
- Hand off to AI to keep following up until they reply
One lead, five days, zero dropped follow-ups
- Rep calls · no answerVoicemail dropped in one click; disposition loggedDay 1 · 10:04
- Follow-up text goes out"Sorry we missed you — reply with a good time"Day 1 · 10:05
- AI retries at the best timeSmart retry picks evening; local number shownDay 2 · 18:20
- Lead replies by textAI SMS agent answers pricing questions instantlyDay 3 · 08:12
- Meeting bookedOn the rep's calendar, CRM deal stage updatedDay 3 · 08:15
- Rep joins with full contextCall recordings, texts and AI summary in one timelineDay 5
What changes
What teams notice in the first month.
for calls and texts
Customers save one contact for you. No "text my cell instead".
texts on personal phones
Every conversation lives in the business account, so it stays when people change roles.
answers to quick questions
Confirmations, ETAs and photos handled in a text instead of a phone-tag callback.
on every contact
Texts and MMS sit next to calls and notes — in TalkerIQ and in your CRM.
A day at the service desk
One repair, approved by text without a single callback.
The service desk at an auto dealership texts from its main number. Here's how one customer's day went.
- James texts the dealership's main number
"Check-engine light is on — can I bring it in today?" The number has always taken calls; now it takes texts too.
- Priya replies from the desktop app
A saved reply offers 10:30 or 2:00. James picks 10:30. No hold music, no phone tag.
- A photo and a quote, by MMS
The technician finds worn brake pads. Priya texts a photo of the pads and the quote in the same thread.
- "Go ahead" — approval in writing
James approves by text from his desk. The approval sits on his contact record, timestamped, for anyone who asks later.
- A missed call becomes a text
James calls while Priya is on another line. A missed-call text goes out at once; he replies asking for pickup time, and the thread is waiting for Priya when she hangs up.
- "Your car is ready"
The ready-for-pickup text goes out, and the whole conversation — texts, photo, approval, missed call — is synced to the CRM deal.
Compare
When should a business text instead of call?
Texting doesn't replace calls — it handles the quick, written, asynchronous parts. All three live in the same contact timeline on TalkerIQ.
| SMS | MMS | Phone call | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Confirmations, ETAs, quick questions, reminders | Damage photos, quotes, floor plans, receipts | Complex issues, negotiation, upset customers |
| What it carries | Text, counted in segments of 160 GSM-7 or 70 Unicode characters | Images and small files, plus text (what is MMS?) | Live voice, recorded if you choose |
| Customer effort | Reply when convenient | Snap and send | Both people free at once |
| Written record | Yes, on the contact | Yes, media kept in the thread | Recording, transcript and AI summary |
| When nobody's free | AI SMS agent replies | Lands in the shared inbox | AI voice agent or voicemail |
Writing a long message? Check it in the SMS length calculator before you send. Customers abroad? Pair SMS with WhatsApp Business.
The details
What's included in two-way SMS for business?
Two-way SMS
Send and receive texts from any text-enabled business number, one-to-one.
MMS photos and files
Receive photos of the problem, send images, documents and directions back.
Local, toll-free and ported numbers
Text from the numbers you already publish, or add new ones by area code.
Saved replies
Reusable answers for hours, directions, pricing basics and confirmations.
Scheduled sends
Write now, deliver at the right time for the customer.
Missed-call text back
An automatic text when a call goes unanswered, so the lead doesn't move on.
Shared inbox
Assignment, internal notes and status so every thread has an owner.
Opt-out handling
STOP and similar replies are honoured automatically and recorded on the contact.
CRM logging
Every message synced to HubSpot, Salesforce, GoHighLevel, Pipedrive, Zoho and more.
FAQ
Questions about business texting
Still unsure? Talk to our team.
Reviewed by the TalkerIQ product team · Updated
Can I text from my existing business landline number?
Yes. Port your existing landline or VoIP number to TalkerIQ and it handles both calls and texts. While the port completes you can use a temporary number, so you are never unable to reply.
What is the difference between SMS and MMS for business?
SMS is a plain text message, counted in segments of up to 160 standard (GSM-7) characters, or 70 if it contains emoji or other Unicode characters. MMS carries media such as photos, images and small files. TalkerIQ supports both from your business numbers.
Can my team send business texts from their own phones without showing their cell number?
Yes. The TalkerIQ mobile apps for iOS and Android send and receive texts from the business number, so customers never see a personal cell. The same conversations are available in the web and desktop apps.
Do I need to register before I can text customers from a local number?
For business texting to US recipients from standard 10-digit local numbers, carriers expect A2P 10DLC registration. TalkerIQ helps you prepare and submit your brand and campaign details and tracks the carrier review until you are approved.
Are business texts saved to my CRM automatically?
Yes. Texts and MMS are logged to the contact in TalkerIQ and synced to connected CRMs such as HubSpot, Salesforce, GoHighLevel, Pipedrive and Zoho, next to the contact's calls.
What happens when a customer replies STOP to a business text?
The opt-out is recorded on the contact, and they will not receive further messages from that number until they opt back in. This helps you meet carrier and TCPA expectations without anyone tracking opt-outs by hand.
Can a missed call automatically send a text back?
Yes. Because calls and texts run on the same TalkerIQ number, a missed call can trigger an instant text so the caller knows you saw it. Their reply lands in the shared inbox, where a teammate or the AI SMS agent picks it up.
How much does two-way SMS for business cost?
Two-way SMS and MMS are included in every TalkerIQ plan, from Starter at $29/user/mo, with texts counted per message segment. The pricing page shows how many texts each plan includes and the rate after that.
Keep exploring
Turn your business number into a texting line.
Book a 30-minute walkthrough. We'll set up texting on your numbers, plan 10DLC registration and show you the shared inbox.