Contacts are people in your system who can be notified when a visitor arrives to see them. Notifications come in all sorts of forms, but one of our most popular types is SMS messages.

SMS notifications enable your employees to receive text messages when a visitor arrives to see them! SMS message notifications are available to all Receptionist customers and trial customers who've added billing information.

All currently active Receptionist members can use SMS notifications; you don't need to make any changes to the account. Any Contact with a phone number associated with them will automatically be set up to receive SMS notifications.

But what about customers who are still on the trial? You can start using SMS notifications, too!

Because acquiring SMS numbers comes at a cost to us, we ask that visitors add billing information to their accounts. Don't worry; you won't be charged for two weeks after entering your billing information, even if you're already two weeks into your trial. Adding billing information extends your trial an additional two weeks and enables you to test out SMS notifications.

To start, head to the Billing page and select the plan you think will work best for your team. Don't worry too much; this can be changed at any time. Then, add your billing information. Once you add that information and save, an SMS number will be automatically assigned to your account within 24 hours, and you'll be free to test!

You won't be charged for two weeks after entering your billing information, and you can cancel at any time.

Once you've added Billing information, it's time to start setting up and using those notifications. To start, keep in mind that only Contacts with a phone number attached will be able to use SMS notifications, and that number must be able to receive texts—no landlines!

Head to the Contacts page of the web portal. Select the three dots in the Actions column, then select "Edit."

From here, you can add a new SMS Messaging Rule. To learn more about Messaging Rules and how they work, check here.

Remember to save, and your Contact is set to begin receiving SMS notifications!

If you have Two-Way Chat enabled, your Contacts and visitors can chat via SMS notifications! If your Contact texts back to the notification, their reply will display on the iPad for the visitor to see. This is a great way to give your Contacts the option to let visitors know they'll be running a little late, for example.