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Sona for SMS is in active development and currently in alpha.It’s only available to select workspaces right now, with access expanding gradually. If you don’t see it in your workspace yet, it’s coming soon!

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Overview

Sona for SMS helps ensure your team never misses a lead. When a new customer calls or texts for the first time, Sona steps in by text to answer questions about your business, collect the details your team needs to follow up, and then creates a summary so your team can continue the conversation seamlessly.
Sona for SMS is available on all Quo plans at no additional cost during the alpha period.

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When Sona responds

Sona for SMS is designed to capture new leads as quickly as possible. It activates when a new customer reaches out and there’s no existing conversation history in the inbox. Currently, Sona can step in when:
  • A missed call is not handled by Sona for Voice in a new conversation: When a call comes in from a new number, goes unanswered, and wasn’t picked up by Sona for Voice, Sona sends a follow-up text to the caller to get the conversation started.
  • A new inbound text message starts a conversation: When a brand-new SMS comes in from a number with no prior conversation history.
Sona for SMS only triggers on fresh conversations with no existing history. It will not activate in the middle of an ongoing conversation.

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What Sona does once triggered

1

Greets the customer

Sends a greeting text message 
2

Figures out what they need

Asks what customers looking for, or what product or service they might be interested in
3

Answers customer questions

Uses information from your linked business website to context
4

Collects relevant details

Captures information from customers based on their inquiry and your business
5

Hands the conversation back to your team

Tags the inbox in the conversation thread with a summary of the conversation and lists all the details collected from the customer

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Monitor Sona’s conversations

While Sona is actively handling a conversation, you’ll be able to see its status on web, iOS, and Android - ensure that you’re using the latest app version.
You can interrupt Sona at any time and take over the conversation yourself.

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How to set up Sona for SMS

Sona uses your website to learn about your business’ services, pricing, hours, and anything else a customer might ask about.
A website must be linked for Sona for SMS to be able to take action. The website you choose will be shared across your entire workspace.
  1. Navigate to Settings → Phone Numbers and select the phone number you want to configure
  2. Click the Sona for SMS tab
  3. Under Knowledge, enter your website URL
  4. Click Import
All phone numbers with Sona for SMS enabled will reference the same website for information.

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Step 2: Activate the skill

  1. In the Sona for SMS tab, click Collect details from new customers
  2. Choose when Sona steps in and what it does:
    • When Sona steps in: The conditions that cause Sona to activate (missed calls not handled by Sona for Voice in new conversations, or new inbound text messages in new conversations)
    • What Sona does when activated: Sona texts the customer, figures out what they need, answers their questions, and collects the details your team needs to follow up
  3. Click Activate to turn on the skill

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Before you activate

Turn off auto-replies: Running both at the same time will result in customers receiving duplicate or conflicting automated messages. See how to turn off Auto replies. Make sure you’ve completed your Carrier Registration: If you’re not registered, text messages send to US numbers won’t be delivered. Learn how to complete your A2P registration.

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Alpha limitations

Because Sona for SMS is in active development, there are a few current limitations: Triggers are limited: Sona only activates for missed calls in new conversations and new inbound text messages in new conversations. Additional trigger options are coming soon. Detail collection is automatic: Sona decides what information to collect from the customer based on the context it has about your business and the nature of the customer’s inquiry. The ability to define exactly what details Sona should collect is coming soon. One website for the entire workspace: When you link your website, it’s used to provide information to all the phone numbers in your workspace that have Sona for SMS enabled. If you remove the website, it’s removed for the entire workspace, not just the phone number you’re viewing.

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FAQs

Yes. If a call goes unanswered and Sona for Voice was active but didn’t handle it, Sona for SMS can step in to follow up over text.
In your inbox. Sona tags the inbox in the conversation thread with a summary and the details it collected, so your team can pick up from there.
Sona only handles the initial conversation. Once it hands the conversation back to your team, any follow-up messages will appear in your inbox as a normal conversation for your team to respond to.