Business text messaging is sending and receiving texts with your customers from a business phone number, through a texting service you use in a web browser, instead of from an employee's personal phone. It covers three kinds of messages: one text sent to many customers at once, such as a holiday closing notice; one-to-one conversations, such as a customer asking whether you have a part in stock; and automatic messages, such as appointment reminders and replies to keywords.
The cost has three parts. You pay for each message you send, you pay a small monthly fee for your number, and you register the number with the carriers once. On CampaignCNX+, texts cost $0.06 each on pay-as-you-go, or you can choose a monthly plan starting at $55 with 1,000 texts included. Your number is $5 a month. This guide explains each part, with worked examples, after a look at how businesses use texting and what the rules require. For the broader picture of sending to many people at once, see our guide to mass texting.
What business text messaging includes
A business texting service gives you a few things a personal phone does not.
- A business number that belongs to the company, so customer conversations stay with the business when staff change.
- Sending to groups. You import the customers who agreed to receive texts, sort them into groups, and send one message to a whole group.
- A shared inbox. Replies arrive in one place that several staff members can read and answer.
- Automatic handling of STOP. When a customer replies STOP, the service records it and sends that person no further texts.
- Records. The service keeps a history of what was sent, when, and to whom, along with when each customer agreed to receive texts.
These features matter because business texting is regulated more closely than personal texting. The consent and opt-out records show when and how each customer agreed, if the question ever comes up.
How businesses use texting, by industry
The same few message types appear in almost every industry. What changes is the detail.
- Home services and trades. Arrival windows, "technician on the way" messages, estimate follow-up, and seasonal service reminders to past customers who agreed to receive them.
- Dental, medical and wellness offices. Appointment confirmations and reminders. Keep them free of health details, and check with your compliance advisor about what your reminders may say before you start.
- Salons, spas and fitness studios. Reminders, last-minute openings for customers on a waiting list, and class schedule changes.
- Auto repair. "Your car is ready" messages, estimate approvals and service reminders.
- Restaurants and retail. Pickup notices, weekly specials and event announcements for customers who joined a text list.
- Real estate. Fast replies to new leads, showing confirmations, and open house and new listing alerts.
- Professional services. Meeting reminders, requests for documents and deadline notices, with case and account details left out.
- Nonprofits and churches. Event reminders, volunteer requests and a keyword that replies with a link to the giving page.
Appointment reminders are the most common starting point. Our guide to appointment reminder texts has ready-to-copy templates for six industries.
Two-way texting for business
Two-way texting means customers can reply and a person at your business answers. It suits short questions that do not need a phone call, such as confirming an address or asking about hours.
In CampaignCNX+, replies arrive in a two-way inbox your team shares. You can add team members with one of three roles (admin, manager or staffer), so the people answering customers do not need the owner's login.
Keywords handle common requests automatically. A keyword is a single word a customer texts to your number, and CampaignCNX+ answers it with a reply you write. For example, a shop might set up a keyword that replies with this week's hours and address. A keyword rule answers only when the whole text is that word, so longer messages go to the inbox for a person to answer.
If your business uses other software, CampaignCNX+ can send each incoming message to Zapier, Make or n8n through an outgoing webhook (an automatic notice sent to a web address you choose). It also has an API (the connection other programs use to send it instructions), which can send a text right away or schedule one for later.
Consent and carrier registration
Two sets of rules apply to every business that texts customers. The first is about permission, and the second is about your number.
Consent. Text only people who agreed to receive texts from your business, and keep a record of when and how they agreed. A checkbox on a booking form, an online sign-up form with clear wording, or a customer texting START to your number are common ways to collect it. A phone number a customer gave you for billing is not, by itself, permission to send marketing texts, and a purchased list is not consent at all. Include "Reply STOP to opt out" in the first message each customer receives.
Carrier registration. The carriers (the mobile phone companies, such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile) require businesses to register before they text customers. There are two routes:
- A toll-free number. The carriers verify it in about three business days. This is the fastest way to start.
- 10DLC registration. 10DLC means a standard local-style number registered with the carriers for business texting. It has a one-time $75 fee from The Campaign Registry, the organization that records these registrations, and it is the better choice for programs that need reliable delivery over the long term.
CampaignCNX+ files the carrier registration for you. When you register for 10DLC, you can send from your toll-free number while the carriers review it. Our post on 10DLC registration explains the process in more detail.
One more rule is built in. CampaignCNX+ sends texts only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in each recipient's time zone, so a message scheduled late at night waits for the morning.
What business texting costs
Each standard text (SMS) of up to 160 characters uses one message credit. A longer text is split into parts, and each part uses one credit. A picture message (MMS) uses three credits, so it costs $0.18 on pay-as-you-go.
| Plan | Monthly price | Texts included | Each additional text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | None | None | $0.06 |
| Basic | $55 | 1,000 | $0.055 |
| Pro | $225 | 5,000 | $0.045 |
| Enterprise | $695 | 20,000 | $0.035 |
Your number is $5 a month on every plan. Pay-as-you-go credits do not expire, and on a monthly plan, unused included messages roll over to the next month. If you send fewer than about 900 texts a month, pay-as-you-go costs less than Basic.
Two features are optional add-ons. The two-way inbox is $12.49 a month (it is included on Enterprise), and keywords with automatic replies are $20 a month. Each automatic keyword reply is billed like any other text. If you would rather have the setup done for you, White Glove onboarding is a one-time fee of $299.
The examples below use made-up businesses to show how the numbers add up. Your own costs depend on how many customers you text and how often.
Example 1: a two-chair salon. It sends about 400 reminders a month on pay-as-you-go. Texts cost $24 and the number is $5, for $29 a month. Adding the two-way inbox for replies brings the total to $41.49.
Example 2: a plumbing company. It sends about 1,500 texts a month on Basic, covering arrival windows, reminders and estimate follow-up. The plan is $55, the 500 extra texts are $27.50 at $0.055 each, and the number is $5, for $87.50 a month before add-ons.
Example 3: a gift shop's monthly promotion. It sends one promotion a month to 1,200 customers who joined its text list. Sent as a picture message, that uses 3,600 credits; on Pro, the $225 plan covers it, and the unused credits roll over. Sent as a standard text with a link to a photo instead, it uses 1,200 credits; on Basic, that costs $55 plus $11 for the extra 200 texts. In both cases the number adds $5.
Add the one-time $75 fee if you register for 10DLC.
How to start business texting with CampaignCNX+
- Open an account. Every new account includes 100 free SMS.
- Buy your number for $5 a month. Nothing sends until the number is bought and approved.
- Let CampaignCNX+ file your carrier registration. Plan on about three business days for a toll-free number.
- Import your opted-in customers. Add tags and custom fields, and sort customers into groups such as "reminders," "promotions" or "commercial accounts."
- Send your first message to a small group, check the replies in the inbox, and review what it cost before you choose a plan.
Our page on texting for small businesses shows more of what a business account includes.
Common questions
What is the difference between business texting and mass texting?
Mass texting is one part of business texting: sending one message to many customers at once. Business texting also includes one-to-one conversations in a shared inbox and automatic messages such as reminders and keyword replies.
How much does a business texting service cost each month?
On CampaignCNX+, as an example, 300 texts a month on pay-as-you-go cost $18, plus $5 for the number. Monthly plans start at $55 with 1,000 texts. Add-ons such as the two-way inbox and keywords are extra.
Do I need to register my number to send business texts?
Yes. The carriers require registration for business texting. A toll-free number is usually verified in about three business days, and 10DLC registration has a one-time $75 fee. CampaignCNX+ files either one for you.
Can several employees answer texts from one number?
Yes. Replies arrive in a shared inbox, and you can add team members as admins, managers or staffers. How many team members a plan includes varies, and more can be added.
Can I send pictures?
Yes. A picture message uses three credits instead of one. For a large list, a standard text with a link to the photo costs less.
Start texting your customers
Begin with one job, such as appointment reminders or "your order is ready" messages, and add others once your customers are used to hearing from you by text. Every new account includes 100 free SMS, and your number is $5 a month.