CXone SMS Messaging

If you use Inbound/Manual Outbound SMS, this topic does not apply to you.

CXone SMS Messaging lets your agents receive inbound SMS (text) messages and initiate outbound text messages as a channel to interact with your organization's contacts. You can also use CXone SMS Messaging for Proactive SMS text campaigns in Personal Connection.

CXone offers another SMS solution, Inbound/Manual Outbound SMS, that treats inbound and outbound text messages as work itemsClosed Customizable method of delivering contacts to an agent via Studio scripts.. The advantage of CXone SMS Messaging is that it's a regular ACD channel (similar to chat). Texts appear in an SMS workspace in the agent's application.

CXone SMS Messaging works like this:

  • A contact sends a text (SMS) message to your organization, or an agent sends a text message to a contact.
  • Within a framework called the "text hub", CXone SMS Messaging opens a "room" for handling the SMS interaction. This framework is behind the scenes and not visible to either customers or agents.
  • CXone routes the message to an agent based on your configured skills and routing script.
  • The agent handles the interaction from within an agent application. This keeps the agent experience consistent for all channels, since agents use the same application to handle voice calls, chats, email, work itemsClosed Customizable method of delivering contacts to an agent via Studio scripts., and SMS interactions.

Tiffany Goldilocks runs the customer service contact center for the Three Bears Porridge division of Classics, Inc. Her agents handle incoming calls, chats, and SMS messages from customers looking for retailers that carry Three Bears Porridge, as well as from those who experience quality issues with their porridge purchases.

Key Facts about CXone SMS Messaging

  • CXone SMS Messaging must be enabled in your tenant before you can configure the necessary skills, points of contact, and so forth.
  • CXone SMS Messaging supports up to 12 concurrent sessions. You can configure the number of sessions at either the user or the team level. The same session limit applies to both CXone SMS Messaging and chat when you use both, as shown in this example:
    • The Bears, a team in the Three Bears Porridge contact center, is configured with a limit of five chat/SMS sessions.
    • Agent Mama Bear is assigned to both the chat and SMS skills. She is currently handling two chats and two SMS interactions. CXone could deliver one more chat or one more SMS interaction to her.
    • Agent Papa Bear is assigned only to the chat skill. He is currently handling three chats. CXone will not deliver any SMS interactions to him, but could deliver up to two additional chats.
    • Agent Baby Bear is assigned only to the SMS skill. He is currently handling four SMS interactions. CXone will not deliver any chat interactions to him, but could deliver one more SMS interaction.
  • When an agent accepts an SMS interaction, a two-hour timer starts. The timer resets whenever an SMS message is sent or received. This keeps the session alive in case the contact does not respond right away, but prevents a session from being kept alive indefinitely.
  • Sometimes a session may time out, but then the contact later responds to the agent's last message. The restarted interaction may be sent to a different agent. The new agent can load transcripts from the last ten sessions associated with the DNISClosed Identifies the number the contact dialed to reach you for inbound voice calls and the number the agent or system dialed on outbound voice calls. or ANIClosed Also known as caller ID. Listed phone number of an incoming voice call. to review the earlier conversation and better assist the contact.
  • Administrators can end an SMS interaction manually by using a forced disconnect. However, doing so ends all active SMS interactions and may prevent interaction transcripts from being saved if that functionality is enabled.
  • CXone SMS Messaging is currently only supported in MAX and Salesforce Agent Lightning.
  • CXone SMS Messaging is available in the United States and Canada. Long codes, toll-free long codes, and short codes are all supported.
  • CXone SMS Messaging is also available in more than 15 additional countries using long codes only. Ask your CXone representative for more information.