Talkative gives you two powerful ways to send SMS messages to your customers: Outbound SMS for one-to-one messages, and Mass Outbound SMS for sending the same message to many customers at once. Whether you want to follow up on a support case, share an appointment reminder, or reach a group of customers quickly, Talkative provides a simple and reliable way to manage your SMS communications.
Outbound SMS is a flexible communication tool suitable for a wide range of scenarios, including:
- Follow-up messages for ongoing customer issues
- Feedback or survey requests
- Order and delivery status updates
- Appointment reminders
Speak to your Customer Success Manager to ensure these settings are enabled in licensing.
Need an SMS number before you can get started? Take a look at our Applying for a WhatsApp/SMS/Phone Number through Talkative guide. You’ll need a number linked to your account to be able to view the outbound settings.
⚙️ How to enable Outbound SMS
To turn on the outbound SMS feature:
- Go to Settings in the Talkative console
- Use the search bar to look for Outbound SMS
- Open the feature settings
- Set Outbound SMS Interactions to Enabled
- Click Submit
Once enabled, an Outbound SMS option will appear in the left-hand console menu.
💬 How to send an outbound SMS
After enabling the feature, you can send a text message from inside the console:
- Open Outbound SMS from the left-hand menu
- Enter the required details:
- Phone number to text: The customer’s mobile number
- Number to send from: Choose from your available SMS numbers (useful if you operate in multiple regions)
- Message to send: Type the content of your SMS
- Click Create Outbound SMS Interaction to send the message
🗣️ How to Use Mass Outbound SMS
1. Open Mass Outbound SMS
You can access the feature by searching for Mass Outbound SMS in the settings menu, or by navigating directly to: /mass-outbound-sms/create
2. Choose a Number to Send From
Select the SMS number you want to use for your campaign, then click Next.
3. Upload Your CSV List
You’ll be prompted to upload a CSV file containing the phone numbers and messages you want to send.
You can download the template directly from this page.
Important details:
- The CSV filename does not matter
- You must keep the column headings exactly as shown in the template
4. Message Requirements & Limits
When preparing your CSV:
- You can send up to 250 messages in one batch
- Messages must be no longer than 320 characters
- Phone numbers can be in any commonly used format — for example:
+44-7842(8577-00)447842857700
The system will automatically normalise them for you
- Any invalid numbers will be highlighted so you can correct them
5. Review Your Upload
Once your CSV is uploaded, review the preview screen to confirm numbers and formatting look correct.
If you need to adjust anything, you can edit your CSV and re-upload it.
6. Send Your Messages
Before sending, you’ll need to confirm that you have obtained consent from your recipients. After acknowledging this, you can send your campaign.
❓FAQ’s: Outbound SMS
Mass Outbound: How many customers can I message at once?
You can currently send up to 250 messages in a single batch. If you need higher limits, contact Talkative to discuss your use case as the feature continues to evolve.
Mass Outbound: Is reporting available?
You can view the number of mass outbound SMS messages were sent each month by visiting the following URL:
https://eu.engage.app/mass-outbound-sms-usages
Talkative can provide reporting for specific campaigns on request. Future reporting improvements will be driven by customer demand.
What happens if customers reply?
If you use the same SMS number for both inbound and outbound SMS, any customer responses will appear as normal inbound interactions in the Talkative console.
Can I use Outbound SMS or Mass Outbound SMS inside Ignite?
These SMS features are part of the Talkative platform, not Ignite. If your organisation uses Ignite as your main workspace, you can still access these features by embedding Talkative pages directly via an iframe within Ignite.
This allows agents to use Outbound SMS and Mass Outbound SMS seamlessly from inside your Ignite environment, while all functionality continues to run through Talkative in the background.
If you need help embedding Talkative in Ignite, speak to your system administrator or contact Talkative Support.