Reply to a message
Answer a customer's message from the inbox, with a saved reply, an article or an attachment if you need one.
Where to find it
Calls › Inbox › a conversation (Easy mode: Essentials › Inquiries › Messages)
Open this screenSteps
- Open the conversation in Inbox (in Easy mode, the “Messages” tab of Inquiries, then the thread).
- Write in “Write a reply…” (Easy mode: “Type a reply…”).
- Optional in Full mode: press a chip under “Saved replies” to insert it, or under “Articles that match what they asked” to add a line that points to that article.
- Optional in Full mode: press “Attach” to add a file; remove it with × before sending.
- Press “Send reply” (Full mode, or ⌘/Ctrl + Enter) or “Send” (Easy mode, or Enter).
- Read the message that follows: “Sent”, “Accepted by Twilio. Delivery to the phone is not confirmed yet.”, or “Saved, not sent” with the reason.
Settings on this screen
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Saved replies | Approved replies for this channel, in the customer's language where one exists. Up to six are shown. | — |
| Articles that match what they asked | Knowledge articles that match the customer's words; choosing one adds a line pointing to it. | — |
| Attach | Adds a file to the reply: images, PDF, text, CSV, audio or MP4, up to 3 MB. | — |
| not sent / delivered / read | Marks under your own messages: why it failed, or whether it was delivered or read where the channel reports that. | — |
Troubleshooting
“That attachment was refused.” or “… is not an accepted attachment type.” (shown in English)
Only images (PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP), PDF, plain text, CSV, MP3/OGG/WAV audio and MP4 video can be attached.
“That attachment is … MB. The limit is 3MB.” (shown in English)
Make the file smaller, or share it another way.
The reply shows “not sent”.
Hover over the mark to see why. Usually the channel is not set up to send; the reply stays in the thread.
“The message is empty.”
Write something before pressing Send.
Tips
- When the channel supports it, the customer sees that you are typing, and you see “The customer is typing…”.
Good to know
- Text messages (SMS) stay off until an operator turns sending on.
- A reply sent to an SMS thread is reported as accepted by the carrier at most, never as delivered.
Related how-tos
- Inbox and Inquiries Work through every message and phone inquiry from your customers in one list, so nothing is missed.
- Message templates Keep SMS and chat templates for your type of business: start from a sample, build your own library, or draft with AI.
- Read the whole conversation of a call See everything the caller and your AI agent said on a call, in order, with times, so you have the full context before you act.