One place for every thread
Every conversation on the business number appears in one inbox, visible from the desktop and mobile apps. Whoever is free replies.
SMS for Canadian businesses
Text customers from the number they already know.
Customers would rather text than hold. Business texting lets your team send and receive SMS from the business number, in an inbox everyone can see, with reminders, confirmations and quotes going out from the same line customers call.
- Texting on your existing local or toll-free number
- Shared inbox so anyone on the team can reply
- Opt-out handled automatically
Example
+1
+1 (289) 555-0119
SMSYour appointment is confirmed for Tue 9:30 a.m. Reply C to confirm or R to reschedule.
C
Thanks — see you Tuesday. Reply STOP to opt out.
…
Business texting lets a company send and receive SMS from its business phone number rather than from an employee's personal cell. Messages arrive in a shared inbox that the team can see and reply to from the desktop or mobile app. Common uses are appointment reminders, confirmations, quotes and two-way questions. 3CTel enables texting on your existing number, sets up the inbox and handles the carrier registration requirements with you.
Why the business number, not a personal cell
When staff text customers from their own phones, the conversation leaves with them. Nobody else can see it, nobody can cover it on their day off, and customers end up with a personal number they will use for years. Texting from the business number puts the thread where the business can see it and keeps it there.
The number is the one customers already have. A caller who could not get through texts the same number and reaches the same team. A reminder goes out from the number on the appointment card. Nothing new to advertise.
Business SMS
Text from the number customers already call — as a team, not from a personal phone.
Learn more: Business SMSBusiness Phone Numbers
Local, toll-free and campaign numbers that all land in one system.
Learn more: Business Phone NumbersVirtual business phone number
A real business number on the cell phone you already carry.
Learn more: Virtual business phone numberWhat businesses text about
| Use | Example | Who usually sends it |
|---|---|---|
| Appointment reminder | 'Your appointment is tomorrow at 10:00. Reply C to confirm or R to reschedule.' | Front desk or an automated reminder scoped during planning |
| Arrival notice | 'Your technician is on the way and should arrive within the hour.' | Dispatcher from the desktop app |
| Quote and follow-up | 'Here is the quote we discussed. Reply with any questions.' | Salesperson from the mobile app |
| Order or document ready | 'Your order is ready for pickup at the front counter.' | Store staff |
| Missed-call follow-up | 'Sorry we missed your call. How can we help?' | Automatic reply on a missed call, where enabled |
| Two-way questions | 'Do you have this in stock?' 'Yes, two left. Want us to hold one?' | Whoever is on the inbox |
Appointment booking
Bookings taken by phone, confirmed by text, and handed to a person when needed.
Learn more: Appointment bookingMedical & Dental Clinics
Appointment lines, provider routing and after-hours coverage for clinics.
Learn more: Medical & Dental ClinicsAutomotive
Sales, service and parts routing with vehicle-ready texts and per-campaign numbers.
Learn more: AutomotiveRetail & E-commerce
Per-store hours, stock-check routing and pickup texts for stores and online orders.
Learn more: Retail & E-commerceConsent, opt-out and carrier registration
Text messaging to customers is subject to rules about consent, and carriers apply their own requirements to business senders. This page does not offer legal advice. In general terms: message people who have agreed to hear from you, make it clear who the message is from, and make stopping easy.
3CTel handles the mechanics. Replies such as STOP are recognized automatically and the number is marked so the team cannot text it by mistake. Carrier registration requirements apply to business texting in Canada and the United States; 3CTel handles the registration with you as part of setup, and texting is enabled once it is complete.
If your organization has its own rules about customer messaging, share them during planning so the inbox, templates and automatic replies are set up to match.
Questions about texting from a business line
Can we text from a toll-free number?
Yes. Toll-free numbers in Canada can send and receive SMS once they are enabled for messaging, and they go through their own registration process, which is handled with you at setup. Some businesses prefer a toll-free number for texting because it presents the same nationally, while local numbers suit a business that serves one city.
Can texting be automated, for example reminders from our booking system?
Reminders and confirmations can be triggered from other systems via API, webhooks or an automation platform. The connection is scoped during planning and availability is confirmed before activation, because it depends on what your booking or CRM software can send. Many teams start with manual templates from the inbox and automate the highest-volume message later.
Does the customer's reply reach the person who sent the message?
It reaches the inbox for that number, and the thread stays assigned to the person who sent the last message unless it is reassigned. That way a customer replying at 7 p.m. to a quote sent at noon does not get lost, and a colleague can pick it up if the original sender is away. Notifications follow the hours you set.
Getting set up
Choose the numbers
Enable texting on your existing main number, add a dedicated number, or both. Decide which team owns each inbox.
Complete carrier registration
3CTel collects the business details the carriers require and submits the registration with you. Texting is switched on when it is approved.
Set up templates and hours
Reminder, confirmation and missed-call templates are written with you, along with the after-hours automatic reply.
Go live
The team installs the apps and starts replying. Any automation is added once the manual flow is working.
Related pages.
Business SMS
Text from the number customers already call — as a team, not from a personal phone.
Learn more: Business SMSBusiness Phone Numbers
Local, toll-free and campaign numbers that all land in one system.
Learn more: Business Phone NumbersAppointment booking
Bookings taken by phone, confirmed by text, and handed to a person when needed.
Learn more: Appointment bookingCustomer service
The phone workflow behind a support desk that answers, follows up and improves.
Learn more: Customer serviceVirtual business phone number
A real business number on the cell phone you already carry.
Learn more: Virtual business phone numberMedical & Dental Clinics
Appointment lines, provider routing and after-hours coverage for clinics.
Learn more: Medical & Dental ClinicsFrequently asked questions.
Yes. The same number carries calls and texts. Calls ring the phones and apps; texts land in the inbox.
Group sends are possible where recipients have agreed to receive messages. Carrier rules apply to volume and content, and the specialist explains what is appropriate for your use.
Conversations are kept with the account so the team can search history. See our privacy page for how message data is handled and ask the specialist about retention settings.
Once a number is ported to 3CTel it can be enabled for texting, subject to registration. Most local and toll-free numbers qualify.
Put texting on the number customers already have.
Tell us which number and which team. A specialist handles registration, sets up the inbox and templates, and quotes it before activation.