Zapier: Turn your SMS autoresponder on and off with a text message

With this simple Zapier integration, you can turn your SMS autoresponder on or off by texting your dedicated virtual number. This eliminates the need to log into your Burst account.

This is ideal for businesses that provide customer service via SMS. Customers often expect quick responses, especially if they’re texting you, and will message at any time of the day or week when issues arise. Your business isn’t always open, so it’s important to let them know when they should expect a response.

Here’s an example of an SMS autoresponder: * 156 characters

Tip: Before we move on, make sure to check out how to set up an autoresponder.

How it works

For this integration, you’ll need to have a dedicated virtual number and a paid Zapier subscription. The default shared virtual number can’t receive SMS messages, and the free Zapier subscription doesn’t offer enough steps to complete this integration.

Two keywords are required to make this work. One to turn your autoresponder on, and the other to turn it off. The keywords can be anything you want them to be, but make sure they’re not generic (e.g ‘start’ or ‘stop’). Otherwise, your customers may trigger them by accident just by having the keyword somewhere in their text message.

Important note: The keywords mentioned in this article shouldn’t be confused with Burst’s SMS Keywords. These are specific to SMS and trigger functions in Burst. The keywords described in this article are set up in and trigger functions in Zapier.

Integration Benefits

• Allows you to quickly turn your SMS autoresponder on and off without having to log in
• Works without a Wi-Fi or mobile data connection
• Improves customer experience by informing your customers about your business hours and response times

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