# Two-way SMS: replies, keywords and confirmations

> Add a two-way number to a campaign so recipients can reply: confirmations, keywords, STOP handling and conversations, collected in the panel and pushed to your webhook.

Two-way SMS on SMSMeteor works by sending from a numeric sender that can receive: enable replies on a campaign, a two-way number is attached per destination, and inbound messages appear in the panel inbox and as events on your webhook. Keyword rules can answer automatically, and STOP removes the number from later sends. Sending is billed at the normal rate; the number is an optional rental priced per country in the panel.

## Recommended settings

- Sender: Numeric, per destination
- Replies: Panel inbox and inbound webhook events
- Automation: Keyword rules with automatic answers
- Opt-out: STOP handled automatically
- Pricing: Messages at the rate card; number rented per country
- Not possible with: Alphanumeric sender names

## Steps

1. Enable replies: On the campaign, turn on replies. A two-way number is attached for each destination in the list.
2. Ask a clear question: Reply C to confirm, YES to join, a number from 1 to 5. One expected answer per message.
3. Read or route: Replies land in the inbox next to the campaign and are pushed to your webhook with the original message id.
4. Automate the obvious: Keyword rules send the right answer to C, X, HELP or STOP without a person in the loop.

## When two-way is worth it

Use it where an answer changes what happens next: confirming an appointment, accepting a delivery slot, joining a list by keyword, a quick satisfaction score, a support conversation started by text. For plain notifications and codes, a one-way sender is simpler and costs nothing extra.

Numbers are national. A campaign to five countries that needs replies needs five numbers, because a reply has to terminate on a number the recipient's operator can reach cheaply.

## What recipients see

They see a normal phone number as the sender and can reply as they would to a person. Since the number is not your brand, the text must identify you in the first words. If you keep the same number across campaigns, customers can save it, and the thread on their phone becomes a history of your messages.

## Sample message

From +44 7700 900123: "ACME Delivery: your parcel arrives tomorrow 9 to 12. Reply 1 to confirm, 2 for the afternoon, 3 to reschedule."

## Questions

**Can people reply to an alphanumeric sender?** No. A name has no number behind it, so there is nothing to reply to. Two-way messaging needs a numeric sender that can receive.

**Where do replies go?** To the inbox in the panel, grouped by campaign, and to your webhook as inbound events that carry the id of the message being answered.

**Is STOP handled automatically?** Yes. A STOP reply removes the number from the list and from later campaigns to that list, and the opt-out is counted in the report.

**What does a two-way number cost?** Sending is billed at the destination's normal rate. The number itself is an optional monthly rental priced per country and shown in the panel before you enable it.

**Can replies be answered automatically?** Yes. Keyword rules match a reply such as C, X or HELP and send the answer you wrote. An automatic answer is a message and is billed as one.

**Do I need one number per country?** For reliable replies, yes. Recipients answer to a number in their own country; a foreign number costs them more and often does not route.



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Source: https://smsmeteor.com/use-cases/two-way-sms (HTML). Generated by SMSMeteor from the same data as the page. Summary of the whole site: https://smsmeteor.com/llms.txt