Sending Text Messages

In addition to sending out emails, your property management software can also be used to communicate through text (SMS) messages to tenants, owners, and vendors.   Note: To use this feature, the service must first be activated.

Setup instructions to activate text messaging can be found here: Setup Text Messaging

Sending Text Messages

The instructions are the same for tenants, owners, and vendors so we will use tenants as the example below. 

In your Rentec Direct account: 

1. Click Tenants.
   
   Note: 
   1. To send an email to an Owner, click Owners and follow the below instructions. 
   2. To send an email to a Vendor, click on People in Settings, and then click Manage Vendors & Payees. 
2. Right-click the person you'd like to text and choose the Email/SMS option from the menu. 
   
   Note: This is the same screen to return to if you wish to see a list of all the outgoing emails, recorded email, or text messages sent or received. 
   
3. Click the Send Text icon at the top of the screen to open the Messaging window. 
   
   1. On the Messaging window, you have the option to create a template, use an existing template, or compose a message that you would like to send. 
   2. You are also able to toggle to send an email instead.
   3. You also have the option to send a group text or email message from this page as well.  
      
4. When you are finished composing a message, click the Messaging link

When someone replies to a text that you've sent, the messages notification at the top of every page in the software will indicate that you have unread messages. While outgoing text are limited to text only, replies (incoming texts) can include video/images. 

  There are 2 options for replying to messages:

1) Access  All Messages

• Click on the Chat Bubble in the upper right corner     
• Select View all Messages
• Click on the Message received and you will have the option to "Reply"

2)     Accessing messages to specific Tenants     

• Go to Tenants
• Right click next to the Tenant and select "Messaging"
• Click on the Message and you will have the option to Reply            

Note:  If a Tenant attempts to call the "Text" phone number indicated there is a message stating "You have reached an unanswered extension...., we do not accept voice calls at this number, please contact us at (your company number found by going to Settings>Your Contact Info will be provided)

Text Message Considerations

When sending SMS messages to a recipient group, the editor displays a character counter at the bottom to help you keep your message within the 160 character limit.

Bear in mind that when using data fields in a message, the actual data (such as a tenant's last name) may be longer than the place holder %last_name%, so plan your message length accordingly.   

Dedicated SMS number is $10/month which includes 500 outgoing/incoming messages (2 cents for each additional message/month) and enables full SMS communication to your tenants, owners, and vendors.