Connect your Twilio phone number with BoldDesk to manage SMS conversations from a single platform. This article explains how to configure SMS messaging settings, automate customer responses, and enable features such as MMS, AI Agent, conversation reopening, tagging, and message automation.

Prerequisites

• Twilio SMS is integrated with BoldDesk. Explore How to Configure Twilio SMS Integration in BoldDesk.
• Your role has Manage Settings enabled in the admin module.

Steps to Map a Brand to a Twilio Number

Follow the given steps to add a brand to a Twilio account:

1. Go to Admin > Chat > SMS Twilio Accounts > Manage.
   

   
   
   

2. Choose how you want to proceed:

   • Add a new number: Click Add Number.
   • Edit an existing number: Click the kebab (⋮) menu for the number, then Edit.
     
     
     
     
     

3. In the dialog, provide the name, select a phone number from the Twilio console, and select the preferred Brand from the dropdown.

4. Click Next then Save/Update in the Message tab to apply the brand mapping to this Twilio number in BoldDesk.
   

   
   
   

5. Enable or disable the SMS settings below based on your use case, then click on Next.

   Setting	When Enabled	When Disabled
   Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS)	Allows agents and customers to send and receive media files, such as images and attachments, through Twilio SMS conversations.	Only text-based SMS messages can be sent and received.
   Reopen Conversation	Messages received from the same contact within the configured time period automatically reopen the resolved conversation.	A new conversation is created when a contact sends a message after the previous conversation is resolved.
   Auto-tag Conversations	Automatically applies the selected tags to incoming SMS conversations for easier organization and routing.	No tags are applied automatically; tags must be added manually.
   AI Agent	Enables the AI agent to automatically respond to and manage customer inquiries using the configured knowledge sources.	AI-assisted responses are unavailable, and customer inquiries must be handled manually by agents.

   
   
   

6. On the Message settings page, toggle on the settings as per your preference, then click on Save.

   Setting	When Enabled	When Disabled
   Welcome Message	Automatically sends a predefined welcome message when customers start a new SMS conversation.	No welcome message is sent when a conversation is initiated.
   Offline Message	Automatically sends an offline message when customers start a conversation while agents are unavailable. This message is sent only when AI Agent Assistance is disabled.	Customers do not receive an automated offline response when initiating a conversation outside business hours or agent availability.
   Conversation Closure Message	Automatically sends a predefined message when a conversation is closed or resolved.	No message is sent when a conversation ends.

   
   
   

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does “mapping a Twilio number to a Brand” mean in BoldDesk?
   Mapping links a specific Twilio phone number to a specific BoldDesk Brand so that Brand rules (for example, routing, business hours, SLA policies, and automations) apply to SMS conversations on that number.

2. When should a team map Twilio numbers to Brands?
   Map Twilio numbers to Brands when multiple teams/products/regions use different operational rules and each number must follow the correct Brand configuration.

3. How do I map a Brand to a Twilio number (minimal steps)?
   Go to Admin → Chat → SMS → Manage → Add Number (or ⋮ → Edit) → select the Twilio number and Brand → Next → in Message tab select Save/Update.

4. Can one Twilio number be mapped to multiple Brands?
   No. One Twilio number must be mapped to one Brand at a time. A Brand can have multiple Twilio numbers.

5. What happens if “Reopen Conversation” is disabled?
   When a customer sends a message after a conversation is resolved, BoldDesk creates a new conversation instead of reopening the previous resolved conversation.

6. When is the Offline Message sent?
   The Offline Message is sent when a customer starts a conversation while agents are unavailable, and it is sent only when AI Agent Assistance is disabled.

7. What changes after updating Brand mapping for a number?
   Updated Brand mapping affects how new/subsequent SMS interactions on that number are processed under the selected Brand’s rules. Existing conversation history remains intact.

8. Does enabling MMS affect plain SMS behavior?
   Enabling MMS adds support for media files in SMS conversations. Disabling MMS limits conversations to text-only messages.

Related Articles

1. How to Configure Twilio SMS Integration in BoldDesk
2. How to Configure Welcome and Offline Messages for Twilio SMS in BoldDesk
3. How to Configure Twilio SMS Integration in BoldDesk