How to configure keyword responses – String

In this article:

Keyword responses are a great way to automatically send helpful information to people when they text a specific keyword or phrase. Here are a few examples where keyword responses can be super useful:

The sports coach

You coach a kids sports team and you want to make it easy for the team to quickly see the weekly schedule of games and practices. You can instruct your team to text the word "schedule" to your number and they will instantly have the full schedule at their fingertips.

The realtor

You're ready to sell that property on 123 Elm Street and you want to make it easy for interested buyers to learn about the property and find out about an upcoming open house. Instruct interested parties to text "123Elm" and instantly respond with helpful information.

The business owner

Your hours of operation vary and you want your customers to know when you're open. Instruct them to text "hours" to your number and instantly respond with your current hours of operation.

Configuring keyword responses

Hopefully, those examples help you determine if keyword responses are right for you. Now let's talk about how to set them up:

Log in to your String account
Click on the phone number / inbox you would like to use (if you have multiple numbers)
Click Auto Replies
Click Keyword Responses
Click on the right corner to create a new response, then select Keyword Responses
Enter your recipients in the first blank:
- Everyone - This goes to anyone who texts.
- Someone from a specific list - This will lead you to a second dropdown box where you can select from your various conversation lists.
- Known Contacts - This goes to anyone you have already received texts or calls from.
- Unknown Contacts - This goes to any caller/number that String has never received a call or text from.
Enter a keyword. The shorter and simpler the better. This keyword is NOT case sensitive but if it's spelled incorrectly, a reply won't be triggered. You have 30 characters to work with.
In the message field, enter the content for your automatic response to the customer.
Use the button to add first name personalization fields if sending to known contacts or specific lists. You also have 670 characters to work with. Once the message is entered, click Done.
Click on the status to change to Active
Once your keywords are active, they will reply with your messages regardless of your Available or Unavailable activity status.

Activating and deactivating keyword responses

In the first column, under Status, you will see a section for Active and Disabled keyword responses. A Keyword Response must be active in order for it to work.

To activate or disabled a keyword response, mouse over the response and click the Active or Disabled text.
Delete a response at any time by clicking the icon.

One final important note: Keyword Responses only work when the message contains exactly and only that specific keyword. For example, if the keyword is "hours" a message that says "what are your hours?" won't work.

Contact customer support or leave us a comment if this is essential functionality for your business and we may consider expanding this in a future release.