> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://bulk-order-hero.mintlify.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Text your customers > Send order texts from your own business number, and get new-order alerts on your phone. Bulk Order Hero can text your customers when their order is confirmed, on the way and delivered. Texts come from your own business number, and when a customer texts back, the reply shows up on their order. Texts are sent through **Twilio**, a texting company. You open your own Twilio account, and Twilio bills you directly: a monthly fee for your number and about a cent per text. > [!TIP] > > Setting up texting takes some paperwork with Twilio. We're happy to do it with you. [Get help](https://bulk-order-hero.mintlify.site/help/get-help.md) ## Set it up Tap **Settings**, then **Text messages**. The steps at the top show where you are: **Connect Twilio**, **Choose your number**, **Registration approved** and **Texts on**. Only the owner can see this page. **1. Connect Twilio** Tap **Create a Twilio account** if you don't have one. Then, on your Twilio home page under **Account Info**, copy your **Account SID** and **Auth Token**. Paste them in and tap **Connect**. **2. Choose your number** Pick a number from your Twilio account, or tap **Buy a number** to get a local one. You'll see Twilio's monthly price before you buy. **3. Register your number** Phone companies require every business number to be registered before it can text customers. The **Registration** section has every answer Twilio's form asks for, filled in from your store, with a **Copy** button on each. No EIN? Choose **Sole Proprietor**. Have an EIN? Choose **Low Volume Standard**. **4. Wait for approval** Twilio reviews your registration, which can take a while. The app checks every day and emails you when it's approved. Twilio charges a small fee to register, plus a monthly fee. **5. Turn on texts** Once you're approved, turn on **Offer text updates at checkout**. > [!NOTE] > > Your store needs a Privacy Policy before you can turn on texts. Tap **Settings**, then **Policies**. If you don't have one, you can start from a template. ## How customers sign up At checkout, customers see a box that isn't ticked: **Text me updates about this order.** Only customers who tick it get texts. They can still order without it. If they skipped it, they can tap **Get text updates** on their order page later. That's handy for phone orders. Your store also gets a texting terms page, and a texting section is added to your Privacy Policy and Terms. Phone companies require these, so they're done for you. ## The texts customers get | Text | When it's sent | | - | - | | **Order confirmed** | Right after they pay | | **On the way** | When you tap **On the way** | | **Delivered** | When you tap **Delivered** | | **New delivery time** | When you change the day or time | | **Canceled** | When you cancel the order | | **Ready for pickup** | When you tap **Mark ready** on a pickup | Most texts link to the customer's order page. Customers can reply **STOP** at any time to stop getting texts. To change a text, tap it. Turn it on or off, change the words, then tap **Preview** or **Send test to me**. Messed it up? Tap **Reset to default**. It works like the [email editor](https://bulk-order-hero.mintlify.site/how-to/emails.md). > [!TIP] > > Keep texts short. The counter shows how long each one is. Skip emoji: they make each text cost more. **Quiet hours** are on unless you turn them off. Texts that would go out at night (9 pm to 7 am, or the hours you pick) wait until morning. **Order confirmed** and **On the way** always go out right away. ## Alerts to your phone * **Text me new orders:** get a text when a new order comes in. Enter your mobile number and type in the code we text you to confirm it. * **Forward customer replies to my phone:** get your customers' replies as texts too. ## When a customer replies Their reply shows on the order and on their customer page, and you get a notification on the bell. To answer, use the reply box on the order, like **Text Jamie**. It sends from your business number. Customers who replied **STOP** show as **Texts off**, and you can't text them from the app. ## This month See how many texts went out, how many failed and who opted out. Twilio bills you directly, so check your Twilio account for the cost. **Pause texts** stops all your texts without disconnecting Twilio. Emails keep going out. If Twilio has a problem with your account, like a low balance, your texts pause and you'll see a red message telling you what to fix. ## Common questions > **Do texts replace emails?** > > No. Customers still get every email, whether or not they get texts. > **Can my drivers get texts?** > > Not yet. Texts go to your customers, and to you if you turn on alerts. > **How do I stop texting customers?** > > Turn on **Pause texts**. To remove Twilio completely, tap **Disconnect**. The box disappears from checkout and no more texts go out. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.