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SMS answering service for businesses

Upfirst answers your text messages 24/7 with AI, so you miss fewer leads and get back to customers faster.

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Train it on your business

Add your services, hours, prices and policies once in the knowledge base. The same training answers your calls and your texts.

Reply automatically

Your agent can answer questions or collect info from leads automatically. If it doesn't know the answer, it will loop you in.

Hand off to your team

You decide what situations or types of questions should get automatically escalated to your team.

  • Answers in 35+ languages. Upfirst is a bilingual AI receptionist that answers calls and texts in English, Spanish and 35+ other languages.
  • Smart notifications. New leads, urgent issues and handed-off chats go to the right person by text or email. You decide who hears about what.
  • Answers texts and calls. Use Upfirst for texts, calls, or both. Your agent can send callers a text during the call, and the AI picks up when they reply.
  • Phone number included. Pick a local number with your area code, or port the number you already have.
  • User-friendly inbox. Filter by Needs attention, AI handling or You're handling to see which conversations need you.
  • Multi-location support. Running more than one location or business? Give each its own number and answer them all from one inbox.
The Upfirst dashboard, where calls and text conversations are answered by AI.

Built for busy small businesses

An SMS answering service for your industry

Your customers already text you. As your text messaging answering service, Upfirst makes sure every one of them gets an answer.

  • Law firms

    Potential clients text after hours to ask if you take their kind of case. Upfirst answers from your intake rules and flags the ones worth a call. It's one AI receptionist for law firms for your calls and texts.

  • Property management

    Tenants reach out about everything, and not everything is urgent. Your property management answering service answers routine questions by call or text and hands real emergencies to your team.

  • Contractors

    You're on a job site when the "can you give me a quote?" text comes in. Upfirst replies with your service area and next steps, so the lead doesn't go cold. It's an answering service for contractors that covers every call and text.

  • Non-profits

    Supporters and adopters ask the same questions about hours, events and how to help. As your answering service for nonprofits, Upfirst answers them by phone or text, so your small team can focus on the mission.

  • HVAC

    A homeowner texts at 10 p.m. because the heat stopped working. Your HVAC answering service replies at once, whether they call or text, and gets the details to your on-call tech.

  • Real estate

    Buyers text about listings while you're in a showing. Upfirst is a real estate answering service that answers calls and texts from your training and tells you who's ready to talk.

  • Salons

    Clients text to ask about prices, availability and parking. Upfirst replies in seconds and books the appointment. A salon answering service that handles calls and texts means fewer interruptions at the chair.

Why text answering matters

Why use an SMS answering service?

Many customers would rather text than call. A text answering service makes sure those messages get answered while you work.

Capture more leads

A text that sits unanswered for an hour often goes to the next business on the list. Upfirst replies right away, day or night, and can book the appointment by text, so a question turns into a job.

Get back to customers faster

Customers get an answer in seconds instead of waiting until you're free. An AI SMS reply service never leaves a text on read. When they need you, it hands over the conversation with a short note on what they want.

Save time on the same questions

Hours, prices, service areas and "do you take...?" questions come in all day. Upfirst answers them from your training, so you only step in for the conversations that need you.

SMS answering service FAQs

Have a question that isn't answered here? Get in touch with our team.

  • An SMS answering service, also called a text message answering service, replies to the texts your customers send. You don't have to answer each one yourself. Traditional services use live agents during set hours. Upfirst uses AI trained on your business. It replies in about 3 seconds, 24/7, and hands off to your team when needed. Read more on texting vs calling for your business.

  • Yes. Upfirst is one answering service for calls, texts, or both, with the same training and one inbox. Use it as your AI receptionist around the clock or as an after hours answering service. We can also host texting on your current business number without changing your phone service.

  • No. We can host texting on your existing business number, or you can use the Upfirst number that comes with your account. Upfirst registers its numbers for business texting for you, with no forms to fill out.

  • Your AI agent does, using the training you gave it. You and your team can reply from the same inbox at any time. When you reply, the AI pauses for that conversation until you hand it back.

  • By default, the AI hands off when a customer asks for a person, is upset, or has an emergency. You can add your own situations in plain words, like "the customer wants to change a booking." You can also set a message the customer gets when that happens.

  • Yes. Upfirst checks your calendar and books the appointment, whether the customer texts or calls. Learn more about our appointment setting answering service.

  • An auto-reply sends the same message to everyone. Upfirst reads each text and answers the actual question, then keeps the conversation going. If you'd rather start with something simpler, see our missed call text back page.

  • Many traditional services charge per message, per minute or per lead. Upfirst plans are priced by monthly calls and start at $24.95 a month, and every paid plan includes unlimited texting. The 14-day free trial includes 25 texts. See Upfirst pricing for every plan, or compare answering service cost across providers.

  • They're unsubscribed from your number right away, and neither you nor the AI can text them again unless they reply START. HELP gets an automatic reply with your contact details. Upfirst also checks every outgoing text for spam and restricted content, to protect your number.

Try our SMS answering service for free

Set it up in minutes, and every text gets an answer, day or night.

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