# Set Up Twilio Texting — Step by Step (New Users)

_Messaging & SMS_

A start-to-finish guide for texting customers from CRMown with your own Twilio account: create the account, get a number, register it with US carriers, connect it to CRMown, and confirm both sending and replies work. About 15 minutes of setup, plus carrier approval time.

## Steps
1. 1. Create a Twilio account at twilio.com and verify your email and phone. Add billing (Admin → Billing) so you are off the trial — trial accounts can only text numbers you have verified and add "Sent from your Twilio trial account" to every message.
2. 2. Get a phone number. Either buy one in Twilio (Phone Numbers → Buy a number, with SMS capability), or connect first and use Buy a Number inside CRMown. A local number needs A2P 10DLC registration; a toll-free number needs toll-free verification. For keyword campaigns ("Text JOIN to…") a toll-free number is usually the fastest to approve.
3. 3. Register with US carriers (required before texting customers). In Twilio go to Messaging → Regulatory Compliance (Trust Hub): for a local number register your Brand and an A2P campaign; for a toll-free number submit Toll-Free Verification. You will need your business name, EIN, address, website, sample messages and how people opt in. Use Settings → Communications → SMS Compliance Pages in CRMown to generate the opt-in, privacy and terms pages carriers ask for, and Web Studio → Hosting → Site Files to host any opt-in proof PDF on your own domain. Approval usually takes a few days to two weeks.
4. 4. Copy your credentials. On the Twilio console home page copy the Account SID and the Auth Token (click to reveal).
5. 5. Connect in CRMown: Settings → Communications → SMS & WhatsApp → Connect Twilio. Paste the Account SID, Auth Token and your number in +1 format (e.g. +19455551234), then click Connect & Verify. CRMown checks the credentials, points the number's incoming texts at your workspace, and — if the number is in a Twilio Messaging Service (it is once you register A2P or toll-free) — sets the service to "Defer to sender's webhook" so replies reach CRMown.
6. 6. Test sending: enter your own mobile number next to Send Test SMS and click it. The text should arrive within seconds.
7. 7. Test replies: reply to that text from your phone. Within a few seconds it appears in Conversations → SMS as a new conversation (the sender becomes a contact you can rename). Reply from the SMS box at the bottom — it goes out from your Twilio number.
8. 8. Optional next steps: SMS Keywords (Tools → Lead Generation → SMS Keywords) for "Text JOIN to…" campaigns, SMS steps in Automation workflows, and SMS message templates under Settings → Communications → Message Templates.

## Tips
- Use the number's full international format (+1…) everywhere.
- CRMown stores your Auth Token encrypted and never shows it again; if you rotate it in Twilio, reconnect in CRMown with the new one.
- Twilio's console Settings page for a Messaging Service can show "Receive the message" — if you click Save with that selected, replies stop reaching CRMown. Keep "Defer to sender's webhook" selected, or simply reconnect in CRMown to set it again.
- Texts only reach customers reliably once carrier registration is approved; until then carriers may filter them. Incoming replies work either way.
- STOP, HELP and START replies are handled automatically — opt-outs are recorded on the contact and CRMown will not text them again.
- Calls to your Twilio number are separate from texting; CRMown's AI voice agent can answer them if you set one up.

## Troubleshooting
- **Connect & Verify says the credentials are invalid** — The Auth Token was copied with a space, or it is a sub-account / API key rather than the main account's token. Fix: Copy the Account SID and Auth Token again from the Twilio console home page (the main account, not an API key) and reconnect.
- **The test text arrives but my reply never shows in Conversations** — The Twilio Messaging Service is set to "Receive the message" (or sends to another URL), which overrides the number's webhook. Fix: Disconnect and reconnect Twilio in CRMown, or in Twilio set the service's Settings → Inbound messages to "Defer to sender's webhook" and Save. Then text the number again — earlier replies are not re-delivered.
- **Texts to customers fail or never arrive** — A2P 10DLC or toll-free verification is not approved yet, or the account is still on trial. Fix: Check Twilio → Messaging → Regulatory Compliance for the registration status, and make sure billing is added. Test against your own phone meanwhile.
- **The number does not appear when I connect** — It was typed without +1, or it belongs to a different Twilio account or sub-account. Fix: Enter it as +1XXXXXXXXXX and use the credentials of the account that owns the number.