Send messages that deliver cleanly (and drive replies)
Use this checklist to jump straight to the option you need.
- Add a Send Message action to your flow
- Create follow-up messages for each possible response
- Attach media (images, video, files)
- Use quick replies (supported IP messaging channels)
- Send to all numbers (multiple destinations per contact)
- Watch SMS character limits (160) and message splitting
- Understand Unicode impact (70-character segments)
You’re ready—test on your real channel type before publishing at scale.
Step-by-Step Process
- Open your flow in the flow editor.
- Click Create Message to add a new node.
- In the node editor, select Send Message.
- Type the message content you want contacts to receive.
- Click Save (or Ok, depending on your UI) to confirm.
[CAPTURE: Flow editor showing “Create Message” clicked, with a node editor open and “Send Message” selected.]
A typical conversation pattern looks like:
- Ask a question (Send Message)
- Collect a reply (Wait for Response)
- Route the contact based on the reply (categories/branches)
- Send the next message on each branch (Send Message per outcome)
[CAPTURE: Flow showing an initial question, a Wait for Response split, and multiple branches each starting with a Send Message action.]
- Open the Send Message action editor.
- Click the Attachments tab.
- Choose the file or media you want to attach.
- Save the action.
[CAPTURE: Send Message editor with the “Attachments” tab selected and attachment options visible.]
Important notes about media:
- Some channels show media inline (for example, certain social or Twilio-supported channels), while others may send a link instead.
- Twilio MMS support depends on country and number capabilities (commonly US/Canada; verify your number supports MMS).
- Twilio may resize images automatically to meet carrier requirements.
- File size limits:
- Images: up to 500 KB
- Video: up to 20 MB
- Some channel types (for example, Android channels) may not support image attachments.
Quick replies let you offer a predefined set of response buttons to contacts on supported channels (commonly IP messaging channels such as Facebook Messenger, Viber, and Telegram).
- In your Send Message action, enable Quick replies (if available).
- Add the response options you want contacts to tap.
- Connect your flow logic to handle each choice.
[CAPTURE: Send Message editor showing the quick replies UI with multiple response buttons configured.]
If a contact has multiple addresses (for example, more than one phone number or channel identity), you can choose to send to all of them.
- Open the Send Message action editor.
- Find the All Destinations (or similar) setting.
- Enable it to send the message to every address on the contact profile.
- Save the action.
[CAPTURE: Send Message editor showing the “All Destinations” option toggled on.]
When sending SMS, carriers typically split messages that exceed standard length limits.
- Look at the character counter under the message input.
- Keep key information within the first SMS segment when possible.
- If needed, split long content across multiple Send Message nodes.
[CAPTURE: Send Message editor showing a character counter beneath the message input.]
Notes:
- Standard SMS is often 160 characters (GSM7).
- Longer messages may be split and delivered as multiple SMS depending on the channel and carrier.
- Some channels handle long messages differently—testing is critical.
Certain characters can force SMS into Unicode mode (for example, emojis or non-Latin scripts). When this happens, the per-message segment size can drop significantly.
- GSM7: typically 160 characters per segment
- Unicode: often 70 characters per segment
Common Issues & Quick Fixes
My media shows as a link instead of an inline image
Problem: Contacts receive a URL instead of seeing the image directly.
Fix:
- This can be normal for some channels—test your channel type.
- Reduce image size to stay within limits (images ≤ 500KB).
- If using Twilio, confirm the number supports MMS (when applicable).
SMS messages arrive split into multiple parts
Problem: One long message arrives as two (or more) messages.
Fix:
- Keep SMS messages below the limit whenever possible.
- Use multiple Send Message nodes to control where the split happens.
- Avoid Unicode characters if you need the 160-character GSM7 limit.
Quick replies don’t appear for my contacts
Problem: You configured quick replies, but contacts don’t see buttons.
Fix:
- Confirm the channel supports quick replies (typically IP messaging channels).
- For SMS, quick replies usually won’t render as buttons—use numbered instructions instead (e.g., “Reply 1, 2, or 3”).
- Test on the target channel before launching.