> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.servicebooked.ca/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # SMS replies > How two-way SMS conversations work — including the AI Receptionist's role and how to take over. When a customer texts your ServiceBooked number, the AI Receptionist reads it, drafts a response, and sends — all within seconds. You can intervene any time. ## How a typical conversation goes 1. **Customer texts your number** with a question or request. 2. **AI receives it** via webhook — instantly, no polling delay. 3. **AI checks context**: who is this person? do we have history? what services apply? 4. **AI generates a reply** using your business hours, services, knowledge base, and conversation history. 5. **AI sends the reply** within \~5 seconds, from your business number. 6. **Customer replies again** — back to step 2. 7. **At any point you can take over** — type a manual reply in the inbox, and the AI Receptionist defers to you. ## The AI's safety nets A few cases where the AI Receptionist explicitly *doesn't* reply: * **STOP / opt-out** — customer texts "STOP" or "UNSUBSCRIBE", we honor it instantly. They're added to your opt-out list and we won't text them again until they reactivate. * **HELP** — customer texts "HELP", we send the standard "ServiceBooked helps service businesses respond to leads. Reply STOP to opt out" disclosure. * **Outside business hours** (configurable) — for some orgs, the AI Receptionist replies anyway with a disclaimer ("we're closed but I can take info"). For others it stays silent until you reply manually. Toggle in **Settings → Business → AI hours behavior**. * **No subscription / past\_due** — if your billing isn't current, AI replies pause. Customers get a polite "we're unavailable right now" auto-message; you fix billing and the AI Receptionist resumes. ## Reading a conversation Click any SMS conversation in the inbox to see the full thread. Each message is labeled: * **Customer** — incoming * **AI** — auto-generated outgoing * **You** — manual reply you typed The AI's reasoning isn't shown in the thread (we don't want to clutter the UX), but if you want to see why the AI Receptionist said something specific, the conversation log on the back-end has reasoning attached. Talk to support if you need to debug a specific exchange. ## Taking over the conversation Three ways to intervene: ### Type a manual reply Just type into the message box at the bottom of the conversation view and hit Send. Your reply goes from your business number; the AI Receptionist sees that you replied and stops auto-responding for that conversation. ### Pause AI replies For longer manual conversations where you don't want the AI Receptionist to chime in, click **Pause AI** at the top of the conversation. The AI stays silent until you click **Resume AI** or until the conversation has been quiet for 24 hours. ### Mark resolved / close conversation When the conversation is done, click **Close**. Future texts from this customer will start a fresh conversation thread. ## AI reply mode (org-wide) The steps above intervene on a **single** conversation. To change the default for **every** inbound message — SMS, social DMs, and email — set your **AI reply mode** at the top of [Settings → Automations](/tasks-and-workflows/workflows#ai-reply-mode): * **Auto** — the AI Receptionist replies automatically (the default described above). * **Suggest** — it drafts a reply and drops it in the conversation's reply box for you to review, edit, and send. * **Off** — it never auto-replies; you handle every message. Use **Pause AI** for a one-off thread; use the reply mode when you want the change to stick across the whole account. ## Throttling and delivery We rate-limit outbound SMS per-customer to prevent spam loops (e.g., a confused conversation where the customer keeps replying "What?" and the AI Receptionist keeps trying). Maximum \~10 messages per side per hour to a given recipient. If a delivery fails (carrier filtering, dead number, etc.), we mark the message **Failed** in the thread. Most failures are caused by missing A2P 10DLC registration — see [A2P 10DLC](/phone-and-voice/a2p-10dlc-registration). ## Language The AI replies in whatever language the customer wrote in (when it can detect). For best results in non-English markets, set your default voice/AI language in **Settings → Voice → Language**. ## Group SMS / MMS Not currently supported — only one-on-one SMS. MMS messages (with images attached) are received but the AI Receptionist doesn't process the image; it'll reply based on the text-only message. ## Next The same AI but on your website widget. Phone calls handled by the AI Receptionist.