Beta
Let customers text your contact centre. everymessage connects your mobile numbers to Amazon Connect, so a customer’s SMS arrives as a chat in your agents’ workspace, and the agent’s reply goes straight back to their phone as a text. Your contact flows can also send SMS through everymessage, for confirmations, callbacks and surveys.
What it does
The everymessage Amazon Connect integration makes SMS a two-way channel in your contact centre. Inbound texts to your everymessage numbers become Amazon Connect chat contacts, routed by your own contact flows to the right queue and agent. Agent replies are delivered as SMS from the same number, so the customer simply carries on texting.
The integration is in Beta: it’s built and available to a small number of customers, and we set it up with you directly. everymessage is a UK messaging platform that has helped organisations talk to their customers since 2003, with UK hosting and ISO 27001 certification.
Comparing this with Amazon Connect’s own SMS? Read Two-way SMS in Amazon Connect: your options and how to set it up.
Two directions, one conversation
Inbound: SMS into Amazon Connect
A customer texts your number. everymessage starts a chat contact in your Amazon Connect instance using the contact flow you choose, and the message appears in the agent’s workspace like any other chat. Further texts from the same mobile join the same conversation while it’s open.
Outbound: Amazon Connect to SMS
When the agent replies in the chat, everymessage sends the reply to the customer as an SMS from the same number. There’s nothing new for agents to learn: they use the workspace they already have.
Flow and agent-initiated texts
Your contact flows, Lambda functions or agent tools can call the everymessage SMS API to send a text at any point: a booking confirmation, a callback link, a payment reminder or a survey after a call.
How it works
- A customer texts your number. The number is one of your everymessage mobile numbers, set to send its replies to Amazon Connect.
- A chat contact starts in Amazon Connect. everymessage starts the chat using your contact flow, so your existing routing, queues, opening hours and bots all apply.
- Your agent answers. The customer’s text appears in the agent workspace. Amazon Connect streams the agent’s replies to a notification topic in your AWS account, which is shared with everymessage.
- The reply is sent as SMS. everymessage sends each agent message to the customer from the same number, at your normal SMS rates.
- Everything is recorded. Amazon Connect keeps its contact transcript, and everymessage keeps the message history alongside your other SMS, RCS and WhatsApp conversations.
Secure by design
- No shared AWS keys. You create a role in your AWS account that everymessage can use, protected by an external ID. You decide exactly what it can do, and you can withdraw it at any time.
- Least privilege. The role only needs to start chat contacts, start and stop message streaming, and update contact attributes in your Amazon Connect instance.
- Protected settings. Connection details in the everymessage portal can only be viewed or changed after a fresh two-factor check.
- Your data stays yours. Contact records stay in your Amazon Connect instance. everymessage is UK hosted and ISO 27001 certified.
Getting set up
- Tell us about your instance. Your Amazon Connect region, instance and the inbound contact flow to use for SMS chats.
- Create the access role. We give you the role policy and external ID to add to your AWS account.
- Share the message stream. Create a notification (SNS) topic for chat streaming and subscribe our queue to it. We provide the details.
- Choose your numbers. We route one or more of your everymessage numbers to Amazon Connect.
- Test and go live. Text the number, answer as an agent, and check the reply arrives as SMS.
What’s in the Beta
| Feature | Status |
|---|---|
| Inbound SMS to Amazon Connect chat contacts | Available in Beta |
| Agent replies delivered as SMS | Available in Beta |
| Texts from the same customer joined into one conversation | Available in Beta |
| SMS sent from contact flows and Lambda through the API | Available now |
| Delivery status written to the Amazon Connect contact record | Coming soon |
| RCS and WhatsApp conversations in Amazon Connect | Planned |
What you can use it for
Customer service by text
Let customers reply to an appointment reminder, delivery update or bill with a question, and have an agent pick it up.
Deflect calls to messaging
Offer “text us instead” in your IVR or on your website, so customers don’t wait on hold and agents handle several chats at once.
Follow-ups after a call
Send a confirmation, reference number, payment link or survey by SMS from your contact flow when a call ends.
Out-of-hours handling
Use your contact flow to answer texts automatically outside opening hours, and queue them for agents in the morning.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Amazon Connect SMS integration do?
It connects your everymessage mobile numbers to your Amazon Connect contact centre. Texts from customers arrive in Amazon Connect as chat contacts that your agents answer in their usual workspace, and the agents’ replies are sent back to the customer as SMS.
Do we have to share AWS access keys with everymessage?
No. You create a role in your own AWS account that everymessage is allowed to use, protected by an external ID that only you and we know. The role only has the Amazon Connect permissions the integration needs, and you can remove it at any time.
Can Amazon Connect send an SMS without a customer texting first?
Yes. Your contact flows, Lambda functions or agent tools can send SMS through the everymessage API, for example to send a confirmation after a call, a callback link or a satisfaction survey.
What happens when a customer sends several texts?
Texts from the same mobile number join the same chat while the contact is open, so the agent sees one conversation. If the chat has ended, the next text starts a new contact through your contact flow.
How is it charged?
Agent replies and API sends are charged at your normal everymessage SMS rates. Amazon charges for Amazon Connect chat usage in your AWS account as usual.
What does Beta mean?
The integration is built and available to a small number of customers while we gather feedback. We work with you directly on set-up, and some features, listed on this page, are still on the way.
Does it work with RCS and WhatsApp?
Not yet. The Beta covers SMS. Bringing RCS and WhatsApp conversations into Amazon Connect is planned.
Join the Amazon Connect Beta
Tell us about your contact centre and the numbers you’d like to connect, and we’ll set up the integration with you.