Customers would often rather send a text than wait on hold. If your contact centre runs on Amazon Connect, you can let them: texts arrive in the agent workspace, agents answer alongside calls and chats, and replies go back to the customer’s phone. This guide explains the two ways to add two-way SMS to Amazon Connect, how each works, and how to choose.
In short: you can add SMS to Amazon Connect natively, using phone numbers from AWS End User Messaging SMS, or connect your SMS provider so customer texts become Amazon Connect contacts and agent replies go out as SMS. Native suits teams building everything in AWS from scratch. A provider integration suits organisations that already have numbers, sender names and messaging on another platform.
Why add SMS to your contact centre?
- Customers already text. Every mobile phone can send an SMS, with no app, login or data connection needed.
- Fewer calls, shorter queues. Offering “text us instead” in your phone menu or on your website moves simple queries to messaging, where an agent can handle several conversations at once.
- Replies to your own messages. Customers can reply to an appointment reminder, delivery update or bill, and the reply reaches someone who can help.
- Asynchronous by nature. Customers reply when it suits them, without staying on a call.
Two ways to do it
| Native: AWS End User Messaging SMS | Connect your SMS provider | |
|---|---|---|
| Phone numbers | Requested in your AWS account, then imported into Amazon Connect | The numbers you already use with your provider |
| In the agent workspace | An SMS contact | A chat contact, routed by your contact flow |
| Set-up in AWS | Number request, registration where required, two-way settings, leaving the SMS sandbox, spend quota | An access role for the provider, and a message stream for agent replies |
| UK sender names | Registered with AWS | Managed with your provider |
| Billing | Through AWS | Through your provider, alongside your other SMS |
| Other channels | Each configured separately in AWS | Depends on your provider; with everymessage, SMS, RCS, WhatsApp and email run from one platform |
| Best for | New set-ups built entirely in AWS | Organisations that already send SMS and want to keep their numbers and messaging in one place |
Both approaches let agents answer texts in Amazon Connect, and both let your contact flows route them. The difference is where your numbers, registrations and messaging live.
Option 1: native SMS through AWS
AWS End User Messaging SMS provides SMS numbers that you import into Amazon Connect. In outline:
- Request a number in the AWS End User Messaging SMS console for the country you’ll message, with two-way messaging switched on. Some countries need the number or sender ID registered first, which AWS says can take up to 15 business days.
- Enable two-way SMS on the number, with Amazon Connect as the destination, and import it into your instance.
- Update your flows to recognise SMS contacts and route them to the right queue.
- Go to production: move your account out of the SMS sandbox and check your spending limit.
Points to know: a number can’t be shared between voice and SMS, and opt-out keywords such as STOP are handled by AWS unless you set up your own opt-out handling. In the UK, AWS supports two-way SMS on long codes and short codes, and alphanumeric sender IDs must be registered.
Option 2: connect your SMS provider
If you already send texts through a messaging provider, you can connect it to Amazon Connect instead. With everymessage it works like this:
- A customer texts one of your numbers. The number is set to send its replies to Amazon Connect.
- A chat contact starts in Amazon Connect, using the contact flow you choose, so your routing, opening hours and bots apply. Further texts from the same customer join the same conversation while it’s open.
- The agent replies in their usual workspace. Amazon Connect streams the reply to a notification topic in your AWS account, which is shared with everymessage.
- The reply goes out as an SMS from the same number, so the customer just carries on texting.
Access is through a role in your AWS account, protected by an external ID, with only the Amazon Connect permissions the integration needs. No AWS keys are shared, and you can withdraw access at any time. See SMS for Amazon Connect (currently in Beta).
Sending texts from your contact flows
Whichever option handles inbound texts, your flows can also send SMS. Add an “Invoke AWS Lambda function” block, and have the function call an SMS API. Common uses:
- After a call: a confirmation, reference number or summary of what was agreed.
- Instead of waiting: a callback link or a link to self-service while the customer is in the queue.
- Payments: a secure payment link, so card details are never read out over the phone.
- Feedback: a short satisfaction survey when the contact ends.
The everymessage SMS API takes a single HTTPS request and returns a message ID you can store against the contact. Delivery receipts can be sent to your systems by webhook.
Good practice for SMS in a contact centre
- Use a number customers can reply to. Messages from a sender name such as your company name can’t be replied to.
- Set expectations. Tell customers your messaging hours and how quickly you reply, and use an automatic reply outside hours.
- Keep sensitive details out of texts. Send a secure link instead of account numbers or personal data. See digital letters.
- Honour opt-outs. Make sure STOP requests are recorded and respected across every system that sends texts.
- Keep messages short. Long replies are split into several parts and cost more. See SMS character limits explained.
- Think beyond SMS. For customers who prefer them, RCS and WhatsApp offer richer conversations. Compare them in RCS vs SMS vs WhatsApp.
Which should you choose?
Choose native AWS SMS if…
you’re setting up messaging from scratch, want numbers, registration and billing all in your AWS account, and only need SMS inside Amazon Connect.
Connect a provider if…
you already send SMS through a provider, want to keep your existing numbers and sender names, or want SMS, RCS, WhatsApp and email managed and reported in one place, with UK-based support.
Frequently asked questions
Can Amazon Connect send and receive SMS?
Yes. You can add SMS to Amazon Connect natively through AWS End User Messaging SMS, or connect an existing SMS provider such as everymessage, so customer texts arrive as contacts your agents can answer and agent replies go back as texts.
Does two-way SMS in Amazon Connect work in the UK?
Yes. AWS supports two-way SMS on UK long codes and short codes, and alphanumeric sender IDs for UK messages must be registered. With everymessage you can use UK mobile numbers you already have with us.
Do customers need an app to text a contact centre?
No. Customers use the normal messaging app on their phone. Their texts reach your agents, and the replies arrive as ordinary text messages.
Can a contact flow send an SMS?
Yes. A flow can call a Lambda function, and the function can send a text through an SMS API. That’s how flows send confirmations, callback links, payment links and surveys.
Can customers reply to a sender name such as a company name?
No. Texts sent from an alphanumeric sender name can’t be replied to. For two-way conversations, send from a mobile number or short code.
Should I use AWS’s own SMS or an SMS provider?
If you’re starting from scratch and want everything inside AWS, the native option works well. If you already send SMS through a provider, want to keep your numbers and sender names, or want SMS, RCS, WhatsApp and email managed together, connecting your provider can be simpler.
Add SMS to your Amazon Connect contact centre
Our Amazon Connect integration is in Beta. Tell us about your contact centre and we’ll set it up with you.