---
title: "Send your first SMS"
description: "Text from a record's SMS chip or the Action Bar. You need a K3X number with approved 10DLC or toll-free verification."
url: https://help.k3x.ai/en/articles/94-send-your-first-sms
collection: "Email, Calls and SMS"
updated: 2026-10-04
language: en
---

# Send your first SMS

Text from a record's SMS chip or the Action Bar. You need a K3X number with approved 10DLC or toll-free verification.

Open a person or company, click the **SMS** chip above the timeline, type, send. You need a K3X phone number with approved A2P 10DLC registration (local numbers) or toll-free verification (toll-free numbers) first, or carriers will filter your messages.

## Before you start

-   **A K3X phone number.** Buy one in **Settings → Phone & Voicemail**. See Buy or port a phone number.
    
-   **Registration.** US and Canada carriers require A2P 10DLC (local) or toll-free verification (toll-free) before business texting. Unregistered messages show as sent in K3X and never arrive. The registration status banner sits at the top of Phone & Voicemail.
    
-   **Consent.** Only text people who agreed to hear from you. Anyone who replied STOP is blocked automatically.
    

## Send an SMS from a record

1.  Open a person or company from **People** or **Companies**.
    
2.  Click the **SMS** chip above the timeline. The composer docks in place on the record page.
    
3.  Pick the recipient's number if there is more than one, and your **from** number if your team has several.
    
4.  Type your message, or pick a template or snippet. The composer shows the character count. One segment is up to 160 characters in standard text, or 70 if you use emoji.
    
5.  Click **Send**, or schedule it for later.
    

The message appears on the timeline under the **SMS** filter with a delivery status that updates as the carrier responds: queued, sent, delivered, or failed with a reason.

## Text a selection from the Action Bar

Tick several records in **People** or **Companies** and click **SMS** in the Action Bar. Write once and K3X sends one message per recipient. Use templates with the person's first name so each message reads as one-to-one.

## Write a compliant first message

Your first text to anyone must say who you are, what company you are from, why you are texting, and how to opt out. For example: "Hi Brian, this is Carol from Acme about your demo request today. Reply STOP to opt out." Carriers filter messages that skip the introduction or the opt-out line.

## When they reply

Inbound texts land on the same record's timeline. You get an in-app notification (**New Messages** in Settings → Notifications). Reply from the timeline or reopen the composer. If the sender's number is not in your CRM, K3X creates a record for them.

## Credits

Every outbound text spends credits from your single pool in the Texting category. There is no separate SMS balance. Check the **Credit breakdown** in your profile (avatar, top right).

## Common problems

-   **Sent but not delivered.** Usually carrier filtering because registration is not approved yet. Check the status banner in **Settings → Phone & Voicemail**.
    
-   **Failed, recipient opted out.** They replied STOP earlier. They must text START to your number. You cannot override this.
    
-   **Failed, flagged as spam.** Re-read the message. Missing sender identification, missing opt-out language or a generic link shortener are the usual causes.
    
-   **International number.** See International SMS: what works and what does not.
    
-   **You want to send an image or PDF.** That is MMS. See MMS: images, PDFs and media.
    

## Related

-   Buy or port a phone number
    
-   A2P 10DLC registration guide
    
-   STOP, HELP and quiet hours
    
-   MMS: images, PDFs and media