GoHighLevel SMS: What It Does and How to Use It

In short

GoHighLevel SMS lets you send text messages to contacts through LC Phone, which is GHL built-in carrier infrastructure. You can send one-off texts from a contact record, automated texts inside Workflows, bulk campaigns to a list, and run two-way SMS conversations from the unified inbox. SMS is usage-billed per message segment on top of your base plan.

• Available on all plans: Starter ($97/mo), Unlimited ($297/mo), Pro ($497/mo)
• Usage-billed per message segment through LC Phone
• Two-way conversations, bulk campaigns, and workflow automation all included

What GoHighLevel SMS does

GHL SMS works through LC Phone, which is GHL telephony infrastructure. You buy phone numbers inside GHL and send and receive texts on those numbers.

Outbound SMS: you send texts to contacts from a workflow, a campaign, or manually from the contact record. The message lands in the contact inbox thread in GHL.

Inbound SMS: when a contact texts your GHL number, the message appears in the unified inbox. You can reply manually or let Conversation AI handle the reply automatically.

Two-way conversations: every SMS thread is a full conversation. You see the entire history of texts between your number and the contact in one thread, the same as a regular text conversation.

Bulk SMS campaigns: send a text to a filtered list of contacts at once. GHL staggers the sends to comply with carrier limits.

A2P 10DLC and why it matters

A2P (application-to-person) 10DLC is the US carrier registration system for business text messaging. If you send business texts in the United States from a 10-digit local number, your brand and campaign must be registered with The Campaign Registry (TCR).

Without registration, carriers will filter or block a growing percentage of your outbound messages. With registration, your deliverability improves significantly.

GHL walks you through A2P registration in the phone number settings. You submit your business information and campaign description. Approval typically takes a few days. The registration fee is billed through GHL.

Toll-free numbers have a separate verification process and are sometimes faster to get approved than 10DLC for local numbers.

SMS use cases in GoHighLevel

Missed call text-back: when an inbound call goes unanswered, a workflow sends an automatic SMS within 60 seconds. Response rates are higher than calling back because the contact can reply when convenient.

Lead nurture sequences: new leads get a multi-day SMS drip sequence. Texts go out at intervals you set, following up until the lead books or opts out.

Appointment reminders: SMS reminder 24 hours and 1 hour before an appointment reduces no-shows significantly compared to email-only reminders.

Review requests: after a completed service, a workflow sends an SMS with a direct Google review link.

Re-engagement: send a text to contacts who have not engaged in 90 or 180 days with a relevant offer or check-in message.

GHL SMS vs dedicated texting tools

Standalone SMS marketing tools like SimpleTexting, EZTexting, and Podium start at $25 to $59/mo for basic features and charge per message or per subscriber.

GHL SMS is usage-billed per message with no separate platform fee (SMS is included in your base GHL subscription). It is integrated into the same CRM, automation, and inbox as your email and voice channels.

The integration is the key advantage. When a contact replies to your SMS, the CRM shows the full history. A workflow can branch based on the reply content. Conversation AI can take over the thread. None of this requires a Zapier integration.

Frequently asked questions

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