What are inbound rules?
Inbound rules allow you to automate responses and actions when you receive SMS, MMS, emails, voice messages or faxes. You may use them for sending auto-replies, forwarding messages or moving contacts into specific lists.
Limits on inbound rules
Everyone loves automations. But, before you start setting up hundreds of inbound rules — you need to understand the limits at ClickSend.
You can create an unlimited number of inbound rules. However, only 10 matching rules will trigger for a single inbound message. Anything over 10 will be ignored.
Here’s how it works:
For every incoming message, the system goes through your rules, one by one, and triggers up to 10 rules that match the message.
To make the most of this, focus on creating specific rules for each type of incoming message. For example, send an auto-reply only if the message contains the word 'Confirm'. This helps make sure the right automations are triggered by inbound rules.
Remember that rules are processed in the order of creation. Adjust or reorder rules if necessary.
How to set up inbound rules
Follow these steps to configure inbound rules.
In the below example, we’ll use SMS. You can use the same process to set up inbound rules for email, fax, voice and post.
Log into the Dashboard.
Click your username in the top-right corner. Then select Message Settings.
Click SMS/MMS and then Inbound Rules.
Select Add New Rule and assign a rule name for your reference.
Choose the dedicated number you want the rule to apply to.
Then, select the trigger condition, such as a specific keyword in the message body.
Pick an action, such as move_contact.
Click Save to activate your rule.
Make sure you test each rule to make sure it’s set up correctly.
Examples of inbound rules
Wondering how you could use inbound rules and automations in your business? Here are some common examples to get you started..
1. Lead collection
Use the CREATE_CONTACT rule to automatically add leads to a CRM or contact list when they text a specific keyword.
Example: A customer texts "INFO" to your dedicated number, and their phone number is saved in your "New Leads" list.
2. Customer support
Use SMS forwarding to route customer inquiries to the appropriate on-call staff or support team.
Example: A customer sends a message to your support number, and it’s instantly forwarded to your team’s shared phone.
3. Marketing campaigns
Use the MOVE_CONTACT rule to segment engaged respondents into targeted lists for follow-ups or additional campaigns.
Example: After replying "INTERESTED," a respondent is moved from the general list to a "Hot Leads" list for personalised outreach.
4. Appointment scheduling
Use AUTO_REPLY to confirm appointment bookings.
Example: A customer sends their preferred time, and the system responds: "Your appointment is scheduled for [Time]. Let us know if you need to reschedule."
5. Survey responses
Use EMAIL_FIXED to forward survey responses to your team’s email.
Example: Customers text a rating after a service and their feedback is sent to your customer experience manager.
6. Competitions and giveaways
Use CREATE_CONTACT to capture participants’ details for a competition.
Example: Customers text "WIN" to enter, and their information is automatically added to a Contest Entries list.
7. Tracking campaign performance
Use URL forwarding to send SMS data to a tracking system for analytics.
Example: Inbound messages are forwarded to Google Analytics to measure campaign conversion rates.