How do I text or call my bot?
Turn on Sam once on the Bots page. Sam gets a phone number of its own. Text or call it from your mobile; customers keep your business number.
Turn on your bot once on the Bots page. It gets a phone number of its own, and you text or call that number from your mobile. Your business number stays for your customers: the bot never answers there.
Also called: SMS the bot, phone the bot, the bot's number, voice assistant, texto, appeler le bot, numéro du bot, assistant vocal, cellulaire
Step 1: Turn on Sam
At the top of the screen, click Bots. On Sam's card, click Turn on Sam (it shows your bot's name if you renamed it). Anyone on your Alori account can do it, once for the whole team.
Click: Bots › Turn on Sam
Step 2: Save the bot's number
Sam's page opens. The top says "Text or call me at" and Sam's own number. Save it in your contacts as Sam.
Click: Bots › Sam
Step 3: Check that your mobile is on the list
In the side panel, under Who can text and call me, find your name. If there's no number under it, click Add a phone, type your mobile number and click Save. The switch next to your name must be on.
Click: Who can text and call me › Add a phone › Save
Step 4: Text or call
Text Sam's number like you'd text a coworker: "What jobs do we have tomorrow?" or "Remind me Friday at 3 to call Bob." Or call it and talk. On a call, it says "One sec." while it looks something up, and you can talk over it.
It's the same conversation as on the Bots page, so a call picks up where a text left off. When Sam texts or calls you, it's from this same number.
Good to know
Your business number is for customers. Texting or calling it reaches your team inbox and phone system, like any customer.
Texts are short, unless you ask for more. Sam answers most texts in one to three short sentences, without links unless you ask. Ask it for research or details and you get the whole answer, in a few texts in a row.
A PIN for calls. Some carriers can't confirm who is calling. Set a 4-digit PIN for calls so Sam can still recognize you. See Who can text and call my bot?
Cost. Sam's number is billed every month like any extra number. Its answers use credits, and texts and calls cost the same as your app's own.
If it doesn't work
The top says "Getting a phone number…" for more than a few minutes. Click Get my number.
"That doesn't look like a phone number." Check the number and type it again, with the area code.
"Someone else already has that number." Two people can't share a number. Use your own mobile.
Sam doesn't answer my text. Your mobile isn't on the list, or its switch is off ("The bot won't answer their texts or calls"). Add your phone or turn the switch on.
"Your Alori account is out of credits, so I can't answer right now." Add credits in Alori, then text again.
"Sorry, something went wrong on my side. Try again in a minute." Wait a minute, then text again.