Overview
Blackpurl supports two-way SMS texting, allowing your dealership to send text messages to customers and receive their replies — all within Blackpurl. This article covers how to get texting set up for your region, how to send texts from customer records and customer orders, how to manage incoming replies, and how to create and use text templates.
Setup
Two-way texting in Blackpurl is powered by third-party providers. The setup process differs depending on your region.
USA Dealerships
Blackpurl integrates with Kenect, a third-party provider that handles all 10DLC legislative requirements for US-based SMS. To get started, complete the request form at https://blackpurl.typeform.com/to/HtUfOqc3 and select Kenect Integration.
Canada Dealerships
Blackpurl integrates with Kenect for Canadian dealerships. To get started, complete the request form at https://blackpurl.typeform.com/to/HtUfOqc3 and select Kenect Integration.
Australia Dealerships
Complete the request form on the Blackpurl website at https://blackpurl.com/text-au/ and fill out the relevant section.
New Zealand Dealerships
At this time, Blackpurl is unable to offer SMS texting in New Zealand. No reliable third-party provider has been found that can guarantee the sending and receiving of texts in this region.
Sending Texts from Blackpurl
Once Blackpurl has confirmed that texting is active for your account, you can send texts using any of the three options below. Before sending, make sure the customer has a contact number with the SMS indicator checked on their Customer Record.
Option 1: Send a Text from a Customer Record
1. Navigate to the relevant Customer Record and click Send a Text.
2. The Send a Text window will appear. Confirm the contact number, type your message, then click Text Now to send. A confirmation window will appear once the text has been sent.
Option 2: Send a Text from a Customer Order
1. On a Customer Order, go to the Customer Details section. Under Customer actions, click Send a Text.
2. The Send a Text window will appear. Confirm the contact number, type your message, then click Text Now to send. A confirmation window will appear once the text has been sent.
Option 3: Send a Text from the Text History Section on a Customer Order
1. After you have sent at least one text from a Customer Order, a Text History section is generated on that order. This section lists all texts sent and received for the order and also allows you to send a new text directly from here.
2. The Send a Text window will appear. Confirm the contact number, type your message, then click Send a Text to send. A confirmation window will appear once the text has been sent.
Tip: Text messages are restricted to 5,000 characters for both sending and receiving.
Receiving/Replied Texts from Customers
Blackpurl's two-way texting works as a reply-based system. Your dealership must send the first text — customers can only respond to a text you have already sent. Do not share your allocated text number directly with customers and ask them to initiate contact, as unsolicited inbound texts will not be received.
User Permissions
Each user who needs access to incoming reply texts must be granted the View incoming text messages user permission. Set this up in your user permissions settings before expecting users to see replies.
Accessing Replied Texts
Once a user has the View incoming text messages permission, they can access replied texts by going to System Settings > Messages. An indicator shows if there are unread messages for that user's login.
The Messages screen shows three areas:
A — Unread count: The number of unread text replies for that user.
B — Unread messages list: Each unread reply with the customer name, time received, message content, and any open Customer Orders (COs).
C — Recently read messages: Messages this user has already read, visible only to them.
Important notes about how the message list works:
Every replied text appears on every user's Messages list.
Each user manages their own list independently.
If one user reads a reply, it is marked as read only on their list — it remains unread on all other users' lists until they read it or mark it as read.
We recommend that your dealership decides internally who is responsible for actioning and responding to reply texts.
Logs on Text Messages Sent and Received
Blackpurl keeps a log of all text messages, both sent and received, in two places.
Option 1: Text History on the Customer Order
On the relevant Customer Order, the Text History section lists all outgoing and incoming texts related to that order.
Option 2: Customer Record
A log of all SMS text messages sent to a customer is also kept on their individual Customer Record under Related > Text and Emails.
Text Templates
Blackpurl includes pre-built text templates and allows you to create your own. To access or manage templates, go to System Settings > Text message templates.
To create a new template, click + Create a template. To edit an existing template, click into it. Complete the New text template form using the following fields:
1. Template Name | Give your template a descriptive name so it's easy to identify when sending. |
2. Type your message | Enter the text message content. You can insert system variables (such as Store Name) by typing [ and selecting the relevant variable from the list. |
3. Character Count | Monitor the number of characters used. Keep within the 5,000-character limit. |
4. Save | Click Save when you have finished building your template. |
5. Variables | A reference list of all variables available for use in the message body. |
To use the [store_name] variable, your dealership's abbreviated business name must be completed on the System Settings > Business Profile screen.
To use a template when sending a text, open the Send a Text window from either a Customer Record or a Customer Order and choose Select a text message template from the options presented.
For further information, see Text Message Templates.
Troubleshooting
I don't see the Send a Text option?
Check the following:
Confirm SMS is active for your dealership.
Two-way texting must first be activated for your Blackpurl account through the applicable SMS provider for your region.
Confirm the customer has a phone number on their Customer Record.
Confirm the SMS indicator is checked for the customer's contact number.
If texting is active and the customer has an SMS-enabled number but Send a Text is still unavailable, contact Blackpurl Support.
I can send a text, but the customer doesn't receive it?
First, confirm that Blackpurl shows the message as successfully sent.
Then check:
The customer has the correct phone number on their Customer Record.
The SMS indicator is enabled for that number.
The message is within the 5,000-character limit.
The customer's phone number is capable of receiving SMS messages.
The issue isn't affecting multiple customers.
If multiple customers are not receiving messages, this may indicate an issue with the SMS provider or your dealership's texting configuration. Contact Blackpurl Support with an example customer and the approximate time the message was sent.
A customer replied, but I can't see their reply?
Check these items in order:
Make sure you have the "View Incoming Text Messages" user permission. You may need an Admin to confirm this if you do not have access to view user permissions.
Go to System Settings > Messages.
Check the Unread messages list.
If another user has already handled the customer, remember that each user's unread/read status is managed independently. A message being read by another user does not remove it from your own list.
If you still can't find the reply, verify that the customer was replying to a text previously sent by your dealership.
The customer texted our Blackpurl number first, but we didn't receive it?
Blackpurl's two-way texting is reply-based.
The dealership must send the first text before the customer can reply. Customers should not be instructed to independently text your allocated Blackpurl number to start a conversation, because unsolicited inbound texts are not received.
Correct workflow:
Dealership sends text → Customer replies → Reply appears in Blackpurl
I can see the reply, but another employee can't?
This is expected behavior if the other employee doesn't have the appropriate permissions.
Each user who needs access to incoming replies must have "View Incoming Text Messages" enabled in their user permissions.
Also note that every reply can appear in each user's Messages list, but read/unread status is maintained separately for each user.
A text is showing as unread even though someone else handled it?
This is expected.
Blackpurl manages unread/read status per user. When one user reads a reply, it remains unread for other users until they read or mark it as read themselves.
If your dealership has multiple users receiving replies, establish an internal process for determining who is responsible for responding to incoming texts.
I can't find a customer's previous text messages?
Text history is available in two locations:
Customer Order > Text History — shows outgoing and incoming messages associated with that order.
Customer Record > Related > Text and Emails — shows SMS messages sent to that customer.
If you're looking for an incoming reply associated with a specific order, start with the Text History section on that Customer Order.