An inbound SMS automation is a configured OTTO flow that fires the moment a contact opts in via QR scan, SmartLink tap, or any SMS entry point. OTTO responds in under 3 seconds and runs a qualification conversation — through an ITR (Interactive Text Response) numbered menu, a conversational data collector, or a self-segmentation flow — before any rep touches the lead. A structured lead record is delivered to your team 24/7.
What gets captured at opt-in?
The moment a contact taps Send, three layers fire simultaneously: the verified mobile number (cannot be faked), TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) express written consent with timestamp, and scan-level attribution — campaign source, lat/long, device type, and entry point. This all happens before OTTO asks a single question. Even if the contact stops responding, you have a contactable, consented record.
What are the three OTTO automation modes?
Mode 1 — ITR: OTTO sends a numbered menu, contact taps one reply, routed in under 10 seconds. Mode 2 — Data Collector: open-ended Q&A, one question at a time, 71% completion vs. 19% for web forms — TextingOnly platform data. Mode 3 — Self-Segmentation: contact declares intent on a branded interstitial page before the SMS conversation starts.
A prepped lead lands with your team — verified mobile number, TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) consent, and 8+ structured data points — whether it’s 9 AM or 11 PM.
Hi! Thanks for reaching out. What brings you in today? 1 Emergency 2 Schedule 3 Get a quote
2
What’s your zip code so we can find the nearest tech?
21218
What’s the issue? 1 No heat 2 No A/C 3 Strange noise
2
✓ Lead delivered · Dave · HVAC · 21218 · No A/C Prepare Caller sent · Rep notified
Text Message…
↑
0App Downloadsnative SMS — works on every phone
24/7OTTO qualifiesno staff at first touch
0Leads lost after hoursstructured record waiting at 8 AM
3Automation modesITR · Collector · Self-Segmenter
Data capture
Before OTTO asks a single question — you already have a lead.
The moment a contact taps Send on the opt-in message, two layers of data fire simultaneously — instant captures and structured data from the qualification flow itself.
Fires at opt-in — before any question is asked
Mobile number
Captured at opt-in — cannot be faked or mis-typed
TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) consent
Express written consent — timestamped and logged
Scan attribution
Lat/long at exact moment of send
Campaign source
Which QR, which SmartLink, which placement
Device type
Mobile vs. desktop bridge
How it flows
Entry
Contact Opts In
QR · SmartLink · Interstitial
↓
Instant
Data Fires
Phone · Consent · Geo · Source
↓
Automation
OTTO Runs
ITR · Collector · Segmenter
↓
Output
Lead to Team
Alert · CRM · Dashboard
Mode 1 · ITR
Route fast. No guessing.
OTTO sends a numbered menu. The contact taps one number. That single reply routes them into the right qualification branch — Sales, Service, Support, Language, or any path you configure. Under 10 seconds from opt-in to qualified route. Learn more about Interactive Text Response →
1
Opt-in + data captured at send
Phone number, TCPA consent, scan-level attribution, and campaign source logged the moment they send. This happens before the ITR menu fires.
2
Visual menu — all options on screen at once
Not audio. Not sequential. Options visible at once. Contact reads, decides, taps. Faster than any phone IVR (Interactive Voice Response). Works the same at 11 PM as 9 AM.
3
Intent declared — right flow fires
Their reply routes them to the configured branch. Each branch is its own qualification flow — different questions, different routing, different Prepare Caller message.
✓
Prepped lead delivered to team
OTTO sends the contact their rep’s number and confirms the callback. Your team receives a structured alert with all data collected.
<10sFrom opt-in to qualified route — faster than any phone IVR.
9:41●●● ▲
‹
OH
OTTO HVAC
● OTTO · TextingOnly
Hi! Thanks for reaching out to OTTO HVAC. What do you need today? 1 Emergency repair 2 Schedule service 3 Get a quote
3
Great — what’s your name?
Sarah
What type of system, Sarah? 1 Central A/C 2 Heat pump 3 Furnace 4 Not sure
1
✓ Mike will call from (410) 555-0182 with your quote. Save the number — he’s expecting it!
Text Message…
↑
9:41●●● ▲
‹
OH
OTTO HVAC
● OTTO · TextingOnly
Got it — emergency. What’s your zip code so we can find the nearest tech?
21218
What’s the issue? 1 No heat 2 No A/C 3 Strange noise 4 Other
1
How old is the system roughly? 1 Under 5 years 2 5–15 years 3 15+ years
3
✓ Dave is your on-call tech. He’ll call from (410) 555-0100 in 10 minutes. Save it — he’s ready!
Text Message…
↑
Mode 2 · Conversational Data Collector
Qualify in depth. One question at a time.
When the playbook calls for open-ended answers, OTTO runs a conversational data collector — asking one question at a time, capturing each response as a named field. Not a transcript. Structured data. 71% completion rate versus 19% for web forms · TextingOnly platform data.
1
Intent classified at first reply
Emergency vs. scheduled vs. quote — routed to different flows from the first reply. No wrong department, no hold time, no routing questions buried mid-conversation.
2
Location and context collected naturally
Zip code, system age, issue type, budget range — gathered in the natural flow. No form fields. Each answer is a named structured field on the contact record.
3
Right person dispatched with full context
Your team gets the full qualification before they call. They know what they’re walking into. The contact gets an ETA and a named number.
✓
Partial saves — nothing fully lost
Contact stops at question 2? Their phone, consent, name, and all completed answers are saved. Nudge sequence queues.
71%Completion rate — 3.7× better than web forms · TextingOnly platform data.
Mode 3 · Interstitial Self-Segmentation
Intent declared before the conversation starts.
The interstitial page is the first moment of your campaign — before the conversation begins. The contact sees a branded page, picks their path, and that selection pre-fills the SMS opt-in. One tap sends. OTTO fires the right flow. No routing questions. No friction.
1
Branded page loads on scan or tap
Your logo, your brand colors, up to four intent options — Get a Quote, Schedule Service, Leave a Review, Contact Support — all visible at once. Scan data captures at page load.
2
Contact taps their path — intent written into SMS
That selection is written into the pre-filled SMS message: “Hi — I’d like to schedule a service appointment.” Nothing to type. One tap sends.
3
OTTO fires the right flow — zero routing questions
Intent declared. OTTO routes directly to the configured flow for that path. Schedule Service → appointment collector. Get a Quote → qualification ITR. No “what can we help you with?”
✓
Works from any entry point
Website buttons, social media bio, digital ads, direct mail QR codes, email campaigns, SmartLinks, Google Business listing.
9:41●●● ▲
c.txtng.co/apex
TO
TextingOnly
How can we help you today?
💰
Get a Quote
Tell us what you need
›
📅
Schedule Service
Book your appointment
›
⭐
Leave a Review
Share your experience
›
💬
Contact Support
We respond fast
›
Powered by TextingOnly · No app required
Operational value
Solve operational problems without adding headcount.
Businesses that handle inbound communication share the same staffing problem — peaks and valleys, after-hours gaps, language barriers, missed leads. OTTO fills the gaps. 24/7. No overtime.
After Hours
24/7 qualification — no staff
Contact opts in at 11 PM. OTTO qualifies — service type, urgency, timeline. Prepare Caller fires. Structured lead waiting at 8 AM. Your team calls a prepped contact who is already expecting them.
Peak Volume
100 contacts at once — no queue
100 people scan at a live event. OTTO handles all 100 in parallel. No hold queue. Contacts get an instant response and enter the qualification flow. No rep involvement until the lead is ready.
Partial Recovery
No lead fully lost
Contact stopped after question 2. Their verified mobile number and TCPA consent were captured at opt-in. Nudge sequence queues. The record is there. You can re-engage.
Language Routing
Any language. No bilingual staff at first touch.
Contact selects their language at opt-in. OTTO switches the entire flow via Language Funnels. Lead flagged with language preference. Routes to the right rep.
List Building
Every opt-in is yours forever
Contacts who opt in through inbound automation are added to your verified, opted-in list. Segmented by intent, language, source, and buyer type. Available for outbound campaigns right away.
Attribution
Source-to-close tracking
Scan timestamp, campaign source, device type, and UTM captured at opt-in. Each lead attributed to the exact entry point — which QR placement, which SmartLink, which campaign. See full Attribution Reporting →
Industry use cases
Inbound leads qualified. All industries. All hours.
See how inbound SMS automations apply across the industries we serve. Same OTTO engine — different configured flows.
The most common questions about how OTTO handles inbound contacts — what gets captured, how the three modes work, and what happens after hours.
An inbound SMS automation is a configured OTTO flow that fires the moment a contact opts in — via QR scan, SmartLink tap, or any entry point. OTTO responds in under 3 seconds, then runs a qualification conversation through an ITR numbered menu, a conversational data collector, or a self-segmentation flow. The contact is qualified and routed. A structured lead record is delivered to your team before a rep touches it.
At the moment the contact taps Send on the opt-in message, three things fire at once: (1) their mobile number is captured — cannot be faked or mis-typed; (2) TCPA express written consent is timestamped and logged; (3) the campaign source, scan-level attribution, device type, and entry point are recorded. This happens before OTTO asks a single question. Even if the contact drops off, you have a contactable, consented record.
Mode 1 — ITR (Interactive Text Response): OTTO sends a numbered menu. The contact taps one number. That reply routes them into the right qualification branch in under 10 seconds. Mode 2 — Conversational Data Collector: OTTO asks one open-ended question at a time, capturing each response as a named structured field. 71% completion rate vs. 19% for web forms — TextingOnly platform data. Mode 3 — Self-Segmentation via Interstitial: The contact declares their intent on a branded page before the SMS conversation starts, so OTTO fires the right flow with no routing questions.
Yes. OTTO runs 24/7 with no staff involvement at first touch. A contact who opts in at 11 PM is fully qualified by OTTO — service type, urgency, timeline, language — before any rep sees the lead. A structured record is waiting when your team arrives at 8 AM, including a Prepare Caller message already sent to the contact.
Partial journeys are saved. Because the mobile number and TCPA consent are captured at the first opt-in tap, stopping mid-conversation still produces a contactable, consented record with everything collected up to that point. A nudge sequence queues to re-engage the contact. Nothing is fully lost.
The contact selects their preferred language at the interstitial or at an early step in the OTTO flow. OTTO switches the entire conversation to that language — Spanish, French, Nepali, Pashto, or any supported language. The resulting lead alert is delivered to your team in English. No bilingual staff required at first touch. See Language Funnels for the full multilingual capability.
See the full system in 60 seconds.
Live opt-in. OTTO qualification. Zero-party data record. Prepare Caller. Lead delivered.
30 seconds · no form
See OTTO Live
Watch a full opt-in and qualification flow in your native Messages app — all three modes available.