SMS Notifications
Effective date: April 27, 2026
This page explains how SMS (text message) notifications work at Answering Now: who receives them, how subscribers opt in, what messages contain, how often they arrive, and how to opt out at any time. It exists so that anyone, including regulators and review bodies, can understand and verify our SMS consent practices without needing to subscribe to the service.
1. Who Receives SMS Notifications
SMS notifications are sent only to business owners who have actively subscribed to the Answering Now AI phone answering service and who have separately opted in to text message delivery during the onboarding process. Each business account corresponds to a single business owner. We do not send SMS notifications to callers, prospects, leads, or anyone who has not completed both steps (subscribe and opt in).
2. What the Messages Contain
SMS notifications are transactional messages that summarize a call received by the subscriber's AI phone receptionist. Each message contains:
- The brand name (Answering Now)
- The caller's name (as captured by the AI agent)
- The caller's phone number for callback
- The reason for the call (such as a service request, lead, or question)
- An urgency indicator (high, normal, or low)
- Opt-out instructions ("Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help")
Messages are strictly transactional. We do not send marketing offers, promotional content, upsells, surveys, or any non-call-related material via SMS.
3. How Subscribers Opt In
Opt-in happens during the onboarding wizard, which subscribers complete after purchasing a subscription at answering.now/#pricing. The wizard is a multi-step form. On the final Review step, two separate checkboxes appear at the bottom of the page:
- Terms and Conditions checkbox (required to submit). Confirms the subscriber has read and agreed to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
- SMS notification consent checkbox (optional, not required to submit, not pre-selected). Provides explicit consent to receive SMS notifications.
The two checkboxes are visually and functionally separate. Submitting the form with the SMS consent box unchecked completes onboarding successfully, and the subscriber receives all notifications by email only. There is no point in the subscription, payment, or onboarding flow at which a subscriber is required to opt in to SMS in order to use the service.
4. The Exact Consent Language
The SMS consent checkbox displays the following disclosure on screen, immediately next to the checkbox itself:
A second line directly below the checkbox reads: "SMS is optional. Without it, call notifications will be sent by email only."
5. Screenshot of the Consent Step
6. Message Frequency
Message frequency is determined entirely by the subscriber's own incoming call volume. A subscriber who receives one call per day receives approximately one SMS per day. A subscriber who receives twenty calls per day receives approximately twenty SMS messages per day. Typical frequency for a small trades business is one to fifteen messages per day. We do not generate messages independent of incoming calls.
7. Standard Rates Apply
Standard message and data rates may apply to messages received from Answering Now, depending on the subscriber's mobile carrier and plan. Answering Now does not charge subscribers a separate fee for SMS notifications; SMS delivery is included in all subscription tiers for subscribers who opt in.
8. How to Opt Out
Subscribers can opt out of SMS notifications at any time by any of the following methods:
- Reply STOP to any message received from Answering Now. This is the fastest method and stops messages immediately at the carrier level.
- Reply UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT, STOPALL, or REVOKE to any message. These keywords are also recognized as opt-out requests.
- Email wayne@answering.now with the request to stop SMS delivery to a specific phone number.
- Call (515) 349-7229 and ask to be removed from SMS notifications.
After opting out, subscribers continue to receive call notifications by email. To resume SMS delivery after opting out, reply START to the most recent message from Answering Now, or contact us directly.
9. How to Get Help
Reply HELP to any message from Answering Now to receive an automated response with contact information. For direct support, contact wayne@answering.now or call (515) 349-7229.
10. Sample Messages
Below are representative examples of the SMS notifications a subscribed and opted-in business owner may receive. Actual content varies based on the calls received.
11. No Sharing With Third Parties for Marketing
Phone numbers collected for SMS notifications are used solely to deliver call summary notifications from Answering Now to the subscribing business owner. We do not sell, rent, lease, or share subscriber phone numbers with third parties for marketing purposes. We do not share phone numbers with affiliates for cross-promotion. Phone numbers are shared only with our SMS delivery provider (Twilio) for the technical purpose of message transmission, as described in our Privacy Policy.
12. Related Policies
- Privacy Policy (Section 5 covers SMS and Text Messaging)
- Terms and Conditions
13. Questions
For questions about SMS notifications, opt-in, opt-out, or any other aspect of how Answering Now uses text messaging, contact us:
Answering Now LLC
Boone, Iowa
Email: wayne@answering.now
Phone: (515) 349-7229