The Untapped Power of Two-Way SMS
SMS marketing is easily one of the most underutilised channels for building direct relationships with your subscribers. Most brands treat SMS purely as an outbound broadcast megaphone, blasting promotional codes and ignoring incoming replies entirely.
If you look inside your Klaviyo SMS Conversations tab, you will likely find people already talking back to you. When someone replies to an abandoned cart message or a product drop, they are opening a high-intent channel. Leaving those messages on read is leaving money on the table.
That is a massive missed opportunity. Engaging in one-on-one dialogue over text removes buying friction faster than almost any automated sequence can manage.
Who Should Actually Manage Your SMS Inbox?
Here is the reality of two-way SMS: it inevitably becomes a customer service channel. When we open up two-way texting for clients, around 70% of inbound replies are logistical questions like "where is my order?" or "do you have this in size medium?"
Because of this, your email marketing agency or copywriter should not be the one sitting in the SMS inbox answering tickets. That is not their job.
Treat your SMS conversations exactly like you treat replies to your marketing emails. Hand access over to your dedicated customer support team so they can resolve shipping queries, process exchanges, and answer product questions in real time.
The Default Autoresponder Mistake That Costs Sales
Klaviyo has a built-in autoresponder that fires when someone texts your number and no specific keyword is recognized. There is a critical setting here that many brands completely mess up.
By default, if you do not adjust your settings, Klaviyo may apply this autoresponder to all profiles. That means a consenting customer who texts you a genuine support question instantly receives a robotic message saying you cannot respond. That is infuriating for a shopper who just spent $100 on your store.
To fix this, you must adjust your autoresponder settings to target non-consented profiles only:
- Non-consented profiles: If someone texts your number without marketing consent, legally you cannot send promotional SMS. Klaviyo sends the automated compliance message explaining why you cannot text back.
- Consented profiles: If an active subscriber replies, the autoresponder stays silent, leaving the thread open for your team to reply manually.
Failing to configure this correctly will alienate your most engaged buyers. It is a terrible user experience.
Triggering Automated Keyword Replies
Beyond manual customer service chats, you can configure keyword automations inside your Klaviyo SMS settings. These trigger specific canned responses or flows when someone texts a particular word.
For example, if you run a bakery and prompt users to text the word "bread", you can set an immediate automated reply: "Awesome, what type of bread would you like to order?" From there, the subscriber enters a guided conversational flow.
You can also use keywords for compliance and opt-in actions. Setting up simple triggers where texting "Y" or "YES" immediately subscribes a profile and sends legal disclosures ensures you capture consent cleanly within 2 seconds.
Using Email to Grow Your Two-Way SMS List
How do subscribers get your Klaviyo SMS number in the first place? One thing I like to do is drive list migration directly from your primary email newsletter.
You can send an email campaign to your engaged email segment with a simple call to action. Tell them to text "YES" to your dedicated sending number to unlock early VIP access or exclusive SMS-only drops.
When they text the keyword, your Klaviyo automation catches the message, adds the SMS consent tag to their profile, and replies with their welcome discount automatically. It is a seamless way to shift high-value subscribers onto your highest-converting channel.
Final Thoughts
Two-way SMS is not just another outbound promotional channel. When managed properly by your customer service team and backed by sensible autoresponder rules, it builds genuine brand loyalty. Audit your autoresponder settings today and stop sending generic error texts to your best customers.
Scale Your SMS Channel
If you want to build high-converting SMS campaigns and automated flows that integrate cleanly with your email marketing, take a look at our SMS campaign management services.
