"Text us" on your website: web chat that continues by SMS

Short answer: A "text us" widget looks like a chat bubble on your site, but instead of keeping the visitor waiting on the page, it collects their name, phone number and question and continues the conversation by SMS. It suits local service businesses whose customers won't sit at a laptop waiting for a reply but will answer a text an hour later. It only works if someone replies quickly, from a shared business number, during the hours you promise.

Many small businesses tried live chat, found nobody could watch it all day, and switched it off. Web-to-SMS widgets solve a different problem: they let the conversation leave the website with the customer, so a reply that comes 20 minutes later still reaches them.

How it works

What the visitor sees

The visitor taps a button such as "Text us" or "Have a question?". A small form asks for their name, mobile number and message. Birdeye's own explainer describes it this way: the customer fills in their name and phone number, and the business texts them a response when it can. Podium markets the same idea as making your website "textable", with conversations continued over text.

From that point on, the conversation lives in the customer's normal messaging app. They don't need to keep your site open, install anything or remember a login.

What your team sees

Messages arrive in the vendor's shared inbox (web dashboard and mobile app), usually alongside texts to your business number, review requests and sometimes social messages. Replies go out as SMS from a business number provided by or connected to the platform, not from someone's personal phone.

Where AI comes in

Most vendors now offer an automated first reply or an AI assistant that answers routine questions (opening hours, service area, rough availability) and hands over to staff. That can cover evenings and weekends, but check exactly what it's allowed to promise. A bot that confirms a booking you can't honour is worse than a slower human reply.

What about Google?

If you remember chatting with customers through your Google Business Profile, that feature ended. Google's help page says chat and call history were removed from Business Profiles on July 31, 2024. The same page notes that, for eligible accounts, customers can contact a business from its profile by text message or WhatsApp instead. Your website widget is a separate tool you control.

When it fits (and when it doesn't)

Good fits

Trades and home services. A homeowner can send a photo of the leaking tap and get a rough answer without a phone call.
Appointment businesses such as salons, clinics' front desks, pet groomers and driving instructors, where most questions are about availability.
Quote-driven businesses where the first conversation is short: "Do you service my area? Roughly what does this cost?"
Customers who don't like calling. Texting lowers the effort of the first contact.

When live chat or a form is better

Ecommerce questions during checkout. The shopper is on the page now; an answer in real time on the page is more useful than a text later.
Complex B2B enquiries that need documents, several people and email threads.
No one to answer. If replies take a day, a plain contact form with an honest "we reply within one business day" sets better expectations.

The staffing question

Texting feels instant to customers, so slow replies feel worse than they would by email. Before you switch it on, decide:

Who answers, and on which days and hours.
What the target reply time is, and what the widget says outside those hours.
Who covers holidays and sick days.
Which questions anyone can answer and which go to the owner.

Setup steps

Choose a platform. Compare a few vendors on the features you'll actually use: shared inbox, mobile app, business number, integration with your booking or CRM tool, and how AI replies can be limited. Pricing and plans change, so check each vendor's own page.
Sort the phone number. Decide whether to text from a new number or enable texting on your existing business line, if the vendor supports that. In the US, business texting through these platforms generally requires carrier registration of your brand and use case; the vendor usually guides you through it, so allow time before launch.
Install the widget. Most vendors provide a snippet for your site's code or a plugin for common website builders. Put it on every page, but check it doesn't cover your main call-to-action button on mobile.
Write the first screen. One sentence on what happens next ("We'll text you back, usually within 15 minutes during business hours"), the form fields, and a short consent line for texting.
Set the auto-reply. Confirm the message was received, restate your hours and, if useful, ask one qualifying question (address, service needed, preferred time).
Connect it to your workflow. Route new conversations to the right person, tag them by service, and push contact details into your CRM or job management tool so nobody retypes them.
Test from a real phone. Send a message from outside the business, check the timing, the sender name and the wording of every automated reply.
Review after a month. How many conversations started, how fast you replied, and how many turned into bookings or quotes.

FAQ

Is a "text us" widget the same as live chat?

No. Live chat expects both sides to be on the website at the same time. A web-to-SMS widget moves the conversation to text messages so it can continue after the visitor leaves.

Can customers send photos?

Usually yes, once the conversation is in their messaging app, though check the vendor's support for picture messages on your plan and number type.

Do I need a separate phone number?

Not always. Some platforms can enable texting on an existing landline or VoIP number; others issue a new one. Check before printing the number anywhere.

What if nobody replies outside business hours?

Say so clearly in the widget and the auto-reply, or use a limited AI or template reply that collects details and promises a human response at a stated time.

If you'd like a texting widget wired into your bookings or job system rather than another inbox to watch, we can map it out with you.