Skip to content
English
More support Sign in
Go to patchretention.com
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Incoming SMS Trigger Block

The Incoming SMS trigger starts an automation when a text message is received by an SMS gateway in your Patch account. Use it to build auto-replies, keyword routing, support workflows, and conversation-based automations.

What’s in This Article

 

 

What This Trigger Does

The Incoming SMS trigger fires when:

  1. A text message is received by an SMS gateway connected to your Patch account, and

  2. Patch records the inbound message, and

  3. The automation receives the message + contact information

In simple terms:
“Run this automation when someone texts you.”

 

 

When to Use This Trigger

Use Incoming SMS when you want to:

  • Send an instant auto-reply (hours, directions, booking link, help text)

  • Route messages based on keywords (HELP, HOURS, PARTY, MEMBERSHIP)

  • Create internal alerts for urgent texts (“refund”, “cancel”, “angry”, “manager”)

  • Build a “two-way” workflow (ask a question, then handle the reply)

  • Tag contacts based on what they texted (interested in camps, parties, memberships)

  • To start a gamified sms campaign

 

 

When Not to Use This Trigger

Don’t use Incoming SMS if your automation should be based on an event that isn’t a text reply:

  • Contact Created → welcome/new lead flows

  • Order Finished → post-purchase flows (revenue + product data)

  • Check-In Finished → visit-based flows

  • Calendar Event → reminder-based flows around scheduled times

  • SmartLink Clicked → interest/click-based flows

 

 

Trigger Event Fields (What You Can Filter On)

Incoming SMS includes trigger-specific fields that you can use in Add Conditions to target the right messages.

Most commonly used

  • Message Text – filter by keywords or phrases (example: contains “hours”, “party”, “refund”)

  • Triggered Keyword – filter when the inbound text matches a configured keyword (cleaner than “contains” matching)

  • Triggered Auto Reply – filter based on which auto-reply was triggered (helpful if you have multiple)

  • Gateway – filter by the phone number/gateway that received the message

  • Time – the time the event was triggered - run only during/after business hours, or for time-based routing

Sometimes used

  • Message Tags [] – filter if you tag/label inbound messages (example: “Support”, “Sales”, “Opt-Out Risk”) from TextChat

  • Type – filter by message type (if your account uses multiple inbound message types)

    • Possible options: ANY, KEYWORD, AUTO_REPLY, CONVERSATION

  • Sent From – the customer’s phone number (useful for troubleshooting or advanced routing)

  • Sent To – the number/gateway they texted (useful when you have multiple numbers)

Rarely used (mostly support/debugging)

  • Account ID

  • Blast/Automation ID (usually only matters if inbound is associated to a specific Patch send)

  • ID (Patch Internal)

  • Conversation ID – keep logic tied to an existing thread (more advanced)

Tip: For most keyword bots, start with Triggered Keyword (best) or Message Text contains (fallback), then add Gateway/Sent To if you need different behavior per phone line.

 

 

Block Settings Explained

Details (Info Panel)

This section explains:

  • How the block is triggered

  • When to use this block

It’s informational only—no settings here change behavior.

Add Conditions (filtering)

Use Add Conditions to control which incoming messages can trigger this automation.

Common examples:

  • Only run if Message Body contains a keyword (PARTY, HOURS, HELP, STOP)

  • Only run if the message is received by a specific Gateway (if available)

  • Only run if the contact has a certain tag (Member, VIP, Lead)

  • Only run if time is outside business hours (after-hours auto-reply)

Tip: If you’re building a keyword responder, create separate automations for each keyword so they’re easy to manage.

Configure Trigger Frequency

This section controls how often the trigger runs for the same contact after counting inbound texts that match your rules.

Frequency option 1: One time at a certain number of text-ins

Use this when you only want to respond once at a milestone.

Examples:

  • First inbound text only (text-in #1)

  • Third inbound text only (text-in #3)

Frequency option 2: Every X text-ins

Use this when you want repeat logic on a pattern.

Settings you’ll see:

Number of text-ins

This is the “X” in Every X text-ins.

  • If you enter 1, the automation can run on every matching inbound message.

Starting with text-in

This sets where the counting begins.

Examples:

  • Start at 1 → runs on 1, 2, 3, 4… (if X = 1)

  • Start at 1 → runs on 1, 3, 5… (if X = 2)

  • Start at 2 → runs on 2, 4, 6… (if X = 2)

Messenger/Auto-Replies

Prevent new Conversations in Messenger and Auto-Replies when this Block is triggered

Turn this on if you do not want Patch to create:

  • a new Messenger conversation, and/or

  • additional auto-replies
    when this trigger fires.

When to check this box:

  • You’re using Incoming SMS purely for an automated response (like a keyword bot) and don’t want it cluttering Messenger with new conversations.

  • You have another workflow handling conversations and want this trigger to be “silent.”

When to leave it unchecked:

  • You want inbound texts to open a conversation for staff to follow up in Messenger.

  • You want your normal Messenger/auto-reply behavior to happen.

 

 

Common Use Cases

  • Keyword auto-replies (HOURS, DIRECTIONS, PARTY, CAMP, MEMBERSHIP)

  • After-hours responder (“We’re closed right now—here’s our booking link.”)

  • Escalation alerts when someone texts “refund”, “cancel”, “angry”, “manager”

  • Lead capture via SMS (“Reply PARTY to get packages”)

  • Support routing (members get one path, guests get another)

 

 

What Data This Trigger Has Access To

Incoming SMS includes:

  • Contact data (standard + custom fields)

  • Inbound message data, such as:

    • Message content/body

    • Time received

    • Gateway (depending on your setup)

    • Any internal IDs related to the message event

 

 

Important Things to Know

  • Inbound texts can trigger automations quickly and often—use conditions and frequency to avoid loops or spam.

  • If you’re using keywords, make your matching rules clear (example: contains “PARTY” vs exact match).

  • Plan for common SMS behaviors:

    • typos (“part”, “bday”, “hours?”)

    • emojis

    • lowercase/uppercase

  • STOP/HELP handling may be managed by your carrier/gateway rules—don’t fight those flows.

 

 

Example Automations

Example 1: Keyword “HOURS” Auto-Reply

  1. Trigger: Incoming SMS

  2. Condition: message contains “HOURS”

  3. Send SMS: “We’re open Mon–Fri 10–8, Sat 10–10, Sun 12–6.”

Example 2: After-Hours Auto-Reply

  1. Trigger: Incoming SMS

  2. Condition: time is outside business hours

  3. Send SMS: “Thanks! We’re closed right now. Book here: [SmartLink]”

Example 3: Escalate “Refund” Messages to Staff

  1. Trigger: Incoming SMS

  2. Condition: message contains “refund” OR “chargeback” OR “cancel”

  3. Create internal alert/task with message content

  4. Tag contact: “Needs Attention”

 

 

Best Practices

  • Use separate automations per keyword for clarity and easier testing.

  • Keep auto-replies short and helpful (one clear next step).

  • Use SmartLinks in replies when you want tracking and follow-up triggers.

  • If you don’t want Messenger clutter, enable Prevent new Conversations…

  • Add a fallback reply for unknown messages (example: “Reply MENU for options.”)