Smarter Contact Product Demo
A full product demo of Smarter Contact, from account setup through to reporting.
Use the chapter list below to jump to a specific feature, or watch it start to finish to see how the whole workflow fits together.
Account setup
Setup has an order to it, and the first step gates everything else.
Before you can send business messages in the US, your brand has to be registered for 10DLC. This is a carrier requirement, not a Smarter Contact one, and you will buy your phone numbers as part of that process. Complete registration first, then come back here with your numbers already in hand.
→ How to Register for A2P 10DLC covers the full process, including the expedited option.
Custom fields
You get up to twenty. Switch them on in Settings and they appear at the bottom of the info panel on every conversation. They are also searchable by name, which becomes useful as your database grows.
Labels
These are how you sort every conversation and every call outcome, and they feed directly into your reporting. The defaults cover the basics, but most teams add their own. Set these up before you have thousands of conversations to re-tag.
Sub-accounts
If you are running a team, sub-accounts let each user work separately with their own numbers and data, while you keep an admin view across all of them.
Contacts
Everything downstream depends on the quality of your list.
1. Upload
Smarter Contact takes CSV files. Drag one in or browse for it.
2. Map your columns
The default fields are built for real estate and land investment, so a standard data layout will mostly line up on its own. Anything unusual goes into your custom fields. You can map up to ten phone numbers per upload, and each becomes its own contact record.
Two things happen automatically while you map. The system flags likely mistakes, such as a phone number sitting in an address column, before you commit. And it corrects capitalization, so an all-caps file does not go out looking like shouting.
If your lists always arrive in the same layout, save the mapping as a template for one-click reuse.
3. Verify
Before anything sends, the platform scrubs your list and removes three groups:
| Group | What gets removed |
|---|---|
| People who told you to stop | Opt-outs across all linked accounts, plus your internal Do Not Call list. AI reads the intent behind a reply, not just the word STOP, so "lose my number" is caught too |
| People you should not contact | Litigators, their known associates, and the National Do Not Call list |
| Numbers that will not work | Previously carrier-blocked numbers and numbers that have failed to deliver |
You can add response filtration on top, which removes contacts based on what they said previously. If someone replied "wrong number," you can stop that from reaching them again.
4. Results
You get valid mobile numbers ready to text, landlines separated into their own group with a landline suffix for use in the Dialer, and an invalid lines dropdown showing why each number was dropped.
Suppressed contacts and re-running a file
The Suppressed Contacts tab is your permanent blacklist and accepts bulk imports of historical DNC data. Duplicate reprocesses a file you have already uploaded with different filter settings, so you do not have to upload it twice.
Note: deleting a group does not delete the contacts. They remain in your database and can be regrouped at any time.
→ Managing Contacts · Understanding Suppression Lists · Do Not Call (DNC) Overview
Data Enrichment
Uploading a contact list assumes your file already has phone numbers. Often it does not. Data enrichment takes a name and an address and returns a way to reach that person.
What it returns
Phone numbers, up to ten per lead, split into mobile and landline. Plus an email address, and parcel details such as the APN, county and state where available.
What your file needs
A first name, a last name, and at least one address with city, state and zip.
Two things that improve your hit rate
- If your file has both a property address and a mailing address, map both. This consistently returns more matches than either alone.
- Keep your columns clean. A first name field containing an LLC or trust name will not match a real person and counts against your results.
Cost
You see the record count, price per record, and estimated total before anything runs. Your rate depends on your plan. Turning on dedupe cross-references everything you have enriched before and skips repeats.
Most importantly, the upfront figure covers your whole list, but you are only billed for hits. Anything the system cannot match is returned to your balance automatically.
When it finishes, push the enriched list into your contacts in one click.
Campaigns
A drip campaign is a sequence of messages that sends automatically until someone replies. The moment they do, the sequence stops for that person and you take over the conversation yourself. Any standard campaign becomes a drip as soon as you add a second message, up to nine total.
Contact groups
Select up to ten. Anyone appearing in more than one group is deduplicated into a single contact.
Templates
The system calculates the minimum number of templates you need based on your contact volume. Variation does two things: it keeps your sending healthy, and it shows you what people actually respond to. Different wording lands with different people, and your reporting shows which versions are pulling replies.
The AI Template Assistant will draft variations for you and check each one for delivery risk.
Voicemail drops
Record in the app or upload an MP3 or WAV up to 25 MB. These work best aimed at people who ignored your first text, creating a warm call effect. They deliver more slowly than SMS, so place them last in a sequence.
Phone numbers
You will already have at least three from registration, which is your floor. Each number can only push a limited volume per day, so larger sends need more numbers behind them.
Sending window
You set your schedule, speed and delivery window inside a window the platform already enforces: nothing sends before 8:00 AM or after 9:00 PM. This is the 13 hour legal sending window and it applies to campaigns and workflows alike. You can narrow it, but not widen it.
Note: the window follows your account's timezone, not your contact's. If you are sending into a timezone behind yours, narrow the window accordingly. An 8:00 AM send from the east coast arrives at 5:00 AM on the west.
Actions for replies
Auto-apply a label or move a contact into a different group the moment they respond.
Message timing
The first week allows up to three messages close together. After that, minimum gaps increase as the sequence progresses, protecting both your sending reputation and your audience. If you set a gap shorter than the minimum, the system raises it on save without displaying an error.
Launching
Before anything sends, you review a preview for each contact and press send. This human confirmation is what makes the campaign TCPA compliant. The campaign is not active until previews are confirmed.
Keyword campaigns
Everything above is outbound. A keyword campaign works in the opposite direction. You put a word on a sign, a mailer or a landing page. Someone texts that word to your number, and the system replies automatically.
You choose which number to monitor, set the keyword, write the auto-reply and set an expiry date. Rules can apply a label or add the contact to a group automatically. Anyone not already in your database is created as a new contact.
→ Creating Effective Drip Campaigns · Keyword Campaigns Overview · Message Templates
Messenger
Messenger
The Messenger is an inbox built for texting at volume rather than email. Anyone who replies or calls moves to the top automatically.
One to one calling
When a conversation is ready to move, you can call directly from the thread, using the same number the lead already recognizes. No dialing, no switching apps, and no unknown number appearing on their screen. This is where most deals actually close.
You can also share files and record voice notes from the same conversation.
Quick replies
Pre-saved answers with your custom fields built in, so common questions can be answered instantly while still reading as personal.
The info panel
Full lead context without leaving the conversation. Edits save to the database instantly. Property fields appear by default with your custom fields below them, and you can switch which of your numbers you are texting from.
Labels
The habit worth building. Set the right one at the end of every conversation. Labels can be applied in bulk to a selected batch, along with read, unread and delete actions.
Filters and views
One panel lets you stack whatever you need: include or exclude labels, response date, area code, campaign, group, favorites and closed deals. Filters apply across every folder and show a live count of what is active. Save any combination and it appears in the left menu as a one-click view.
There are also built-in views: Unread, Missed calls, Unreplied, Awaiting reply, Opted-out and Deleted.
Search
Broad search covers name and phone by default. Detailed search narrows to a single field: email, address, parcel details such as APN or acreage, custom fields, or the words inside a conversation. Message content search understands related forms, so "selling" also returns "sells" and "seller."
Moving deals forward
Book a follow-up from the conversation, add internal notes and photos for your team, mark a deal closed so it counts in reporting, or add the contact to a workflow.
→ Messenger Overview · Labels · What Are Quick Replies?
Workflows
Drip campaigns and contact workflows look similar, but they do different jobs.
| Drip campaign | Contact workflow | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs against | A whole contact group | One individual contact |
| How contacts are added | You launch it at a list | You add them by hand from the Messenger |
| Typical use | Initial outreach at volume | Nurturing a lead who is not ready yet |
Both stop automatically when the contact replies.
Building one
Up to nine messages with gaps you set yourself, from a day to a year apart. Personalize with custom fields such as first name or address. Each message can run up to three segments.
Get the sequence right before you scale it, because a workflow cannot be edited while running. Pausing it removes everyone currently in it.
Using one
Open any conversation and click add to contact workflow. You will see the cost and full timeline before confirming.
Billing
You are charged when the contact is added, not as each message sends. If the contact replies early and the workflow stops, you are automatically refunded for everything that did not go out.
Anyone currently in a workflow shows a marker in the Messenger, so you will not accidentally double text them.
→ Introduction to Contact Workflows · Understanding Contact Workflow Billing
Power Dialer
Not everyone replies to a text. The Dialer is another channel for reaching the contacts who did not respond, including the landlines separated out during verification. It is a way to get more return from contact lists you have already paid for.
Before you start
You need an active calling subscription, at least one approved calling number, and a verified contact list.
Setup
Go to the Dialer tab, click New Campaign, name it, choose your contact groups, pick your dialer numbers, set your call outcomes, choose a script, and start.
Call outcomes
The call equivalent of labels. Lead, Not Interested, Call Back and Wrong Number by default, plus any custom outcomes added in Settings. These feed directly into your reporting, so tag every call.
How it runs
The Dialer calls multiple numbers simultaneously, up to 20 lines on Elite. Lower plans allow fewer. The first number to connect routes to you and the remaining ringing lines drop. Answering machines are detected and disconnected automatically. Numbers that ring out are logged and retried once later in the campaign.
Local presence matches your outbound caller ID to the contact's area code, which measurably improves connection rates.
When a call connects, your screen populates with the contact's profile, their history with you, and your call script. You can record the call and take notes inline that sync back to the CRM.
Troubleshooting: the Dialer runs one session per account. If two people are logged into the same account from different browsers, dialing will not work. Check this first if calls are not connecting.
→ Power Dialer Overview · Call Scripts
Calendar
Every calendar event links directly to a contact in your database, which is what separates this from a general scheduling tool.
Creating a follow-up from a conversation
When a lead asks you to call back on a specific day, scroll to the Follow-up field in the Messenger info panel and set the date. The event appears in your calendar already attached to that contact, without leaving the thread.
Working from the calendar
Click View Contact on any event to jump straight into the full conversation history, so you arrive at the callback knowing what was said and promised.
Month view is the default, with Week and Day one click away. Upcoming Events on the left shows future events only. Drag an event to reschedule it.
Sharing
Share My Calendar generates a subscription link that works with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook. Managers and teammates can subscribe to the same link.
→ Smarter Contact Calendar · How to Share Your Calendar
Reporting
Reporting splits into messaging and calling. Admins running sub-accounts can review each one separately. Filter by date range, campaign, or message template.
Using the template filter
If your carrier block rate rises, filter by template one at a time. Carriers flag specific wording or links rather than whole campaigns, so isolating the affected template lets you remove it before it affects the rest of your sending.
Messaging metrics
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Delivery rate | The message arrived |
| Reply rate | Whether the message resonated |
| Opt-out rate | People who asked to stop |
| Carrier block rate | Messages carriers refused |
| AI filtering rate | Contacts removed on intent, without typing STOP |
| Segments sent | Your real cost line. Anything over 160 characters splits into multiple segments, and segments are what carriers bill |
Note on reply rate: it counts unique contacts. One person replying five times counts as one reply, recorded at the step where they first responded.
Your labels also break down by count and percentage, showing how your pipeline is sorting.
Calling metrics
Calls dialed, calls answered, and conversations. A conversation is an answered call lasting over 90 seconds, on the basis that anything shorter was not a real exchange. From these you get response rate, average call time, leads, deals closed, and conversion rates from call to lead and lead to deal, plus a breakdown by call outcome.
→ Reporting Overview · Mastering Median Response Time
Where to go next
You do not need to use everything on day one. Most accounts start with one clean list and one campaign, then add the rest as volume grows.
Every section above has a deeper guide in the Help Center, and more video tutorials are available alongside this one. If you get stuck, contact support.
With 💙,
The Smarter Contact Team