Appointment Texts That Come from Your Own Number
Plan your day, then send every person their own appointment time in one tap. They can confirm, pick another time or say they can't make it, and every answer lands on the right stop.
Texting and email are on every plan. RouteWren doesn't charge per text.
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Why Text from Your Own Number?
People answer numbers they recognize. If a homeowner already has your cell from a voicemail or a business card, a text from that same number reads as you, not as a stranger. Replies come straight back to your phone, so you can keep the conversation going without switching apps.
It also matters for getting seen at all. Recent iPhones can move texts from numbers that aren't in someone's contacts, and that they've never texted, into a separate Unknown Senders list with no notification. A number they've saved, or have texted with before, arrives normally. When you do text someone new, start with your name and why you're writing, and ask a question. Once they reply, your number counts as known.
Three Ways to Text, Plus Email
Pick one in Settings and switch any time. Step-by-step setup is built into the app, and the texting setup guide walks through each option.
Manual
Free, no setup, any phone. RouteWren writes each text with the person's own time and opens your messaging app with it ready. You tap send.
httpSMS
Android, automatic, your own number. The httpSMS app turns your Android phone into the sender. About 10 minutes to set up.
Twilio
Any phone, automatic, a rented number. Texts go from a Twilio number you rent. The usual choice for iPhone users who want automatic sending.
Free, nothing to set up. Each person gets an email with your name on it and a button to confirm or change. Use it alone or with texts.
httpSMS or Twilio?
| httpSMS | Twilio | |
|---|---|---|
| Sends from | Your own cell number | A number you rent |
| Phone needed | An Android phone that stays on and connected | Any phone, or none |
| Cost | Free for about 200 texts a month, paid plans above that, plus your normal phone plan | Per text sent and received, plus a monthly fee for the number |
| Recognized by people | Yes, if they have your number | New to them at first |
RouteWren is not affiliated with httpSMS or Twilio. You open your own account with them and they bill you directly, on top of your RouteWren plan. Send yourself a test text during your trial to make sure it works for you.
Confirm and Pick-a-Time Links
Turn on the confirm link and every text and email carries a private link. The person taps it to confirm, choose one of the times you offered, or say they can't make it, and the stop updates by itself. Nobody has to install anything.
If you'd rather give people options, Offer times sends two or three times that fit around your other stops, such as 9:55 AM, 1:15 PM or 3:25 PM. They tap one, or reply with it, and it's booked. Whatever they pick still works with the rest of your day.
How Do I Keep Track of Who Replied?
Every reply shows up on its stop, not in a long thread you have to scroll. A yes is one tap to Confirm; you can also choose New time or Decline and send a short follow-up with the same tap. Each stop records when you first texted and when they first replied, which is handy for file notes and contact deadlines. Turn on phone notifications and you hear about replies as they arrive, along with reminders before each visit and a morning summary.
On the Day: On My Way and Running Late
Tap On my way on your next stop and they get a text with your estimated arrival time. Behind schedule? Running late tells your next stop, or everyone left today, how many minutes behind you are and your new time, using wording you can edit. Arrival and departure are stamped on the stop, so your records show the actual time on site.
When Someone Cancels
A decline turns their time into an open spot. Tap Fill to offer it to someone still waiting. If you want this handled for you, switch on automatic filling (it's off by default): RouteWren offers the time to people still waiting for a visit, so a cancellation becomes a booking instead of a gap.
Your Words, Your Language
Write your own templates for first visits, follow-ups or deliveries, or start from the wording for your trade. Messages can go out in English or French, with dates written the French way ("mardi 3 novembre vers 10 h 30"). Need ideas? Our appointment confirmation text templates has more than 40 examples by occupation.
Routes also show up in Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar through a private calendar feed, and every Monday you can get a short summary email of last week's stops and replies.
Texting Rules: CASL and TCPA Basics
This is general information, not legal advice. In Canada, CASL covers commercial electronic messages. A text that confirms an appointment someone asked for is treated differently from marketing, but you should still say who you are and give people a way to stop hearing from you. In the US, the TCPA and state laws generally expect you to have the person's permission to text them, which is usually the case when they gave you their number for the appointment, and to stop when asked.
In practice: only text people who gave you their number for this purpose, keep messages about the appointment, text at reasonable hours, and stop when someone asks. With httpSMS or Twilio, RouteWren pauses automatic texts overnight, and a STOP reply blocks that number until they reply START. See our Terms for your responsibilities as the sender.
Who Uses It
The texts are only as good as the times in them. See how the route planner builds those times, or read how RouteWren works from start to finish.
Texting Questions
Do texts really come from my own number?
With manual texting or httpSMS, yes: the text is sent by your own phone, from your own number. With Twilio, texts come from a number you rent from Twilio.
Can I send texts automatically from an iPhone?
Not from the iPhone itself. On an iPhone, use manual texting (RouteWren writes each text and opens Messages, you tap send) or Twilio, which sends automatically from a rented number. httpSMS needs an Android phone.
What does texting cost?
RouteWren doesn't charge per text. Manual texting is free. httpSMS and Twilio bill you directly for their service. RouteWren is not affiliated with either. Our pricing page shows typical monthly costs.
Do the people I text need an app?
No. They get an ordinary text or email. The confirm link opens in any phone browser.
What happens if someone replies STOP?
With httpSMS or Twilio, RouteWren records the opt-out and won't text that number again unless they reply START. Anyone can also opt out from the confirm link page.
Can I send messages in French?
Yes. Choose French for your messages and dates and times are written the French way. There are starter templates in English and French for each trade.
Book Tomorrow Before You Leave Today
Plan the route, send the times, and let the replies come to you.
14 days free, up to 20 stops. No card needed.