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Overview
A Keyword is a specific word you assign to a specific Group within Text In Church that serves as an entry point. Think of it as a secret password… only you want everyone to know about it!
Whenever someone texts one of your Keywords to your 10-digit Text In Church phone number, they are automatically added to the corresponding Group and will receive any Keyword Automated Reply that you have set for this Group!
You can only have one Keyword per Group, and that Keyword can only be used once per 10-digit phone number in your account. Learn more about using multiple phone numbers here!
Here are some things you'll want to know about Keywords:
Your Keyword must be one word with no spaces or punctuation, like "loop" or "welcome"
Keywords should be between 3 and 9 characters long.
There are a few words that won't work because they are part of the system; "Start", "Yes", "Unstop", "StopAll", Stop", "Unsubscribe", "End", "Quit", "Help", "Info", and "Cancel"
You can use the same Keyword for multiple Groups, but each Group must be assigned a different phone number.
Keywords are NOT case sensitive; "Welcome" “WELCOME” and "welcome" are the same Keyword.
You can’t have other characters in with the Keyword message, like a signature or extra characters like ! or :) or space. The system will think it is just a message and will place the message in your inbox, not the Group.
Set Up a Keyword
It's super easy to set up a Keyword! To get started, sign in to your account and click the Groups section. Then, click the name of the Group to which you'd like to assign a keyword.
Next, click “Edit” in the top right corner.
This will open your Group Details page, you can click the “Next Step” button to move to the next screen:
Turn the gray “Activate Group Keyword” toggle to green. Then add your Keyword below and select which phone number you want to assign this Keyword to.
Now, when someone texts that Keyword to the assigned number, they will be added to the Group; if you wanted to send a message immediately after someone texts a Keyword, turn the gray “Send Keyword Automated Reply Message” to green and add your message below. You can add Connect Cards, giving links, or event registration forms to this field!
Once you have that message composed, be sure to click the blue “Save” button below.
Finally, once you have everything set up the way you want, be sure to click “Save & Close” on the left-hand side.
From this overview page, you'll be able to see if the Group has an existing keyword.
Edit a Keyword
You can edit a Keyword and number associated with your Keyword within your Group at any time. Remember that you can only use a Keyword once for each of the 10-digit phone numbers in your account; that is the system’s way of knowing which specific Group to add the person to when they text in.
To get started, sign in to your account and click the Groups section. Then, click the name of the Group that contains your Keyword.
Your Group details page will show you your current Keyword. In the top right corner, click the gray pencil icon to edit.
You will then be able to edit the Keyword. Be sure to click the blue checkmark to save your changes.
Learn more about using other Group features:
Want to learn more about sending automated messages when a person joins your Group? Check out this collection on Automated Workflows.
Learn about granting access only to specific Groups with User Permissions by checking out this article.
Here’s how to set up a staff alert email or text to go out when a Connection Card is completed for your Group.
