Inbound texts land in your Conversations tab automatically — but if you'd also like them forwarded on as a notification to a specific number, you can set that up with a simple workflow. This guide walks you through it.
Before you start: Incoming SMS messages already appear in your Conversations tab through the Alvéya mobile and web apps. They are not automatically forwarded to an external number — the workflow below adds that on top, and each forwarded notification is charged as a standard outbound SMS.
Step 1: Create a workflow
Go to Automation → Workflows → Create Workflow.
Click Start from Scratch, then select Create New Workflow.
Step 2: Add your trigger
Click Add New Workflow Trigger.
Choose Customer Replied as the trigger.
Click Add Filters to scope this trigger to SMS only.
In the filter options, select Reply Channel.
From the dropdown, choose SMS.
Click Save Trigger, then click Please select action to move on.
Step 3: Add the notification action
Choose Send Internal Notification as your action.
Under Custom Values, go to Message → Message Body and insert the message body custom value — this pulls in the actual text your contact sent.
Under Custom Values, go to Contact → First Name and add it too, so each notification tells you who it's from.
⚠️ Each notification sent this way is treated as a standard outbound SMS and billed accordingly. If you're likely to receive a high volume of replies, an email or in-app notification may be a more cost-effective option.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Will I be charged for every notification this sends?
Yes — each one counts as an outbound SMS and is billed at standard messaging rates.
Q: Can I forward to more than one number?
Yes. Add a separate Send Internal Notification action for each destination number — each will fire independently and be billed separately.
Q: My workflow isn't triggering. What should I check?
Make sure the Reply Channel filter is set to SMS, the contact is replying to the correct number, and the workflow itself is switched on and published.
Q: What's included in the message body custom value?
The full text of the inbound SMS that triggered the workflow. If a message is unusually long (over roughly 1,600 characters), the notification may fail to send — you can trim the custom value or restrict which messages trigger the workflow if this becomes an issue.
Q: Will it re-trigger if a contact sends several messages?
Yes, by default it fires for every qualifying message. Add a Wait step or adjust your re-entry settings if you'd rather limit this — for example, once per contact per day.
Q: Can I use this for email or live chat replies too?
The Customer Replied trigger supports other channels. You can either build separate workflows per channel, or remove the channel filter — just be aware that removing it means a notification fires for every reply, regardless of channel, which can add up in cost.
Q: Does the contact know their message has been forwarded?
No — this action only notifies your team internally. If you'd also like to send an automatic reply to the contact, add a separate Send SMS action after the notification step.
You now have a reliable way to hear about incoming texts the moment they land, wherever you are.
If you get stuck at any point, reach out via live chat or submit a support request and we will guide you through.