In the prior chapter we explain why many of your incoming SMS messages will end up getting passed from the SMS Pipeline into SMS Conversations. Now, let’s take a step back and see how to manage those messages, or messages that are sent to SMS Conversations directly. Navigate to People > Communications > SMS Conversations to start.

1. New Conversation - This will open up a new window to start a conversation with an individual. You can send the SMS message directly from Rock, and even include an image.
2. Recipient Filter - Use this filter to search for specific recipients. This is a fast alternative to scrolling through a lengthy list of people to find the conversation you're looking for.
3. Available SMS Numbers - You can change between currently active SMS numbers by clicking the drop-down here. Changing the number will show you conversations associated with that number. If only one number is available, then the dropdown is replaced with a label.
4. All Responses - This panel displays all the responses to the selected SMS number. Clicking on any of the listed responses will show you the conversation with that person.
5. Unread Indicator - Indicates that the message has not yet been read.
6. Add Note - Text conversations can hold important information. By adding a note directly from SMS Conversations, you can track details about the conversation in a more visible and accessible way. The block's settings let you limit the Note Types that can be used.
7. Add Reminder - Need to follow-up with this person in the future? Add a reminder straight from your conversation.
8. Mark Read/Unread - Toggle a conversation's status between "Read" and "Unread."
9. Insert Snippet - Quickly insert prewritten SMS Snippets into your messages (see the SMS Snippets section below for more details).
10. Message - All you need to do is type your message here and hit Send to keep the conversation going. Your outgoing messages and responses will be shown in the screen above.
11. Send Image - Click the ti ti-camera icon to upload and send an image to the person.

We realize that every organization is different, so we added in settings allowing you to customize each feature for your needs.

Suppose you have the Students Director and First Impressions Director messaging their own volunteers. You can create multiple pages with the SMS Conversations block on them. Then on each page you can specify who has access and which number(s) can be used. Each ministry could have their own SMS Conversations page. To learn more about creating pages and adding blocks check out the Designing and Building Websites using Rock guide.