Your main company number can send and receive both SMS and WhatsApp. Both are included. No extra per-seat fee, no tier upgrade, no bolt-on.
The question is which one fits your customers, and how you want the conversations to show up for your team.
What is included
Every Vocatech account gets SMS, MMS, and WhatsApp Business API on the main company number at no additional cost. Additional numbers with messaging enabled are $4.95/month each.
Both channels share the same behavior on our side: one-on-one conversations only, no group chats, shared across the team if you pick Textdock.
When SMS fits
SMS is the default for most US customers. It works with every phone, does not require the customer to install anything, and is familiar to every age group.
Use SMS when your customers are US-based, your volume is mostly domestic, and you want the lowest friction for the person on the other end. Appointment reminders, order confirmations, short replies to voicemails. That is SMS.
SMS in the US requires 10DLC registration before your number can send. We submit the paperwork. Approval is same-day to several days.
When WhatsApp fits
WhatsApp is the right choice if you already talk to customers on WhatsApp, if your base is international, or if your business lives on image-heavy threads where SMS character limits get in the way.
Healthcare practices sending before-and-after photos. Real-estate teams sharing listings. Anyone with a customer base outside North America. WhatsApp handles that better.
The setup is heavier. You need an active Facebook account, the activation is done on the customer's local computer, and there are multiple verification steps. We schedule a session and walk you through it.
One mode per number
Each number is configured for one delivery mode, not both. Either email-based messaging (messages arrive in a designated inbox) or Textdock (messages appear in a Webex sidebar app).
You cannot mix. If the main number is on Textdock, all SMS and WhatsApp conversations for that number land in Textdock. Email-based is the other choice. Most customers pick Textdock.
What neither channel does
A few things to set expectations.
- No group messaging. SMS and WhatsApp are both one-on-one only. You cannot create a group thread with multiple external numbers.
- No WhatsApp status posts. The Business API does not include the status feature.
- No shared number across unrelated businesses. Each number is tied to one company.
How to choose
If your customers are in the US and you want the simplest path to live messaging, start with SMS on Textdock. It covers most small businesses.
If a meaningful portion of your customers already reach out on WhatsApp, activate WhatsApp on the same number. You can run both channels on the same main number at the same time.