What you will accomplish
A customer texting your Voiceflow number can escalate and receive a human reply on the same SMS conversation.
Before you begin
Configure inbound SMS, a working handoff provider, and a test phone number you control. The runtime includes a Twilio SMS handoff relay. Use text-only acceptance tests first; web widget features do not imply equivalent SMS behavior.
Test handoff on the SMS channel
Publish the escalation path
Connect an explicit escalation condition to the handoff step. Verify the environment and connection used by your phone number.
Send a test message
Text the assigned number and reach the escalation branch. Check the support platform for the new conversation and the customer context.
Exchange replies
Reply as a human from the support platform, then reply from the phone. Confirm each message reaches the other side once, without a competing AI response.
Close and follow up
End the human conversation. If a return path is configured, verify the SMS follow-up. If no return is intended, confirm the handoff closes cleanly before starting a new conversation.
Verify the result
Both directions and closure work on a real phone. Test separately from browser chat. Outbound SMS rejects a recipient in an active handoff; it is not the route for relaying the human’s replies.