Departments represent different channels of communication. Each Department you create may contain a unique phone number, a group of phone numbers (read more on Smart SMS here), or a business Facebook page through which you can communicate with your customers.

Depending on the pricing plan you have, you can start with 1 to 5 Departments, but you can always purchase additional Departments to suit your company’s needs. A Department can be a new number we provide for you; one or more of your existing business lines, if eligible for text-enablement; or a Facebook Messenger/ Instagram Business channel.

Messages sent and received within each Department are kept in separate Conversation Lists, which, if you have access to the Departments, you can easily toggle between them (image below). Customers will need to use the unique Department phone number to send a text to that Department, and any text you send a customer will come from the phone number of the Department you're currently viewing.

You might need multiple departments if:

Once you’ve created your account, your assigned Textline phone number will be your first Department.

To create additional Departments, click Settings > Departments > New Department, then click the blue New Department button.

You can then choose what type of Department you'd like to add: a new phone number that we provide (which can be international), an existing business line you'd like to text-enable, an existing Twilio number, an existing Nexmo number, or your business's Facebook or Instagram pages.

If you choose to Get a New Toll-Free Phone Number, we will automatically assign you a new toll-free phone number. You are required to fill out compliance info for the number and then it will be active and ready to use immediately.

If you choose to Get a New Local Phone Number, we will automatically assign you a new phone number based on the area code you chose.

For further information on international numbers, click here.

For further information on text enabling an existing number, click here.

For further information on setting up a Smart SMS department, click here.

For further information on using an existing Twilio line, click here.

For further information on adding Facebook as a Department, click here.

Once you’ve added multiple Departments to your account, you can toggle between them in the Conversation List by selecting the drop-down arrow next to the Department name on the left.

Our various pricing plans include certain numbers of Departments, but you can always purchase additional Departments à la carte if you need them.

Watch the tutorial video on Adding Departments here.

After you create a new Department, you are required to register your number(s) to verify your business and the messages you are sending. Mobile carriers are preventing businesses from sending text messages using phone numbers not associated with approved campaigns. If you have a Textline department created on or after that date, you will need to associate it with an already approved campaign (if relevant) or wait for the new campaign to be approved. New campaigns are taking 2-3 weeks to be fully approved and ready for messaging so please plan accordingly. Follow the prompt in the yellow banner at the top of your Textline dashboard or head to Departments to finish registration. More information on why it's important to register your numbers and a detailed guide on how to do so can be found here.

When deleting a Department, click on the department to view its details. At the top right will be a button to remove that Department. If you cannot see that button, double check the role assigned to your Agent has the correct permission. Deleting a department will:

If you are deleting a Survey department, deleting it will:

Text us at +1 (415) 849-4349 or email us at [email protected].