Two-way SMS
A real SMS inbox. Not a one-way blast.
Most shop software treats SMS as a one-way appointment reminder. A robotic blast goes out, and when the customer texts back, it ends up in a Twilio inbox no one checks. Pitlane's inbox is a real conversation surface. Left pane: every thread, sorted by recency, with unread badges. Right pane: the conversation with the customer plus a composer at the bottom. Type, hit send. The reply goes out from your dedicated shop number, not a generic short code.
Approved, go ahead!
It has been a while...
You: Civic is ready
Sandra Pruitt
(614) 555-01421 thread
Per customer, every message
15s poll
New texts surface while you watch
Your number
Local 10-digit, not a short code
One inbox for every customer conversation.
When a customer texts your shop number, it lands in Pitlane's inbox as a thread tied to their contact record.
Reply where you are, with the customer's history in view.
The thread pane sits to the right of the list, full-height, with a composer at the bottom.
- Two-pane on desktop (≥1024px), thread permalink on mobile
- Cmd/Ctrl+Enter sends, multi-line composer auto-grows to 6 lines
- Auto-polls every 15 seconds while a thread is open + on tab focus
- Outbound messages show the segment count so long replies don't surprise you
New texts arrive without a page refresh.
While you're looking at a thread, Pitlane re-fetches the conversation every 15 seconds.
Mobile gets the same thread, on its own page.
The two-pane layout collapses on phones into a list-only view at /inbox.
How it works.
Enable SMS in Settings
Settings → SMS → turn on texting. Pitlane provisions a dedicated local 10-digit number on a per-shop Twilio subaccount it manages, under Pitlane's own A2P 10DLC registration. The number is usually live within a few business days.
Customers text in
Every text your shop number receives lands in the inbox as a thread tied to the customer record (when the phone matches a contact). Unknown numbers still land. You can attach them to a contact later.
Reply where you are
Open the inbox, click a thread, type a reply, send. The customer gets a text from your shop's local number. The thread refreshes every 15 seconds so you see their next message without leaving the page.
This runs on a 30-day free trial.
Every feature on this page is in the trial. No credit card, live in under 10 minutes.
Questions about two-way sms.
What's the phone number my customers see?
Does it work on a phone?
How do replies stay in order if multiple people on staff are answering?
What if a customer texts in before they're in our contacts?
Related reading.
All articlesSMS for Auto Shops: The Complete Guide to Texting Customers Without Getting Blocked
Text messages get 95% open rates. How to use SMS for appointments, estimates, review requests, and win-backs. Without violating TCPA.
OperationsFrom Phone Tag to Text: Modern Customer Communication for Repair Shops
Old-school shops lose customers to newer ones. Not because of the work but because of how they communicate. What modern shop comms look like.
OperationsHow to Send Repair Estimates by Text (and Why Your Customers Prefer It)
Phone tag is dead. How modern shops send estimates by text, get approval from the customer's phone, and turn 6-hour cycles into 30 minutes.
ComplianceSMS Compliance for Auto Shops: TCPA, A2P 10DLC, and What You Must Know Before You Text
A plain-English guide to the laws and carrier rules that govern texting customers. What's required, what's recommended, what gets you fined.
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