Response rate is the percentage of people who reply to an SMS message out of everyone who received it.
It shows how often contacts engage with your texts, giving a direct signal of how relevant and compelling your messages are.
In practice, the system tracks each delivered SMS and records whether a recipient sends a reply within a set time window.
Response rate depends on accurate delivery data, reliable tracking of incoming messages, and correct matching between each reply and the original outbound text.
It uses this information to calculate a clear ratio of replies to sends, usually shown as a simple percentage.
A higher Response rate suggests that timing, content, and audience targeting are aligned, while a lower rate highlights where communication may feel unclear, intrusive, or unhelpful.
of texts are read immediately
of consumers want to text businesses
of consumers said they have tried to text a business
Treat response rate as a practical feedback loop rather than a vanity number.
In real SMS conversations, that means comparing Response rate across similar message types and timeframes so patterns are clear and grounded in context.
A reliable interpretation starts with clean data, so delivery records, timestamps, and contact details in your CRM should be accurate and consistently formatted.
When reviewing results, focus on how tone and clarity shaped the conversation: concise prompts that ask one clear question usually support a more meaningful Response rate than long, crowded messages.
It is important to avoid reading too much into a single campaign or small sample, since outliers or temporary issues can distort conclusions.
Common mistakes include ignoring opt-out trends, misclassifying automated replies as engagement, or reacting to small dips with abrupt strategy changes.
Stable guidelines for message quality, approval flows, and follow-up timing help teams interpret Response rate in a consistent way across departments and use cases.
The Textellent Messenger is a Chrome extension that lets your team text inside the apps you already use—no code, no tab-switching. View full conversation history, reuse approved templates and media, and keep replies organized in a shared inbox.
Textellent integrates with 800+ apps—CRMs, schedulers, forms, and payment platforms—so data flows in and texts go out at the perfect moment. Map fields once, tag contacts consistently, and keep systems in sync.
Turn common events into automatic SMS touchpoints: new leads, appointments, payments, status changes, and more. Build simple, rules-based flows that send the right text and follow-ups without manual work.
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Keep conversations moving on the go. The Textellent Mobile app brings your shared inbox to iOS & Android with real-time push notifications, quick-reply templates and media, conversation assignment, and full sync to your CRM—so nothing slips through when you’re away from your desk.
