Texting Through Email

HINT: This page is available from the Text Window under the Help Button

We are working on Full Texting capability from InStar where each user will have a texting number just like each user has separate email. There will also be a texting number available for the agency much like an email address for Info@MyAgency.com.

Image of Texting Window We now have texting available via the email you use everyday. Texting in InStar will work very much like texting on your phone. This gives the InStar user the ability to send a document or picture to someone on their phone. We have simplified this complex process to a solid way to send and receive information via Text. We concentrated on functionality for business use. We don’t use emoji’s. The most difficult part to understand is getting Texting Addresses. There are advantages and disadvantages to texting through your email, see list below.

NOTE: For each InStar User, in User Setup, the user MUST have the correct email address setup. Failure to do this will result in the InStar Users own email address being in the TO line of the text. Because Texts can have many addresses this is the only way we could separate the Senders Address from 1 or more Receivers Addresses.

User Needs a Document Texted to Phone

Create the document in the usual manner
Print to Pending PDF
Create your Text by opening a Text Window. See To Send a Text
Type something, “Here is your document”
Right click the attachment area on the Text Window and select Pending Email Attachments.
Drag n Drop the PDF you need from Pending, EDocs or from a Windows Explorer Window.
Send the text
OTHER ALTERNATIVES If you have Bullzip Printer installed
When you drop the PDF file to the Text Window choose to convert the PDF to JPG (Recommended. IF multiple pages, system will create separate files for each page)
Print directly to the Bullzip PDF printer and create a jpg file instead of a PDF. Problem – if multiple pages only creates the first page. Useful – if printing landscape the conversion from Drag n Drop does not always change orientation.
If conversion to JPG is an issue, send as a PDF.

To Send a Text

Open a Texting window, several ways.
- Double click on a Contact Email address with either Text or Text Att Subtype. Recommended.
- Click on the Other Button at the top of the Client Window and select Text. User will need to add the addresses to which to send.
- Add a Letter and change the Template to Text. User will need to add the addresses to which to send.
To add addresses to a Text, the user can type a name in the Lookup Field and the system will search all Contact Email Addresses of Subtype Text or Text Att. If not found, the Contact does not have an email address of Subtype Text or Text Att in InStar. To add Text Email Addresses See Setting Up Texting Addresses.
The user can also type an email/text address in the address field. This is freeform so you can sent a text to an email address or a text address. Just typing in addresses is difficult to remember. We recommend getting Phone Text Addresses from clients.
Type your message, add attachments and click the Send button.
If you expect a response back, leave the texting window open. The window will POP to the front when an answer is received.
Attachments can be added by drag-n-drop from EDocs, Pending PDFs or from Windows Explorer Windows. Right click on the attachment section of the window to receive a menu with options.

To Respond to a Text From your Email Inbox

Must use the Enhanced Email Inbox. Under Menu EDI Enhanced >> Open Email Inbox
A received Text will be colored in Red.
Right click the Text and select Reply. System may ask to which Client to file the item then open the texting window to respond.
To Forward a Text must be done manually. File the received Text if not attached to a Client. Start a new Text, set your addresses, then copy from the Text you wish to Forward and Paste into the Send field and send to the new recipients. The user may open multiple Texting Windows to accomplish Forwarding a Text.
System will also try to join a received Text with other received Texts stored in the Client Letters so a group of texts with common purpose will be kept together. User has the option to Add a received Text to a previously filed text or start a new Thread.
Attachments can be added by drag-n-drop from EDocs, Pending PDFs or from Windows Explorer Windows. Right click on the attachment section of the window to receive a menu with options.

Setting Up Texting Addresses on Contacts

Texting addresses are just email addresses. A Text address is defined as being a 10 digit phone number @ somewhere.com. Texting is a lightweight email protocol which is why we can send and receive Texts via Email. Sample Text address; 2223334444@vtext.com Which Provider is @vtext.com?
To get the Email Addresses for a Clients Phone;
- Ask the client to send, to your email address, 2 separate texts, 1 with just text and 1 with a picture. The 2 emails you receive will have the senders Text (SMS) and Text Att (MMS) addresses. Just right click the email and add a new contact or add the address to an existing contact.
- Alternatively, ask the Client who provides their mobile phone service and if listed on our List of Provider Domains, just add the email addresses to the contact manually. (MobileNumber@domain.com)
A phone user texting does not see the whole address on their phone but it is there. InStar requires a fully qualified email address to send a text as it is going out through your existing email. Texting addresses consist of the receivers 10 digit mobile phone number and the domain as determined by their mobile phone provider, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, etc. See List of Domains we have compiled. Send more Provider Domains if you wish them added
Most mobile phones typically use 2 email addresses, SMS (text only between a 1 sender and 1 receiver) and MMS (for a group of 3 or more or sending attachment files). For our use is it best to have both addresses and InStar will magically send to the address needed, you don’t need to make those decisions. Just pick a text address and InStar will do the work as long as you have both Text and Text Att addresses on your contact. .
See List of known provider domains. This is helpful if you have the Clients Mobile Phone number and you know who provides their mobile phone service. You can then enter the Text and Text Att Addresses. Alternatively just ask your client to send you a simple text, “How are you today” and then send another text with a picture. Add the addresses to the contact which can be done automatically with a right click on the highlighted address from the Enhanced Email Inbox.

How Texting in InStar Works

2 New Subtypes have been added to the Contact Email Address section of the Contact Window. Subtypes are Text and Text Att. See Setting Up Addresses above for an Explanation.
To understand InStar Texting use your phone to send a text to your email address. Send another text with a picture attached. You will now have both the Text (SMS) and Text Att (MMS) addresses for your phone. (iPhones can be difficult. iPhone will want to send the text by email.)
In the InStar Enhanced Email Inbox, right click the email or highlight any email senders address, right click and add the texting address to an existing contact or add a new contact. Make sure you set these new email addresses as either Text or Text Att. (Text Att is always for pictures) Then right click the received Text/Email and Reply back.
How do you get the Texting addresses from clients? 2 ways;
- Ask a client to send 2 texts to your email address, just like you did above. Send 1 simple text ONLY to your email address and then send a picture. On the received email you will see the address of the senders phone number, 5555555555@somedomain.com. Once in your inbox highlight the address, right click and add to the contact or add a new email address to an existing contact. The plain text address is Subtype “Text”, the Subtype on the text with the picture is “Text Att”
- If you have the mobile phone number you can ask the client to which provider they subscribe for phone service and just enter the 2 email addresses, 1 for Subtype Text and the other for Subtype Text Att. See our page of Providers.
Limitations apply to the size of attachments being sent by text. 1.5 MB per file and 2MB on all files combined. InStar will handle this by breaking attachments into multiple texts so you can send all the files you wish. The most critical number is 1.5 Mb per file. The User will be warned if a larger file is dropped for sending however InStar will not block the file, InStar will just warn the user.
Once a text is sent or received there can be no changes to the addresses on the text. If you need to send the text elsewhere you can copy the text and start a new text.
Texts are threaded meaning that even though each text is a separate email InStar compiles them into a thread in a single record, just like on your phone. Threading is determined by the addresses on the text, all receivers and the sender.
- When you send a text the system checks every 30 seconds for a response until you close all texting windows.
- When you receive a text in your InStar Email Inbox it will be colored Red.
- When you file, reply or forward a text, InStar will look at other texts received on the client to which the text is being filed. If a matching thread is found (Based on all the receivers and sending being the same) the user can add this text to the thread or start a new thread. InStar will not search back more than 10 days to find matching Threads.
- The user may also open any text and send another text adding to the thread. There is no time limit on this but the user should keep additional Texts on a Thread to a related purpose. One does not want to be searching through long Text Threads looking for the proverbial needle in a Text Thread.
InStar allows the user to address a text to any texting address found in InStar or for the user to free type any address. Once a text is sent the addresses are locked, you cannot add or remove addresses to the text thread. To do so would not allow the user to know who received the texts in question.
Texting attachment files is meant for smaller files. Generally accepted limits are 1.5 MB per file and max of 2MB for all files being sent on a single text. No worries, InStar will automatically break a number of files into separate texts. The user will be warned if adding files larger than recommended however we don’t stop you from trying to send the files. Attachment file sizes are shown in the list of Attachments.
Adding an attachment then removing the attachment before sending will send the attachment to Pending Email Attachments so as not to lose the item. Delete from Pending if the attachment will not be used.
Attachments cannot be removed once sent.
With the addition of a PDF Printer named Bullzip you can convert pdf files to JPG (JPEG), TIFF or PNG files for texting. Adding a pdf attachment, to a text, will offer the user an option to convert the PDF to a JPG file which travels better by text. Since JPG and PNG files are single page only InStar will create a separate file for each page.
To get Bullzip Click Here for the free version. You may need a paid version but the cost is reasonable. This utility will also be used to combine multiple PDF files into one during filing from the Quick Filing window.

Advantages

No additional cost
Texts can go to each individuals email address
Easy to keep track of texts as they are compiled in InStar
Email auto responders, kept brief (150 Characters in the body, signature will be ignored or shown partially), will respond to a text to your email address.
Nothing to setup but to get the email/texting addresses from your customers.

Disadvantages

Some clients may not be able to text to your email address. iPhones tend to try to send a text with an email address via their email. iPhone users can force to send via text in our experience.
InStar must know the actual email address for the phone user. Text, being a light email protocol actually uses an email type address. InStar needs to know this address just like any other email address