Functionality to forge
stronger connections
Customers demand real-time right-now responses. Our features equip your team to engage instantly with one customer or ten customers – whatever the situation calls for. Have authentic, automated, real-time conversations with Captivated today.
Collaboration has entered the chat.
Collaboration
has entered the chat.
With Captivated’s Team Chat feature, internal personnel can chat and leave notes for each other, to quickly work together (even within a customer conversation, for easy reference). Users can tag one another, to seek help or to bring an internal expert in to assist a customer where needed.
Click. Pay (securely). It's that simple.
Send invoices and collect payments via text, using our secure payment request link. Easily keep track of open/unpaid invoices and keep records within conversation histories for fast reference. Provides options for credit card or ACH payments.
Route & drive conversion actions instantly.
Route & drive conversion actions instantly.
Keyword Routing lets you automatically direct customers where they need to go – no hold times required. And with Captivated’s exclusive Automations capabilities, you can set up automatic replies to convert customers faster, with less admin time on your part.
Less admin work. More consistent cadences.
Streamline your everyday communication processes with automated Workflow cadences: from appointment check-ins, to sales or prospecting follow-ups, and even to retention practices or reputation management, Captivated’s Workflows can be easily set up to improve efficiency, while reducing manual effort.
Ditch the spam: send targeted, relevant text campaigns.
Ditch the spam: send targeted, relevant text campaigns.
With Captivated, you can send an Announcement to a defined list of customers in a matter of seconds. You can also create ‘tags’ to label and categorize your customers based on their past purchases, preferences, or other identifiers of your choice; so when an offer or release is relevant to a certain segment of customers, you can easily send a targeted, customized text to the customers in your database who share that ‘tag.’
Faster signatures. Fewer errors. Zero runaround.
Easily send forms and documents via text. And with our Pre-Fill feature, you can set form parameters to determine which fields are editable or permanent. Recipients quickly sign and return, no faxes or emails required. Great for contracts, orders, unique approvals, and intake forms.
But wait: there's more...
Check out the additional features Captivated has to offer
Google Review Collection
Collect Google Reviews directly within Captivated, and use our dashboard to see which employees are driving the most reviews and their average star rating. Available for Choice and Pro Plans.
Website Live Chat
Add Live Chat to your included Website Text-Us widget to drive more conversations from your homepage. Recommended if you have dedicated chat agents ready to quickly respond. Available for Choice and Pro Plans.
After-Hours & Off-Season Auto-Replies
TCPA Customized Compliance Setup
Our custom opt-in/opt-out technology provides superior consent tracking to meet TCPA guidelines.
QR Code Workflows & Check-ins
Collect opt-ins and other registration information and tag new or existing contacts for easy sorting, using custom QR codes. Available for Pro Plans.
API Access
Easily send text messages from other applications using our API to start two-way conversations. Available on Pro Plans.
Face-to-Face Video Chat
Instantly connect with your audience via video through a quick text invitation. No software downloads needed. Perfect for virtual services or telehealth appointments.
Scheduled Messages & Reminders
Schedule follow-up texts or announcements to be sent at a later date/time. Also schedule internal notes to be sent to yourself or to team members, as reminders.
Click-to-Call
Power Templates
Dashboard Reporting
Send Attachments
Let us help you keep your conversations secure.
Keep data and personal information private. Learn about Captivated’s security and compliance practices and features (like end-to-end encryption).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is business texting and how does it work for small businesses?
Business texting allows companies to communicate with customers and teams through secure SMS and MMS messages using a single shared business number. With Captivated, small businesses can send appointment reminders, collect payments, manage leads, and automate follow-ups—all from one collaborative dashboard. Every message syncs across your team, so no customer message gets lost or missed. Captivated’s business texting platform helps small businesses turn everyday interactions into lasting customer relationships.
How does Captivated differ from other business communication software or SMS providers?
Captivated goes beyond basic SMS marketing by combining features like secure business texting, internal chat, automation, Virtual Door Knock, and secure payment collection – all in one platform. Unlike other business communication software, Captivated also provides 24/7 live U.S.-based support, along with real-time collaboration tools, and customizable automated texting workflows to super-charge your team any time, from anywhere. Businesses can send targeted messages, automate customer engagement, and collect payments—all through a secure, compliant texting system that feels personal and efficient.
Can my entire team text customers from ONE secure business number?
Yes. Captivated enables your entire team to manage and respond to customer messages from a single, shared business number. You can also designate specific business lines to individual departments or teams, depending on what your business needs. Within Captivated, you can organize channels and inboxes so each team member can see what they need to, and jump in where they belong. Every employee on a given team can see full conversation history, add private internal notes, and collaborate in real time—making it easy for sales, support, and management to stay aligned. This shared inbox eliminates the juggling act that comes with using personal phones, and gives you full visibility into all customer communication – ensuring professional, consistent business texting across departments.
How do customers receive and reply to messages sent from the Captivated app or software platform?
When you send a message from Captivated to a customer, they receive it just like any other text they receive! It goes right to their personal phones or devices, and they can send replies right within their texting app – it’s a familiar, easy, real-time conversation for them, every time. Even messages that are automated send this way for customers; campaigns or other messages that are sent to them, which provide them with ‘auto-reply’ options (i.e. they can respond with certain keywords to elicit a discount, link, or other conversation they want), they just reply with that word via text! In this way, Captivated’s automated texting workflows are designed for real, two-way conversations. Customers can reply to any automated message—whether it’s an appointment reminder, payment request, or service update—and your team can pick up the conversation instantly. This human-plus-automation approach helps businesses maintain personal, responsive relationships while saving hours of manual follow-up work.
How can automated texting workflows help my business save time?
Automated texting workflows allow businesses to pre-schedule messages, reminders, follow-ups, and surveys, and more – reducing repetitive tasks by up to 90%. Captivated’s workflow-building capabilities make it easy for your teams to design customer journeys that feel personal and timely. For example, you can trigger appointment confirmations, review requests, or re-engagement offers automatically based on customer activity. These automations free your team to focus on higher-value interactions while keeping customers engaged and informed.
Does Captivated support scheduling and appointment reminders via text?
Not only that, but it’s a fan favorite feature of ours! Captivated includes integrated scheduling and automated appointment reminders right within the platform, so you can text customers booking links, and they can pick a time from your calendar easily right from the link you texted them. You can also send pre-appointment forms, or confirmation messages, which are all sent to be clicked right from within the text conversation – so there’s no need to keep switching between apps. Once a customer books, Captivated automatically sends reminders and follow-ups, ensuring fewer no-shows and a smoother scheduling experience. This seamless workflow keeps your team organized, and keeps your customers on time.
Can I securely collect payments through text messages?
Yes, absolutely. Not only CAN you, but you SHOULD: now more than ever, it’s becoming a non-negotiable that you provide your customers with an easy and secure way to pay invoices. It ensures faster, complete payments for you – and offers an easier payment process for customers (besides, who wants to be reading their credit card number over the phone?). Captivated’s Express Pay feature allows businesses to securely collect payments directly through text; you just send the link, and they can easily pay – and you can track the payment within the Captivated app. Customers receive the secure payment link and can complete transactions using a credit card or ACH, with no logins or third-party apps required from them. Express Pay integrates with your CRM and accounting tools, reducing friction and helping you close out invoices faster. It’s a trusted, compliant, and customer-friendly way to get paid faster via SMS. And, as a huge bonus: with Express Pay, customers who choose to pay with a credit card assume the credit card fee for themselves, meaning YOU save an enormous amount of money on those fees yourself!
What types of automated text cadences can I create with Captivated?
You can design text cadences for almost any business process (which we call a “workflow”): appointment reminder cadences, pre-service and post-service follow-ups, review requests, lead nurtures or upsell offers, and even seasonal promotions can all be automated to fit into your customer communication journey. Captivated’s automated texting workflows can be triggered based on customer action or engagement, and they can tie in with CRM lists or customer segments (to be used with our Announcements feature, which sends SMS marketing campaigns in a targeted and relevant way), ensuring every message is personalized, timely, and effective. Businesses often use Captivated to build engagement sequences that boost response rates, retention, and revenue—all while feeling like personal one-on-one communication.
How does Captivated make automated texting feel personal and authentic?
Captivated’s automation engine uses personalized templates, custom tags, and human-style timing to ensure every automated text feels like it came from a real team member. Team members can draft their own scheduled messages, include their personal signatures, and customize the messages to feel genuine and personal every time. Combined with Captivated’s shared inbox and internal collaboration tools, every automated message feels conversational and authentic —never robotic.
Does Captivated include an internal business chat feature?
Yes. Captivated can be set up to include a built-in internal business chat feature, so your team can communicate and collaborate directly within the platform. Beyond that, Captivated also allows team members to collaborate in real-time right within customer conversations, by leaving “Notes” to one another – so teammates can tag each other to ask questions or reference a customer’s need (and the customer won’t see the Note, only the team member who’s mentioned will see it). So you can tag colleagues, leave private notes to swiftly serve customers (and reference the notes later, since they’re right within that conversation history), and hand off conversations seamlessly. This internal chat replaces scattered email threads and clunky third-party apps or chat platforms, and keeps your team organized, connected, and focused on fast, high-quality customer communication.
How can internal notes help my team manage customer conversations?
Internal notes allow your team to comment privately within a customer chat thread—without the customer seeing it. Team members can tag each other for help, share context, or prepare the right response before replying. This makes it easier to collaborate across departments and maintain a consistent brand voice. With Captivated’s shared inbox, every message, note, and tag is visible to your team for full accountability and visibility.
Can managers oversee all customer text conversations in Captivated?
Absolutely. Captivated gives managers full oversight of all customer text conversations in real time. They can monitor response times, view message histories and jump in to help where needed, and track how leads and support requests are handled across departments. With Captivated workflows, for example, Sales teams can assign leads to various Stages to reflect their interest level or place in the buying process – so a Manager can easily reference prospects in certain stages. For Support, the same functionality is available, but also Managers can easily receive “Mentions” from their team members, when someone needs help serving a customer – and when received, that Manager can easily jump in to support in real-time. This visibility helps managers maintain compliance, measure performance, and ensure every customer interaction meets company standards—all within one unified business texting platform.
What kind of customer support does Captivated provide?
Captivated offers 24/7 live, U.S.-based support for every customer, regardless of plan size. Our dedicated team provides onboarding, training, and ongoing guidance to ensure your business texting platform runs smoothly. Unlike providers that rely on bots or ticket-only systems, Captivated’s support is personal and immediate—because we believe in empowering businesses with a real human touch behind every message. This is truly the greatest differentiator of Captivated compared to other competitors in the business texting & communication software industry: where some providers offer less support as their client base grows, we have always continued to keep strong Customer Care a cornerstone of our corporate values. Our team is always only a text away!
How long does it take to get set up with Captivated’s business texting platform?
There are lots of moving parts to getting a company set up for compliant texting, so it depends on their history and background. If they have moved through the approval process to obtain 10DLC approval before, for example, then this process can move very quickly, and they can be set up and operational within Captivated in a matter of days. Our onboarding specialists work directly with your team to customize setup, assist with contact imports, and offer training resources so your team can is ready to hit the ground running as soon as approval is obtained. You can easily connect Captivated to your CRM, activate automation workflows, and customize your templates within a day of being up and running. With guided support and intuitive tools, getting started with Captivated’s business texting platform is fast, seamless, and stress-free.
What industries or business types benefit most from Captivated's business texting software?
Businesses of every size can directly benefit from Captivated’s full-service business texting communication platform. Small businesses, with lean personnel resources, can see substantial value from Captivated in terms of the way we can multiply the reach and impact of their messages, automate and streamline their admin work (to SIGNIFICANTLY reduce the number of hours they’re spending on it), and help smooth out the customer experience from start to finish. For larger corporations and franchising structures, our clients report that Captivated is an exceptional tool because it allows for oversight across multiple locations and departments, includes features to allow for standards of excellence (for example, branded message templates for easy one-click sends), and can easily integrate with CRMs to message customers more quickly and send targeted campaigns more seamlessly than other platforms allow. In terms of which industries benefit most from Captivated, we serve dozens of industries who each find unique value from our platform: automotive and retail businesses benefit from transactional cadences and review requests; automotive also benefits from appointment-related cadences, as do industries like medical, dental, personal and financial services, consulting, or home services (landscaping, lawn care, roofing, HVAC, etc.). Express Pay can be used across virtually all industries, by any company who collects payments from customers. For those in landscaping or home services industries, or who offer home-delivery services, our Virtual Door Knock tool is a highly effective way to keep customers in the loop using our geo-based texting capabilities. And, whether you’re in pet care grooming or boarding, construction or facility management, or even own a brick-and-mortar retail shop – every business can benefit from the ability to send targeted, relevant, and personalized marketing campaigns, like can be sent using Captivated’s Announcement feature. Curious how we can specifically meet your needs? Schedule a 10-minute discovery call with us to learn more today!