Communications Booster is an add-on for Business Pro, Flex and Max plans. Without it, reminder and notification texts still go out one way on your plan. With it, you get a dedicated +61 mobile number that customers can save and text back, an inbox with one conversation per pet owner, delivery status on every message you send, and extra message credits each month. An Enterprise plan includes 2-way messaging, with a number for each location.
The number is not assigned the moment you activate. Australian telecommunications rules require your business to be verified before a mobile number can be issued, so the number goes live after the verification is approved.
Activate Communications Booster
Activate it when you want customers to be able to text you back.
- Open Settings, then SMS.
- On the card that reads Communications Booster is off, select Activate Communications Booster.
- Select Get Started with Communications Booster.
- Fill in the verification form that opens, as in the next section, or select Set up later to finish it from SMS another time.
On Trial or Calendar Lite, the card reads Communications Booster needs a Pro, Flex or Max plan and its button is See plans. One-way reminder and notification texts still send on those plans.
Your inbox is Messages in the sidebar. Until the number is live, Messages shows where the verification is up to, with a button back to SMS. Once the Booster is on, a messages button with your unread count also sits at the top of every screen.
Verify your business
Verification is what gets you the number. You need your legal business name, your ABN or ACN, your street address and one business registration document.
- Open Settings, then SMS.
- If the form is not already open, select Get your number under Your Dedicated Number on the Communications Booster card.
- Under Business Details, enter the Legal Business Name exactly as it appears on your business registration.
- Enter the ABN / ACN.
- Enter the Street Address shown on your registration document.
- Optional: enter Address Line 2 (optional).
- Enter City / Suburb and Postcode, then choose the State. Country is locked to Australia.
- Under Business Registration Document, select Choose document and attach the document. Once a file is attached, the button reads Replace document.
- Tick the declaration that the information matches your official business records.
- Tick I acknowledge and agree.
- Select Submit for Verification.
The form's heading reads Verify your business to get your number on a first submit, Verification needs attention when the last review was not approved, and Request your dedicated number when your business is already verified. After a rejection the button reads Re-submit Verification. When your business is already verified, the document section is gone and the button reads Request Number: confirm your details and submit, with no document to upload.
As you type the ABN, the form checks it against the ABR and shows the registered name under the field. A cancelled ABN cannot be verified.
| Your entity | The document to attach |
|---|---|
| A company | An ASIC company extract from ASIC Connect |
| Anything else | Your ABN Lookup record, printed to PDF, from ABN Lookup |
Trap
The document must be a PDF, JPEG or PNG up to 5MB, dated within the last 12 months, and must not use a PO box. The legal name and address on the form must match the document character for character.
Reviews are usually approved within 1-3 business days, and the number activates automatically once approved. Petboost emails the business email on your profile when the review is decided, or when the number is ready after a Request Number submit. If your business has no email yet, the form reads Add a business email in Settings before you can send this. and the submit button stays off.
Super Admin only: the dedicated number card also has Super Admin: Manual Assignment, with Phone Number (E.164) and Assign Number.
Verification and number status
The Communications Booster card on SMS shows where the verification and the number are up to. The page checks for updates on its own, so you can leave and come back.
| The card shows | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Your business is being verified | The application is in review. Reviews are usually approved within 1-3 business days | Nothing. The number activates automatically once approved |
| Your number is being set up | Verification is approved and Petboost is issuing the number. This usually takes under 30 minutes | Nothing. If the last attempt did not complete, Petboost retries every 30 minutes and the team is notified |
| Verification needs attention | The application was not approved. The card shows the reason | Update the details so they match your document, then select Re-submit Verification |
| Number setup failed | The number request did not complete | Select Try again if it is shown, or Message us |
When the number is live, the card shows it with a copy button and the word Live. The number can send and receive messages.
If the card says your account is on the older text provider, select Message us. The team moves the account first, and then Get your number appears on the card.
Re-submit a verification that needs attention
When a review is not approved, the card reads Verification needs attention and shows the reason.
- Open Settings, then SMS.
- On Verification needs attention, select Re-submit Verification.
- Change the fields the reason names so they match your document.
- Select Re-submit Verification.
Find a conversation
Messages lists every SMS conversation on your dedicated number, one per pet owner, with the most recent activity first.
- Open Messages.
- To search, type a name, a phone number or words from the last message in the search box.
- To narrow the list, choose a filter.
| Filter | Shows |
|---|---|
| All | Conversations that are not archived |
| Unread | Conversations with unread messages |
| Unanswered | Conversations where the last message is from the pet owner |
| Starred | Conversations you have starred |
| Archived | Conversations you have archived |
On All and Archived, switch on Hide automated to hide conversations that hold only automated messages. Unread, Unanswered and Starred leave those out already.
Star, archive or mark a conversation unread
- Open Messages.
- To star a conversation, select the star on it. It then shows under Starred.
- To mark it unread or archive it, open the menu beside the star and choose Mark as unread or Archive.
An open conversation has the same star and menu in its header. Archiving removes the conversation from All. To bring it back, open Archived, open the conversation's menu and choose Unarchive. A conversation marked unread stays in Unread until you open it again.
Send a message
- Open Messages and select the conversation.
- Type in the compose field.
- Press Enter, or select the send arrow beside the field. The arrow has no text label. Shift and Enter starts a new line.
Start a conversation with a new customer
Start one when the pet owner does not have a thread yet.
- Open Messages and select New.
- Under To, search by name, phone or email, and choose the customer.
- Type the text under Message.
- Select Send Message.
Trap
If the panel shows This customer replied STOP, they opted out of announcements and marketing. Replying about a booking is fine, but do not send them promotions.
Read a thread
Each thread holds the full conversation in order, with timestamps. Messages you send sit on one side and the pet owner's on the other. A message your team typed carries the sender's name, and every message you send shows its delivery status: a tick for sent, a ticked circle for delivered, and a red mark for failed.
Automated messages, such as appointment reminders, payment alerts and confirmation requests, sit in the same thread as your own messages, so you always see what the customer has received. Each carries a badge naming what it was, such as Appointment Reminder, Booking Confirmation or Payment Link, and View appointment opens the booking it came from. Customer replies to automated messages land in the thread too, so your team can follow up from the same place.
To hide automated messages in the open conversation, switch on Hide automated in its header. On a phone it is in the conversation's menu, where it reads Show automated while they are hidden. If older messages exist, select Load earlier messages at the top of the thread.
Draft a reply with Grazi
Draft with Grazi sits beside the compose field in an open conversation. It opens Grazi with the recent thread and drafts a reply for you to review. Grazi only drafts when you select the button. It does not write replies when a message arrives.
- Open Messages and select the conversation.
- Select Draft with Grazi. If you have already typed a reply, the button reads Improve with Grazi.
- Review the draft in the Grazi panel.
- If the conversation is still open, select Insert to put the draft in the compose field, or copy it yourself.
- Edit the text if you need to, then send it.
Automated messages, such as reminders and payment alerts, are left out of what Grazi reads. Sending the reply still uses your credits.
Who you can message and what it costs
- Existing customers only. You can only message pet owners who are already customers in Petboost. Communications Booster is not for cold outreach.
- Inbound messages are free. A customer texting your dedicated number uses no credits.
- Outbound messages use credits. Every message sent from the dedicated number, manual or automated, uses one SMS credit per segment. A segment is 160 characters, or 70 when the message holds an emoji, and a longer message is sent in parts that each use a credit. Under the compose field, Petboost counts the characters and the segments as you type.
- One pool. Credits from your monthly plan allocation, the extra Booster credits and any packs you buy are pooled together.
When 25 or fewer credits are left, the compose area shows how many remain, with a Top up link to SMS.
Deactivate Communications Booster
You can deactivate at any time, including before the dedicated number is live.
- Open Settings, then SMS.
- Select Manage on the Communications Booster card.
- Select Deactivate Communications Booster.
- In Deactivate Communications Booster?, select Deactivate.
Deactivating releases your dedicated number, so nothing can be sent or received on it after that. It also turns off two-way texting, MMS, call forwarding, the missed-call text back and rebooking reminders. Reminder and notification texts on your plan keep sending. You receive a credit for the unused days of the billing cycle on your next invoice.
Existing conversation history stays on the account, and Messages shows it read-only with Reactivate. If you reactivate later, you may get a different number. If your business was already verified, you request the number again from the same card without uploading another document.
Troubleshooting
Verification is taking longer than expected
Reviews are usually approved within 1-3 business days. If the card still says Your business is being verified after that, check that:
- The legal name and address match the document character for character
- The ABN is active
- The document is dated within 12 months and does not use a PO box address
Verification needs attention
The card shows the reason the review was not approved. Select Re-submit Verification, fix the fields so they match your document, and submit again.
Messages not being delivered
A failed message has a red mark beside it. Select the mark to open Message failed to send, which lists the common reasons and offers Retry sending. Then check that:
- The recipient's phone number is a valid Australian mobile number
- You have SMS credits left, because outbound messages need credits
- The recipient has not blocked your number on their device