> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.voxhealth.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Messages

> Two-way SMS with patients.

Messages is your practice's text inbox. Patients reply to a reminder, ask a question, or text your number directly, and the conversation lands here for a person to answer.

**Front Desk → Messages.** Available when the `MESSAGES` feature is enabled.

## What arrives here

* Replies to [reminders](/channels/notifications) that were not a plain confirmation
* Messages patients send to your practice number unprompted
* Replies to [campaign](/channels/campaigns) sends

Confirmations handled automatically never appear here. They are applied to the appointment and logged, so the inbox stays a list of things that actually need a person.

## Working the inbox

Each conversation shows the patient, their chart if they matched one, and the full history of both directions. Reply from the same view; the message goes out from your practice number, so the patient sees the number they already know.

<Tip>
  Assign one person per shift to the inbox. A patient who texts a practice expects a same-day answer, and unlike a voicemail there is no signal that anything is waiting.
</Tip>

## Unmatched senders

A text from a number not in your PMS still arrives. It shows as unmatched, and you can link it to a patient once you know who it is.

## What not to send

<Warning>
  SMS is not a secure channel. Do not send clinical details, test results, or account specifics by text. Confirm an appointment, ask the patient to call, or point them at the portal.
</Warning>

## Related

* [Notifications](/channels/notifications): the automated messages that start most of these threads
* [Follow-ups](/front-desk/follow-ups): the same idea for calls