To text existing customers well, tie each sequence to one moment in the relationship (onboarding, a check-in, a renewal, a reminder, a win-back or a review request), keep it to two or three short texts with waits between them, and stop as soon as the customer replies. Check that their consent covers the kind of text you send.
This guide covers the customer side of texting: what the evidence shows, what consent customers need in the US and Canada, ready-to-paste sequences for each moment, and how often to text. For new leads, see our guide to SMS for sales and customer follow-up.
Why text existing customers?
Customers already know your name, so a short text from you reads as service. The strongest evidence comes from reminders and payments, where timed texts change what people do. For onboarding, renewals and win-back, no independent study measures the effect of texting, so treat those sequences as good practice to test.
What the research shows:
| Finding | Sample | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Two reminders (3 days and 1 day before) led to fewer missed visits than one: 4.4% against 5.3% and 5.8%. Satisfaction was unchanged | 54,066 patients, randomized | Kaiser Permanente Colorado, American Journal of Managed Care, 2018 |
| One SMS the day before a due date "reduced the share of customers who were charged late payment fees by at least one in five" | 34,365 customers, randomized | AFM, Dutch financial regulator, 2024 |
| Just 39% of claimants said their insurer always responds in a timely fashion to emails and text messages | 2,982 insurance claimants | J.D. Power, 2024 |
| 81% of consumers want agents to continue the conversation without backtracking | 6,182 consumers in 22 countries (vendor survey by Zendesk, a customer service software company) | Zendesk CX Trends, 2025 |
Two lessons carry over to every customer sequence. A short series beats a single text, and people expect the same thread, with its history, when they write back.
Do you need consent to text your existing customers?
Yes. Being a customer makes consent easier to get and, in Canada, can imply it for a time, but you still need permission that covers texts. This section summarizes public rules as of October 2026. It is not legal advice, so ask a lawyer about your own program.
United States. The carriers' industry guidance sorts texts into three levels (CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices, 2023):
| Kind of text | Customer example | What CTIA expects |
|---|---|---|
| Conversational | Replying to a customer who texted you first | No extra permission |
| Informational | Onboarding steps, renewal dates, reminders, account updates | "Express permission", which can be given "over text, on a form, on a website, or verbally" |
| Promotional | Upgrade offers, win-back discounts, new product launches | Written agreement to receive promotional texts |
Federal rules add a hard line for marketing: texts that advertise, sent with an autodialer to a mobile number, need "prior express written consent" (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(2)). That rule has no exception for existing customers. The "established business relationship" (a purchase in the last 18 months, or an inquiry in the last 3 months) matters for the Do Not Call rules (64.1200(f)(5) and (f)(15)), which is a separate question. The safe habit is to collect text consent at signup or checkout, in words that cover both service texts and offers if you plan to send both. Our opt-in language examples show the wording, and is cold texting legal? covers people who never agreed.
Canada. Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) treats an existing business relationship as implied consent, for a limited time (CASL s. 10(9) and 10(10)):
- A purchase or lease counts for "the two-year period immediately before the day on which the message was sent".
- A written contract counts while it is in force and for two years after it expires.
- An inquiry or application counts for "the six-month period".
Some customer texts skip the consent requirement altogether, if the message "solely" confirms a transaction the person agreed to, gives warranty, recall or safety information, gives factual information about an ongoing subscription, membership or account, or delivers an update they're entitled to (s. 6(6)). Those messages still have to identify you and include an unsubscribe mechanism (s. 6(2)). Add an offer and the exception falls away.
Which customer moments suit a text sequence?
Each moment below gets its own short sequence with one goal. The consent column is a starting point; check yours against the section above.
| Moment | Goal | Typical timing | Usual consent level (US) | CASL note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding | Get the customer set up and give them a contact | Day 0, day 3, day 14 | Informational | Often covered by the two-year relationship |
| Check-in | Catch problems early | Once a quarter, or after a support case | Informational | Same |
| Renewal | Confirm the renewal or start a conversation | 30 days and 7 days before | Informational, promotional if it pushes an upgrade | Factual renewal notices may fit s. 6(6)(d) |
| Reminder | Show up or pay on time | 3 days and 1 day before | Informational | Confirmations may fit s. 6(6)(b) |
| Win-back | Restart a lapsed account | Once, plus one follow-up | Promotional | Only inside the two-year window, or with express consent |
| Review request | Get a public review | The day of the work, plus one reminder | Informational | Depends on wording; keep it a plain ask |
How do you build a customer sequence?
Build each one in six steps:
- Pick the moment and one goal. "Renew on time" and "book a training call" are two sequences.
- Prepare the list. One row per customer with the columns you will use: first name, plan, renewal date, product, owner. Remove anyone who opted out of texts.
- Write two or three short texts. Name yourself and your business, give the reason, ask one easy question. Keep each text inside one segment (160 characters, or 70 with an emoji).
- Add waits and a reply check. Put a "no reply yet" condition before every follow-up, so nobody gets a nudge after answering. Counting waits in business days keeps texts off weekends.
- Set sending days and hours in the customer's time zone. Weekday business hours suit most customer texts.
- Give the replies an owner. Customers reply with questions, and they expect an answer from the same number and the same thread.
Onboarding texts
Start on the day they sign, from the number they will keep hearing from.
Text 1, the day they sign:
Welcome to Northwind, First name. I'm Sam, your contact here. Text this number any time you need a hand.
Wait 3 days. If no reply yet:
How is setup going with Product? Anything I can help with this week?
Wait 11 days. If no reply yet:
Two weeks in. Is Product doing what you needed, First name? A one-word answer is plenty.
The last text asks for a judgment early, while there is still time to fix a poor start.
Check-in texts
Use one text and one follow-up, a few times a year, or a week after a support case closes.
Hi First name, Sam at Northwind. Quick check-in: how is Product working for Company lately?
Wait 4 days. If no reply yet:
No need to reply if all is well. If anything is getting in the way, text me here.
Renewal texts
Start about a month out, so there is time for a conversation before the date.
Text 1, 30 days before:
Hi First name, your Plan renews on Renewal date. Anything you'd like to change before then?
Wait 7 days. If no reply yet:
A quick reminder that your plan renews on Renewal date. Reply here with any questions.
Text 3, 7 days before, if no reply yet:
Hi First name, Sam at Northwind. Your renewal is next week. Want a 10-minute call to review it first?
Keep renewal notices factual. A text that only states the date and the plan is informational; one that pushes an upgrade is promotional and needs the stricter consent.
Reminder texts
Appointments, calls, payments and deliveries follow the pattern with the best evidence: one text 3 days before and one the day before.
Hi First name, a reminder of your Service with Northwind on Date at Time. Reply C to confirm or R to reschedule.
Full sequences for appointments and payments, and the trials behind them, are in our reminder text guide.
Related: clinic and dental appointment reminder texts.
Win-back texts
Win-back texts are promotional, so check consent first. In the US, they need consent that covers marketing texts. In Canada, implied consent from a purchase lasts two years; after that, you need express consent.
Text 1:
Hi First name, Sam at Northwind. We've added New feature since we last worked together. Worth a look?
Wait 5 days. If no reply yet:
Thanks either way. Reply YES and I'll send the details, or ignore this and I won't follow up.
Send this sequence once. A customer who doesn't answer two texts has given you their answer for now.
Review request texts
Ask soon after the work is done, and once more at most. In BrightLocal's 2025 survey of 1,026 US consumers (BrightLocal sells review software), 48% expected a review request from a food and drink business by the following day, while for entertainment and beauty businesses consumers felt three days to a week was right (BrightLocal, 2025).
Text 1, the day the work is done:
Thanks for choosing Northwind, First name. Would you leave us a quick review? Review link
Wait 3 days. If no reply yet:
One last nudge, and thank you again: Review link
Ask every customer the same way. Since October 2024, the FTC's rule on reviews makes it unlawful to offer "compensation or other incentives" conditioned on a review "expressing a particular sentiment, whether positive or negative" (16 CFR 465.4). Review sites set their own rules on incentives too, so read them before offering anything.
How often should you text customers?
Text when something is happening in the relationship, and keep each sequence to two or three texts. No independent study sets the right frequency for customer texts. The trial evidence supports two well-timed texts per event, and the Kaiser trial found no drop in satisfaction from the second reminder.
Three habits keep customers subscribed:
- One live sequence per customer at a time. A renewal sequence and a review request in the same week read as noise.
- Stop on reply, every time. A reply means a person should answer.
- Watch opt-outs per text. A step with more opt-outs than the rest is the one to rewrite or cut.
Honor STOP at once. US rules require revocation requests to be honored "within a reasonable time not to exceed ten business days" (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(10)), and CASL sets the same 10-business-day limit (s. 11).
Where does Textually fit?
Textually runs customer sequences like these for teams in the US and Canada. You import customers by CSV or paste, push them into a campaign, and write Text, Wait and Condition steps with any column as a field. Waits count days, with an option for business days only. Each customer hears from the same number every time, texts go out only inside your campaign's sending days and hours, and a reply ends that customer's sequence and lands in one shared inbox with the full history and suggested replies. Before a text sends, Textually requires a consent record (source and date) or a campaign-wide confirmation. There is a monthly platform fee ($99, or $49 at the founding price for the first 1,000 teams) (pricing). For more wording, see the follow-up text templates; for the case for texting, see why text and how the rules are built in, or apply for access.
Questions
Can I text my customers without asking first?
Only if the text is a reply to them or you have permission that covers it. In the US, carriers expect express permission even for service texts, and marketing texts sent with an autodialer need written consent. In Canada, a purchase in the last two years gives implied consent under CASL. Asking at signup settles it.
Does an existing customer relationship count as consent in the US?
It counts for the federal Do Not Call rules, which exclude calls and texts to people with an "established business relationship" from the definition of telephone solicitation. It doesn't replace the written consent federal rules require for autodialed marketing texts to mobile numbers. Ask a lawyer how this applies to your texts.
How long does implied consent last for customers in Canada?
Two years from a purchase or lease, or from the end of a written contract, and six months from an inquiry or application (CASL s. 10(10)). After that, you need express consent to send commercial texts.
What should a renewal reminder text say?
Your business name, the plan, the renewal date and an easy way to ask a question: "Hi Jordan, your annual plan renews on November 14. Anything you'd like to change before then?" Keep it factual and save upgrade offers for customers who agreed to promotional texts.
Can I offer a discount for a review by text?
Be careful. The FTC rule bans incentives conditioned on a positive or negative review, and many review sites restrict incentives of any kind. A plain request, sent the same way to every customer, is the safe option.
How many texts should a customer sequence have?
Two or three, tied to one event, with a wait and a reply check between them. In a randomized trial of 54,066 patients, two reminders beat one, and evidence for more than two is thin.
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