Incoming SMS shows up in Conversations but isn’t forwarded to the forwarding number.

If you'd like incoming SMS messages to appear in the Conversations tab and be automatically forwarded to a designated number as a notification, this guide will walk you through the process.

Inbound SMS messages are received in the Conversations tab using the platform's mobile app and web app. Incoming SMS will not be natively forwarded to an external number.

To achieve forwarding, you need to set up a Customer Replied workflow trigger that uses the custom value {{message.body}} to relay the content as an internal notification.

Steps to Create a Workflow

Navigate to Automation > Workflows > Create Workflow.

Click Start from Scratch and then select Create New Workflow.

Click Add New Workflow Trigger.

Choose Customer Replied as the workflow trigger.

Click Add Filters to scope this trigger to SMS messages only.

In the filter options, select Reply Channel.

From the reply channel dropdown, choose SMS.

Click Save Trigger to confirm your trigger configuration, then click Please select action to proceed to adding an action.

Choose Send Internal Notification as the action type.

Navigate to Custom Values > Message > Message Body to insert the {{message.body}} custom value into

your notification message.

Navigate to Contact > First Name to include personalization in your notification. This ensures each

notification includes the sender's name alongside their message.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before you begin

“Incoming SMS shows up in Conversations but isn’t forwarded to the forwarding number.” is part of the Conversations → Inbox Views area in Adaptive AI. Use All, Unread, Recent, Starred, Assigned to Me, and Mentions views. Conversation, phone, SMS, chat, and messaging changes affect customer contact and consent. Test routing in both directions and confirm that messages land on the correct record and owner. The objective is not merely to save a setting; it is to confirm the result works for the staff member or customer who will depend on it.

• Confirm the phone number, inbox, social account, personal inbox, or chat channel is connected and assigned to the intended business.
• Verify user permissions, routing rules, forwarding destinations, business hours, voicemail behavior, and notification settings.
• Use an internal test contact with permission to receive the chosen channel and with do-not-disturb status set appropriately.
• Prepare the exact test message or call scenario, including the expected owner, reply, disposition, and follow-up action.
• Review registration, template, consent, opt-out, and service-window requirements before testing SMS or regulated messaging channels.

Verify the result

After completing the instructions in this guide, use a controlled test before treating the setup as finished. A saved screen or success message confirms configuration, but only an end-to-end test confirms the business outcome.

1. 1Initiate the test from the same direction a customer would use and confirm it appears in the correct conversation thread.
2. 2Verify assignment, notifications, sender identity, timestamps, contact matching, and message or call status.
3. 3Reply through Adaptive AI and confirm the recipient receives the response once from the expected number or account.
4. 4Test after-hours, missed-call, voicemail, forwarding, or automated follow-up behavior when those rules are part of the setup.
5. 5Confirm opt-out or do-not-disturb behavior stops restricted communication without blocking unrelated permitted channels.

Troubleshooting checklist

If the result differs from what you expected, preserve the current state and isolate one variable at a time. Start with the checks below before deleting the configuration or rebuilding it from scratch.

• Check channel connection status, number assignment, user availability, and routing rules before changing message content.
• Compare the contact's normalized phone number or email address when activity appears in a duplicate or unexpected thread.
• Review delivery, call, forwarding, or conversation logs for the first failed handoff and its provider response.
• Confirm business hours, quiet hours, service windows, approved templates, and opt-out status when a send is blocked or delayed.
• Test without overlapping workflows to determine whether duplicate replies come from routing, automation, or a second connected channel.

Best practices

• Use clear ownership and escalation rules so every inbound conversation has one accountable responder.
• Keep automated replies transparent, concise, and able to hand the conversation to a person when the request falls outside scope.
• Honor channel consent and opt-outs immediately and preserve the conversation history needed for support or compliance review.
• Use internal test records for routing changes and avoid sending experimental messages to active customers.
• Review missed, failed, unassigned, and long-waiting conversations as an operating metric, not only when a customer complains.