Enable email notifications for inbound SMS replies

Last updated: August 28, 2026

Email notifications for inbound SMS replies send an email to staff when a student sends a new text reply into Housing.Cloud. This setting is useful when your team manages SMS conversations across shifts or needs a second notification channel outside the SMS screen.

This preference is optional and works at the staff level. Turning it on does not change conversation assignment, follower behavior, or message delivery in the SMS screen. It adds an email notification when an inbound SMS reply is received.

What this setting does

When Email me when an inbound SMS reply is received is enabled, Housing.Cloud sends an email notification after an inbound SMS reply reaches the system. The email uses the subject New SMS Reply Received and includes a View Conversation link back to the related text thread.

If this setting is off, inbound SMS replies still appear in the SMS screen. Staff will not receive this email notification unless they have opted in.

Check eligibility before starting

  • Your institution must have the SMS_INBOUND_EMAIL_NOTIFICATIONS feature enabled.
  • You must be signed in to the Housing.Cloud admin portal.
  • You need access to your personal notification preferences.

Open your notification preferences

Go to Notification Preferences in the admin portal. This page includes separate sections for email and SMS preferences and a Save button.

Find the checkbox labeled Email me when an inbound SMS reply is received. This option appears only when the inbound SMS email notification feature is enabled for your institution.

Enable inbound SMS reply emails

Select Email me when an inbound SMS reply is received, then click Save. Housing.Cloud stores this as your personal notification preference, so other staff members need to enable it on their own accounts if they also want email alerts.

After you save, future inbound SMS replies can trigger an email notification to you. The underlying SMS conversation remains in the same shared thread your team already uses in the admin portal.

What to expect after you enable it

When a student replies by text, the message still appears in Send and reply to text messages. If you have this preference turned on, Housing.Cloud also sends an email notification for that inbound reply.

This setting does not replace assignment and follower notifications described in Assign text conversations and manage notifications. Use assignment and follower settings to control conversation ownership, and use this preference when you also want email notice of new SMS replies.

You can verify the result in two places: your inbox, where the email arrives with the subject New SMS Reply Received, and the related conversation in the SMS screen.

For a broader overview of how texting works in Housing.Cloud, see 2-Way Texting Overview.