Conversational SMS Automations | OTTO Data Collector | TextingOnly
TextingOnly Conversational SMS Automations: OTTO-powered SMS data collectors replace web forms with one-question-at-a-time text conversations. 71% completion rate vs 19% for web forms. 81% web form abandonment solved. 100% partial conversation saves — phone number captured on first tap before any question is asked. Structured CRM-ready output on every conversation. Three modes: open-text data collector (contact types free-form answers captured as named fields — name, company, reason, timeline, budget), ITR numbered menu handoff (numbered options for fast categorical routing), combined flows. Use cases: business lead intake, patient/client intake, college inquiry, post-service survey, real estate discovery, job application. Compliance: TCPA-compliant express written consent (contact sends first message), carrier-verified phone number, 10DLC registration, STOP triggers instant opt-out. Language support: OTTO runs data collection in contact’s language, lead delivered in English. Partial saves: every answer captured even if contact stops mid-conversation. TextingOnly is based in Towson, Maryland. Service area: United States nationwide. Industries: home services, automotive, real estate, healthcare, legal, recruiting, schools, franchises.
Conversational SMS Automations
The form that
gets filled out — because it isn’t a form.
81% of people who start a web form never finish it. They get to field 4, get distracted, and leave — with no phone number for you to follow up.
A conversational SMS automation captures the same information through a one-question-at-a-time text conversation in the native Messages app — at 71% completion vs. 19% for forms. Every partial answer saved. Phone number captured on the first tap. Works with every SMS entry point.
Hi! Thanks for reaching out. I have a few quick questions so we can connect you with the right person. What’s your first name?
Michael
Great to meet you, Michael! What’s your primary reason for reaching out?
Looking to get a quote
Got it — quote. What industry are you in?
Automotive dealership
Perfect. How many locations do you operate?
3 locations
✓ A specialist will call you from (443) 555-0182 today. All fields captured · Lead delivered
Text Message…
71%Completion ratevs. 19% for web forms
81%Web form abandonmentthe problem this solves
0Fields left blankOTTO asks one at a time
100%Partial savesnothing lost to abandonment
How conversational data collection works
OTTO asks. They answer. You get clean data.
A conversational SMS automation is a structured interview — not a form, not an ITR menu. OTTO asks one open question at a time. The contact types their answer. Every response is captured as a named field and delivered as structured data to your team or CRM.
01
Contact enters via any entry point
QR scan, SmartLink click, outbound campaign reply, website button — any trigger that starts an SMS conversation can route into a data collection flow.
02
OTTO opens with the first question
Natural, conversational opening — not “Please complete the following fields.” The contact feels like they’re texting a real person.
03
Contact types free-form answers
No numbered menus. No forced choices. The contact types whatever they want — OTTO captures the response as a structured field with the label you defined.
04
OTTO moves to the next question
Whatever the contact answers, OTTO captures it and asks the next question. Structured, predictable, every field captured.
05
Structured data delivered
Every field — name, interest, timeline, budget, language — delivered as a formatted lead record. CRM-ready. No manual transcription.
06
Partial conversations saved
Contact stops at question 3? The data up to that point is captured and saved. A web form abandonment gives you nothing. An SMS partial gives you a recoverable contact.
9:41
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TO
TextingOnly
● OTTO · Data Collector
Hi, this is OTTO. What is your name?
Mark
What is your address?
123 Main St
What is your zip code?
21211
Please tell us about how we can help — describe in as much detail as you’d like.
Can you send someone out, I’m not sure exactly what I need
Thank you Mark. Our sales team will call from (410) 555-1212 to take the next steps.
Text Message…
Choosing the right automation type
Data collector or ITR — two tools for two conversations.
Both are automated SMS conversation tools powered by OTTO. The difference is in how contacts respond — and what kind of interaction you’re designing for.
Conversational Data Collector
OTTO asks open questions
Contact types free-form answers — natural, flexible, personal
Contact types their actual response — “Sarah,” “Looking for pricing,” “This month,” “3 locations”
Captures nuanced, open-ended information that numbered menus can’t
Feels like texting a person — not navigating a menu
Best for intake, applications, surveys, feedback, and discovery conversations
Use when you want a conversation · Complex intake · Discovery · Relationship-starting scenarios
ITR — Interactive Text Response
OTTO shows a menu
Contact replies with a number — fast, structured, routing-focused
Contact selects from numbered options — 1, 2, 3 — in one tap
Captures structured categorical decisions — service type, urgency, preference
Fastest path to qualification — minimum friction, maximum routing clarity
Best for routing, qualification, scheduling, and decision trees
Use when you need fast routing · Qualification menus · Appointment scheduling · Known-option scenarios
Use them together: A conversational data collector can capture open-ended intake, then hand off to an ITR for routing. Or an ITR can qualify by service type, then branch to a data collector for the specific intake for that service. The two are designed to work in sequence. Learn more about ITR →
Data collection use cases
Every scenario where you need real answers, not checkboxes.
Conversational data collectors are the right tool when the answer can’t be reduced to “Press 1 or 2” — when you need what someone actually thinks, needs, or says. See all use cases →
🏢
Business Lead Intake
Replace every “Request a Quote” form on your website. OTTO captures company name, industry, use case, team size, and timeline — in a natural conversation that feels personal.
Fields captured
First nameCompanyIndustryUse caseTeam sizeTimeline
📋
New Patient / Client Intake
Medical, legal, financial, and professional services intake — all the information a new client form captures, in a warm one-question-at-a-time conversation before the first appointment.
Fields captured
NameReason for visitInsuranceUrgencyCurrent provider
🎓
College / Program Inquiry
Capture prospective student information at college fairs, open houses, and via website SmartLinks — program interest, graduation year, and campus visit availability in a natural conversation.
Fields captured
First nameProgram interestGrad yearVisit availability
📊
Post-Service Survey
Ask 3–5 questions about the service experience 24h after a visit. SMS response rates are 3–4× higher than email surveys. Open-ended answers capture nuance email surveys never get.
Fields captured
Satisfaction (1–5)What went wellWhat to improveRecommend?
🏠
Real Estate / Senior Living Discovery
Initial inquiry conversation that captures care level, timeline, budget, and current situation — the same four questions every sales counselor asks on the first call, automated in advance.
Fields captured
Who it’s forCare levelTimelineBudget rangeCurrent situation
👔
Job Application Intake
Candidate intake for specific roles — position interest, experience level, availability, work authorization, salary expectation. Captures the same data as an ATS form, in 3 minutes via SMS.
One question at a time. Every answer captured. In the order you define.
A conversational data collector works through a structured sequence — OTTO asks each question in the order you’ve defined, captures the contact’s free-text response as a named field, and moves to the next question.
When you need routing based on responses, that’s where combining a data collector with an ITR menu adds power — open-ended questions where you want natural language, numbered menus where you need routing — all in a single continuous SMS conversation.
Contact types: “Sarah” → Field: first_name = Sarah → Next question
Q2 — “What brings you here today?”
Contact types: “Looking for pricing” → Field: inquiry_reason → Next
Q3 — “What’s your timeline?”
Contact types: “This month” → Field: timeline = This month → Next
Optional — ITR menu step
Numbered menu: “1 New · 2 Returning · 3 Referral” → branches to different next section
✓ Conversation complete
All fields captured · Structured record delivered · Phone number saved · Team notified
Data collection capabilities
Everything OTTO needs to run any intake conversation.
💬
Open-Text Response Capture
Contacts type any response — no numbered menus required. OTTO captures the full text as a named field. First name, company, reason for contact, description of issue — all captured verbatim.
Any answer captured
🔢
Sequence Design — Your Order
You define the questions and the sequence. OTTO asks them in order, captures each response as a named field, and moves to the next. The structure is entirely yours to configure.
No-code sequence builder
🌐
Language Path Routing
Contact selected Spanish at the entry point? Language Funnels activate automatically — OTTO runs data collection in their language. Lead delivered to your team in English.
Seamless language routing
💾
Partial Conversation Save
Contact stops at question 3? Everything captured up to that point is saved — name, phone number, and partial responses. No web form abandonment equivalent. Every partial conversation is a recoverable contact.
Nothing lost
📤
Structured Data Output
Every conversation produces a labeled data record — name: Sarah, industry: automotive, timeline: this month — ready for your CRM, your email, or your team’s notification system. No transcription. No cleanup.
CRM-ready output
🔗
ITR Handoff
A data collector can hand off to an ITR at any point — open-ended discovery first, then structured routing. Or start with ITR for quick qualification, then branch to a data collector for nuanced intake. Works in both directions.
Six of the most common questions teams ask when evaluating conversational SMS automations as a replacement for their web intake forms.
A conversational SMS automation is an automated text message exchange where OTTO asks structured questions one at a time and captures each free-text response as a named data field. It replaces web forms with a natural text conversation that collects the same information — with a 71% completion rate versus 19% for web forms. The contact types their answers in the native Messages app; your team receives a structured lead record when the conversation is complete.
A data collector asks open-ended questions and captures free-text answers (the contact types their actual response). An ITR (Interactive Text Response) menu presents numbered options and routes based on the number replied. Both are powered by OTTO and can be combined — open-text discovery first, then numbered routing, or vice versa. Use a data collector when you need natural language answers; use ITR when you need fast categorical routing.
Unlike a web form where abandonment leaves you with nothing, a partial conversational SMS conversation saves every answer up to that point. The contact’s phone number, TCPA consent, name, and partial field responses are all captured. You can configure a nudge sequence to re-engage automatically, or a rep can follow up manually with full context of where the contact stopped.
Yes. Every conversational SMS conversation begins with the contact sending the first message, which constitutes TCPA-compliant express written consent. The opt-in timestamp, carrier-verified phone number, and entry point source are logged automatically. 10DLC brand and campaign registration are completed before any campaign runs, and STOP responses trigger instant opt-out.
A website chatbot lives on your site and disappears the moment the visitor closes the tab — no phone number captured, no way to re-engage. A conversational SMS automation runs in the contact’s native Messages app, which means the phone number is captured on the first tap, the conversation can continue across hours or days if the contact steps away, and you own an opt-in SMS record you can re-engage with later.
Open-ended questions that you’d want a natural-language answer to — name, reason for inquiry, description of an issue, industry, current situation, timeline, budget range. The data collector is best when the answer can’t be reduced to a checkbox or a numbered menu. For decisions with clear categorical options (service type, urgency level, scheduling), use ITR instead. The two can be combined in a single conversation — open-text for nuance, numbered menu for routing.
The form that gets filled out — in under 3 minutes.
See OTTO run a complete conversational data collection — open-ended answers, structured lead record delivered — all in your native Messages app.
Fastest · no form
Try OTTO live
Experience a conversational data collector end-to-end in your native Messages app. Under 3 minutes. No email required.