Texting needs consent

US law says a business needs a customer's permission before texting them. Chiffchaff only texts a review request to customers you've marked as having agreed.

Record consent

On a customer's page, under How they've agreed to hear from you, tick Texts. Only tick it if they said yes. Chiffchaff keeps a record of when consent was recorded, by whom, and how (in the app, or from an import). You'll see it on the customer's page, for example "Agreed to texts, recorded" with the date.

You can also bring consent in with a customer import, using the Agreed to texts (yes/no) column. See Import customers.

Customers who come from Square, Zapier or another connected tool never arrive marked as agreeing. Square doesn't tell us whether a customer agreed to texts, and a "text me my receipt" choice isn't agreement to marketing texts. Tick Texts on their page once they've told you yes. See Ask for reviews after Square payments.

Consent recorded before we kept how

Before October 20, 2026 we didn't keep how a customer agreed to texts. If their page says "We don't have a record of how this person agreed to texts. Ask them again, or send by email.", we won't text them, even though Texts is ticked. Ask them again. Once they say yes, tick I asked again and they said yes on their page and save, and we record it as agreed that day, by you. This is the only way: importing them again doesn't change it. Until then you can still send them a request by email.

Emails don't need this. Each review request email carries an unsubscribe link instead, and the Emails box is only a record for you.

When a text won't send

A text request needs a mobile number, the Texts box ticked with a record of how they agreed, and no earlier STOP. If something's missing, Chiffchaff tells you, for example "They haven't agreed to texts."

When texts go out

Texts go out only between 9 AM and 7 PM in the customer's own time, Monday to Saturday, never on Sundays. Some states set texting hours this tight, so Chiffchaff uses them everywhere. You can't turn this off, but you can narrow your hours further in Settings → Review requests.

Pennsylvania also bars texts like these on its legal holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Good Friday and Election Day. Chiffchaff keeps those days for every text, wherever the customer lives, because a phone's area code doesn't show who has moved. A text due on one waits until the next day with texting hours, and shows No texts on holidays.

Each person gets at most one text from your business in any 24 hours. A second one waits until the 24 hours are up, and shows One text a day per person. Nothing is dropped.

The customer's time comes from their phone's area code. If the area code doesn't tell us, we use your location's phone number, then your time zone. A text queued outside these hours waits, and Requests shows why, for example "Held until Mon 9 AM (customer's time)".

STOP and START

Customers can reply STOP to any text, or STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT, REVOKE or OPT OUT. Your business won't text that number again until they reply START, YES or UNSTOP. A STOP doesn't untick their consent, but it blocks texts either way. The Okay to contact column on Customers shows Replied STOP when this happens.

We keep a STOP even if you delete the customer, add them again or import them again, and even if you close your account and sign up again later: we keep it for 10 years. We store a scrambled code made from the phone number, never the number itself. HELP or INFO gets a short reply from the carrier with how to stop.

When customers text back

If a customer replies to a request text with something other than STOP, the reply shows in the Replies card on Requests and on their page, with their number so you can call or text them from your own phone. Click Mark handled when you're done. Chiffchaff doesn't send texts back for you. Owners and managers get an email about each reply unless they turn off Email me when a customer texts back.

Texting isn't switched on yet