Every text, DM and comment, in one inbox.
If your customers reach you on your phone, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, email and your website, Switchboard puts it all in one place. Nothing gets buried, and nobody waits days for an answer.
Sample data. The business and customers shown are fictional.
You are the one answering
When you own the business, you are also the front desk. The messages keep coming while your hands are busy.
Texts pile up on your phone
Customers text the number they already have. Between jobs, appointments and family, those messages get buried.
DMs hide in three different apps
Instagram, Facebook and TikTok each have their own inbox, and you only find out something came in when you happen to look.
Comments go unanswered
A question under a post is a customer asking to buy. Left alone for a week, it is a customer you lost.
Everything customers send, in one place
One inbox for the way people actually reach you, with the follow-up built in.
Reply from one place
Texts, website chat and email, plus Instagram, Facebook Messenger and TikTok as each platform allows, all in a single inbox. A "follow up required" list shows who is still waiting on you.
Comments, handled
Answer comments on your Instagram, Facebook and TikTok posts without opening each app. Hide spam, set aside what needs no reply, or schedule an answer for later.
Reminders and follow-ups that run themselves
Reminders go out under rules you set, and a gentle check-in goes to someone who went quiet. It stops on its own the moment they reply.
Bookings beside the chat
If you take bookings through Acuity Scheduling, appointments, open times and client history sit next to the conversation, so the answer is already on screen.
Help writing, only if you want it
An optional assistant can suggest a reply. You read and send it yourself, and it stays off until you turn it on.
Private to your business
Your own server and database, notes and saved logins encrypted, and a record of who looked at what.
Made for owners who live on their phone
If customers text you, message you on social media and comment on your posts, and you are the one who has to answer, Switchboard is for you.
Beauty and body
Hair stylists, barbers, nail techs, lash and brow artists, estheticians, tattoo and piercing artists, massage therapists, med spas
Health and fitness
Chiropractors, acupuncturists, physical therapists, personal trainers, yoga and Pilates studios, coaches and counselors
Home services
Plumbers, electricians, HVAC, landscapers, cleaners, painters, roofers, handymen, pest control, movers
Auto
Mobile mechanics, detailers, tire and repair shops, independent car dealers
Events and creative
Photographers, videographers, wedding planners, DJs, florists, caterers, bakers, makeup artists
Pets
Groomers, dog walkers, pet sitters, trainers, boarding
Real estate and property
Realtors, property managers, landlords, mortgage brokers, insurance agents
Local shops and food
Boutiques, food trucks, cafes, home bakers and makers who sell through DMs
Teachers and consultants
Tutors, music teachers, driving instructors, consultants, freelancers
Creators
Anyone who sells or books through comments and direct messages
Not on the list? If you answer customers by text and social media, it will work for you too. Tell us about your business.
How it works
We set it up for you. There is nothing to install and no new place for your customers to go.
We connect your channels
Your phone, your website, your booking calendar and the accounts you already use, set up on a private server for your business.
You reply in one inbox
See who is writing and what they said before, who is still waiting on you, and which comments need an answer, then reply without switching apps.
The routine handles itself
Reminders and follow-ups go out on their own, and anything that writes a reply for you is optional and off until you turn it on.
Where each channel stands
We would rather tell you plainly what works today.
| Channel | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Website chat | Available | Live on a business's own website today. |
| Booking (Acuity Scheduling) | Available | Appointments, open times and clients appear beside each conversation. |
| Text messages | Available | Texts are sent and received from your own phone number: through a small app on an Android phone, or, for iPhone texts and iMessages, through a Mac that stays signed in to Messages. |
| Email (Gmail or Google Workspace) | Being connected | Built and tested; being set up with the first practice's mailbox. |
| Facebook Messenger and Page comments | Live for the first business | Messages and comments on a business's Facebook Page. Opening it to more businesses follows Meta's app review. |
| Instagram messages and comments | Live for the first business | Messages and comments on a business's Instagram business account, through the same Meta review. |
| TikTok comments | Available | Read and reply to comments on a business's TikTok videos. TikTok does not offer direct messages to apps like this yet. |
Private by design
Client messages are personal. We keep them that way. The details are in the privacy policy, and anyone can ask for their information to be removed on the data deletion page.
A server of its own
Every business runs on its own private server and database. Businesses never share one.
Notes are encrypted
Notes and saved connection details are encrypted before they are stored, and backups are taken every night.
Roles and a record
Owner, admin, clinician and front desk each see only what they need, and every look at a note is written to an access log.
See it with your own business in mind
Book a short walkthrough and we will show you the inbox, the calendar and the reminders, and talk through how your channels would connect.
Book a walkthrough