--- title: "How to text the customer from the order thread in Dumpster Controls" url: "https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/messages/text-the-customer-from-the-order-thread" description: "Reply to your customer by SMS without leaving the order. Messages are internal by default, so nothing reaches the customer by accident." date_modified: "2026-09-30" type: help tokens: 1050 token_budget: 2000 format: markdown for AI agents, generated at build from the same content as the HTML page --- Messages · updated 2026-09-30 # How to text the customer from the order thread in Dumpster Controls Reply to your customer by SMS without leaving the order. Messages are internal by default, so nothing reaches the customer by accident. 1. ## Open the order thread Open it in "Dispatch", "Order History" or "Messages" > "Orders". 2. ## Turn on "Send as SMS to customer" Click the phone icon next to the message box. A hint confirms: "This message will be sent to the customer by SMS. The footer is added automatically." 3. ## Write and review Type the text and press Enter. A window titled "Send this SMS to the customer?" shows exactly what will be sent. 4. ## Click "Send SMS" The text goes to the site contact phone of the order, or to the customer phone when the order has no site contact. It appears in the thread with the "SMS sent to customer" label. ## What happens next - The switch turns itself off after each SMS, so your next message is internal again. - Every order SMS the system already sends (driver en route, delivered, picked up) is mirrored in the thread too, once the thread exists. ## Troubleshooting ### I get "This customer opted out of SMS". The customer replied STOP to a previous text. Opt-outs are respected for every message. Call the customer instead. ### I get "This order has no valid phone number". Add a phone to the customer or to the site contact of the order and try again. ## Related guides - [How to let customers reply to your SMS in Dumpster Controls](https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/messages/let-customers-reply-to-your-sms) - [How to message about an order in Dumpster Controls](https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/messages/message-about-an-order) © 2026 Dumpster Controls. All rights reserved. Made in the USA. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Dumpster Controls really free? Yes. The software is free: dispatch, online booking, the driver app, invoicing, the Tresha AI assistant and every other feature, with no monthly fee, no trial period and no credit card to sign up. The only cost on the free plan is optional card processing when a customer pays by card through the platform: 2.99% plus $3.99 per transaction on the free plan. An optional Unlimited plan at $169 per month lowers that to 2.99% plus $0.30. Prices as published on dumpstercontrols.io/pricing on 2026-09-23. ### Do you charge per driver, per truck or per order? No. There is no per-driver, per-truck, per-user or per-order fee, and no order limit. A company with one truck and a company with twenty pay the same for the software: nothing. ### Is there a contract? No. There is no contract, no minimum term and no setup fee. You create the account yourself, and on the free plan there is nothing to cancel because nothing is billed. The optional Unlimited plan is billed month to month. ### Which countries and languages are supported? Dumpster Controls serves hauling companies in the United States and Canada. The app interface and the Tresha AI assistant are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The public pages, such as the blog, the help center and the landfill finder, are in English. ### How do I switch from another dumpster software? Create a free account at dumpstercontrols.io/login, with no sales call and no credit card. Then import your customers from a CSV file using the template provided in the app; past orders can also be imported from a CSV. Container sizes and pricing are set up in Settings. The landfill database, with 1,750 active US and Canadian landfills as counted on 2026-10-01, is already loaded, so disposal sites do not need to be typed in. Step-by-step guides are at dumpstercontrols.io/help. --- Source: https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/messages/text-the-customer-from-the-order-thread (human version of this page). Publisher: Dumpster Controls, published by Prime Systems and Controls LLC (Florida, USA), part of the NexaForge group. Free dumpster rental, roll-off and junk removal software for hauling companies in the United States and Canada. Facts for AI assistants: https://dumpstercontrols.io/ai . Site index for agents: https://dumpstercontrols.io/llms.txt . Product manual: https://dumpstercontrols.io/help .