Set up SMS with Quo

SMS gets roughly 10× the response rate of email but has stricter compliance rules. This walks through connecting a Quo (formerly OpenPhone) business number for sending and receiving texts.

1. Create a Quo account + business number

Sign up at quo.com → Add a phone number to your account. Pick a local area code that makes sense for your market.

This is the number leads will see. Use a real business number — never your personal cell.

2. Pick any Quo plan — API access is included on all of them

Every Quo plan includes API access — there's no premium "API tier" to hunt for, so the cheapest plan (~$16–17/mo) is fine to start. The only requirement is that you're the Owner or an Admin of the workspace, since that's who's allowed to generate an API key.

3. What Quo costs

Quo bills you directly — Direct REI doesn't resell it or add a markup. What you pay:

• Subscription — ~$16–17/mo for the cheapest plan
• Each phone number — ~$5/mo per number on the workspace
• Outbound texts — $0.01 per text sent through the API. That's the only per-message charge.
• Inbound texts and calls are free — you only pay for outbound texts.

Usage is billed by Quo to the card on your Quo account, so keep a valid card on file.

4. Generate a Quo API key

In Quo, open API → Generate new key → name it "DirectREI" → create, then copy it (Quo only shows it once).

5. Add the SMS account in Direct REI

You can start from the Texting page or Settings → Phone → SMS Accounts → + Add Quo Account:

1. Label — optional, e.g. "Main Quo number"
2. API key — paste the key from step 4
3. Click Test connection. Direct REI checks the key and lists every number on that Quo account.
4. Default phone number — pick the number this account should send from
5. Daily limit — 50 is a safe start. Carriers throttle high-volume SMS senders.
6. Save

6. Register the SMS inbound webhook in Quo

This is what lets inbound texts trigger AI replies.

1. In Direct REI: Settings → Phone → copy the Inbound webhook URL.
2. In Quo: Settings → Webhooks → Add webhook. Paste the URL, then under Calls and messages check message.received and create the webhook.
3. Open that webhook's ⋯ menu → Webhook details and copy its signing secret.
4. Back in Direct REI: click Edit on your Quo account → paste into SMS webhook signing secret → Save.

7. (Optional) Register the call webhook

This lets inbound calls auto-log to the CRM with attribution.

1. Direct REI Settings → Phone → copy the Inbound call webhook URL.
2. Quo Settings → Webhooks → Add webhook. Paste the URL, then under Calls and messages check call.completed (required) plus call.recording.completed, call.transcript.completed, and call.summary.completed (optional but useful). Create the webhook.
3. Open its ⋯ menu → Webhook details and copy the signing secret.
4. Direct REI → Edit your Quo account → paste into Call webhook signing secret → Save.

8. Test the round-trip

Send a test SMS from Texting page to your own phone. Reply from your phone. Within 2-15 minutes the AI should respond automatically.

If the AI doesn't reply: check Settings → Phone — both signing-key badges should be green. If one is red, re-paste the secret.

TCPA basics for SMS

Quick rules of thumb (this is NOT legal advice — consult a lawyer for specifics):

• Prior express written consent is required for marketing texts. Cold texting without consent is illegal at the federal level.
• "Marketing" includes anything that promotes a product or service — yes, this covers cold real-estate outreach.
• Limited exceptions exist for B2B-to-B2B (business numbers, not consumer cell), informational messages, and prior-relationship contacts.
• SMS opt-out keywords (STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT, REVOKE, OPTOUT, OPT-OUT) must be honored immediately and permanently — Direct REI auto-handles this for inbound SMS: sets the contact's sms_opted_out_at timestamp, marks them notinterested, cancels every pending SMS in the queue, and refuses any future SMS send to that number. Email opt-outs use a separate, less rigid keyword set (see TCPA + CAN-SPAM lesson) and flag the contact for human review.
• State-level rules (Florida, Washington, others) add additional consent requirements.

If you're cold-texting without consent, you're taking legal risk. Use this channel for warm leads or where you have a defensible exemption.

What's next

Read TCPA + CAN-SPAM for real estate outreach for a deeper compliance overview.