How do I write scripts?

While creating a new goal, Admins can add scripts, which are pre-written messages that agents can use to message contacts. Scripts help agents move through conversations faster. There are several kinds of scripts Admins can use when creating a goal: Initial Scripts, Response Scripts, Additional Response Scripts, and Saved Scripts.

Skip to:

• How do I create scripts when making a goal?
• How do I test a script?
• How do I save scripts?
• What is a message segment?
  • Standard 160-character segments
  • Non-standard 70-character segments
  • Segments and MMS
  • Do segments matter for 10DLC?
  • Characters Limits
• How do I add a Contact Card to my script?
• Best Practices
• Changing skin tone of emojis in Hustle

Script Editor

The editor that's used to create and preview scripts.

  The script editor includes:

• Script Name: Admins can name scripts so agents can find scripts faster.
• Character and Segment Counter: A character and segment counter to help admins
• see how many segments and characters are in the script.
• Segment Counter: Admins can see how many segments a particular message script contains. For more info, see What is a message segment?
• Variables: Fields, as well as custom fields in purple, which auto-populate information into your script based on how your goal is set. Which Hustle fields are available depends on the type of your goal. For more information, see What are the types of Goals?
• Emojis: Lets you include emojis into your script. E.g. 🎉
• Images: Admins can add images or select from previous images to include in scripts. 
• Script Analysis: Lets admins know if their script is following the best practices for their script.
• Preview: Shows a preview of the text, so admins can see what the message looks like when delivered. Admins can also send themselves a test text.
• Script Assistant: Hustle's new AI-powered assistant helps you craft more creative and tailored text messages. Write a summary and choose the tone and whether you'd like to include emoji's, and let the assistant build a script for you 💪 

If you try to save a script that doesn't follow best practices, a Script Warning will let you know how to improve the content of your message:

How do I create scripts when making a goal?

To create a script:

1. While creating a goal, scroll down to Initial Scripts. These will be the first messages agents will send in initial workflows.
    
2. You'll see two default scripts:
   • Scripts for starting a new conversation: The script agents will use to message contacts they haven’t messaged in the group.
   • For picking up an existing conversation: The script agents will use to message contacts they have messaged before.
     
     Initial scripts automatically includes p.s. you can reply stop to opt out at the end of the pre-filled initial scripts to let the contact know how to opt out of messages. You can always edit this portion of the message to fit your goal!
     
     For more information about opt out language in scripts, see Should I include opt out language in my scripts?
     
     Note: Hustle automatically selects whether an Agent uses a new or existing contact script; Assignment strategies determine which agents will send the scripts
      
3. Click Edit to open the Script Editor to make changes to scripts:
    
   •  
     • Scripts can be in any language.
     • You can add emojis.
     • If enabled by an Account admin, images (jpegs, png, gifs) can be added to scripts. (5 mb max) For more information on enabling MMS, see Account-Level Administration.
     • You can also add variables into the script which will include Hustle default fields like contact name, agent name, Link, etc. as well as any Custom Fields.
       
       Note: Due to file size restrictions, which vary by carrier, we recommend sending files no larger than 600KB. Supported file types include .jpeg, .png, and .gif.

4. When done editing the script click Save.

   Note: For script changes to be saved, the Goal form also needs to be saved.

5. You can also edit the Response Scripts, which will include messages available to agents when responding to contacts. When agents select Lead Actions (Yes, No, VAN Survey Goal Survey Responses, etc.), these response scripts will automatically populate for agents to send or edit as necessary.
6. To add more scripts for your agents, scroll to the bottom of the goal creation form. You can click Write New Script to provide your agents with more pre-written messages and title them so your agents can find them quickly. 
   • Note: These scripts will only be available for this goal.
7. You can also add scripts that you’ve saved for the whole organization by clicking Add Saved Scripts to any of the scripts (Initial, Response or Additional).

Note: Saved Scripts do not support goal specific variables like Link, Phone number to call, Event Start Time, etc.

For information on how to make your scripts effective, see Best practices. For instructions on how to create scripts on the web and mobile app, see How do I create response scripts on my web or mobile app?

How do I test a script?

You can send test texts to yourself from the script editor to see what they look like before you launch your goal. In the script editor, on the right side, click Preview > Send me a test:

Within a minute or so the text should come through to your phone.

Note: When you test texts from the admin panel you will receive a text from a number that won’t match your groups location. Rest assured, the area codes that reach your contacts are based on the location set for the group.

• The delivery of the message depends on your carrier and your script. The more you follow the script analysis suggestions, the better off you’ll be.
• The name of the admin that is creating the goal will replace <Agent Name> in the preview text. When the goal is live, the agents preferred name will replace <Agent Name>.
• Some fields like <Phone number to call> won’t populate in the preview message.
• The preview for a link, also called link previews, will only appear when the link is at the end of the script.
  

How do I use saved scripts?

Admins can use saved scripts from a Script Library. These scripts can then be used across all Goals. For more information on saving scripts, see How do I use the script library?

What is a message segment?

SMS messages have a 7 segment limit. When you send SMS, they are broken up into smaller sections called segments in order to be sent through the carrier network before they are reassembled on your contact's device. To see how many segments your script uses, you can use this Message Segment Calculator. The number of characters each segment is allowed to contain depends entirely on the type of characters included in the script. 

Standard 160-character segments

Many commonly used characters are written in a very simple and efficient "language" called GSM-7 encoding. We'll call these characters "standard" characters. This includes characters like:

• Many latin alphabet letters (e.g., A-Z, a-z)
• Most basic punctuation (e.g., periods, commas, question marks)
• Many common symbols (e.g., @, #, $, &)

If your script only contains "standard" characters, then you can include up to 160 characters in a segment. The below shows a script that uses only "standard" characters and is under 160 characters:

However, if a script only contains "standard" characters but is over 160 characters, a each segment's limit is reduced to 154 characters. Carriers use this extra space to reassemble multi-segment messages. The below shows a message that uses only "standard" characters and is over 160 characters:

Non-standard 70-character segments

Many characters are written in a more complex language called UCS-2 encoding. We'll call these "non-standard" characters. This includes characters like: 

• Emojis (e.g., 😂, 👍)
• Characters from non latin scripts (e.g., Japanese, Arabic)
• Accented letters (e.g., é, ü, ñ)
• Certain special symbols (e.g., €, { }, “ ”)

If you even one of these "non-standard" characters in your script, the entire message will be limited to 70 characters per segment. The below shows a message that uses a "non-standard" character (🌟) and is less than 70 characters:

Additionally, if your script has any "non-standard" and is over 70 characters, each segment's limit will reduce to 68 characters because carriers use this extra space to reassemble multi-segment messages. The below shows a message that uses "non-standard" characters and is over 70 characters:

Note about the Segment Estimate in Hustle: The segment estimate at the bottom of the script editor will provide you with a helpful estimate of how many segments your messages are likely to be. It is important to note that this is an estimate because custom fields will populate data of varying lengths and character types, which will affect the final segment count of each individual message. 

Segments and MMS

MMS messages, or messages containing media content, are handled differently than SMS. MMS messages are delivered as one segment regardless of character length but do have file size limits associated with them. For more information about these limits, see How do I text with MMS in Hustle?

Do segments matter for 10DLC?

For the purposes of 10DLC, AT&T has instituted limits on the speed in which they will send segments for individual customers and T-Mobile has instituted daily segment limits. More information can be found here: Why do segments matter for 10DLC?

Note: If you are on a per-segment billing plan and have any questions about your contract or usage, you can reach out to your client success manager for more help! 

Characters Limits

While script length limitations are based on segments, below are the character limits for each script type:

• SMS scripts containing only standard characters have a 1071 character limit.
• SMS scripts containing non Standard characters have a 469 character limit.
• MMS scripts have a 1200 character limit regardless of characters. 

Note: Some characters are actually worth more than one characters, particularly emojis. This is due to character restrictions and you'll see this reflected in the segment and character counter.

How do I add a Contact Card to my script?

Messages including a Contact Card will be sent as MMS. We recommend using Contact Cards with broadcast and consistent groups to build trust and consistency with your audiences. For any contract or billing questions, please reach out to your CSM. If you don't know who your CSM is, please contact support@hustle.com

In organizations with MMS enabled, account and org admins can configure a Contact Card that admins and managers can attach to any script. With carriers increasingly filtering messages that do not include sender identification, this feature helps ensure your messages reach your audience.

Contacts can save the Contact Card directly to their phones, reducing the risk of messages and calls going to the unknown sender folder. Organizations with MMS enabled will have access to the Contact Card feature. For more info on enabling MMS from Account Overview, see How do I enable MMS? 

Account and org admins can configure the Contact Card from Organization Settings -> Contact Card. More info here: What can organization admins do? Enter the Name, Email, and Website you'd like to be included in the Contact Card, then hit Save. 

Once the Contact Card has been configured by an admin, at the bottom of the Script Editor, you can check the box to attach the Contact Card to any script! 

When messages are sent from a group or inbox, recipients will receive a Contact Card attachment that includes all the configured information, so they can save that phone number as your organization and ensure future messages don't go to an Unknown Sender or Spam folder. 

Best Practices

Check out our best practices that will make sure your message is delivered, and increase response rates and conversions at Hustle Best Practices. 

Changing skin tone of emojis in Hustle

You can change the skin tone of your emoji in Hustle to connect you even further with your audience.

1. Fill out the goal form as you normally would.
2. Edit your script and click emoji.
3. Before you add an emoji into the script, click the small yellow circle to the top right side of the message box.
4. Click on one of the available skin tone options.
5. Add the emojis to the script and click Save.

Note: Skin tone will only update the emojis that have a skin tone option. e.g. The regular “smiley face” emoji will remain unchanged, but emojis like “thumbs up” will.