Conversation priority

Conversation priority sits at the heart of how SMS programs handle competing attention across customers, campaigns, and service requests.

It shapes the sequence in which interactions are surfaced internally so teams can make sure their limited time aligns with commercial goals, compliance needs, and brand experience standards.

What Is Conversation Priority?

Conversation priority is a rule-based way of deciding which SMS conversations should be handled first within a defined messaging flow.

It assigns a relative level of importance to individual message threads so a business can organize how interactions are ordered and attended to.

A conversation priority is typically attached to a specific contact or thread rather than to a single message, so the entire exchange follows the same importance level.

It functions as an internal label that ranks conversations in relation to one another according to preset criteria.

Conversation priorities create a structured hierarchy across many active threads so messages can be sorted, surfaced, and routed in a consistent, predictable manner.

How Conversation Priority Works in Business Texting

Conversation priority determines how active text threads are ordered and surfaced as messages arrive.

When multiple customers text in at once, higher-priority conversations rise to the top of shared inboxes so agents see and address those threads before others.

A platform may apply different priority levels to conversations linked to specific customer segments, ongoing deals, or time-sensitive interactions.

In day-to-day operations, this affects which replies appear first when teams open their texting workspace and which threads are routed to available staff.

Conversation priorities can influence how automated replies are queued, with certain conversations skipping ahead of routine follow-ups.

They also interact with campaigns and drip campaigns by controlling how responses to mass messages are fed back into live conversations and handled within overall message flows.

Why Conversation Priority Matters for Marketing Teams

Marketing teams feel the impact of conversation priority most clearly when inbound volume surges and every reply cannot happen at once.

In those moments, it quietly shapes which customer experiences stay personal and timely, and which ones are allowed to wait.

By steering attention toward the most commercially or contextually important threads, it supports strategies that rely on fast follow-up, whether that is nurturing high-intent leads or protecting long-term relationships.

Over time, this creates a more predictable rhythm for SMS engagement, where key audiences consistently receive faster, more relevant responses than low-value or low-signal traffic.

It also gives teams operational flexibility, because they can experiment with new campaigns without losing focus on conversations that matter most to revenue or retention.

As SMS programs scale, conversation priorities act like a backbone for collaboration, helping marketing, sales, and service stay aligned on which customer dialogues deserve immediate focus.

FAQs About Conversation Priority

How do I set priority for different conversations?

Conversation priority is set by defining clear criteria such as urgency, customer value, and impact on ongoing work. You then assign each conversation a level like high, medium, or low based on those criteria. Make sure your team follows the same rules consistently so priorities stay predictable and fair.

What factors determine which texts appear at the top?

Conversation priority places texts with the most recent and frequent interactions at the top. Platforms typically rank threads where users actively reply, react, or spend more time reading. Algorithms also consider relevance to ongoing topics to make sure the most contextually important exchanges appear first.

Can I customize which conversations are marked as important?

Yes, you can customize which conversations are marked as important within Conversation priority settings. Most systems let you manually mark or unmark specific threads so the most relevant messages stay highlighted. Check that your filters and rules align with your priorities to make sure important conversations are consistently recognized.

Why do some conversations get highlighted over others in texting?

Some conversations get highlighted because texting apps prioritize frequent contacts, recent activity, or starred threads. This helps surface messages that are more relevant to your ongoing communication needs. Algorithms may also consider read status, group size, or pinned chats to make sure important conversations stay visible.