Navigate to: Admin > Client Communication > Message Overview
What You Need to Know
Shepherd's text messaging uses a credit-based system for all outbound messages, including direct messages, appointment notifications, and mass text messages.
Credits are sold in bundles of 5,000 for $99 and do not expire.
1 credit is 160 characters. A single text message in Shepherd may use several credits. Learn more about credit usage below.
Auto-renew is enabled by default. When your balance falls below the configured threshold, the system automatically purchases an additional bundle. You can disable auto-renew at any time.
All practices receive 1,000 free starter credits, once the feature has been enabled.
Purchase Message Credits
You can purchase message credits directly from the dashboard at any time.
You can manage credits in two ways:
You will set a Low Balance Threshold to alert when your credit balance drops below a set number. The default threshold is 350 credits, and this value can be adjusted at any time by entering a new value in the Low Balance Threshold field and clicking Save.
Auto-Renew: The system automatically charges your account and replenishes credits when your balance runs low. If auto-renew is not enabled and credits run out, scheduled texts will fail to send.
Manual management: Set a low-balance notification threshold and replenish credits manually.
Activity Log
The Activity Log provides a transparent record of important changes and system events related to message credits. The log helps administrators understand when settings were updated or when system actions occurred, including changes to the low balance threshold and auto-renew status.
Message Credit Balance
The Message Credit Balance at the top of the dashboard shows at a glance how many credits have been used, how many are scheduled, and how many remain available.
Note: Messages that fail to send do not subtract from your message credit balance.
Scheduled messages appear in your balance calculations, but credits are not deducted until the message is actually sent.
Message Usage
You can see a quick snapshot of messaging volume, including Total SMS Usage and Total MMS Usage.
The graph provides a visual summary of messaging activity across key categories:
Appointment Notifications
SMS Texting
Mass Messaging
Payment Link Messages
Automatic Messages
MMS Usage
The graph defaults to the past 30 days of activity. The date range can be adjusted using the dropdown.
Payment Link Messages
Shepherd Pay Text-to-Pay links appear in the Message Overview for visibility but do not subtract from your available message credit balance.
Message Credit Purchase History
The Messaging Purchase History section displays the six most recent SMS credit purchases made by your clinic, with the following details:
Date Purchased — When credits were purchased (MM/DD/YYYY)
Clinic Name — The clinic associated with the purchase (visible for multi-site clinics only)
User — The user who purchased the credits; displays Auto for automatic purchases
Previous Balance — The credit balance at the time of purchase
Credits Purchased — Number of credits added
View Entire Purchase History
To review all SMS credit purchases, select View Entire History below the purchase history table. This opens a dedicated page with standard pagination (20 results per page).
Understanding Credit Usage
Credit basics
1 credit = up to 160 characters (standard GSM characters)
Messages using emojis or special characters switch to UCS-2 encoding, which allows only 70 characters per credit
Text messages in Shepherd may use more than one credit
Direct text messages allow up to 320 characters (2 credits)
Appointment notifications allow up to 500 characters with an additional 100 character signature option (up to 4 credits)
MMS (picture messages) count as 1 character toward credit usage
What counts toward credit usage
Direct SMS and MMS messages sent from the Message Center
Automatic appointment notifications
Mass messages sent from the Message Center
What does not count toward credit usage
Inbound messages
Failed messages
Shepherd Text to Pay
Unsent scheduled messages
What is GSM vs UCS-2?
The number of characters available per credit depends on the character encoding used in your message.
GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications): The standard text format. Supports 160 characters per credit using standard letters, numbers, and basic punctuation.
UCS-2 (Universal Character Set – 2 byte): If your message includes emojis, accented letters, or text copied from Word or a website, it may switch to UCS-2 encoding — which reduces the character limit to 70 per credit and can result in 2–3 credits being used instead of one.
Type | Characters per credit | When it applies |
GSM | 160 | Standard letters, numbers, and basic punctuation |
UCS-2 | 70 | Emojis, accented letters, or special formatting |
These characters — ^ { } [ ] ~ \ — are allowed in GSM but count as two characters each, so they reduce your available space faster than expected.
Messages in Shepherd may use up to 320 characters (2 credits). MMS (picture messages) count as 1 character toward credit usage.
Photo Messaging Guidelines (MMS)
Supported Media: Images and videos
Compression: Large files may be compressed automatically
Best Practice: Keep files optimized and under 500 KB when possible
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I run out of SMS credits?
If your credits run out and auto-renew is not enabled, scheduled texts will fail to send. Inbound messages are not affected and will continue to be received.
Why is my message using more credits than expected?
The most common reasons are emojis, accented characters, or text pasted from Word or a website. These trigger UCS-2 encoding, which reduces the character limit from 160 to 70 per credit.
Who can purchase message credits?
Only users with appropriate administrative permissions can purchase message credits, adjust low-balance thresholds, or manage auto-renew settings.
What happens to scheduled messages if I run out of credits?
Scheduled messages do not reserve credits ahead of time. Credits are deducted only when the message is sent. If insufficient credits are available when the scheduled send time arrives, the message will fail to send.
Can I see who purchased message credits?
Yes. The Message Purchase History displays the user who completed each purchase. Automatic purchases appear as "Auto."
Do message credits expire?
No. Purchased message credits remain available until used.