Before You Start
Take a moment to identify:
Who needs to be in this conversation (external participants)
Which Spoke number you want to use (Direct Dial Number)
Which internal team members should have access
Understand your options:
With US Direct Dial Number (+1): You can either create groups with multiple US external contacts, OR create a conversation with one non-US external contact (only one external)
With Non-US Direct Dial Number: You can create conversations with only one external contact (any country)
Internal participants: Can always be added, regardless of external participant restrictions.
Once created: External participant list is fixed (for privacy and conversation clarity)
Limits: You can only create 10 max participants on message creation.
The App Guides You: When building a group, the Spoke app automatically greys out contacts that can't be added based on your selections. If a contact is greyed out, you'll see a message explaining why.
Step-by-Step: Creating a New Group
Understanding the Interface:
When you start, you'll see two types of buttons on each contact:
"Direct" button: Opens a 1:1 conversation immediately
"Group" button: Adds the contact to a group you're building
Step 1: Start Building Your Group
Navigate to Messages
You'll see your contact list with "Group" and "Direct" buttons
Click "Group" on your first participant
The interface changes to "Group Mode"
What Happens in Group Mode:
"Group" and "Direct" buttons disappear
Selected contacts show "Remove" button
All other contacts show "Add" button
"Message X participants" button appears at bottom
Step 2: Add External Participants
Choose your external participants.
The app will guide you on which numbers can and can’t be in group messages.
Step 3: Add Internal Participants
Click "Add" on any internal team member
Add as many internal participants as needed
You can always add more internal participants, regardless of external participant restrictions
Step 4: Choose Your Direct Dial Number
Select which business number will be the external-facing number
This determines what restrictions apply (see Article 9)
US numbers (+1) allow multiple US external participants
Non-US numbers allow only single external participant
Step 5: Review and Send
The button shows your participant count: "Message X participants"
First click: Expands to show your participant list
Review who's included
Remove anyone if needed
Click again to begin messaging
Important Notes:
Greyed out contacts can be clicked to show messages explaining why they can't be added
You can remove any participant before sending
Removing all participants returns to the starting view
Direct messages (1:1) work with any eligible contact regardless of restrictions
Best Practices
✓ Verify your external participant list before sending the first message
✓ Choose the right Direct Dial Number for your business context
✓ Add all relevant team members upfront, though you can add more later
✓ Send a clear opening message that introduces the group and its purpose
What Happens Next
All participants receive your message
External participants see all external participants in the group
Any participant can reply, and everyone sees the response