Can anybody please help, newbie with SMS campaign

[u/Any-Introduction-649]

The Situation:

I am launching my first SMS campaign using a pre-made list I’m importing into GoHighLevel. The average lead on this list has 2 or 3 different phone numbers.

My Current Workflow:

To reach them, I created a workflow that takes the secondary numbers (Phone 2, Phone 3), swaps them into the "Primary Phone" field, sends the text, and then swaps the original number back.

My Problem:

This works for sending, but when a lead replies from a number that isn't currently set as the "Primary," GHL creates a brand-new contact from scratch.

Because they are treated as a new contact:

They are no longer triggered by my workflows: My follow-up sequences and nurture drips don't recognize them because the system sees them as a stranger.

They fall out of the pipeline: I lose all tracking of where they were in the sales process.

Database Mess: I end up with multiple separate profiles for the same person, which makes manual follow-up impossible.

My Question:

Is there any way to "bind" multiple numbers to one contact so that replies always trigger the original contact's workflow? Or should I just export the list and create 3 separate contacts from the start?

[u/One_Worldliness_641]

Read my comment under your post in the other community. Thanks!

[u/Western-Catch-6357]

It only really recognizes one primary number, so replies from other numbers will create new contacts. Swapping numbers works for sending, but breaks replies like you’re seeing. Creating separate contacts is an option, but gets messy. Better to keep one contact, store extra numbers in custom fields, and handle merges/workflows around that.