Various processes are defined associated with customer-initiated text messages to a contact center to delineate various sessions between the customer and an agent. The sessions are defined in part using various timers, including a customer response timer that is stopped upon receipt of a customer text and started typically started when the agent response is sent. The session is initiated upon the initial customer text and the expiry of the customer response timer defines the end of a particular session with the customer. Various data structures are created or updated upon the beginning of a session, including tables which may define which sessions a customer previously had and the messages associated with each session. The agent may be able to review prior sessions for a given customer and can review the specific messages of a prior session.