How to send out text message updates for a sales order
Overview
Adding a contact attribute (SMSUPDATE) will allow customers (contacts) to receive text messages at the following stages of a Sales Order's life cycle:
- Items are sent to production (S2P button on the sales order)
- Items are produced (PWO is complete)
- Shipping Event has a status of "Shipped"
- Shipping Event is marked as "Delivered"
Setup
1) Fill out the text message address for contacts
The first step is to fill out the contact's 'Email 2' with their phone number in the format of an email address. Please note all carriers have different formats for sending text messages through email, so you'll need to determine the customer's cell phone provider as well. As of January 2017, here is the format for four major carriers:
AT&T: 10digitphonenumber@txt.att.net (XXXXXXXXXX@txt.att.net)
Verizon: 10digitphonenumber@vtext.com (XXXXXXXXXX@vtext.com)
Sprint: 10digitphonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com (XXXXXXXXXX@messaging.sprintpcs.com)
T-Mobile: 10digitphonenumber@tmomail.net (XXXXXXXXXX@tmomail.net)
2) Assign the contact attribute
Next, attach the contact attribute SMSUPDATE to any contact wanting to receive text updates. If this contact attribute doesn't exist on your system, please contact us for help.
3) Create templates for your text messagesSince these text messages are being sent via email, you need to create the following entries in the Email Templates screen in Adjutant:
Template Name
- SMS S2P - sent when the items are sent to production;
- SMS PWOCOMP - sent when the PWO is completed;
- SMS SESHIP - sent when the Shipping Event is shipped;
- SMS SEDEL - sent when the Shipping Event is delivered;
If you need help setting any of this up, please contact us at support@abiscorp.com.
4) Determine a process for opting in and option out of text messagesYou'll need to figure out a way to get the word out to your customers on how to enroll in text message updates. Additionally, you'll need to communicate how they should contact you to opt out of receiving text message updates. If someone doesn't want to receive text messages anymore, remove the SMSUPDATE attribute and the email 2 entry from their contact record.
Process
When the setup is complete, any contact with the SMSUPDATE attribute will receive updates provided that:
- The contact is: 1) linked to the organization on the sales order; 2) associated with a valid text message address; and 3) updated to contain the SMSUPDATE attribute.
- The 'SMS Update' checkbox is selected on the sales order. (This will be selected automatically if a contact with the SMSUPDATE attribute is selected.):
You can verify sent text messages by running the Email Log Report in Adjutant.
TWILIO Integration
Twilio (3rd party SMS provider) integration is available by establishing the TWILIO integration details in the TWILIO Rule Maintenance record. With Twilio integration, the Contact mobile phone for receiving text message updates is still entered on the Contact record 'Email2' field, but the mobile service provider (i.e. AT&T, T-mobile, etc.) formatting is not required. The contact's phone can be entered as just the phone number (i.e. 555-555-5555 without any additional details.
 TWILIO Rule Maintenance Settings |
Rule Setup – Text Fields
SID: Enter the SID string value provided by Twilio for the account linked to the phone number.
AuthCode: Enter the Authorization Code provided by Twilio for the account linked to the phone number.
PhoneNumber: Enter the 10-digit phone number linked to the Twilio account. This is the sending phone number that customers will see on the text messages.
UseCode: The only valid entry for this field is 'SMSUPDATE'.
Rule Setup – Number Fields
No Number Fields In UseRule Setup – Logic Fields
Active: Check this box to enable the Twilio integration.
FAQ
Question: Is there a way to limit text messages so they only go out to the Contact listed on the sales order?
Answer: Yes. This can be done by activating the SMSONLYONE setup option.
