This video shows you how to connect and integrate SMS with your platform, so you can send and receive text messages instantly without switching tools.
Step 1: Within Central, head over to the “Chats” section in the left-hand menu. Then click on “Integrations” > “SMS”
Step 2: Next, you can either purchase a new Toll-Free Phone Number, or use an existing number if you have already purchased one.
❗️We currently don’t allow usage of local numbers for SMS
Buying a new number
- Click on the “Buy a new number” button and select your country
- Click “Search for Numbers” and select your desired phone number
- Click “Purchase Selected Number”, select your payment method, and make the payment
- Click on “Select a number” and select your purchased number. If the number does not load, click the “Refresh” button
Step 3: Now, you can connect your previously created Chat Agent to this SMS line. If you haven’t already created one, you can create it now.
Once you select your desired Chat Agent, click “Connect Integration”
Step 4: Once you’re done setting up your chat agent, click on the “Start Compliance” button.
Step 5: Fill in your business information as shown on the screen. This data will be used to register your new Toll-Free number with Twilio's compliance system.
Step 6: Fill in your messaging use cases.
- Estimated monthly messaging volume
- The estimated monthly volume on the toll-free phone number referenced in the submission. Choose the closest value and if it increases, use the value of where you expect to be in 6 months.
- Opt-in type
- This refers to the process of getting end-user permission to send them text messages. This can be a verbal agreement, through an online or physical form, via text, or a QR code.
- Opt-in policy image URLs
- These are URLs of images or forms that showcase what your clients see or hear when they are providing their phone number and how you’re getting their consent. can be images of what they see on their phone, a physical form, or the URL of an online form. Anything that tells the story of the opt-in.The more detail about the opt in process, the better.
The information should be clear and publicly accessible. Don’t include links with opt-ins behind username/password logins, links to secured google drives, or other non-public accessible websites.
- VERBAL, must include the sample verbal consent collection and examples in a document.
- WEB_FORM, provide the link to the direct opt-in page or you can include a screenshot of the website opt-in page. Note that only the phone number opt-in page should be included. An opt-in for an email address is not acceptable for SMS toll-free verification opt in.
- PAPER_FORM, provide the form. Can be a scanned copy.
- VIA_TEXT, must describe the keyword campaign in a document. What is the keyword? Where does the consumer/subscriber find the keyword? Screenshots/pictures/urls are best.
- MOBILE_QR_CODE, include a document with the QR Code.
- These are URLs of images or forms that showcase what your clients see or hear when they are providing their phone number and how you’re getting their consent. can be images of what they see on their phone, a physical form, or the URL of an online form. Anything that tells the story of the opt-in.The more detail about the opt in process, the better.
- Use case categories
- Select the use case that you believe best fits your customer’s traffic pattern. This should be the use case that best fits the types of messages being sent by this number.
- Use case description
- An explanation on how messaging is used on this toll-free phone number by the business or organization.
- Message content
- This refers to the production level sample message(s) that your business will be sending to the end-user.
- Additional information
- Optionally, you can provide any additional information that may help your application.
For more information on what data should be included, click here.
Step 7: Confirm your details, and then click “Submit”. Your number is now under review, and Twilio’s team will reach out to you via email and SMS to keep you updated. It may take 3-5 business days for your number to get approved.
Once your number is approved, your SMS Chat agent is ready to go live! Test it out by messaging your number to see how the bot works.
You can come back to the same page to make any necessary changes.
