SMS processes

SMS processes enable your customers to request or stop a service by sending an SMS with a predefined keyword. For example, your customers can send an SMS with the keyword Help to request help or Stop to unsubscribe from promotional SMS.

Prerequisites

To use SMS processes, you need one or more inbound numbers. Inbound numbers are telephone numbers or short codes that forward incoming messages to a target system. To set up an inbound number at a telephone provider and configure it for your clients, contact customer support.

You can choose from up to three types of inbound numbers depending on the country you are in:

  • Long code. A customary mobile number, for example +4915112348765.
  • Exclusive short codes. A short sequence of numbers, for example 11221 .
  • Non-exclusive short code. A short code that you can use for several clients (shared code). The telephone provider assigns several provider keywords to a short code, for example 11221 / kids and 11221 / baby. Depending on the provider keyword, SMS are delivered to different Optimizely Campaign clients.

    For non-exclusive short codes, senders must enter in the SMS both the provider keyword and the service keyword , such as baby stop.

  • For further information about the different code types, see the chapter SMS under Sender identification.

    • Depending on the type of inbound number selected, the costs for setup and operation by the telephone provider vary.

    In some countries you have to purchase inbound numbers yourself. If you are a resident of the USA, you can obtain inbound numbers from the website https://usshortcodes.com/.

    SMS process overview

    To open the SMS process overview, open the Optimizely Campaign menu and select Administration > SMS Processes.

    Bild: SMS-Prozesse-Übersicht

    In the SMS process overview, you can find information about all created SMS processes, such as process type, name and mailing ID. You can also view the current status of each SMS process:

    • New. A new process that has not yet been started.
    • Started. The process has been started and is running.

      If you edit a started process and click Save and Close, your changes are immediately applied to the running process.

    • Paused. The process was paused and is not running.

    SMS process actions

    Some actions are not available for new or incomplete SMS processes.

    • Create…. Create new SMS processes. See Creating SMS processes.
    • Edit…. Edit an SMS process as described under Creating SMS processes.
    • Delete. Delete an SMS process to permanently remove it.
    • Start. Start an SMS process. The process changes its status to Started and is running. Inbound SMS from your customers can then be covered by the SMS process.
    • Pause. Pause an SMS process. Your customers' inbound SMS messages are then no longer covered by the process. You can restart paused SMS processes at any time.

    Creating SMS processes

    1. Click Create… in the SMS process overview. The Create SMS Process window opens.

      Bild: Fenster SMS-Prozesse

    2. Select one of the following process types from the Type drop-down list:
      • Unsubscribe. The sender is added to the internal unsubscribe list for the SMS channel and no longer receives advertising SMS.
      • Help. The sender receives the message that you select under Message.

      You can only create one unsubscribe and one help SMS process for each inbound number / provider keyword. This is to ensure a distinct assignment for every SMS process.

    3. Enter an internal name for the SMS process under Name.
    4. Select an inbound number from the Inbound Number / Provider Keyword drop-down list. If you use a non-exclusive inbound number, the keyword assigned by the provider will also be displayed (such as 11221 / Shoes).
    5. Optional: Under Custom Keywords, enter a keyword that is to be added to the predefined default keywords. Click the Add button to add the new keyword.

      Custom keywords must not contain numbers, special characters or spaces.

    6. Under Message, select the message to be sent automatically to the sender of the inbound SMS. To do this, create a transaction mail of type SMS. See Transactional Mails.

      The sending of a message is mandatory for SMS processes of type Help, optional for processes of type Unsubscribe.

      Depending on the country of the recipient, sending a confirmation SMS after successful unsubscription is either mandatory, optional or even prohibited. Before starting an unsubscribe process, inform yourself about the respective country regulations and separate SMS processes according to the destination country.

    7. Click Save and Close.