SMS
While you will be using WebEngage to create all your SMS campaigns, the actual delivery of the message to your target audience is facilitated by an SMS Service Provider (SSP) like Twilio, Exotel, Plivo, mGage and so on.
Please Ensure That Your Website & Apps Are Integrated with WebEngage Before Proceeding
(Doing so will enable real-time personalization of messages sent to each user!)
SMS Marketing Concepts
Let’s quickly walk you through a few related concepts:
Transactional SMS
Messages that convey updates or information related to the user's lifecycle like account balance, payment received, account debited/credited, subscription expired/renewed, out for delivery, product dispatched/delivered, unable to deliver, and so on are generally classified as Transactional SMSes. Most users usually expect to receive such messages while performing certain actions on your app/website or offline.
Such texts override all international DND regulations, owing to their urgent nature and are usually sent through the SSP’s Transactional Messaging Pipeline.
Promotional SMS
Messages that are aimed at engaging users with offers, coupons or nudge users to perform a certain action like completing the purchase, continue streaming, try out a new service and so on are generally classified as Promotional SMSes.
Such text campaigns are strictly regulated by a national do not call list in several countries like India, Singapore, UK, Canada, US and are delivered through the SSP's Promotional Messaging Pipeline. Depending on your SSP, you could opt-in for a High-priority Promotional Messaging Pipeline to ensure timely message delivery.
Whitelisting
Depending on the SSP you're using, you may need to whitelist the message body, personalization tokens (User’s Name, Order ID, Purchased Product, Account Number) and links for all your Transactional Messages. Whitelisting ensures that the message is delivered through the SSP's transactional pipeline as soon as possible, even if the user’s number is registered in a national do not call list.
This means that before you start sending Transactional SMSes, you will need to create a standard copy for each use-case and have it registered or whitelisted with your SSP. For example, let’s say that we’re whitelisting the following text:
Transactional SMS Template for Delivery Update
Hey
{{user['system']['first_name']}},Your Order ID,
{{event['custom']['Order Placed']['custom']['Order ID']}}is out for delivery! Track it here: https://dummylink.com/track-order
{{user['system']['first_name']}}personalizes message to each user's registered first name
{{event['custom']['Order Placed']['custom']['Order ID']}}personalizes message to the latest order placed by each user
Then, while whitelisting the message, you will need to request your SSP for a standard code they use to identify the personalization tokens and links. This means that the actual message you whitelist would look something like this (depending on the codes used by your SSP):
Whitelisting Delivery Update SMS with an SSP
Hey
#123#,Your Order ID
#123#is out for delivery! Track it here:@yxz
However, do keep in mind that any major deviation in the text being sent to your users, and the whitelisted text will cause the SMS to be treated as a Promotional Message.
SSP
You can think of SSPs as middle-men that transmit the message from WebEngage to the Mobile Network Operators of your users. We have partnered with several global SSP leaders to help make SMS marketing a seamless process for you.
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SSP Integration
As shown below, you can integrate multiple SSPs with your project by navigating to Data Platform> Integrations > SMS Setup (Configure) > SMS.
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Here, you will find a list of all the SSPs for which we provide ready-to-use integrations. And if you have already added a few SSPs to your project, then you will be able to view the configuration details in the first half of this section. For example, in the visual below, you can see that two Twilio accounts have been integrated.
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SSP Setup
Please select an SSP from the left navigation panel (Channel Configurations > SMS) to continue configuration.
Setting Up SSP for Sending Different Types of SMS Campaigns
Depending on the SSP you’re using, you may need to purchase separate licenses/Sender IDs for sending Transactional and Promotional Messages, respectively. Thus, while creating an SMS campaign, please be mindful of the fact that the SSP selected at Step 3: Message has been set up to send the SMS Type selected at Step 1: Audience. A mismatch between the two may cause your campaign to fail.
Managing Configuration
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As shown above, integrated SSPs are listed under the section, Your SMS Service Provider List. You can choose to Edit or Delete the integration anytime you like by accessing the Actions menu placed on the extreme right.
The Actions menu also indicates the unique Webhook URL you can add to your WSP dashboard to ensure that delivery status notifications (sent, failed, queued, delivered) are tracked under campaign stats in your WebEngage dashboard.
Editing an SSP
You can choose to edit configuration details in cases where incorrect details were entered during configuration, or the SSP updated some details post-integration.
As shown below, select Edit from the Actions menu, make your changes, and click Save.
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Deleting an SSP
Deleting an integration will cease campaign delivery for all Running and Upcoming campaigns where the respective SSP was selected for sending it. In such cases, you will be prompted by the following message.
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Thus, please ensure that no existing campaigns are dependant on the SSP (you intend to delete) for sending SMSes to your users.
As shown below, select Delete from the Actions menu, and click the Delete button in the pop-up to confirm your decision.
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Updated over 3 years ago