SMS Messaging

Cloudflow can send text messages to customers, technicians and service contacts as part of an automation, for example to confirm an appointment or send a scheduling link. Messages are delivered through Twilio.

Getting started

SMS is off for every organization until it is enabled for you. Contact Cloudflow support to turn it on and to review your limits. Until then, the Send SMS action cannot send messages.

Text messages are currently supported for US and Canadian phone numbers only. Numbers can be entered with or without the country code.

Sending a text from an automation

1. Open Automations and create or edit an automation on a service-based trigger.
2. Add a Send SMS action.
3. Choose who receives it: the customer, the technician, or service contacts with the roles you select.
4. Write the message. Use Insert Variable to add merge fields.
5. Optionally filter by parent customer, then publish and enable the automation.

Texts sent from automations are recorded in the service's activity.

Merge fields

Merge fields are replaced with details from the service when the message is sent. Common ones include:

• Customer: {{customer.name}}, {{customer.phone}}
• Service: {{service.address}}, {{service.startDate}}, {{service.startTime}}, {{service.status}}, {{service.serviceType}}
• Technician: {{technician.name}}, {{technician.phone}}
• Scheduling link: {{schedulingUrl}} for the customer scheduling portal (not available when the recipient is the primary assigned technician)

Open Insert Variable in the editor for the full list available for your trigger.

Message length and cost

Texts are billed in segments. The editor shows the segment count, character count and an estimated cost per recipient as you type.

• A plain message fits 160 characters per segment. Emoji and many non-English characters switch the message to a format that fits only 70 characters per segment.
• Automation messages can use up to 3 segments. You cannot save a longer message.
• Merge fields change the final length, so leave some room.

Usage limits

Each organization has guardrails that Cloudflow support sets, covering messages per month, per day and per minute, an estimated monthly spend, and a cap on how many texts one phone number can receive per hour and per day. When a limit is reached, sending pauses and the message is not sent. The limits exist to prevent runaway sends from a mistaken automation.

Duplicate protection

Cloudflow is designed never to send the same text twice. If it cannot confirm whether a message was handed to the carrier, for example because of an interruption, it stops and does not retry automatically. That message is not resent until it has been checked. If a customer says they did not receive a text, contact support rather than re-running the automation.

Tips

• Keep messages short and identify your company.
• Test with your own number before enabling an automation for all customers.
• Delivery status comes from the carrier, so a sent message is not a guarantee it was read.