Overview
Customer.io sends SMS (text) and MMS (PNG, JPEG, and GIF image) messages through Twilio. Before you can send messages to your mobile audience, you’ll need to set up a Twilio account.
Creating a Twilio Account
Step 1: Create a Twilio Account by using the following link: https://www.twilio.com/try-twilio
Step 2: The following are the requirements for the creation of a Twilio account:
You can’t use your phone number to send SMS; you must purchase a number from Twilio.
The customer pays for the Twilio account, not Lunchbox.
An Account SID and Auth Token are required.
Additional information from Customer.io on Twilio is at this link.
Integrating Customer.io and Twilio Accounts
Step 1: The Account SID and Auth Token fields are critical when setting up Twilio on Customer.io.
Step 2: In Customer.io, navigate to Dashboard > Twilio.
Step 3: A window opens, allowing you to input the Account SID and Auth Token information. Once the information is properly input, the Validate Credentials button will be selected. At this point, the account will be integrated with Twilio, and setup is complete.
Adding Funds to a Twilio Account
Step 1: On the main Twilio dashboard page, if funds are needed to activate/reactivate your account, select the Add Funds link.
Step 2: The Manage Billing > Billing Overview page appears where you can select the Add Funds link to update your information.
NOTE: The integration between Customer.io and Twilio will recognize when there is a need to use the Recharge Your Account link due to a lack of funds; this is done through error messages.
Step 3: On the Add Funds screen, information can be input into the following fields:
Payment Amount: The amount of money is input into this field.
Select a Payment Amount: The dropdown allows you to select the desired method of payment; you can also select the Add a new payment method link to add additional methods.
When complete, select the Add to my balance button to complete the process.
Twilio SMS Text Setup
Broadcasts
The Broadcasts page contains features including one-time emails, promotions, newsletters, or updates; they are essential one-time messages that are sent to large groups of people at once or they can be segmented.
Step 1: Navigate to the Broadcasts link.
Step 2: The Broadcasts page will be displayed, which shows a list of all Newsletters and API Triggered Broadcasts. To develop a new broadcast, select the Create Broadcast button.
Step 3: On the Create Broadcast page, you can enter the following information to fulfill the needs for the Recipients process flow:
Name - Input the name of the Broadcast that you are creating.
Choose a Broadcast Type - There are two types for you to use:
Newsletter - Allows for a single message to be (e.g., Product Updates, Terms-Of-Service, Policy Changes, One-Time Promotions, etc.) communicated to customers.
Messages Triggered via API - (NOT USED WITH SMS TWILIO MESSAGES) Allows messages to be sent to groups of people (e.g., Event Reminders, Topic-Specific Alerts, etc.).
NOTE: The Newsletters type is the only option to use because the Messages Triggered via API type doesn’t function properly with Twilio SMS messaging.
Tags - This dropdown allows you to choose an existing tag or create a tag for the new broadcast.
Once the information on this page has been provided, select the Create Broadcast button to continue and complete the Recipients portion of the process flow.
Step 4: The next step, which determines the Content, there are two options available for the section labeled Who should receive this newsletter?:
Segment - The recipients in a created segment (data-drive or manual) would receive the information.
Everyone - All recipients in the subscriber list would receive the information.
Step 5: After picking one of the options, the Sending Options section has the following options that need to be set up:
Send to unsubscribed people?: Leave the toggle set to No, which allows messages to be sent to unsubscribed people.
Count toward message limit?: Leave the toggle set to No, which indicates that there is no set message limit.
Send rate: Select the Limit send rate radio button. After selecting the radio button, the following options appear:
Send a maximum of: Input 190 into the field.
…messages per: Select minute from the dropdown.
NOTE: It is very important to select Limit send rate in the Send rate section, because it avoids having errors presented, as some carriers have limits that the Send as fast as possible option will cause to occur.
Select the Save & Next button, which is located in the upper-right portion of the screen.
Step 6: In the next screen, the SMS option is chosen from the Channel section of the Message window, and the Broadcast name appears in the field below the selected item. Select the Broadcast name (i.e., "Test" in the screenshot) to begin building the content.
Step 7: The Content page will open, displaying relevant Sample Data, Attributes, and the Content editor. Within the editor, you can input information that will be previewed on the cell phone display to the right. In the upper-right corner, you can select the Send test… button, which will have a Test results window pop up in order to have a sample SMS sent to you.
The following information is important to note:
Along with text-based information, URLs are possible on the SMS feature (but it does not provide link previews).
While URLs don’t support the use of HTTP, they must have www to hyperlink properly.
There is no set limit on the number of characters that can be used in the SMS content editor.
All phone numbers in a database would be best utilized by uploading a CSV file to Twilio SMS.
Changing a Phone Number in Twilio
Step 1: Phone numbers can be changed in the Twilio Dashboard by navigating to Phone Numbers > Manage > Active Numbers.
NOTE: A default number is provided initially, but you can pay to have a specific localized phone number be provided instead.
Limitations
Currently, we are only utilizing domestic (U.S.) phone numbers; going forward, dealing with international numbers (e.g., Canada) may be difficult.
Best Practices
Using Brand Names in Text Messaging: Always include the Brand’s Name for Text Messages.
An example would be to list the Brand Name, followed by a colon before the SMS content is provided to aid brand identification.
SMS Replies: Lunchbox recommends now allowing replies in SMS messaging because doing so may incur additional charges for the account.
For a customer to opt-out of a text, the only exception is the replying of STOP, QUIT, (i.e., “opt-out keywords” can be defined in Twilio – use this link) to unsubscribe from the SMS marketing.
There is a way to validate phone numbers – use this link – before sending an SMS to your entire customer list.
Automatic Opt-In: When a guest signs up with Lunchbox, sharing Phone Number and Email Address credentials is part of the agreement, which automatically opts guests into the SMS Marketing feature.
Ensure Guests have an Account: If you send an SMS, create a segment where the Total Orders Placed is set to Greater Than One.