SMS Template Configuration

SMS templates allow you to send clear and consistent text communications to your clients, and they are required for sending bulk text messages. You can send bulk texts as part of a marketing campaign or to inform clients of account or policy changes, for example. Before you can do so, however, you must complete the required configuration in this area. Failure to complete this configuration can prevent users from sending bulk SMS messages.

Some merge variables are available for use in SMS templates, allowing you to personalize text messages for recipients while retaining uniform messaging. You must enable bulk SMS in System Settings and set up SMS templates in this area before you can send bulk text messages. Only contacts with an SMS-enabled phone number in Contact Detail who have opted in can receive them.

You can create tags to categorize templates so that users can locate the ones they need more easily. If you plan to add tags to a template, you must create the tags first, as you cannot edit an existing template’s tag associations.

In addition to creating SMS templates and tags in this area, you must specify the contact information that clients will receive when they reply HELP to a bulk SMS message. You cannot send bulk text messages of any kind (including invites) until you have entered this information.

For an overview of the steps necessary to set up Integrated Texting for your organization (such as obtaining an Integrated Texting subscription, see Getting Started with Integrated Texting.

1. 1. From the Home screen, do one of the following:
   • Click Configure on the navigation panel.
   • Click the down arrow next to Home on the menubar and select Configure.
   • Click Areas > Configure on the menubar.

From any other area of the program, do one of the following:

1. • Click the down arrow to the right of the Home options bar button and select Configure.
   • Click Home > Configure on the menubar.
2. Click SMS on the navigation panel or Areas > SMS on the menubar.
3. Click Templates on the navigation panel.
4. Click each of the following tabs to configure the options for it.

Templates

Templates are reusable messages that can contain a combination of plain text and merge variables. They determine the message that a contact receives. The templates created here populate in the Send an SMS Message pop-up window when a user sends a conversational SMS message manually or is prompted to send a message as part of an SMS event.

• Add a Template
  1. Click the Add button to the left of the list.
  2. Select the Active or Inactive radio button to set the template’s Status. Inactive templates are not available for selection when users send SMS messages. You might want to keep a new template inactive until you are sure you are finished working on it.
  3. Select a different Language for the template if needed. To use the same template for multiple languages, you must create a version of it in each language. Your Language selection helps you distinguish the templates within this area, but users cannot filter templates by language when selecting one to send a message. If your organization does not use tags to differentiate template languages, including a template’s language in its Name is recommended. See the Add a Tag section in this document for details on using tags to manage languages.
  4. Select a Bulk Use option to specify the type of message for which the template is intended. This selection allows you to view and sort templates by their bulk use when configuring them in this area but not elsewhere in the system; users can select a template with any of the following Bulk Use designations, regardless of the type of message they are sending:
     • General: Templates used for two-way (conversational) SMS messaging
     • Account: Templates used to notify insureds of changes to their accounts
     • Marketing: Templates used to notify insureds of special offers from your organization
     • Weather: Templates used to notify insureds of severe weather
  5. Enter a Name for the template.
  6. Optionally enter a Description to explain the template’s purpose.
  7. Enter the content of the message in the Text Message field. Including your organization’s name (or an abbreviation of it) at the beginning of the template can help recipients identify the message’s sender at a glance.
     
     To add a merge variable, place your cursor at the point in the message where you want to insert it. Then double click the desired variable in the list to the right of the field. You can add multiple merge variables if necessary.
     
     If the message exceeds 160 characters (including punctuation, spaces, returns, and any text that populates based on the merge variables you insert), it is broken up into a series of up to 10 messages. The Text Message field is limited to 1600 characters total.
  8. To add a tag to a message, enter the name of the Tag and press [Enter]. The tag displays below the message field. You can add multiple tags if necessary.
     
     You can only add tags when adding a template, not when editing it, so make sure you have already created the tags you need.
  9. Click Add to save this template and create another one.
     
     Click Finish when you have finished creating templates.
     
     Click Cancel to exit the workflow without creating the template.
• Edit a Template

  Once a template is in use, you can only edit its Language. See the Add an SMS Template section above for detailed instructions.

  1. If necessary, select a Status and/or Bulk Use to filter the list of templates.
  2. Select the template.
  3. Click the Edit button to the left of the list.
  4. Update the fields as necessary. You cannot edit the Tags.
  5. Click Finish to save your changes or Cancel to discard them.
• Activate/Inactivate a Template

  You might want to inactivate a template if you are working on it but are not finished yet, and then activate it once it is complete. You cannot inactivate a template that is in use.

  1.  If necessary, select a Status and/or Bulk Use to filter the list of templates.
  2.  Select the template.
  3.  Click the Edit button to the left of the list.
  4.  Select the Active or Inactive radio button
  5.  Click Finish.

  You can also inactivate a template by selecting it and clicking the Delete button to the left of the list. You are prompted, “Do you wish to inactivate this record?” Click Yes.

Tags

Tags can help you categorize templates so that users can filter for the ones they need. You can assign multiple tags to a template. You must create tags in this area before assigning them to a template.

• Add a Tag
  1. Click the Add button to the left of the SMS Tags list.
  2. Select the tag’s Status. Only Active tags can be applied to templates.
  3. Select a different Language for the tag if applicable. The Language designation helps you distinguish tags within this area, but users cannot filter by language when selecting templates. For this reason, editing a tag to include its language in its Name is recommended if you create tags and templates in multiple languages:
     1. Select a language in the list.
     2. Edit the tag Name for that language.
     3. Repeat these steps for additional languages as necessary.
  4. Click Add to save this tag and create another one.
     
     Click Finish when you have finished creating tags.
     
     Click Cancel to exit the workflow without creating the tag.
• Edit a Tag

  You cannot edit a tag that is in use. See the Add a Tag section above for detailed instructions.

  1. Select the tag in the list.
  2. Click the Edit button to the left of the list.
  3. Optionally update the tag’s Status, Language, and/or Name.
  4. Click Finish to save your changes or Cancel to discard them.
• Activate/Inactivate a Tag

  Only Active tags can be applied to templates. You may want to inactivate a tag if you have questions about its use, and then activate it once you have verified that it is necessary. Once a tag has been used, you cannot inactivate it.

  1. Select the tag in the list.
  2. Do one of the following:
  • Click the Edit button to the left of the list, select the Active or Inactive radio button, and click Finish.
  • Click the Delete button to the left of the list. You are prompted, “Do you wish to inactivate this record?” Click Yes.

Contact Info

When a contact texts HELP in response to a bulk SMS message, they receive an automated reply containing your organization’s phone number and web address so that they can contact you for further assistance. If necessary, you can modify this information.

1. Click the Contact Info tab.
2. The Default radio button is selected for your organization’s Primary country, as defined in Regional Settings Configuration, but you can update this selection if necessary.
3. Enter or update the Phone Number for the Default country. You must enter this information before you can start sending bulk texts.
4. Optionally enter a Website for the Default country.
5. Configure additional countries:
   • Select the Use Default checkbox to send the Default country’s Phone Number and Website in response to help requests from the selected country.
   • Deselect the Use Default checkbox and enter a Phone Number and Website specific to the selected country if your organization uses different contact information there.
6. Click Finish to save your changes, or Cancel to discard them.