SMS stands for Short Message Service — the technology behind text messages sent to mobile phones.
Once you’ve set up an SMS provider in the plugin, you can text people in your address list directly. You can sign up with either Twilio or TextMagic; with Twilio, replies come back into the plugin so you can hold a conversation rather than just broadcast.
Who you can send to
- Individuals — a form to send an SMS sits in each person’s section of their household
- Targeted groups — using the filter in Church Admin > Communications > Send SMS
Sending SMS is a premium feature. Twilio and TextMagic charge separately for the messages themselves.
Tutorials
- SMS settings — setting up your provider
- Send SMS
- e.164 phone number format — worth reading first if messages aren’t arriving
- Twilio incoming numbers — for handling replies
- Using your Twilio number as a church phone number