Messages
Send an SMS or email to one customer, now or later.
A message goes to one customer, by SMS or email. To reach many customers with the same message, send a broadcast instead.
Before you start
SMS need SMS on your account; buy SMS first. Email is free.
Send a message
- In Engagement → Messages, select New message.
- Choose who it's To, and Send by SMS or email.
- Choose who it's From. For SMS, that's one of your sender IDs. For email, also add a subject.
- Write your message.
- Choose Now, or Later with a day and time, up to a year ahead.
- Send.
Track a message
Each message shows its status:
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Scheduled | Waiting for the time you chose. |
| Sending | On its way to the network. |
| Sent | The network accepted it. |
| Delivered | It reached the customer's phone. |
| Failed | It couldn't be sent or delivered. |
| Canceled | You canceled it before it went. |
To cancel a scheduled message, open it and select Cancel message. To send any other message again, now, select Resend.
How SMS are counted
One SMS holds 160 characters. A longer text is split into parts of 153 characters, and each part uses one SMS.
A text with a character outside the standard SMS alphabet, such as an emoji or ē, holds 70 characters, or 67
per part. A few standard characters, such as €, [ and ], count as two.
A text can be up to 6 parts. As you write, the message box shows how many parts it takes and how many SMS you have left.
SMS are only used when the network takes your message. If a message never leaves, its SMS are returned.
Analytics
Engagement → Analytics shows how many messages you sent, how many were delivered, and why any failed.