Text Messaging

Owned by Emily Latham
Last updated: Jan 30, 2023 by Benjamin Hacker
3 min read

Table of Contents

Overview

The Blast Email system includes an SMS or Text Messaging option. SMS stands for Short Messaging System. Text Messages are best used for alerts and reminders. Text Messaging through the Blast Email system uses the standard 160 character limitations as used when texting between smart devices. Texting may be done without sending Email or Plain Text messages ;by simply leaving the corresponding fields empty.

Required Permissions

  • Admin

Setting up Text Messaging

The ability for End Users to receive Text Messages must first be enabled. Navigate to the Directory, select the Settings tab and select Enable Text Message Input. Please do not make changes to any other settings without first discussing with your Client Website Specialist. 

End users must then enter his/her cell phone number in his/her profile to receive Text Message by going to My Profile and selecting Edit Text Messaging Address. An Edit Text Messaging Address interface opens. End Users then select the appropriate Mobile provider then enter the 10 digit mobile phone number and select Save. A verification text is then sent to the phone. End users enter the confirmation code in the field and select Confirm. A help option is available to End Users, too.

Sending Text Messages

Text Messages are sent using the same Compose Email interface as Blast Emails.  Please review here.

  1. Navigate to Compose Email.

  2. Select Recipients.

  3. Enter the Subject.
    Please note: Subject will not be sent with the Text Message, however, the system requires the Subject line to be filled.

  4. Select the Text Message tab, and enter the 140 characters or less message to send.

  5. Select Preview.

  6. Select Send Now.  
    Please note: Test Sending is not available for SMS.

Trouble Shooting

Why did the member not receive the text message?

  1. Is the member's profile confirmed to receive messages?

  2. Is the phone able to receive text messages?

  3. Did sender email account receive error notification? SPF From record must be configured or updated by Dev.

    1. Sample text from text error notification: Please ensure your published SPF records include the IP Address of any sending servers for your domain. Additionally, your server host name may not match up with the domain from which your server is originating mail. Make sure the from address has a vaild SPF record that covers your servers. You can view the proper SPF record syntax here:http://www.openspf.org/SPF_Record_Syntax.

Create a Dynamic Group to determine which members have enabled SMS and which ones have not

When clubs are looking to utilize the text messaging fields, they may be wondering which of their members have enabled the services and which ones have not. In order to get a group created of members who have set up the SMS services, we can accomplish this through a dynamic group. There will be two factors that play into members who have enabled the text messaging services.

Group - Members Enabled SMS

  1. Restrict the group to only members. Use the field Member/Staff. This can be done by either including "members" or by excluding "staff".

  2. To find out if they have enabled the SMS services or not, filter all members who have an SMS Number who's length is >0 and to include them.
    Please note: Since we offer the option to select "other..." as a carrier, we cannot filter this specific group by SMS carrier - that would be more for all users who have Verizon etc.

This setup here is finding all users who have an SMS Number who's length is greater than 0 and removing any staff members from that listing.

Group - Members That Have NOT Enabled SMS

To set up a group to find out which members have not enabled SMS messaging yet, this can be done in a very similar fashion. The only difference will be the SMS Number field. Rather than being >0, we will want to filter all members who's SMS Number's length is <10 (10 because of the 7 digit phone number + area code) and exclude them. Since members who have an SMS Number length of 10 will presumably have SMS set up, those with 10 will want to be excluded.

Best Practices

FAQs