In order to send your mailing via SMS, you must first create a new mailing. Once the new mailing has been created, select ‘Text Message’ from the product type selection screen.
You will then need to give the mailing a name and description, before configuring the message to be sent out to the recipients. This can be done one of two ways:
- To send generic text messages with personalised fields you will need to type the standard message you wish to send into the message field. To add personalisation to this, you will then need to add in custom tags for the parts you wish to personalise.
For example, <<First Name>> or <<appointment date>> into the message you have typed. For the custom tags to work, the tag is required to match the column headers on the database which will be uploaded during the address upload stage.
- To send bespoke messages to each recipient, you need to add an additional column to your address list that will be uploaded at the address upload stage. For each recipient on the address list, you will need to type the message you would like to send in a new column headed ‘Message’ so that it matches the text in the merge tag <<Message>>.
You will simply need to type the message you wish to send against each recipient on the spreadsheet. When mapping the addresses, ‘Message’ will need to be mapped to ‘add custom field‘ when prompted to do so.
You will simply need to type the message you wish to send against each recipient on the spreadsheet. When mapping the addresses, ‘Message’ will need to be mapped to ‘add custom field‘ when prompted to do so.
Note: SMS messages are limited to 918 characters.
If you use more than 160 characters additional text messages are used (a part).
A message can be made up of 6 parts and there will be a charge for each part. Each part has 160 characters for a combined total of 960 characters. However if a message is longer than 160 characters then 7 characters are used by the carrier to combine the messages so at most you will be able to use 918 characters (153 x 6).
SMS messages can be sent at either 8am on the next working day, scheduled to send up to 28 days after the mailing is created, or you can even set a specific send date and time for your SMS messages to be sent out (allowing for them to be sent almost instantly).
You will now need to upload your database containing the telephone numbers of your recipients. These can be added by either manually entering them or uploading the address file in Excel or CSV format.
By choosing the ‘Upload addresses’ method, you will be taken to a screen to select and upload the address file you wish to use.
Once the file has been uploaded, you will need to assign the fields to their corresponding counterparts. Any additional fields that you have chosen to add that do not show as a mapping option will need to be mapped as ‘add custom field’. If a specific send date and time is required, you will need to add a field to the database ‘SMS Send Date’, which when uploaded to Docmail, will need to be mapped to ‘SMS Send Date’ when prompted to do so.
The format for this is 25/07/2024 08:00.
When the telephone numbers are uploaded, they are validated to ensure they are a registered UK number – you will be notified of any that are identified as incorrect.
At the final stage of the process, you can view a proof of how the text message will look when delivered. To view this click ‘view proof’.