The SMS channel of the Notification action sends a plain text message to a phone number stored on the task. Unlike WhatsApp through Fonnte, it needs no third-party key: the message is sent for you. It’s available for On Task Created, On Task Assigned and On Task Finished.
Required permission:
- View automation
- Create automation
SMS is offered only to accounts with the official sender. Other accounts see WhatsApp (Fonnte) only.
Set it up
- On Workflow › Automation, click New.
- Enter a Name, choose an Event (On Task Created, On Task Assigned or On Task Finished) and the Task Type.
- Automation Type: Notification.
- Notification Channel: SMS.
- Receiver Phone Number: required. The task type’s Phone Number field that holds the recipient’s number. The task’s value for that field is where the SMS goes; if it’s empty on a task, nothing is sent for that task.
- Message: required. The text of the SMS, prefilled with the default message.
Click Submit.
The SMS is only delivered to a Phone Number field on the first page of the task type. If you pick another kind of field, or a phone field on a later page, nothing is sent. Move the field to the first page if needed.
Placeholders
Anywhere you write a {{ }} placeholder, it’s replaced with the real value from the task when the SMS is sent:
Example:
- A placeholder that can’t be filled in (a misspelled name or an empty field) becomes empty text. The message is still sent, and recipients never see a raw
{{ }}.
- Placeholder names are not checked when you save, so proofread them.
Message length
The message that is actually sent is cut off at 160 characters, after the placeholders are filled in. Placeholders often grow much longer than their names: a tracking link alone is about 50 characters. Keep your own text to about 100 characters so the whole message, including a tracking link at the end, reaches the recipient.
Cost
Each SMS uses your organization’s Credits balance, the same balance used by WhatsApp, email and OTP messages. The credits per message depend on the destination country. Credit is only used when the SMS provider accepts the message; a failed send costs nothing.
Your own SMS gateway. If your organization has connected its own SMS gateway on SMS Gateway, automation SMS messages go through it and use no credit. Nothing changes in the automation. If the gateway is turned off or removed, messages go back through the default provider and use credit again.
Not enough credit. The balance is checked when the automation runs, not when you save it. You can always save an SMS automation, even with no credit. When it runs without enough credit, nothing is sent and nothing is charged, and the log records it. The same happens if the balance can’t be checked at that moment. Top up and the next task sends normally.
Questions
Why isn’t my field in Receiver Phone Number, or why isn’t the SMS sent? Use a Phone Number field on the first page of the task type.
Do I need an API key? No. Connecting your own SMS gateway is optional and only changes who pays.
What if I mistype a placeholder? It’s sent as empty text; the rest of the message is delivered.
How much does one SMS cost? It depends on the destination country, and nothing when you use your own gateway. 
