Twilio
This isn't the right guide if you want to set up a bot through Twilio SMS, you can find the details here.
Twillio is a telecoms app that allows you to make and receive calls, as well as send and receive SMS. Twilio allows software developers to programmatically make and receive phone calls and send and receive text messages using its web service APIs.
The Flow XO triggers that you can start a flow on are:
- Started Call
- Completed Call
- New SMS
You can add the following tasks as part of a flow:
- Make a Call
- Send an SMS
Connecting Your Account
You'll need to retrieve some details from your Twilio account to paste into Flow XO:
Just a note on some of the inputs available when configuring the 'Send an SMS' task:
To: The number that I'd like to send this SMS message to. Note the helper text which defines the format this number must be presented in - you must give a number in international format with a + and the relevant country code.
Body: Here you give the main text of your message. Note that you can use plain text, an output from the right, or a combination of both. If your message is over 160 characters in length, or you're not sure how long it will be since it's an output, you should think carefully about the 'Segment Message' option you select below.
Media URL: You can give a URL in the format https://example.com to optionally send a .gif, .jpeg or .png file to a limit of 5mb in size.
Segment Message: As above, if the body of your message is greater than 160 characters in length, you may want to segment the text and send multiple messages to ensure all the information is sent. The maximum number of segments is 10 separate messages, accommodating 1600 characters in total in the body.
From Number: You can select a number here in the drop down from the numbers available in your Twilio account.
FAQ
Can I use Twilio 'Voice Broadcast' features through Flow XO?
There is some extra configuration required outside Flow XO to get this to work - you should contact your Twilio account manager if you'd like to do this.
Why are some of my outputs empty?
You should choose the ‘Call Completed’ trigger to ensure that all the outputs from the trigger are populated – for instance, the 'Call Started' trigger won’t provide the call duration, as at the time of the trigger it isn't known.
Any question on using this service we haven't answered? Contact us!
Known Issues
There are issues making calls with this integration. Other aspects of the integration are working correctly. Please contact support as there are workarounds available.
MMS with Twilio is currently only supported in the US and Canada (with somecarrier exceptions). As long as your Twilio number is a US or Canada number and the device sending messages is also in the US or Canada, then there should be no issue with sending MMS messages.
Let us know how we can improve Flow XO on our feedback site.