How to automate sending of texts (not for spam purposes)

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neb

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#300802 5-Oct-2022 16:38

Asking for a friend, this isn't to spam people but an arts thing, and so by extension non-commercial. The plan is to have people sign up to receive 7 SMS over 7 days. The SMS should start on the Monday following their signup, with the process being automated so it can run for ~6 months without needing active involvement.

They've looked into various options, e.g. automating it with Zapier and/or Twilio and have tried to test it via a range of free trials on bulk SMS providers but keep hitting hidden costs and barriers regarding NZ numbers and bulk SMS. For example Burstsms will only allow automation integration if you purchase a NZ number at ~$300, Twilio doesn’t seem to want to send in NZ, Spark eTXT is uninformative about what's possible in it API/CRM and doesn’t seem to integrate with Zapier.

In terms of what's required, the User Journey[*] is:

1. User signs up with online form and selects which series of SMS they would like to receive (there are 3 options)

2. On Monday at 10 am user receives first SMS

3. On Tuesday at 10 am user receives second SMS

4. On Wednesday at 10 am user receives third SMS

5. On Thursday at 10 am user receives fourth SMS

6. On Friday at 10 am user receives fifth SMS

7. On Saturday at 10 am user receives sixth SMS

8. On Sunday at 10 am user receives seventh SMS

[*] I didn't write this stuff.

Linux

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#2977810 5-Oct-2022 16:43

Sorry does not answer your question @neb SMS is not a real time service so thinking the end user is going to get the SMS at the same time each day is a pipe dream and doomed to fail

neb

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#2977815 5-Oct-2022 16:50

Linux:
Sorry does not answer your question @neb SMS is not a real time service so thinking the end user is going to get the SMS at the same time each day is a pipe dream and doomed to fail

It's close enough to real-time that it doesn't make any difference. This is an artist project, not a SCADA real-time control system.

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#2977819 5-Oct-2022 17:02

Would you call possible few hours delay too long?

neb

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#2977821 5-Oct-2022 17:04

Linux: Would you call possible few hours delay too long?

See my previous reply.

dt

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#2977839 5-Oct-2022 18:38

Ive used TNZ in the past and it allows for scheduling of messages from their web portal.

Reach out to them and see if you friend is able to do what they want with their service.

NZ based as well so makes it even easier :)

kinginvercargill

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#2977947 5-Oct-2022 19:40

I've used Twilio in the past to send to an NZ Number with no issues, creating a small python script that sends a sms at an automated time through a cron job.

Personally found it quite simple to do, and if i remember rightly it was cheap

Edit - not sure about the 2 way bit, i know that I have managed to do it one way (to me)

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#2977949 5-Oct-2022 19:50

How many users do you expect to have, and how much are you willing to pay to ensure delivery?

I use the Spark eTxt service quite extensively, and have had very few issues. You can use either email to SMS for a one-way send-and-hope approach, or use their API which will return delivery status, and allow for linking replies to the original message. Their API documentation is all online - https://support.bulletin.net/support/solutions under Bulletin API Documentation.

I've also used Twilio for several years too. Deliverability can be a bit variable for SMS messages originating from outside of NZ, although this has improved over the last few years. Most people receive their messages: almost all my users are on Spark or Vodafone, other networks might present more of a challenge. To do it properly you'd buy a short code, but when I last looked, these cost $5k+. I believe there are options for not-for-profit organisations but haven't investigated that myself.

I haven't tried the other options mentioned. $300 doesn't seem unreasonable if doing this for business purposes. I see you've said it's non-commercial, so perhaps your balance lies on the cheap side rather than the reliable delivery side?

neb

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#2977961 5-Oct-2022 20:29

Thanks for all that. I'm just the go-between so will forward the info and get back with any replies. In terms of cost, I get the feeling that funding is not abundant so definitely the cheap side, it's an arts initiative so not anything being done for-profit.

Edited to add: So the general idea is to automate the process of signing up and getting a notification once a day around morning teatime to get out and walk for a bit, as part of the walking festival (lots of background details elided). If there's another way to do this that gets around the SMS barrier that'd be great.