How To Send An SMS To A Customer

How To Send An SMS To A Customer

There are two ways to send SMS via AutoPlayAuto.com.  You can send SMS to your prospective customers from the Lead or Appraisals screens.  

1.  Sending an SMS Via A Smartphone  (via Appraisals Only) 
If you are using AutoPlayAuto.com on a mobile device you will be able to send an SMS directly from your device, however the message will not be displayed within AutoPlay, nor will any customer replies be able to be captured.


2.  Sending an SMS To Leads Via SMS Gateway 
If you have signed up for the SMS Gateway service, and you have the Send Lead SMS role enabled then you will be able to send AutoPlayAuto.com whatever device you are on - whether you are on a smartphone or desktop computer.

To send an SMS click on the 'Communications' icon and select the 'New SMS Message' option.





This will load the 'Send SMS' pop up window.  Here you can type in you SMS message to the customer.  You will notice as you type the character count on the SMS increases.  Each SMS message can be up to 160 characters.  You are able to exceed the character count but please be aware this will result in additional charges through the SMS Gateway.

You can also add a URL to link your customer to a web page by entering a URL, then clicking the green 'INSERT' button.  Once inserted the URL is converted to a short-url, added to the 'Message' field and will count against your character count - see screenshot below.




Once you have created your message you can click on 'SAVE' and 'CLOSE' to save a draft without sending the SMS.  It is possible to load pre-canned responses via the Standard Text button on your SMS Message.



Note if the customer has previously opted out directly from their SMS the customer will not be able to be sent an SMS until their customer record is updated.  You can read more about SMS Opt Outs HERE.

You can delete the SMS if it has  yet to be sent by clicking on the rubbish bin icon.  To send the SMS click on the 'SEND' button.  To find out more about setting up SMS Standard Text please check out our article HERE.
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With the SMS Gateway it is also possible to automatically capture the customers SMS replies.  Click HERE to find out how to capture customer SMS replies. 

Check out the Support Video here


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