Integrating Twilio with FranConnect empowers you to seamlessly send and receive SMS messages within the FranConnect system, enhancing communication with leads and franchisees. This feature streamlines your outreach efforts, ensuring timely and effective interactions. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to configure the Twilio integration and demonstrate how to use it to manage SMS communications directly from FranConnect. Whether you’re notifying leads about opportunities or keeping franchisees updated, this integration is designed to boost your efficiency and engagement.
Topics
- Configuring Twilio Integration
- Adding a Phone Number to a User
- Sending the Opt-In SMS Message
- Sending and Receiving SMS Messages
Configuring Twilio Integration
Note: Using the Twilio integration in FranConnect requires you to have a separate Twilio account. For any questions you may have about how to use Twilio, please contact Twilio support.
To configure Twilio integration in FranConnect, first log into your FranConnect environment. At the top of the page, click the gear icon to access the Admin page.
On the following page, click Sales on the left-hand column.
Scroll down to the "Integrations" subsection and click Configure SMS.
On the Configure SMS Settings tab, click Yes next to the "Do you want to enable SMS" question. Then insert your Account SID and Auth Token from Twilio.
Note: The SID and Auth Token must be obtained from your Twilio account. FranConnect does not have access to this information by default.
Click Save once you have confirmed that the Account SID and Auth Token are correct. You will automatically be directed to the following page:
You will immediately see that a "Master Account" user has been created. By default, the "Master Account" user will be activated, but we still need to give it a phone number to use. Let's cover how to add a phone number to a user.
Adding a Phone Number to a User
To add a phone number to a user, navigate to the Configure SMS Accounts tab. Click the gear icon corresponding to the user to which you wish to add a number and select Get Numbers from the drop-down menu.
The following screen will pop up:
If you already have numbers from Twilio, they will be displayed here. If you need to buy numbers from Twilio, you can do so by clicking the Purchase Number button at the top of the screen.
Note: Any phone numbers purchased here will be charged to your payment method on your Twilio account.
If you already have phone numbers, you can select the number(s) you wish to map to the user from this screen. When you have confirmed that you are adding the correct numbers, click Import at the bottom of the pop-up.
Sending the Opt-In SMS Message
In order for a lead to receive SMS messages from your FranConnect system, they have to opt in. This requires sending an opt-in message. To do so, log into your FranConnect environment. Click Sales on the left-hand sidebar and then select Lead Management from the drop-down menu.
On the next page, click the name of the lead to which you wish to send the opt-in message.
On the lead profile page, hover your cursor over the More-Actions menu. Select Send SMS Opt-In Request from the drop-down menu.
Click Continue once you have confirmed that information on the pop-up is correct.
You will be taken to the following page:
From here, you can modify the message to be sent and upload any images you wish to include. Once you have confirmed that the message you are sending is correct, click Send at the bottom of the page. The following confirmation window will pop up:
Click Send to finish sending the message. Once the lead opts in, you will be able to send them text messages directly from FranConnect.
Sending and Receiving SMS Messages
Note: Each user in your system can only send up to 500 SMS messages per day. If you try to send an SMS to more recipients than the messages you have left in the day, only the first recipients will get the text. Additionally, any SMS message sent from a user without a phone number configured will be sent from the Master Account by default.
To send an SMS message to a lead, first log into your FranConnect environment. Click Sales on the left-hand sidebar and select Lead Management from the drop-down menu.
Check the checkbox next to the name of the lead(s) you wish to text. Hover your cursor over the Actions menu and select Send SMS on the drop-down menu.
The following window will pop up letting you know how many recipients will actually receive the SMS message. For those who won't receive the message, this popup will tell you why.
Click Continue once you have confirmed that the information on this popup is accurate. You will be taken to the following page:
From here, you can modify the message to be sent and upload any images you wish to include. Once you have confirmed that the message you are sending is correct, click Send at the bottom of the page. The following confirmation window will pop up:
Click Send to send the message. If the recipient of the message replies, you can see it in the "SMS History" section of the lead's profile page.
You can text them back through the same process we detailed in this section.
Conclusion
Integrating Twilio with FranConnect enhances communication by allowing you to send and receive SMS messages directly within the system. This guide covered the steps to configure the integration, add phone numbers, and manage SMS communications. With this setup, you can streamline outreach, ensure timely interactions, and improve engagement with both leads and franchisees, making communication more efficient and effective.