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Sawyer SMS (powered by Twilio)

Sawyer SMS (powered by Twilio) allows providers to send time-sensitive text messages to families. This guide covers what’s included in the beta, pricing, and the step-by-step setup required to start texting from Sawyer.

Shaney Thrasher avatar
Written by Shaney Thrasher
Updated this week

📝 Overview

Sawyer SMS (powered by Twilio) gives providers a way to send operational, non-marketing text messages to families directly from the software. Text messaging is ideal for important updates that families need to see quickly, such as schedule changes, reminders, or weather-related notices.

Sawyer connects to Twilio, a third-party messaging provider, which handles message delivery, compliance, and carrier requirements.

⚠️ Sawyer SMS is currently in an early-stage beta. Functionality is limited and may change as the feature evolves.

This feature is a first step toward improving provider-to-family communication and includes specific limitations outlined below.

✔️ What’s Included in Sawyer SMS Beta

Click here to view what is included in Sawyer SMS Beta

✅ Included in the Sawyer SMS Beta

  • Send text messages from rosters, scheduled activities, and custom reports in Sawyer

  • SMS (text-only) messaging for operational, time-sensitive communication

  • Twilio-powered message delivery

  • Required A2P compliance and carrier registration

  • Customer-controlled SMS opt-in and opt-out

  • Usage-based messaging costs managed through Twilio

  • Sawyer SMS integration fee waived during beta

Click here to view what is not included in Sawyer SMS Beta

❌ Not Included in the Sawyer SMS Beta

  • MMS messaging (images, videos, or attachments)

  • Marketing or promotional text messages

  • Two-way conversational texting within Sawyer

  • Viewing SMS conversations, replies, or billing inside Sawyer

  • Providers editing or restoring customer SMS opt-in status

  • Guaranteed per-message costs

💲 Pricing & Fees

Sawyer does not charge an SMS integration fee during the beta period.
However, Twilio fees apply and are billed directly by Twilio.

⚠️ Sawyer does not manage SMS billing or invoices.

Click here to view a more in-depth breakdown on Twilio's Pricing

One-Time Twilio Fees

  • A2P brand registration ~$4*

  • A2P campaign registration ~$15

Recurring (Monthly) Twilio Fees

  • A2P campaign recurring ~$1.50*

  • Phone number lease ~$1.15

Usage-Based Messaging Costs

  • Message usage ~$0.008 per sent or received message**

Sawyer Fees (Beta)

  • SMS integration cost — waived during beta!

* If Low Volume Standard is selected. If Standard is selected instead, brand registration and campaign recurring fees will be higher.
** This is a per-segment cost — messages longer than 1 segment or containing special characters may be multiple segments.

🧠 Example Monthly Costs

These are illustrative estimates based on different class and message volumes:

  • Low SMS usage

    • 5 classes × 10 students × $0.008 ≈ $12/month

  • Medium SMS usage

    • 10 classes × 25 students × $0.008 ≈ $60/month

  • High SMS usage

⚠️ Customers replying to your SMS (e.g., opt-outs or replies) also count as received messages and can incur charges.

🔑 Before You Begin

⚠️ Before starting setup, make sure you have the following:

  • Admin or owner access to your Sawyer account

  • Time to complete all required Twilio setup steps

⛔️ SMS will not work until all setup steps are completed.

1️⃣ Step One: Enable SMS in Sawyer

SMS must be enabled in Sawyer before connecting Twilio.

Click here to learn how to enable SMS in Sawyer as a subscription add-on

  1. To start your SMS subscription go to your Sawyer Account and click the Subscription tab.

    1. In order to enable your SMS integration subscription, you must have a current active Sawyer subscription with a payment method on file.

    2. You’ll see your current subscription details displayed.

    3. To add the SMS subscription, click Add SMS Plan.

    4. As a beta tester, you’ll enjoy waived Sawyer SMS integration fees.

  2. Review SMS integration information

    • This displays how to set up SMS and the necessary steps to complete the setup in Twilio. (Note: these 5 steps are outlined in detail in our Twilio Onboarding Guide)

    • You should complete these steps to ensure message deliverability and account billing needed to successfully send SMS messages.

    • Once the steps are completed, click Next.

  3. SMS integration review

    • This modal displays the cost of the SMS integration add-on.

    • SMS integrations will be charged to the default payment method connected to your current Sawyer For Business subscription. (Fees are currently waived for beta users).

    • The SMS integration subscription is a monthly add-on and will be charged separately from your current Sawyer For Business subscription.

    • Click Confirm to complete your subscription.

This section covers the core Twilio setup required to send SMS. While this may seem like a lot of steps at first, we recommend completing this section in one sitting. This will prevent delays to your registration approval.

2️⃣ Step Two: Creating Your Twilio Account

Click here to start creating your Twilio account

  1. Get started by going to https://www.twilio.com/try-twilio

  2. Enter in the required information to create an account.

  3. Click on the link in the email to Verify Your Email. An email will be sent with a code. Once you receive the code. Enter it in the code box and select verify.

  4. You’ll then be prompted to verify your phone number. Be sure to enter in a mobile phone number that can accept text messages for Two-Factor Authentication. Click Send Verification Code.

  5. You’ll receive a code to the phone number you provided. Enter the code on the following screen to finalize your account verification by selecting Verify.

  6. Save the Recovery code. Now select Continue.

  7. Then select Continue with trial.

3️⃣ Step Three: Upgrading Your Account

Click here to learn how to upgrade your account

  1. Select the Upgrade button at the top of your screen within the Green Trial box. You will need to upgrade to a paid account to officially get started with your integration. Your initial trial may also include Twilio promotional credits that will be added to your account.

  2. Complete the next four sections and fill out all required fields.

    1. Create customer profile

    2. Main address

    3. Starting balance

      • Fund your Twilio account

        • Requires a $20 minimum

        • Select Yes, enable auto recharge if you’d like to maintain your balance on Twilio and you plan on using SMS messages often. You can always change this later.

        • Keep in mind, if your Twilio account runs out of funds, Sawyer will not be able to send messages to your customers.

    4. Payment details

  3. After you've entered and confirmed Payment details. Select Confirm XX Payment.

4️⃣ Step Four: Buying a Twilio Phone Number

Click here to learn how to buy a Twilio phone number

  1. On the left hand navigation toolbar, select # Phone Numbers, Manage, then Buy a number.

  2. You can search for a number that you would like to use by using the available search options on the page.

    • Use your area code to search if you’d like a regional/local number.

    • Ensure that the number selected has SMS capabilities. It will have a text icon under the SMS column.

    • Utilize advanced search to find only toll free numbers.

    • Prices for phone numbers vary depending on type ($1.15 - $2.15 / month).

  3. Click Buy for the number you’d like to use. Review the purchase details and agree to the terms.

5️⃣ Step Five: Setting Up a Messaging Service

Click here to learn how to set up a messaging service

  1. In the left hand navigation menu under the Develop tab, select Messaging, then select Services.

  2. Click Create Messaging Service on the right side of the screen.

  3. Enter in a name for Messaging Service Friendly Name. For example "Sawyer Messaging".

    Then in the drop down menu for What do you want to use this messaging service for? Make sure the value is set to Notify My Users.

    Now select Create Messaging Service.

  4. Click Add Senders and a dialog box will open.

    For Sender Type, choose Phone Number and the click Continue.

  5. Select the Twilio phone number you purchased by clicking the checkbox on the left hand side next to the number. Once finished click the blue button Set Up Integration button.

  6. You’ll see the Setup Integration page.

    1. Under Incoming Messages: Select the option for Send a webhook

    2. Under Delivery Status Callback:

    3. Scroll down to select Step 4: Add Compliance Info

  7. We will complete compliance information in the next section. For now, select Complete Messaging Service Setup in the lower right of the screen.

    A dialog box will appear and you can close out of it.

This section covers required compliance steps. Learn more about the requirements of A2P here. This is a recent requirement for messaging platforms and a critical step in ensuring message deliverability and protecting customers from spam.

6️⃣ Step Six: Enable Advanced Opt Out

Click here to enable advanced opt out

  1. In the left hand navigation pan under the Develop tab, select Messages then Services.

  2. Click on the Name of the Messaging Service you created.

  3. This will take you to the Properties Screen for your selected Messaging Service. Click on Opt-Out Management (found at the bottom of the left-hand side menu).

  4. Click on the blue CTA Enable Advanced Opt Out in the top right corner of the screen.

    The page will reload and the word Enabled will appear next to the page title.

7️⃣ Step Seven: Registering for A2P

Click here to learn how to register for A2P

A2P registration does require one-time brand and campaign registration as well as monthly recurring campaign fees based on your business type and set up. To learn more about pricing for Twilio and associated fees, click here.

  1. Using the left navigation menu under the Develop tab, select Messaging, then select Regulatory Compliance, then A2P 10DLC Overview

  2. Click the blue Register for A2P Button to open the Get Started screen.

  3. Select your business type by clicking the Register button below your selection:

    1. If you are classified as a sole proprietor for tax purposes, you may select Sole Proprietor.

    2. If you have an EIN or Business Registration ID, you should select Low Volume Standard or Standard.

    3. How to determine low volume or standard volume will depend on your expected volume of messages sent per day.

  4. Complete the necessary information in the proceeding steps to register your business (and brand) for A2P.

    1. Determine Profile Needs

    2. US EIN (Tax ID) (or fill out fields for Sole Proprietor depending on your business type selection when registering)

    3. Business Details

    4. Business Address

    5. Contact Information

  5. Review and Submit: Review the information you’ve provided and then click Complete Registration.

8️⃣ Step Eight: Registering your Brand

Click here to learn how to register your brand

💡 Brand registration may take up to 7 days to process. We recommend that you check regularly as it may take less time for your account. Once your brand is registered, you’ll be able to set up your campaign registration.

  1. Using the left navigation menu under the Develop tab, select Messaging, then select Regulatory Compliance, then select Campaigns.

  2. Click on Register a Campaign

  3. Complete the information on the Create New A2P Campaign page as follows (*anything written in red text should be replaced with your business details):

    1. Available A2P Campaign Use Cases: Select your option from the drop-down menu. This should match what you selected earlier. For example, Low Volume Mixed.

    2. Messaging Service: Click the circle next to Select Existing Messaging Service and choose the messaging service that you created in Twilio.

    3. Campaign Description.

    "SMS Messages are sent by [Provider Name] to existing customers who are opted in. Customers can opt-in during the signup process on the Sawyer platform embedded on our website. The campaign is intended to give updates and reminders to students for their upcoming classes in person or online to ensure they arrive at the location and time for which they are registered. Customer information is securely managed through the Sawyer platform, and PII is not shared with third parties."

    Sample Messages

    Adjust/customize the highlighted part to outline an example that you might use the SMS messages in Sawyer for such as class reminders, communication about a class, or important details about a theme or program.

    • Sample Message 1: "[Parents don’t forget that tomorrow is Theme Day at Play & Paint and little ones will need to wear their smocks.] Reply ‘’STOP’' to opt out."

    • Sample Message 2: "[We’re cancelling today’s class due to the inclement weather. We’ll be in touch to reschedule at a later date.] Reply ‘’STOP’' to opt out."

    Message Contents

    Select the appropriate checkboxes for message content based on the use case for what the SMS message(s) is intended for.

    • Messages will include embedded links.

    • Messages will include phone numbers.

    End-User Consent Information.

    If using Sawyer’s SMS integration, please reference the following information on how users (i.e. customers) will be able to opt in and out of SMS messages. You can copy and paste the below - remember to customize the sections in red.

    • [Provider Name] uses a platform/solution called Sawyer (www.hisawyer.com/for-business) for its eCommerce and account management capabilities. Sawyer is a secure platform and customer information/PII is not shared with any 3rd parties. Customers/end users create their accounts on this platform, and during the signup process, they have the ability to opt in to receiving messages. My website embeds the Sawyer Platform and can be accessed on one of the location pages (e.g. [Add in a specific website url with Sawyer widget or registration link for customers]). From there, the customer can click “More Info” then “Register” to sign up for an account. The links to the platform’s Terms of Use (https://www.hisawyer.com/terms) and Privacy Policy (https://www.hisawyer.com/privacy) are accepted when the end user is signing up. This signup page can also be accessed at this URL: https://www.hisawyer.com/[provider widget slug]/auth/sign-up.

      Additionally, end users can opt in by going to www.hisawyer.com and providing their phone number in their “My Account” section of the website (Image: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lsaaty7CUA73ghkcI4j9D4PzAgj8rGsN/view?usp=drive_link). They will then be able to manage their Opt In/Out through the notification preferences section (Image: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vz-yOG1rr2jAmSzR-j3t6wpmTBXfv8Us/view?usp=drive_link). If end users message “stop” to any message, they will be opted out of receiving messages but can re-opt in (by sending one of Twilio’s opt in keywords) Twilio’s advanced Opt in settings. If end users opt out of SMS messages through the website, they can re-enable through the same messaging notification preferences section by re-checking the checkbox for SMS permissions. The end user/customer may be contacted via SMS only if opted-in.

    • Opt-in Keywords: If Advanced Opt Out (Step 4 of A2P Compliance) was selected when the Messaging Service was created, then you can use the following values for Opt-in Keywords

      • “Start”

      • “Yes”

      • “Unstop"

    • Opt-in Message: If Advanced Opt Out was selected when the Messaging Service was created, then you can use the following values for Opt-in Message

      • “You have successfully been re-subscribed to messages from this number. Reply HELP for help. Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Msg&Data rates may apply.”

    • Once you have entered information for the campaign, click Create.

    • Confirm that you accept the charge and steps for the campaign vetting.

  4. After confirming the campaign registration, you will be able to see a summary of the information entered. The status of the page will show “A2P Campaign registration in progress…” and that the Campaign Status is In progress.

  5. While the campaign is being vetted, you will be able to register the phone numbers associated with the campaign. Click on the Register Phone Numbers link on the left side toolbar.

  6. Select the phone number(s) you will be using and click Register.

  7. Once you’ve clicked Register, you will see a confirmation dialog box. You can select close.

9️⃣ Step Nine: A2P Registration Status

Click here to learn how to check A2P Registration Status

  1. Chose the button below to go to the Check Compliance Status

    Check Compliance Status

  2. Select the Generate a new report button.

  3. The report gets emailed to you. In the Registration Type column, it will provided the following statuses:

    • UNREGISTERED: This number has not been associated with a verified campaign. Register the 10DLC number by adding it to a Messaging Service associated with a verified A2P campaign. Note that for numbers added to a Messaging Service, the MessagingServiceSid value will not display in the report until the MS has been associated with a Campaign and that Campaign has been successfully A2P-registered. Additionally, please note that Sole Proprietor campaigns can only have one registered 10DLC. Additional 10DLC numbers in that Messaging Service will be in the “Unregistered” status.

    • PENDING_REGISTRATION: Twilio has received your request to register this number, but has not completed the necessary configurations with ecosystem partners. There’s no further action required from you. Please note that it is normal for number registration to take several days depending on the amount of number registration requests we receive. You may check back at this report later to see if your number has been successfully registered.

    • REGISTERED: Your number is registered and ready to be used to send messages to the US

    • PENDING_DEREGISTRATION: Twilio has received your request to de-register this number, but has not completed the necessary configurations with ecosystem partners. If you’ve recently tried to move a number from one Campaign to another, you may see your number status changing in the sequence of Registered - Pending De-registration - Unregistered - Registered. There is no further action required from you. Please note that it is normal for number deregistration to take several days depending on the amount of number registration requests we receive. You may check back at this report later to see if your number has been successfully registered.

    • FAILURE: An unexpected error has occurred on your number. Reach out to Twilio support after logging into console at https://www.twilio.com/console/support/tickets/create

🔟 Step Ten: Complete SMS Integration

Click here to begin SMS Integration Set-Up

  1. Once you’ve added your SMS subscription, go to Settings in your Sawyer for Business Portal.

  2. Select the Integrations tab. Then scroll down to the Twilio/SMS Integration section.

  3. In a separate browser window or tab, open up the Twilio console. Scroll down until you see Account Info on the dashboard.

  4. Copy the values for the Account SID, Auth Token, and Twilio Phone Number from the Twilio dashboard and enter the values on the Settings page in Sawyer.

    Twilio view

    Sawyer view

  5. Once you've copied filled out the fields in Sawyer, select Save.

💬 Sending SMS messages through Sawyer

Sending SMS messages through Sawyer

You can send SMS messages to your customers from the same area of the product as you do when sending email messages in Sawyer.

These include:

  • Rosters (Messaging)

  • Schedules (Semester/Camp pages) > [Scheduled Activity] > “...” > Message Participants

  • Activity Summary > Message Attendees

  • (Legacy/Scale only): Custom Reports > [Report Name] > Message

  1. On the Compose Message modal, select Text Message (SMS) as the Message Type

  2. Select Message Preferences to dynamically update the Recipient list.

  3. Select the recipients you wish to message.

    1. Recipient phone number displays if available.

    2. Recipients cannot be selected if they have opted out of SMS messages.

  4. Enter message

    • Messages are limited to 125 characters. If plain text is used, this will be sent as 1 message.

    • Emojis and special characters.

      • If emojis or characters other than alphanumeric/standard punctuation (specifically non-ASCII) are used, the message will be sent as up to 4 messages depending on the number of characters used. (e.g. if you send a message with 125 emojis, this will be sent as 4 messages)

      • Emoji’s can be entered using the browser or operating system’s native keyboard.

      • Example: On your mobile phone, change the keyboard to the emoji keyboard. (which typically looks like a smiley face)

  5. Sending the message

    • Ensure that at least one Recipient is selected and a message is not empty.

    • Click Send to send the message.

✅ Customer Opt-in/out

Customer opt-in/out

  1. Customers can control their SMS opt-in/out settings directly in Sawyer.

    • From Account Settings > Notification Preferences (or click this Direct link)

      • The customer has the ability to opt out of all SMS messages from Sawyer.

      • The customer has the ability to opt out of SMS messages from specific providers where their child is registered.

      • Please note: If the customer opted out of SMS via text, they will not be able to opt back in by checking the box next to the provider name in Sawyer. They will need to text “Start” to the provider’s SMS enabled phone number to re-enable SMS messages.

  2. Customers can also opt-in/out via text

    • Replying “Stop” to a messaging to Sawyer will opt you out of receiving messages from a specific provider.

    • If the customer opted out and would like to re-enable SMS messages, they can message “Start” to the provider’s SMS enabled phone number.

🚦Viewing a customer's SMS opt-in/out status

Viewing a customer’s SMS opt-in/out status

  1. To view a customer’s SMS opt-in status, go to Contacts, Client List, then [Contact/Parent Profile] and open a specific customer’s profile.

  2. The section for Notification Preferences will indicate if the parent has opted out of SMS. This field cannot be edited by the provider.

  3. Compose message modal - Customers who have opted out of receiving SMS messages will not be selectable when sending SMS messages via the Roster or from Custom Reports.

Note: The Twilio Advanced Opt Out settings are important for Sawyer to correctly display the opt out status of the customer’s phone number.

If the opt out setting is not properly configured in Twilio, Sawyer will still attempt to send the message but it will fail (which could still result in messaging rates to your Twilio account).

📥 View The Message Inbox

Click here to learn how to view the Message Inbox

  1. Go to Monitor, Logs, Errors, then Messaging (or click this Direct link)

  2. The list of messages sent or received is displayed.

    • Date (and time)

      • Timestamp for the message.

      • Clicking on the timestamp will open up message details (including the full message)

    • From number

      • Sent Messages - Your (provider) Twilio phone number

      • Received Messages - Customer/parent phone number

    • To number

      • Sent Messages - Customer/parent phone number

      • Received Messages - Your (provider) Twilio phone number

    • Body

      • Hovering over this icon will show you a truncated preview of the message. To see the full message, click on the timestamp in the date column.

    • Number of segments

      • What is a segment? A segment is the number of actual messages that Twilio is sending (and what you are charged for). A segment has a character limit of ~125 characters of plain text or ~70 characters if emoji/non-standard (specifically non-ASCII).

        • Example: 1 segment (125 characters “plain” text) - This is a message from The Art Studio. Unfortunately, we have to cancel today's class due to the instructor being unavailable

        • Example: 2 segment (117 characters with Emojis) - 👋 This is a message from The Art Studio 🎨 We have to cancel today's class due to the instructor being unavailable 😞

    • Status

      • Status of the message.

      • Successful: Delivered, Received

      • Unsuccessful: Undelivered (Reason can be seen if you hover over the “i” icon)

    • Message details

✍️ Replying to SMS Messages

Click here to learn how to reply to SMS messages

Please note: At this time, you will not have the ability to reply directly to customers in Twilio or Sawyer. Customers do have the ability to reply to messages sent via text. You will be able to view any message replies sent from customers directly in your Twilio inbox.

  • In the event that a customer has a question or replies back to an SMS message, we recommend that you follow up directly with the customer via email or by phone call.

  • As we expand our options, we hope to provide additional functionality for viewing and replying to messages in Sawyer.

💰Viewing your Twilio Bill

Click here to learn how to view your Twilio Bill

  1. Go to Billing then Overview in the upper right corner (or follow this link).

  2. To see usage for a given time period, click on View all product usage.

  4. Select the month you’d like to see in the dropdown.

  5. Expand views and options on your Usage Summary by using the ▼ option.

  6. To see your recurring billing items (like the cost for your active Twilio phone number), click here.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Find answers to common questions or additional details that may not be covered in the main instructions.

Click the arrow to view frequently asked questions

Why didn’t my message send?

Common reasons include:

  • A2P registration is incomplete

  • A required Twilio step was missed

  • The customer has opted out

  • Twilio credentials were entered incorrectly

Can customers reply to messages?

Customers can reply using standard SMS keywords (STOP or START).
Two-way conversational texting is not supported in Sawyer.

Can I send images or videos?

No. Sawyer SMS supports text messages only.

What should I send text messages for?

Text messaging is ideal for important updates that families need to see quickly, such as schedule changes, reminders, or weather-related notices. They are not for marketing purposes.

Related Articles
Introduction to SMS: Twilio Integration
SMS Getting Started Guide
Twilio Onboarding Guide (Part 2)
Managing Your Account in Twilio
Start Texting in Sawyer
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