SMS Getting Started Guide

* If Low Volume Standard is selected. If Standard is selected, Brand Registration is $44 and Campaign Registration Monthly is $10.

1. If the provider has an EIN or Business Registration ID, they should select Low Volume Standard or Standard.
2. The key difference between the Low Volume Standard and Standard options is the number of messages (or segments) the provider plans on sending per day.  Low Volume Standard slows the rate at which messages are sent, which means that there could be a delay in the customers receiving the message.

** This a high level cost-per-segment/message view. Exact cost per message varies depending on carrier networks. Specific pricing details can be found on Twilio.

Messaging usage/cost calculation breakdown:

Important note: Customers messaging your Twilio number to reply to your messages and/or opt-out of SMS messages will also be charged as a message received. You should factor this into your cost estimate as well.

** This a high level cost-per-segment/message view. Exact cost per message varies depending on carrier networks. Specific pricing details can be found on Twilio.

Supporting articles:

• How does Twilio’s pricing work? 
• What pricing and fees are associated with the A2P service? 
• List of campaign use cases for A2P registration
• SMS pricing by volume

SMS best practices

Sawyer’s SMS integration with Twilio allows you to send SMS texting to facilitate urgent and timely communication between your organization and customers. It is great to keep families informed on important class reminders or notify them of any changes to programs, but it is not intended as a general marketing tool. We do not currently support MMS messages with the Sawyer SMS integration.

Texting has very strict regulations on use governed by the FCC, CTIA, and MMA. Learn more about SMS and ways to use it for your business. 

Here are some quick tips to keep in mind when using the SMS option:

• Keep it short and personal. 
• Consider including links or contact information to help customers get in touch with you directly such as “Contact us at xyz@hi.com” or “More program details available at hisawyer.com/providerlinkactivity” 
• Please do not use text messages for mass marketing as this can put your account at risk for spam when using long-code numbers.
• Avoid marketing phrases like "Congratulations," "Buy now," and "Sale today only."
• Avoid dollar amounts or other symbols that might indicate marketing ($199, Buy now!, 20% off, etc.).
• Do not add “Reply Stop.”
• Minimize the number of messages per day. Too many messages will not only annoy customers but may trigger a carrier to block your sending phone number permanently. 

What types of messages are supported?

• The Sawyer message field accepts up to 125 characters.
  • If plain text is used, this will be sent as 1 message.
  • 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)
    • How to use Emojis on Mac OS
    • How to use Emojis on PC 

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 ~150 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 segments (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 😞

Supporting articles:

• SMS guidelines in the US
• What are SMS and MMS messages and how do they differ?

Customer opt-in/out

1. Customers can control their SMS opt-in/out settings directly in Sawyer.
   • From Account Settings > Notification Preferences (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 message from Sawyer will opt a customer 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

1. To view a customer’s SMS opt-in status, go to Contacts > Client List > Contact Profile and open a specific customer’s profile. 
   • The section for Notification Preferences will indicate if the parent has opted in or out of SMS. This field cannot be edited by the provider.

2. 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. This is outlined as a required step for setting up your Twilio account.
  • 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 costs on your Twilio account).
  • Learn more about sending SMS/Text messages to customers through the Sawyer integration. 

A2P compliance requirements

Keep your customers safe from spam and learn more about the new A2P requirements. This is a new requirement for all businesses and platforms using SMS messaging. 

• Application-to-Person messaging (A2P) is any kind of message traffic in which a person is receiving messages from an application rather than another individual, and which is not expected to receive a reply. A2P messages include, but are not limited to, marketing communications, appointment reminders, chat bots, notifications, and one-time passwords (OTPs) or PIN codes.
• Carriers in the US and Canada have a strict interpretation of A2P and consider all messaging that passes through Twilio — or other messaging application platforms — to be A2P.

If you send messages to the United States using long code numbers you have the following registration options based on your Tax ID status, volume, and use case:

• If you have a Tax ID (EIN) and send under 6,000 message segments per day, you should register for Low Volume Standard Brands.
• If you have a Tax ID (EIN) and send over 6,000 message segments per day, you should register for appropriate campaign types within Standard Brands.
• If you don’t have a Tax ID (EIN), you should register a Sole Proprietor Brand

Supporting Articles:

• How to register for A2P
• A2P Sole Proprietor Brand FAQs 
• Comparison between Starter, Low Volume Standard, and Standard registration for A2P
• A2P brand approval best practices
• A2P campaign approval requirements

Ready to get started with Twilio? Check out the Twilio Onboarding Guide to start the account setup.