¶ SMS
SMS (Short Message Service) is a feature in PBXware that enables users to send and receive messages in order to achieve faster communication. It has become a globally accepted communication channel and an effective way to deliver information in a matter of seconds due to its simplicity and precision. SMS implementation in PBXware allows users to communicate efficiently and have their messages at their disposal at anytime.
NOTE: On PBXware, the SMS feature is visible on Master and Slave Tenants.
¶ SMS on Master Tenant
¶ Trunks
The 'Trunks' section allows users to create SMS Trunks and specify configuration details. The first page displays a list of all Trunks that have been created on the system. The 'Provider' field will also be populated with the suitable provider that was chosen for that specific Trunk. Users can here add new Trunks and configure them accordingly. Additionally, they may edit and/or delete the existing ones.
Click this button to add a new Trunk.
For more information on the page's content, please refer to the Add SMS Trunk page.
- Trunk Name
Displays a Trunk's name
(E.g. Telnyx)
NOTE: Hovering the mouse over the Trunk's name and clicking it will prompt users to the Add SMS Trunk page.
- Provider
Displays the provider selected for this Trunk
(E.g. Telnyx)
Click this button to edit Trunk configuration.
NOTE: Upon clicking this button, users will be taken to the 'Trunk' settings where they can edit the existing Trunk accordingly.
For more information on the page's content, please refer to the Add SMS Trunk page.
Click this button to delete a Trunk.
Upon clicking the button, the following warning message will appear: "Are you sure you want to remove XYZ*?"*. If users click the Cancel button, then the action will be abandoned. On the contrary, if OK is clicked, the selected Trunk will be deleted.
For more information, please refer to the screenshot.
¶ Add SMS Trunk
The 'Name' and 'Provider' fields are mandatory. Depending on the selected provider, the additional fields that have to be populated will appear.
Not defining those fields will result in the warning messages being shown. Please refer to the screenshot below.
¶ Telnyx Provider
Click this toggle button to enable the SMS service
- Name:
Enter a name of the provider. This is relevant only for easier navigation in the GUI.
(E.g. Test)
NOTE: The name of a provider must be entered.
- Provider:
Select Telnyx from the drop-down menu
(Select box)
NOTE: The provider must be selected.
- API Key:
Populate the field with a suitable API Key
(E.g. **********************************************************)
NOTE: This field is visible when a suitable provider is selected. In order for configuration to be set up correctly, this field must not be empty.
- Public Key:
Populate the field with a suitable Public Key
(E.g. **********************************************************)
NOTE: This field is visible when a suitable provider is selected. In order for configuration to be set up correctly, this field must not be empty.
- Messaging Profile ID:
Populate the field with a suitable Messaging Profile ID
(E.g. **********************************************************)
NOTE: This field is visible when a suitable provider is selected. In order for configuration to be set up correctly, this field must not be empty.
The example below represents how the configuration should look like after the fields are populated:
¶ Bandwidth Provider
Click this toggle button to enable the SMS service
NOTE: In order to use Bandwidth as a provider, it has to be enabled in your PBXware licence. If using the Multi Tenant Edition, Tenant Code(s) have to be provided.
- Name:
Enter a name of the provider. This is relevant only for easier navigation in the GUI.
(E.g. Test)
NOTE: The name of a provider must be entered.
- Provider:
Select Bandwidth from the drop-down menu
NOTE: The provider must be selected.
- API Token:
Populate the field with a suitable API token
(E.g. ***************)
NOTE: This field is visible when a suitable provider is selected. In order for configuration to be set up correctly, this field must not be empty.
- API Secret:
Populate the field with a suitable API secret
(E.g. ***************)
[(a-z)(0-9)]
NOTE: This field is visible when a suitable provider is selected. In order for configuration to be set up correctly, this field must not be empty.
- User ID:
Populate the field with a suitable User ID
(E.g. **********************************************************)
NOTE: This field is visible when a suitable provider is selected. In order for configuration to be set up correctly, this field must not be empty.
- Application ID:
Populate the field with a suitable Application ID
(E.g. **********************************************************)
NOTE: This field is visible when a suitable provider is selected. In order for configuration to be set up correctly, this field must not be empty.
The example below represents how the configuration should look like after the fields are populated:
¶ Twilio Provider
Click this toggle button to enable the SMS service
NOTE: In order to use Twilio as a provider, it has to be enabled in a licence. If using the Multi Tenant Edition, Tenant Code(s) have to be provided.
- Name:
Enter a name of the provider. This is relevant only for easier navigation in the GUI.
(E.g. Test)
NOTE: The name of a provider must be entered.
- Provider:
Select Twilio from the drop-down menu
NOTE: The provider must be selected.
- Account SID:
Populate the field with a suitable Account SID
(E.g. **********************************)
NOTE: This field is visible when a suitable provider is selected. In order for configuration to be set up correctly, this field must not be empty.
- Auth Token:
Populate the field with a suitable Auth Token
(E.g. ********************************)
NOTE: This field is visible when a suitable provider is selected. In order for configuration to be set up correctly, this field must not be empty.
The example below represents how the configuration should look like after the fields are populated:
- Description:
Enter a suitable description regarding this Trunk.
(E.g. "This is a new SMS Trunk, but it should be used in certain cases.")
NOTE: The description can contain any information that is necessary to differentiate this Trunk from others. Since this is not a required field, it can be left empty.
¶ VoIP Innovations Provider (6.6)
Click this toggle button to enable the SMS service
NOTE: In order to use VoIP Innovations as a provider, it has to be enabled in a licence. If using the Multi Tenant Edition, Tenant Code(s) have to be provided.
- Name:
Enter a name of the provider. This is relevant only for easier navigation in the GUI.
(E.g. Test)
NOTE: The name of a provider must be entered.
- Provider:
Select VoIP Innovations from the drop-down menu
NOTE: The provider must be selected.
- API Login:
Populate the field with a suitable API Login
(E.g. **********************************)
NOTE: This field is visible when a suitable provider is selected. In order for configuration to be set up correctly, this field must not be empty.
- API Secret:
Populate the field with a suitable API Login
(E.g. ********************************)
NOTE: This field is visible when a suitable provider is selected. In order for configuration to be set up correctly, this field must not be empty.
The example below represents how the configuration should look like after the fields are populated:
- Description
Enter a suitable description regarding this Trunk.
(E.g. "This is a new SMS Trunk, but it should be used in certain cases.")
NOTE: The description can contain any information that is necessary to differentiate this Trunk from others. Since this is not a required field, it can be left empty.
¶ SMS Connector (7.2)
One of the major additions in version 7.2 is the introduction of the SMS Connector API, which is a flexible and standardized interface used for sending and receiving SMS and MMS messages on PBXware using custom SMS Trunks.
This feature allows our customers to develop middleware applications and connect PBXware's SMS Service with SMS Providers even if they are currently not supported in PBXware.
With a middleware application operational, further PBXware configuration is straightforward.
In your PBXware GUI navigate to Master Tenant -> SMS -> Trunks and click add SMS Trunk.
In the add new trunk page, in the Provider field, select Custom.
With the Custom selected for the provider, these are the fields you will be presented with which will allow you to configure custom connection to the middleware application:
- Enable
Click this toggle button to enable or disable this SMS trunk
- Name
Displays a Trunk's name
- Provider
Displays the the provider selected for this Trunk. (i.e. Custom)
NOTE: For the Custom option to be available when creating a new SMS trunk, the SMS Connector feature has to be enabled in your PBXware license.
- Webhook URL
The address of the middleware application used for interfacing with the custom trunk provider all SMS/MMS messages will be sent to.
- Auth Token
A token used for authentication with the middleware application. Enter the existing or generate a new token by pressing the icon at the far right of the field.
For more specific information on how to configure Custom SMS Trunk please check our SMS Connector HOWTO.
¶ Trunks & Tenants
The 'Trunks & Tenants' section allows users to assign specific SMS Trunks to Tenants that have been previously created. When users navigate to this page, the list of all Tenants on the system together with their codes will be displayed. If there are any SMS Trunks assigned to Tenants, they will be displayed for easier tracking and organization. From here, users can only edit the configuration for SMS Trunks and Tenants. Deletion actions cannot be performed on this page.
NOTE: A single SMS Trunk can be assigned to one Tenant.
- Search
Enter a piece of information and press Enter to have results filtered accordingly
(E.g. Tenant 200)
NOTE: Users can search entries by using 'Tenant Name' and 'Tenant Code'.
- Tenant Name
Displays a Tenant's Name
(E.g. Test Tenant)
NOTE: Hovering the mouse over the Tenant's name and clicking it will prompt users to the Allowed SMS Trunk page.
- Tenant Code
Displays a Tenant's Code
(E.g. 380)
- SMS Trunks
Displays a SMS Trunk that is linked to a specific Tenant
(E.g. Telnyx)
NOTE: If there is no SMS Trunk linked to a Tenant, this field will be empty.
- Status
Displays whether this SMS Trunk has been enabled or not
(E.g. Enabled)
- Click this button to edit Trunk & Tenant configuration.
NOTE: Upon clicking this button, users will be prompted to the 'Trunks' window where they can edit configuration accordingly.
For more information on the page's content, please refer to the Allowed SMS Trunk page.
¶ Allowed SMS Trunk
- SMS Trunk
Select a specific Trunk from the drop-down menu
(E.g. Telnyx)
NOTE: Once the SMS Trunk is selected and configuration is saved, it will appear in the list. If no Trunk is selected, the SMS Trunks field will stay empty.
¶ SMS on Tenant Level
¶ Numbers
The Numbers section allows users to add numbers to the system and assign them to specific Extensions. From this section, it is possible to manage the configuration of numbers by editing or deleting it.
Numbers can be added in two ways:
- By uploading a CSV file that is either created by using the PBXware's CSV template or the provider's CSV template.
- By adding the numbers manually.
Click this button to add a new SMS number.
For more information on the page's content, please refer to the Add SMS Number page.
Click this button to upload a CSV file.
NOTE: CSV files can be uploaded by using one of the two following templates:
PBXware's CSV Template: In order for this template to be successfully uploaded, a user needs to populate the following fields:
'sms_number' and 'extension'.Provider's CSV Template: If this template is used (e.g. Telnyx's), the CSV file downloaded from the Telynx website already contains all the necessary data, so the next step would be just to upload the CSV file.
Additionally, since the SMS feature allows for various CSV upload methods, certain restrictions exist in order to ensure data protection and provide users with supplementary information regarding the software operations. Therefore, once a user uploads a desired CSV file, s(he) will be presented with one of the two possible messages regarding the upload procedure:
This CSV message will appear after the CSV file has been successfully uploaded to the system. The further explanation shows that there were three numbers in the CSV file and all three numbers were imported. Additionally, no numbers were skipped, which shows that these numbers are nowhere to be found on the system except on this Tenant.
In case the user accidentally adds the already existing number to this Tenant, the number that was previously on the system will be deleted and added again through this upload, which ensures no data loss.
This CSV message will appear after the CSV file has been successfully uploaded to the system. The further explanation shows that there were three numbers in the CSV file, however, only two of them were imported. The skipped number means that there is a number in this CSV file that existed on the system prior to the upload, specifically it was found on another Tenant. A single number cannot be added to two (or more) Tenants on the system.
Click this button to download a CSV file.
NOTE: This CSV file contains the data displayed on the Numbers list. It can be used for faster management of numbers and Extensions on the system.
Click this button to download a CSV template.
NOTE: In order to successfully manage the CSV file, the following should be done:
Download an empty CSV template
Populate the fields with specific information
Save the settings
Upload it by using the 'CSV Upload' button
Data is now displayed on the list.
- Search
Enter a piece of information and press Enter to have results filtered accordingly
(E.g. 101)
NOTE: Users can search entries by using Number, Extension, and Extension Name.
- Number
Displays a Number added to the system
(E.g. +1234567890)
NOTE: Hovering the mouse over the Number section and clicking it will prompt users to Add SMS Number. User cannot edit numbers from there, only Extensions.
- Extension
Displays an Extension and Extension Name to which the number has been previously assigned to
(E.g. 101 - Test101)
Click this button to edit the SMS Number configuration.
NOTE: Upon clicking this button, users will be prompted to the Add SMS Number window where they can edit Extensions accordingly. Please note that the numbers cannot be edited from here. For more information on this, click the link provided.
If a user decides to edit the configuration and assign the existing number to another Extension, the following warning message will appear: "Extension is already in use. Do you want to remove it from another number and assign it to this one?". If users click the Cancel button, then the action will be abandoned. On the contrary, if OK is clicked, the number will be assigned to a different Extension and deleted from the old one. Please refer to the screenshot.
Click this button to delete the SMS Number configuration.
NOTE: Upon clicking the button, the following warning message will appear: "Are you sure you want to delete XXXXX?"*. If users click the Cancel button, then the action will be abandoned. On the contrary, if OK is clicked, the selected configuration will be deleted.
¶ Add SMS Number
¶ General
- Number
Enter the number to which SMS messages will be sent
(E.g. +1234567890)
NOTE: The 'Number' field is required and it has to be populated. Not defining this field will result in the warning messages being shown.
NOTE: If a user tries adding the number that already exists on the system, the following warning message will appear: "Number is already in use!".
NOTE: Please note that the number has to be in the E.164 format.
- Extension
Assign SMS number to one ore more extensions.
(E.g. 101 - Test101)
NOTE: Since this is not a required field, it can be left empty and seen in the list as such. In case a user tries selecting the Extension to which a number has been assigned previously, the following warning message will appear: "Extension is already in use!". Please refer to the screenshot.
The example below represents how the configuration should look like after being completed and saved:
NOTE: Once users save the settings, editing a number is no longer possible. However, if there is an input mistake, the following has to be done:
- Click Go back
- Delete the configuration from the list by clicking Delete
- Add the number again
- Assign an Extension to the number and click Save.
The SMS feature allows for DIDs from PBXware to be entered in this field as well.
NOTE: These steps should be followed in case a user has already added a DID on the Master Tenant level, assigned it to a specific Tenant, and populated all other required fields. Once that is completed, a user should do the following:
- Go to the desired Tenant
- Go to the 'DIDs' section
- Find the DID to be used for SMS
- Hover over the DID and click it in order to be prompted to a different window
- Click 'Show Advanced options'
- Assign a desired DID to a specific Extension
- Set the 'Enabled SMS' to 'Yes'
- Click Save.
For more information on the Enabled SMS option found on the DIDs section, please refer to this page.
Assuming the user completed the procedure as described above, s(he) needs to do the following:
-
Go to Numbers section
-
Check whether configuration is set up correctly
After adding a DID from PBXware, this is how the list on the Numbers section should look like. As it can be seen, PBXware offers an easy way to monitor which DIDs have been added from the system. Such numbers have no Edit or Delete options due to the fact that they have been added to this list in a different way, (i.e. through the DIDs section on PBXware).
¶ Bulk Messages
The 'Bulk Messages' section allows users to send bulk SMS messages. By using this feature, users can send important information to a larger number of people. Apart from adding Bulk SMS messages through the GUI, users can easily upload their data by using CSV files or filter their Bulk SMS messages by status. They can start new Bulk messages or stop the active ones. There is also a possibility to restart them.
Users can utilize the 'Search' option and filter their data accordingly. Please refer to the drop-down list:
- All
- Active
- Not Active
- Paused
- Stopped
- Completed
This page displays the following information:
- Name
Displays the name of the Bulk message
(E.g. BulkSMS2)
- From
Displays the number/alphanumeric the Bulk message was sent from
(E.g. +1234567890)
- Status
Displays the status
(E.g. Completed)
- Sent/Total
Displays the number of sent messages and the total amount of numbers that the message should be sent to
(E.g. 4/4)
NOTE: 'Sent' refers to the number of successfully sent messages. 'Total' refers to the total amount of numbers uploaded via CSV file. For example, '4/4' means that there were four numbers in the CSV file and all four messages were successfully sent to these numbers.
Click this button to add a Bulk message.
¶ Add Bulk Messages
- Name
Enter a name of a Bulk message
(E.g. BulkSMS2)
NOTE: This is a required field. If it is not populated, the warning message will be displayed.
- Sender type
Select a sender type
(E.g. Number/Alphanumeric)
NOTE: This is a required field. If it is not populated, the warning message will be displayed.
- From
Populate the 'From' field with specific information
(E.g. TestingCo)
NOTE: This is a required field. If it is not populated, the warning message will be displayed. Please refer to the screenshot.
NOTE: When creating bulk messages users will not be able to select shared SMS numbers in From field.
- Message
Populate the 'Message' field with specific information
(E.g. This is just a test.)
NOTE: This is a required field. If it is not populated, the warning message will be displayed. Please refer to the screenshot.
- Upload CSV
Click this button to upload a CSV file
(File Upload Button)
NOTE: This is a required field. If it is not uploaded properly, the warning message will be displayed. Please refer to the screenshot.
INFO: Users can upload CSV files in the following format:
CSV File Values
| HEADERS | | to_number,Name,LastName,Account | |
| EXAMPLE | | +1234567890,John,Smith,Basic+ | |
| EXAMPLE | | +1112223334,Ann,Doe,Pro+ | |Please note that name of the 'to_number' field is required, while other column names can be custom.
After uploading the CSV file, users can create a special message in the 'Message' field by using the values from the uploaded CSV file. Please refer to the example:
These are the examples of SMS delivered:
SMS Example 1
"Dear John Smith, with number +1234567890, we want to inform you that your Basic+ account has been activated."
SMS Example 2
"Dear Ann Doe, with number +1112223334, we want to inform you that your Pro+ account has been activated."
¶ Blocklist (7.3)
In PBXware version 7.3, we have added a new section to the SMS configuration page, named Blocklist. This section allows administrators to omit specific SMS numbers from receiving BULK messages. Numbers can be added to the list manually by using the option Add Number to the Blocklist or automatically when a recipient of the BULK message replies with the Opt-Out message, specifically requesting not to be sent BULK messages anymore.
Numbers on the Blocklist will only be omitted from receiving messages from the BULK message campaigns, while direct SMS messages, sent by PBXware users will still be allowed.
NOTE: On Multi-tenant systems, this will only apply to the campaigns created on the tenant where the numbers were added to the Blocklist.
- Add Number to Blocklist
This option allows you to add a specific number to the Blocklist to prevent it from receiving messages from the BULK campaigns.
Once you click the Add Number to Blocklist, a new page will open, prompting you to enter an SMS number you would like to add to the Blocklist. Please note that numbers must be added in the full +E.164 format.
Adding an SMS number that is not in the +E.164 format will return a warning message.
NOTE: The system will accept +E.164 numbers starting with both + and 00, but once the Save button is pressed, “00“ will be replaced with “+", and all the numbers in the Blocklist will be displayed in +xxxxxxxxx format to ensure compatibility.
- CSV Upload
CSV Upload allows PBXware administrators to add a large volume of SMS numbers to the Blocklist by importing them from a .CSV file, eliminating the need to do it manually for every single number.
A valid CSV file should look like this:
sms_number
"+19542788470"
"+4402033998"
The CSV file must contain a header - sms_number, and a list of SMS numbers in +E.164 format should be entered below, one entry per line while making sure that each SMS number is enclosed in double quotation marks.
Clicking on the CSV Upload button will open a file selection window, allowing you to select the .CSV file you want to upload from your computer’s drive. Selecting the file and clicking the Open button will upload the list of numbers to the PBXware. Once the upload is completed, the Blocklist will be populated with the SMS numbers from the CSV file. Any number not entered in the valid format will be skipped.
NOTE: When using the CSV Upload option, all the numbers on the Blocklist will be removed, and the Blocklist will be populated from numbers entered in the file.
- CSV Update
The CSV Update feature works similarly to the CSV Upload, except that using this option will only add new SMS numbers to the Blocklist while preserving previous entries.
Clicking on the CSV Update button will open a file selection window, allowing you to select the .CSV file you want to upload from your computer’s drive. Selecting the file and clicking the Open button will add the numbers from the .CSV file to the numbers already in the Blocklist. Any number not entered in the valid format will be skipped.
- CSV Download
The CSV Download option allows you to download a CSV file populated with the list of SMS numbers already entered in the Blocklist. This file can be used to upload or update the Blocklist on another system or tenant.
- Download CSV Template
Clicking the Download CSV Template button will download the CSV Blocklist template to your computer’s drive. You can later use it to create a list of numbers to create a new Blocklist or update an existing one.
The template file will only contain the sms_number header, and new SMS numbers should be entered below, in +E.164 format, one SMS number per line while making sure each number is enclosed in double quotation marks like in the example below:
sms_number
"+19542788470"
"004402033998"
Numbers starting with + and 00 are considered valid entries, but once the list is uploaded, “00“ will be replaced with “+, " and all the numbers in the list will be displayed in +xxxxxxxxx format to ensure compatibility.
- Search
To find a specific SMS number in the Blocklist, enter the full number or only part of the number and press enter. The system will filter the list and only display numbers that match the search pattern.
You can delete SMS numbers from the Blocklist by clicking on the X icon located at the far right of the number you want to delete.
Clicking the X icon will display the warning message:
To delete the number from the Blocklist, press the OK button. To abort the deletion, press Cancel.
¶ SMS trunk provider Blocklist
Please note that it is probable that the SMS trunk provider you are using already has its own block list management system implemented, including specific keywords put in place to allow end-users to opt in or opt out of receiving SMS messages from various BULK campaigns. This means that if users opt out of receiving the SMS messages from BULK campaigns using the SMS provider management system, they will be prevented from receiving SMS messages from BULK campaigns sent from PBXware, even if they are not added to the Blocklist on your system.
Of course, this will vary between different SMS trunk providers, so we suggest you check your SMS trunk provider’s documentation or consult with their representatives for more detailed information on this subject.