SMS & WhatsApp
Connect Twilio and send SMS and WhatsApp messages — one-off, per scenario, in workflows or as a conversation
→ Open SMS in SimpliServ · Open WhatsApp
Via SMS & WhatsApp you send messages to your customers — as a one-off send, automatically via scenarios and workflows, or as an ongoing conversation. SimpliServ uses your own Twilio account for this, so messages arrive under your own sender number and brand.
You'll find both channels in the navigation under Administration → Communication in the SMS and WhatsApp tabs (next to Email). You need the admin.settings.view permission; to manage templates additionally mobile_message_templates.manage. Credentials are stored on first setup; later you edit them under Administration → Integrations (the Twilio connector), for which you need admin.settings.update.
Twilio is an external service you create and pay for yourself. SimpliServ only connects to your account — you settle sending costs directly with Twilio. Every outgoing message is recorded in the current month.
Setup (onboarding assistant)
As long as no credentials are stored yet, the SMS or WhatsApp tab shows a guided assistant. At the top you choose which channels you want to use: WhatsApp + SMS (recommended), WhatsApp only or SMS only.
Create a Twilio account
Register for free at twilio.com. Verify a mobile number and add a payment method. Via Open Twilio you go straight to registration.
Register a sender
Set up a WhatsApp sender (connects your Meta Business account) and/or buy an SMS number in the Twilio Console. Skip the channel you don't need. A local (e.g. Austrian) number increases the delivery rate.
Connect the credentials
Enter the Account SID (starts with AC…, 34 characters per the note) and Auth Token from the Twilio Console dashboard, plus your WhatsApp number and/or SMS number in E.164 format (with country code, no spaces, e.g. +436641234567). With Connect & save you complete this step.
Add the sender in Twilio
On save, SimpliServ automatically creates a Messaging Service in your Twilio account. Open it via Add sender in Twilio and add your phone number or WhatsApp sender to the sender pool — messages are sent from this number, and replies come back through it.
The Account SID and Auth Token are transmitted and stored encrypted. You can change the configuration later at any time under Integrations. As soon as credentials and at least one active channel are present, the assistant disappears and the channel content appears.
Send a test SMS
On the SMS tab you check the configuration with a one-off test SMS. Enter the recipient number (E.164 recommended; local numbers with a leading 0 are normalized with the default country code) and a message text (up to 1600 characters). The message is queued and sent immediately.
Long messages are split into 160-character segments, each segment is billed individually. If SMS sending is disabled, the card shows a note and sending stays locked.
Templates
Templates are reusable message texts that workflows and automatic scenario triggers use. They're separate per channel (SMS or WhatsApp) and managed in the respective tab in the Template library (the New template button).
A template has:
- Name — an internal label
- Message text (SMS only) — free text with placeholders in double curly braces, e.g.
CUSTOMER_NAME,ORDER_NUMBER,ORDER_TOTAL,COMPANY_NAME - WhatsApp template (WhatsApp only) — a Meta-approved template whose numbered variables you map to placeholder names
- Active/inactive status — per the note, inactive templates don't appear in the scenario dropdowns
WhatsApp templates must be approved by Meta before they can be sent. Only approved templates appear in the selection.
Automatic triggers (scenario assignments)
Under Scenario assignments you set which template is sent on an automatic business event. Currently the Order done scenario is assigned in the interface — the message goes out as soon as an order switches to a completion status (e.g. for a review request). Choose the template you want per scenario or "— No template —".
A scenario is skipped if no template is assigned, the assigned template is inactive, the customer has no phone number, or the customer has opted out of automatic sending.
WhatsApp templates & conversations
The WhatsApp tab additionally offers:
- WhatsApp Templates — a list of all Meta-approved templates from your Twilio account, with status (Approved/Rejected/Pending), language and content. Via Refresh you fetch the current state from Twilio, via New template you create a template and submit it directly for Meta approval.
- Consent template — a special Meta template with which you bypass the 24-hour window: the customer types "OK" to unlock your message. Via Create template you submit it, the status (Not created / Under review / Approved / Rejected) is updated hourly.
- Test message with a template — send an approved template with your own placeholder values to any number, including a live preview.
In Conversations (on both tabs) you see incoming customer replies and outgoing messages as threads. Click a thread to reply.
WhatsApp allows free messages only within 24 hours of the last customer message. If the window is closed, you can still write — SimpliServ first sends the approved consent template, and as soon as the customer replies, your message goes out automatically. Attachments are only possible with WhatsApp.
Connection & webhooks (under Integrations)
So that customer replies reach SimpliServ, your Twilio Messaging Service has to point to SimpliServ. This happens automatically on connecting (create the Messaging Service, add the sender number, enable incoming messages). You'll find the associated Complete connection card under Administration → Integrations in the Twilio connector. If the webhook URL changes or you want to do it manually, you can copy the inbound URL and status callback URL there and enter them in the Twilio Messaging Service under "Incoming Messages".
Use in workflows
Via the automation module Workflows you send SMS and WhatsApp as an action. The action resolves placeholders from the workflow context (recipient number and text) and respects the customer's consent: if a customer has disabled automatic sending, the message is skipped. This lets you build your own triggers beyond the predefined scenarios.
Related topics
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