Text Manager

Overview

Text Manager is a cloud-based Twilio integration for iMIS that allows marketing communication texts/SMS messages to go to members. The app will allow staff to schedule text campaigns to go out on a schedule, one-time or recurring.

Basic System Requirements

iMIS 2017 or newer OR iMIS Cloud

The messaging industry is changing the message volumes that can be sent over Restricted (previously called “unverified”) and Pending (submitted for verification) Toll-Free numbers. Increased message filtering will also occur in addition to the new limits applied to both Restricted and Pending. If you’ve already verified your Toll-Free numbers, no further action is needed.

Toll-free verification will be submitted by CSI. You must have Opt-in language on your website within your membership profile information for their mobile phone numbers in order to consider being approved for toll-free verification. This is a carrier requirement. During the pending state (the time period after which you submit your verification and before it has been approved) your number will have the restrictions noted above.

Approved (verified) toll-free numbers have a 3 MPS (messages per second) throughput. The maximum number of segments per campaign is 10,000.

Here is an example of what a member profile should include for the appropriate Opt-in language:

Opening Text Manager

You can access Text Manager through the CSI Cloud Dashboard.

To sign in, enter your iMIS username, iMIS password, and your Cloud ID which you received from CSI or from your IT or Network Admin, then click the blue Log In button.

Click the Text Manager app link in the left navigation. A fly out menu will appear with Home, Campaign, or Settings choices.

If it is hidden, click on the CSI icon in the upper left corner. This menu can be pinned or unpinned for your preference.

Home

The Home flyout menu on the left or the "Text Manager" tab is the Text Manager Dashboard. This page will give you a lot of valuable information.

1. This identifies the current performance level your organization is on. Currently, there is 1 performance level:

   1. Flex-Pay per text usage

2. Number of texts sent today.

3. Number of texts sent this month.

4. Daily limit count/usage. (3,000 is the current daily limit)

5. TBD

6. Number of texts sent/failed lifetime.

7. Current Campaigns in the Draft stage.

8. Current Campaigns in the Scheduled stage.

9. Current Campaigns in process.

10. Current Campaigns Completed.

11. Archived Campaigns.

Campaigns

Settings

Your Settings page is not something you will be typically concerned with. The Default E-mail Address should have the administrator e-mail. This e-mail (along with the Campaign email) will be used if anything goes wrong in sending the messages. 

Country Settings: The default country prefix will automatically insert the prefix before the phone number returned from the IQA query. If the IQA query returns a phone number starting with a "+" then the default will be ignored. For example, if your default is set to "United States (+1)". An IQA returns a phone number from the UK, (+44 20 7234 3456)...then Text Manager will ignore the "+1" prefix and send the message to the UK phone number.

Opt-Out Keywords

If a member wants to Opt-Out of text messages from Text Manager, they are able to use any of the following keywords:

STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, or QUIT

They will receive the following response:

You have successfully been unsubscribed. You will not receive any more messages from this number. Reply START to resubscribe.

Please note that the Opt-Out is all controlled by the individual's carrier and relayed to Twilio. Opt-Out is set based upon the Mobile Number and not by any setting in iMIS.

Track Unsubscribed Members

TEXTUNSUB Activity Type Required

You will need to create the TEXTUNSUB activity type if it does not exist in your system. See below.

TEXTUNSUB Activity Triggers

The TEXTUNSUB activity is not written when the user sends an opt-out keyword. The activity is written the next time the user is contacted after the opt-out keyword has been sent to Twilio. You are not charged for attempting to text users who have unsubscribed.

When attempting to send SMS messages to your members, you may see Error Code 21610, which means that member has chosen to opt-out of receiving these messages. When attempting to send additional messages to the unsubscribed member, Twilio will refuse to process this request and that request will not count towards your sent messages charged for. To help track these unsubscribed members, we have added in an Activity Type for unsubscribing (these activities are deleted when a member resubscribes - only available in North America).

TEXTUNSUB Activity Workflow (example member "John Smith" wants to unsubscribe)

1. Text Manager sends out text to John Smith (Twilio sends the text)

2. John Smith responds STOP to unsubscribe

3. At this point, Twilio is aware of the unsubscribe but iMIS/Text Manager is not aware of the unsubscribe

4. In the future campaign, John Smith’s cell number is returned in the recipient list and thus Text Manager attempts another text to John Smith (via Twilio)

5. For John Smith’s cell number, Twilio returns Error Code 21610 (which indicates they unsubscribed) and that is what causes the TEXTUNSUB activity to be written into iMIS

For steps 4 & 5 above, the Text Manager attempt to text John Smith’s cell phone number does not incur a charge so you are not charged anything for that text.

Creating the Unsubscribe Activity in iMIS

To create the TEXTUNSUB activity type. Login to your Staff site. Navigate to Settings→Contacts→Activity Types.

Click on "Add new activity type". The fields should look similar to this:

Sample of the TEXTUNSUB Activity Type Configuration

Click Save & Exit to save the activity type.

Activities will be created for the member when Twilio responds with an error code of "unsubscribed":

Activity Type: TEXTUNSUB

TransactionDate: the UTC date/time the SMS was sent

Id: the iMIS ID of the individual

CEU Type: "Text Manager" (hard coded to identify the source application)

UF_1: the "To" phone number (the member who unsubscribed)

Release Notes