Twilio Integration: Receiving messages & replies
You can now receive messages and replies via SMS and WhatsApp with Twilio! Groundhogg now offers limited 2-way communication that allows you to create simple SMS/WhatsApp-based funnels.
Configuring Groundhogg for receiving messages (SMS).
The following instructions are for SMS replies. For WhatsApp, see the Getting Started with WhatsApp instructions.
To receive SMS replies and messages, we must set the webhook for handling SMS replies in Twilio.
Go to the Twilio Settings in Groundhogg and copy the SMS Webhook URL.
Go to your Twilio console and edit the number you've entered into the Groundhogg Twilio settings.
Please scroll down to the bottom and paste the URL where it says When a message comes in, then save your changes.
How Groundhogg handles replies
When people text your Twilio number, those replies will be sent to Groundhogg and will be parsed. There are two possible scenarios.
The number is already associated with a contact.
If the number is associated with a contact record, then the message body and the relevant channel (SMS/WhatsApp) will be stored as an activity item seen in the contact activity log.
Note: The number needs to be in the "Mobile Phone" field and in the E.164 format.
The number is not associated with a contact.
Suppose the number is not associated with any contacts. In that case, Groundhogg will check to see if the message body matches the keywords for any active Twilio opt-in flows and respond accordingly.
If there are no opt-in flows active, Groundhogg will do nothing.
The Twilio Opt-in Flow
The Twilio Opt-in Flow allows contacts to opt-in by messaging you via WhatsApp or SMS.
To create a Twilio Opt-in flow, add a Twilio Reply benchmark as the first step of a funnel.
When the Twilio Reply is the first step (must be the first step), non-contacts can text your number with the specified keywords to start the opt-in flow. Think of it like an SMS form that collects a phone number, name & email.
Groundhogg will automatically reply with the relevant prompt based on how much information the contact has provided.
Proceeding steps will be run only when enough information has been collected to create a contact record.
At this time, adding additional prompts is not possible, however, we may add the functionality in the future.
Proceeding replies in funnels
You can also use the Twilio Reply benchmark as a follow-up step in funnels. In this case, the step will only ever be triggered if the number texting the relevant keywords is associated with a contact.
