SMS
Two-way SMS from the same inbox as your DMs
Text customers through your own Twilio, Plivo or SMS gateway account. With Twilio or Plivo, replies land in the shared inbox next to your DMs, ready for your team, your automations and your broadcasts.
Included in Premium and higher plans, not in Starter. Free for 7 days. Card required; cancel before the trial ends and you will not be charged.
Providers
Bring the SMS provider you already use
One connection gives your workspace an SMS channel for the inbox, broadcasts and the Send SMS step in automations.
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Twilio
Two-way texts with delivery reports. Connect with your Account SID and Auth Token, then choose a number or a Messaging Service.
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Plivo
Two-way texts with delivery reports. Connect with your Auth ID, Auth Token and a sender number.
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Your own HTTP gateway
Send-only. Add the send URL, method, Authorization header and sender ID. Replies and delivery reports don't come back to Postocial.
Get connected
How to connect SMS
Your provider account comes first, with a number or sender ID you can text from. The messaging channels guide has the details.
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Pick a provider
Twilio or Plivo for two-way texting, or your own HTTP gateway if you only need to send.
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Add it in Postocial
In Social Accounts, choose Add account, then SMS, and enter your provider's details.
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Point replies back
With Twilio or Plivo, paste the inbound and status addresses Postocial shows into your provider's settings, so replies and delivery reports arrive.
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Text your number
Send a text from your own phone and watch it arrive in the shared inbox, then reply from there.
What you can do
Texting that works like the rest of your inbox
Texts get the same assignments, automations and broadcasts as your other channels.
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Texts in the shared inbox
Replies arrive next to your DMs and comments. Assign them, leave internal notes and answer with saved replies.
Unified inbox -
SMS broadcasts
Send a plain-text broadcast to a saved segment, now or at each contact's local time. Text only people who agreed to hear from you; opted-out contacts are skipped.
Broadcasts and sequences -
Keyword automations
Start a flow when a text contains, matches or starts with a keyword, then reply, ask a question or tag the contact.
Chatbots and automations -
A Send SMS step in any flow
Add a text to a flow that runs on another channel, such as a confirmation after a WhatsApp or Messenger chat.
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Booking links by text
When a flow offers a meeting, contacts on SMS get a link to pick a time.
Appointment booking -
One contact, every channel
A customer who texts you has one profile with their tags, stage and history, shared with the other channels they use.
Contacts and pipeline
Costs
Your provider bills the texts, not Postocial
Your SMS provider bills each text by segment, at its own rates. Postocial doesn't charge per message or per broadcast: SMS comes with messaging on Premium and higher plans.
- A long text is split into several segments, and each segment is billed
- With Twilio or Plivo, delivery reports come back, but SMS has no read receipts
- A custom gateway only sends, so its replies and delivery reports stay with the gateway
- Postocial fee per text
- None
- Texts billed by
- Your SMS provider
- Billed per
- Segment
- Read receipts
- Not on SMS
Consent and registration
Text the people who said yes
Texting rules depend on where your recipients live and on your provider. Postocial gives you the opt-out tools; consent and sender registration are yours to handle. Read your provider's policy too: Twilio Acceptable Use Policy, Plivo Acceptable Use Policy.
- Get consent before you send marketing texts, and stop when someone asks you to
- Follow the rules where your recipients live, such as the TCPA and the CTIA messaging guidelines in the US, CASL in Canada and PECR in the UK
- Register US numbers for A2P 10DLC or toll-free messaging through your provider. Postocial doesn't register senders for you
- Respect local quiet hours. There's no quiet-hours setting, but broadcasts can go out at each contact's local time
- Add an unsubscribe keyword flow with the Unsubscribe step. Opted-out contacts are then skipped by broadcasts, automations and the API
Do I need a Twilio or Plivo account?
You need an account with an SMS provider: Twilio or Plivo for two-way texting, or your own HTTP gateway for sending only. Your provider supplies the number and bills the texts.
Can customers text back?
Yes, with Twilio or Plivo. Replies arrive in the shared inbox once you paste the inbound and status addresses Postocial shows into your provider. A custom HTTP gateway only sends, so replies and delivery reports don't come back.
What does SMS cost?
Your SMS provider bills each text by segment, at its own rates, and a long text counts as several segments. Postocial doesn't charge per message or per broadcast.
Can I send SMS broadcasts?
Yes. Send plain text to a saved segment, now, later or at each contact's local time. Postocial skips opted-out and blocked contacts, and collecting consent from everyone else is up to you. Reports show delivery but not reads, because SMS has no read receipts.
Do I need to register my number?
Often, yes. In the US, business texting needs A2P 10DLC or toll-free registration, which you complete through your provider. Postocial doesn't register senders for you, so check your provider's rules for each country you text.
Can an automation send a text?
Yes. Add a Send SMS step to any flow, or start a flow when a text matches a keyword. When a flow offers a meeting, contacts on SMS get a booking link.
Can I send pictures by text?
No. SMS in Postocial is text only: inbox replies, broadcasts and automation messages are plain text.
Add texting to your inbox
On Premium and higher plans, connect your own Twilio, Plivo or SMS gateway account during the free trial and answer your first texts next to your DMs.
A card is required to start the 7-day free trial. When the trial ends, we charge your card for the plan you picked, unless you cancel before.