Instructions
How to use the SMS Everyone system
Once you have your username and password, click LOG IN up the top right of this website.
SEND AN SMS
Click on the SEND SMS page
Below are all of the steps/sections of the Send SMS page and what they do.
Origin
Starting from the top of the page, you'll see the ORIGINS drop down box. This is what the message will appear to come from when the SMS hits the phone.
There are 2 options in New Zealand:
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A 2-way number - The end user can reply and we can forward that reply to you as an email or via webhook or API call.
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An Opt-out number - If anyone replies to this number, they are unsubscribed and cannot be messaged again. We will send you an Opt-out report that night showing their number and their reply message.
You'll see in the drop down box that we have labelled the number/s so you can see clearly what they do.
Depending on how we have set up your account, there will be one or both of these options to choose from.
If you need any additional options added, contact us.
Select the origin you want the message to come from.
To Numbers
Here you can type or paste in any amount of numbers that you want to send to.
Either comma separated or on a new line.
Don't worry about formatting the numbers. We will fix them automatically for you. Just type or paste them straight in.
Examples of formats we accept:
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21123456 - ie where excel stripped off the leading 0
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021123456 - ie in local format
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6421123456 - ie in international format
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021-123-456 - with dashes
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021 123 456 - with spaces
We will also remove duplicates automatically and you wont be billed for them.
Fixing Truncated Mobile Numbers
In New Zealand, some people's mobile numbers are very long and in Excel they can end up being truncated with a + sign in the number and looking like this:
Unfortunately when you copy and paste these numbers into our system, it actually pastes the truncated value in and not the actual value.
So, here's how to fix it:
1. Highlight the whole column of numbers
2. Right click >> Format Cells
3. Select 'Number' and set decimal places to 0
Now the numbers look normal:
4. Copy and paste the numbers from Excel into SMS Everyone. Done!
Need help?
You are welcome to email us the excel file and we can format the the numbers for you.
Contact Us for more info.
Number Lists
Tick the SHOW box next to NUMBER LISTS and it will reveal any lists that you have stored in the system.
Then you can select any stored list and send to them.
To add a list to the system, click on the EDIT button next to NUMBER LISTS or click LISTS at the top of the page.
See LISTS below for more info on adding a list.
Template
You can create an unlimited number of SMS templates to choose from.
If you are sending marketing messages, select the OPTOUT template and it will put an optout instruction in the body of the message like this:
TIP: If your message is coming from the optout number, then the optout instruction should be something like 'Reply X to Optout'
If your message is coming from the 2-way number, the the optout instruction should be something like 'Optout SMS [The optout number we give you]'
The carriers in New Zealand charge a small fee to SMS shortcodes so we recommend adding 'Std$Apply' so people know that there is a small charge.
We offer toll-free dedicated shortcodes if you need them. Contact us for more information.
Message Text
This is where you type your message.
To the left of the message text box it tells you how many characters you are typing, how many recipients and therefore how many messages and credits it will require to send the message.
Schedule
If you want to schedule the message to be sent later, click in the SCHEDULE box and a calendar will pop up.
Select the date and time and click DONE.
You'll see the scheduled date and time in the schedule box.
Click NOW on the bottom of the calendar if you change your mind and want to send it now or click CLEAR and it will clear the box and send it now.
Note the time zone you are sending in is below the SCHEDULE box
Send
When you're ready to send the message, click the SEND SMS button at the bottom of the page
You'll see a pop up that will confirm everything you are about to send.
Check it thoroughly and then send the message.
LISTS
To add a list, click on the LISTS page
Description
This is the name you want to call the list.
If there is just one person in the list, name the list that person's name.
Numbers
Type or paste in the mobile number/s you want to be in the list.
Either comma separated or on a new line.
Don't worry about formatting the numbers. We will fix them automatically for you. Just type or paste them straight in.
Examples of formats we accept:
-
21123456 - ie where excel stripped off the leading 0
-
021123456 - ie in local format
-
6421123456 - ie in international format
-
021-123-456 - with dashes
-
021 123 456 - with spaces
We will also remove duplicates automatically.
Then click the ADD button
Below is adding a single person:
Below is adding a large list of people:
Editing a list
To edit a list, click on EDIT next to the list you want to edit.
you can change the list name, add numbers, delete numbers and modify numbers.
You can also copy and paste the numbers from SMS Everyone into a spreadsheet.
When finished editing, click save.
SCHEDULES
Here you can see any messages that you have scheduled to send.
If you need the scheduled message to be sent now, you can click the SEND button to the right.
To delete the scheduled message, click DEL
HISTORY
The HISTORY page shows all messages that have been sent or deleted.
You can search by date range - maximum is 30 days
You can also search by mobile number - enter the recipient's mobile number (in international format without the + sign) to see all messages that were sent to them for a given period.
OPT OUTS
If you send marketing messages, you will have people that opt out.
Above we mentioned about selecting the opt out template so that our opt out number is in the message you send.
If anyone replies to this number, they are automatically opted out and they will appear on this page.
The 'source' will say 'originator' if they opted out via this method.
If someone contacts you directly asking to be opted out, go to the OPT OUTS page, enter their number/s in the OPT OUTS box and click ADD NUMBERS.
Numbers added manually will have the 'source' of 'client' so you know that you unsubscribed them personally.
To opt someone back in (re-subscribe) select their number from the list on the page and click the DELETE button.
STATS
The STATS page shows a count of all messages sent and queued this month.
If you have child accounts, it will show their stats as well.
You can select a date range to see the number of messages sent for that period.
TRACE
Here you can see the full message log for a mobile number.
It shows all messages sent and received for that number as well as the delivery status and the status of their reply (ie if they replied and if your software has retrieved the message from our servers or if our email service has sent it to you)
Be sure to enter the mobile number in international format without the + sign. eg 642100123456
REPLIES - SMS TO EMAIL
If we have set up SMS-to-Email, then any SMS replies will be forwarded to your email address.
We can send to multiple email addresses if required.
The email will show the message that they sent you as well as the last message that you sent them so you can keep a track of the conversation.
EMAIL TO SMS - Sending an SMS from your email
If you receive an SMS-to-email from us, you can reply to it by clicking the reply button on your email program or the 'Reply to this message' link in the email.
IMPORTANT
Always start with a blank email first as whatever is in the body of the email will go as an SMS and you will be charged accordingly.
This includes your signature and any disclaimers etc.
You can send an Email-to-SMS from scratch if you know our special email address to send to.
Contact us and we will give you this info.
We can set this up so that you can type your message in the body of the email or if preferred you can type in the subject of the email. Contact us to make any changes to this configuration
HELP
Lastly - Most things on our system have a little "?" icon next to them. Hover your mouse over these and there will be some tips to help you with that section.
And if you need any assistance with any part of the system or service, please contact us at any time.