In this article, we will explain how to use Upwire's drag and drop SMS builder to set up an automated SMS messaging campaign. If you would rather see it in all in action, you watch this video.
Start a new flow
To get started from the your Upwire home screen:
1. click on the Start an SMS, Voice and Email flow icon
2. give your flow a name
3. click on the white arrow to continue.
Provide some test template data
If you are setting up an outbound calling campaign (i.e. the call is being made to your customer), you will need to provide some test data to set up the data structure for your template. You can either select to Upload CSV File to upload a list of data or Use our Builder to set up your data structure on the platform. It is important that your test data is in the same file format or structure to the data you will be using for a live campaign so you can replace your test data with actual data when it comes time to launch.
Note: Before you upload your data, ensure that the destination phone numbers included in your data are in international format without the + prefix or any leading zeros. So a US number would be 14151234567, a UK number would be 441234567890 and Australia would be 61412345678 etc.
If you are setting up an inbound calling campaign (i.e. the call is from your customer), you do not need to provide any data so you can simply select Inbound Project.
Map your template variables
You can upload data in any form. The Upwire platform needs to know 4 important fields in your data being (i) a unique identifier to assist with de-duping and to aid interpreting your data (e.g. a customer reference number/account number); (ii) a mobile phone number to send SMS messages to; (iii) a phone number to make voice calls to (which can be the same as (ii)); and (iv) an email address to send emails to. Note that if you are not intending to send SMS messages or emails you do not need to complete those fields, but it is a good idea to do it in any case, just in case you want to add additional functionality to your flow at a later time.
To map your data, simply use the drop down arrow to select the relevant column from your data that contains the relevant field.
Customize your template variables
Because you can upload any data to the Upwire platform, you are given the option to de-select any data from your data set that you do not wish to carry through to your template. Simply de-select any data you do not wish to carry through and it will not be available for use in your template.
Select which service you would like to start with
For outbound campaigns, you will have the option to start with a voice, SMS or email template. For inbound projects you will have the option to start with a voice or SMS template. Select Voice Template to start with Voice.
The Sandpit
When you have successfully set you up your flow, you will arrive in the "Sandpit" which is a visual representation of the journey of your data through your flow. For more details on the Sandpit, see The Sandpit Explained.
Clicking on the blue phone icon in the middle of the screen will take you into the drag and drop canvas, which is where you build out the content for your Voice Template.
If you have any questions about the information contained in this article, please contact us at support@upwire.com or check out our FAQs for more information.