How do I send automated SMS notifications with Twilio?
Twilio helps you to connect with customers and enhances satisfaction and retention. Twilio is a leading cloud communications platform that enables businesses to engage with their customers through various channels, including SMS, voice, and email. By providing a suite of APIs, Twilio allows developers to build and integrate communication capabilities into their applications seamlessly. This empowers businesses to create personalized, omnichannel experiences that enhance customer engagement and streamline operations.
Steps
- Open Twilio SMS from Apps and click Connect Account.
- Enter your Twilio Account SID, Auth Token, and Phone Number, then save — the app will show "Connected as {phone}" once linked.
- Go to Automated SMS Rules and click Create a new automated SMS.
- Give the rule a Rule Name, pick the Order Status that should trigger it, and write the SMS Text.
- Turn the rule on/off anytime from its status toggle, or edit/delete it later.
- Check SMS Logs to see every message sent (From, To, Content, sent date/time) and its status: Pending, Sent, Delivered, or Failed. You can Resend a failed message directly from its log entry.
Common problems
- Messages show Failed in the logsthis is usually a Twilio-side issue (invalid number format, insufficient Twilio balance, or unverified sender number); check the Twilio console, then use Resend on the log entry.
- No SMS sent when an order changes statusconfirm a rule exists for that exact order status and is turned on; rules only fire for the status they're linked to.
- Can't connect the accountrecheck the Account SID, Auth Token, and phone number are copied exactly from Twilio, including the country code on the phone number.
- Customer got a message in the wrong language/wordingSMS text is fixed per rule; create a separate rule per order status/language combination you need.