Twilio is an SMS service provider that supports sending and receiving SMS messages. Integrating your Twilio account with GymMaster will let GM send SMS on your behalf, and from your dedicated Twilio mobile number. This will help your member's to identify your messages when you send them an SMS.
Having an account with an SMS provider is required for sending bulk communications in some regions, including the United States & Canada.
How to get setup
Getting setup with Twilio is fairly easy, but there are a few steps.
- Sign up for a Twilio account
- Setup a Twilio phone number
- Setup Reply hooks
- Upgrade your Twilio account
- Integrate your Twilio account with GymMaster
Sign up for a Twilio account
Create an account with Twilio. You will need to supply an email address and mobile number, and go through some verification for each. Your account will start as a trial account, with some credit already on it. As a trial account, you will be restricted in what you can do but we will cover how to upgrade this further on.
Until your account is upgraded you will only be able to send SMS to verified numbers.
Setup a Twilio phone number
This is the number that your SMS will come from, i.e. the number member's will see when you send them a message. These cost a small amount, however your first number can be purchased using the free account credit.
Get your first Twilio phone number
Setup Reply Hooks
Once you have a phone number, open up your number's settings and set the "A message comes in" webhook setting to https://sms.webhook.gymmaster.org/reply-sms/twilio . This will allow you to receive and view replies directly through GymMaster.
Upgrade your Twilio account
This will remove any restrictions on your account, and setup you up for automatic billing, see How to upgrade your account.
Note: SMS sent using your Twilio integration will not be billed by GymMaster.
Integrate your Twilio account with GymMaster
To integrate your Twilio account with GymMaster, find the following details in the Account Info section of the Twilio Console, then enter these in GymMaster under Settings > Integrations > Twilio.
- Account SID
- Auth Token
- My Twilio phone number (Remove all spaces)
- (Optional)
Twilio details are configurable per club you have, so you can have a different Twilio account and number per facility, or alternatively have multiple facilities share an account.
Optional: Setup a Messaging Service
Creating a messaging service is crucial if you want to apply for A2P 10DLC verification in the United States and get reduced SMS fees. Your messages may also be over-filtered by mobile carriers until this is completed. See How to add a messaging service.
Once the service is set up, enter in the service's Sid (see image below) into the Messaging Service SID field in GymMaster. Once your A2P 10DLC registration is completed, the reduced fees and and filtering will automatically apply.