Before you start
You need a BulkSMS account with credits, and access to the Admin Area of your Elvanto account.
Once connected, you can send everyday messages to people in Elvanto, and SMS volunteers when they are scheduled on a service. Volunteers can reply YES or NO to accept or decline, and replies are emailed to the person who sent the message.
SMS can't carry pictures or videos, but you can include links to them.
Add the SMS integration
Log in to Elvanto and go to the Admin Area.
Click Settings at the top right, then under the Developers heading select Integrations.
Click Add. In the pop-up that lists the available integrations, select SMS.
Connect BulkSMS
In the Add SMS Integration window, choose BulkSMS from the SMS Service dropdown.
Setup instructions for BulkSMS appear on the right of the window. Follow them to enter your BulkSMS account details.
The instructions also include the settings needed for two-way SMS. Complete these if you want volunteers to be able to reply to your messages.
Save the integration.
Send a test message
In Elvanto, select People from the menu, open your own profile and click Contact People.
Click the SMS Only tab, compose a message and click Send Test SMS. The test goes to the mobile number on your profile.
Check that the message arrives on your phone. You can also see it on your profile's Activity tab in Elvanto, and under Sent Messages in BulkSMS with its delivery status.
Elvanto's guide How to Send a Test SMS has more detail.
Sender ID and replies
By default, messages are sent from a mobile number so that people can reply. You can add a Sender ID, such as your church name, under Settings > Communication > SMS Settings in Elvanto.
When you compose a message, the Allow Replies checkbox decides which is used:
- Ticked: the message is sent from a mobile number and people can reply.
- Unticked: the message is sent from your Sender ID and can't be replied to. Use this for announcements, so people easily recognise the message is from your church.
Unless you buy a dedicated number, replies-enabled messages may come from different numbers, so people can't save one number for your church. Contact BulkSMS support if you'd like a dedicated number.
Troubleshooting
Messages aren't sent: check that your BulkSMS account has enough credits. If anyone has changed the BulkSMS login details, update them in the Elvanto SMS integration too.
A message isn't delivered: look for it under Sent Messages in BulkSMS. If it's there, contact BulkSMS support to find out why it wasn't delivered. If it isn't there, Elvanto didn't send it to BulkSMS, so contact Elvanto support.
Replies aren't coming through: check that the two-way SMS settings from the Elvanto instructions are complete, and that Allow Replies was ticked when the message was sent.
A reply updated the wrong service: replies only include the sender's number, so Elvanto applies a YES or NO to the volunteer's most recently scheduled service. Avoid sending one volunteer several confirmation requests at once. See Elvanto's Information About Using 2-way SMS Messaging.
All setup and ready to go!
If you have any questions, please contact our support team. Include your account name and put Elvanto in the subject line, and we'll be happy to help.
For more about SMS in Elvanto, see Elvanto's Getting Started with SMS in Elvanto.