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Integrate touchSMS with BrokerEngine

  • Updated

Send SMS notifications to your clients by integrating BrokerEngine with touchSMS.

Contents

Prerequisites
Checking touchSMS integration availability
Setting up your touchSMS account
Configuring touchSMS sender ID
Creating a virtual phone number
Creating an alphanumeric sender ID
Configuring touchSMS to forward replies
Generating a touchSMS API key
Adding an API key to BrokerEngine
Adding multiple brokers to touchSMS integration
Shortening URLs in SMS messages
Allowing BrokerEngine to send emails to touchSMS
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Prerequisites

If you don't have a touchSMS account, you must register to create one.

Checking touchSMS integration availability

New integrations are not enabled by default for all broker groups. To see if touchSMS integration is currently available for you:

  1. Click the account icon (with your initials) in the bottom left corner of the page.

  2. Click Settings

  3. In the Settings column, click Integrations.

  4. Click to expand the touchSMS section

 

 

If you don't see touchSMS in the list, ask support to enable it for your broker group.

 

Setting up your touchSMS account

  1. Click the Timezone field and select the correct option. This affects message scheduling.

  2. Check the API box under the heading Integrations your business would like to use with touchSMS.

  3. Click Create account.

 

Verify your email address and mobile number for touchSMS. Log in to touchSMS.

 

Configuring touchSMS sender ID

touchSMS allows you to identify the sender of your text messages using:

  • Dedicated virtual number - The mobile number your SMS messages appear to come from so clients can save it. You can forward replies and calls.

  • Alphanumeric sender ID - Your business or brand name. Clients can't reply to your messages. Every message must legally contain a link to an opt-in option.

  • Own number - Your mobile phone number. Replies and calls will come to your mobile phone.

Creating a virtual phone number

In touchSMS, click Virtual Numbers in the side navigation bar. Click Order Number.

 

  1. Select a country for the phone number. If the country you want isn't available, click Request International Number.

  2. Select a phone number to use. Each number will have a different feature set and monthly price point. Tick features to filter the list of phone numbers down to those with those features.

  3. Click Finalize Purchase.

 

Creating an alphanumeric sender ID

To apply for an alphanumeric sender ID for your SMS messages in touchSMS, click Settings > Allowed Sender IDs in the sidebar.

 

 

Check the confirmation box.

 

 

Enter the name you want to use. Click Submit. touchSMS will review your proposed sender ID and approve or reject it.

 

 

Configuring touchSMS to forward replies

  1. On the Virtual Numbers page, click the menu icon next to the number you purchased.

  2. Click Edit.

  3. Add a name to make the virtual number easy to remember.

  4. Enter an email address to have touchSMS automatically forward SMS messages sent to the virtual number.

  5. Enter a phone number so touchSMS can automatically forward calls to the virtual number.

Generating a touchSMS API key

In touchSMS, click Settings > API Settings in the side navigation bar.

 

 

Click Create Api Key.

 

 

Enter a descriptive name for the API key that will remind you that it's for BrokerEngine.

 

  1. Turn on Enabled.

  2. Click Save.

  3. Copy the ACCESS TOKEN for the new API key.

Adding an API key to BrokerEngine

  1. Click the account icon (with your initials) in the bottom left corner of the page.

  2. In the Settings column, click Integrations.

  3. Select touchSMS.

 

Click the description to expand the touchSMS entry.

  1. Paste the access token from touchSMS into the Access Token (Username) field.

  2. In the touchSMS browser tab, copy the TOKEN ID for the new API key.

  3. In the BrokerEngine browser tab, paste the token ID in the Token Id (Password) field.

  4. Click Validate. BrokerEngine links to your touchSMS account and pulls out your verified mobile number and any virtual mobile numbers you have set up in touchSMS.

  5. Click Save.

  • If you have more than one mobile number, select the number you want BrokerEngine messages to come from.

  • To limit text messages to specific time periods (e.g. business hours in your time zone), turn on Limit SMS sending times and select beginning and end times in AEST.

Adding multiple brokers to touchSMS integration

Follow these steps to share one touchSMS account with multiple brokers.

  1. In touchSMS, click Settings > Allowed Sender IDs in the side navigation bar.

  2. Click Verify Number.

 

Enter the broker's mobile number and click Send Code. Your broker will receive a verification code.

  1. Enter the code and click Verify and Save.

  2. Once verified, the phone number displays on your Sender ID list. You can edit the label and assign the broker's name.

 

Go to API Settings and click Create API Key. You can edit the name to include the name of the broker.

 

 

Go to BrokerEngine touchSMS Integration, enter the API tokens, and save. Select the relevant default outgoing SMS phone number and click Save.

Shortening URLs in SMS messages

touchSMS can automatically shorten any hyperlink in an SMS message. To activate this feature:

  1. In touchSMS, click Settings > Profile & Settings.

  2. Click the SMS Settings tab.

  3. Turn on Automatically Shorten Urls.

  4. Click Save.

URLs are not shortened in BrokerEngine. Instead, touchSMS shortens URLs after BrokerEngine sends the message and before touchSMS sends the message out as an SMS.

Allowing BrokerEngine to send emails to touchSMS

In touchSMS, click Settings > Email To SMS in the side navigation bar.

 

 

Switch on the Email to SMS Settings toggle.

 

 

Select the maximum number of standard SMS parts touchSMS should use when converting an email to an SMS message. This is effectively a character limit. Multi-part SMS messages can have up to 153 characters per message part. touchSMS truncates the message when it reaches the character limit imposed by:
​character limit = maximum message parts x 153 characters
​

For example, if your email contains 500 characters, touchSMS will need to use four multi-part SMS messages to send it. However, the recipient will receive the message as one long SMS message; it won't arrive in pieces.

touchSMS charges per SMS message part. If you send a multi-part message, you'll typically be billed for multiple SMS messages.

 

  1. Select Strict under Email to SMS Security to ensure that hackers can't exploit touchSMS's service to send spam SMS messages using your spoofed email address.

  2. Click Save.

  3. Click +Add Email Address.

 

Enter the email address that BrokerEngine uses to send emails to your clients on your behalf.

  1. Select the phone number that touchSMS will use to send SMS messages converted from emails.

  2. Click Add Email to save

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