Use Send Text/SMS to send a communication template when a card meets your automation's trigger and conditions. This guide covers outbound board messages, not rules for incoming calls or texts.
Before You Begin
- Choose the board and the stage or fields that should qualify.
- Have a connected SMS phone line and access to its sending inbox. If the line is not ready, start with Connect a Phone Line with Twilio.
- Prepare an SMS communication template. Check that any merge fields have values on the intended board and contacts.
- Identify the recipient contact types and check their phone numbers. Use only recipients your team is permitted to contact.
- Have a dedicated test card with sample data and a test phone number you control.
Example: Acknowledge a New Lead
This example sends one acknowledgment when a card first enters your new-lead stage.
- Title: Send SMS: New lead acknowledgment
- Trigger: On Stage Change
- Stage: your board's new-lead stage
- Action: Send Text/SMS
- Template: a short acknowledgment, such as “Thanks for your inquiry. Our leasing team will follow up with you.”
- Recipients: the contact type representing the lead
- When: Immediately, with the office-hours choice reviewed
- Status: Draft while you build
Replace the example stage, template, and contact type with the ones used on your board. On Stage Change runs once for that card in the selected stage; leaving and returning does not send the same acknowledgment again. For a recurring follow-up, review Understanding Automation Triggers: Stage Change vs. Custom Condition.
Create the Draft
- Open the board's Automations window and select New Automation.
- Enter a descriptive Title, such as Send SMS: New lead acknowledgment. Keep Status: Draft.
- Choose the trigger and conditions. For a one-time acknowledgment, use On Stage Change and your new-lead stage.
- Select Send Text/SMS under Action.
Configure the Message
- Under Send From Inbox, choose the phone inbox that should send the message.
- Under Template, select the SMS template. Read its wording, links, and merge fields.
- Review Attach Files From Field. If you use it, check the selected field and its files on representative cards.
- Under Send To, choose Certain Contact Types, then select the intended Contact Types. Check a representative card to confirm they identify the right people.
- Review Unassigned Card Default Sender and any Additional delivery rules. Each additional delivery rule has another Send To selector; check every audience.
- Set When. For this example, choose Immediately and review Only fire if office is open. The automation queue still applies.
- Keep Status: Draft and select Save. Reopen the rule to check the saved values.
Other Send To choices include All Contacts, Assigned User, Certain Contact Field, Certain Email Field, Certain User Field, and Specific Numbers. Choose the option that matches your workflow and review the fields it reveals; do not select a broader audience just because it is available.
Review Optional Email Fallback
The action includes If SMS is unavailable fallback to Email. If you enable it, review the fallback email configuration and template before saving. Test the email output as well as the SMS output, using Test Mode Email and Test Phone Number you control. Do not assume a successful SMS test also checks fallback behavior.
Start with one SMS action. If the rule has other actions, review them too: the automation's When setting is shared across its actions.
Review, Test, and Go Live
Follow Using Test Mode for Automations with a sample card and a Test Phone Number you control. Check the actual message, its recipient, and every merge field before activating the rule.
- In Test Mode Settings, review the sample Test Cards, Test Phone Number, and Test Mode Email if using fallback.
- Save the rule in Test Mode, then use Test Automations → Test on a selected test card. Check the received SMS, merge fields, links, files, and any email fallback output.
- Check a sample that should not qualify. Select Verified only after reviewing the results; it records your acknowledgment, not automatic validation.
- Recheck normal recipients, sending inbox, template, files, fallback, and timing. When ready, set Status: Live, select Save, and check the first result and Logs.
Review all actions before testing; Test Mode does not guarantee that every external effect or linked-record change is blocked.
If anything is unexpected, return the rule to Draft and save before investigating. Changing Status does not recall a message already sent.
Troubleshoot an SMS Automation
No Message Arrived
- Confirm the saved Status and whether the card qualifies. For Custom Condition, use View to inspect matching cards.
- Check When, office hours, and whether an On Stage Change rule already ran for that card in the selected stage.
- Check the selected sending line, its connection, and the recipient phone number. Ask the phone-line administrator to review any provider-side sending restriction.
- For a test, check Test Phone Number rather than expecting the message at the normal recipient.
The Message or Recipient Is Wrong
Check the selected template, the card's contact types, additional recipients, and source values for merge fields. Correct the draft and test again before going Live.
The Message Was Sent More Than Once
Review other Live rules, repeated tests, and any repeating Custom Condition workflow. Check existing messages and logs before retrying; another test can produce another message.
Open three-dot menu → Logs for available history. See Troublesbleshooting Automations for further checks.