SMS and WhatsApp

Connect your own SMS and WhatsApp accounts and add message steps to journeys.

Text message and WhatsApp steps come with Professional. Messages go through your own accounts; the provider bills you for them directly and Ellibo never adds a charge. Only an Admin can connect accounts, under SMS & WhatsApp.

Text messages through Twilio

1. In your Twilio account, copy your Account SID and Auth token, and buy or choose a number that can send texts.
2. In Ellibo, go to SMS & WhatsApp > Add an account, choose Twilio (worldwide), and enter the SID, token and number. Click Test to send yourself a message.
3. In a text-message step, write the text with personal fields such as {{first_name|there}}.

Some countries have their own rules for sender names and marketing texts; check them in your Twilio account.

WhatsApp

Journeys start the talk, so WhatsApp only lets them send approved message templates.

1. Set up the WhatsApp Business Platform for your business with Meta, and add a phone number.
2. In Meta's settings, make a permanent access token and copy your phone number ID and WhatsApp Business account ID.
3. In Ellibo, go to SMS & WhatsApp > Add an account, choose WhatsApp (Meta) and enter them.
4. Create your templates with Meta and wait for approval. Then click Sync templates in Ellibo.
5. In a WhatsApp step, pick a template and fill its parameters ({{1}}, {{2}} ...) with personal fields such as {{first_name}} or {{order_no}}.

Delivery, clicks and replies

Each account shows a webhook address (it looks like .../marketing-automation/pub/hook.php?k=...). Paste it into your provider's settings for delivery reports and incoming messages. With it, journeys can branch on delivered, read, replied and failed.

Links in text messages are shortened so clicks can be tracked, and the next step can branch on link clicked or not clicked.

Phone numbers

Numbers are read from the person's record and put in international form using your business's country, for example +1 555 xxx xxxx. A person without a usable number skips the step.

STOP

Anyone who replies STOP gets no more marketing texts or WhatsApp messages from your business. START turns them back on.

Daily limit

Each account has a daily limit (1,000 to start). Messages over it wait for the next day.