Twilio is a US-based SMS aggregator and gateway service that allows users to send text messages globally. Twilio also provides virtual phone numbers (long codes) in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. This effectively allows you to text users from FrontlineCloud, and recipients will see the text message as a regular message on their phone. They can then reply to the number directly and their messages will reach FrontlineCloud.
Signing Up For An Account
Creating a Twilio account is free, and message pricing can be found at the following link: https://www.twilio.com/sms/pricing.
To register for a Twilio account, please visit their website and follow the step by step instructions provided on their website: https://www.twilio.com/
Choosing a Twilio Phone Number
In order to use Twilio most effectively with Frontline you will need to buy a Twilio phone number so that your users can send in messages to you and in reply to your messages.
Twilio allows you to select your own phone number in their console: https://www.twilio.com/console/phone-numbers/getting-started. When you send a text message from your Twilio, recipients will see this phone number, and be able to reply to it. Select any number you like from Twilio's system; FrontlineCloud will automatically detect this phone number later on once you're all set up. Note: this will likely be a phone number in the US, UK, or Canada. If you don't want a phone number in one of these countries, you might want to consider a different service.
Viewing your account details
Once you have signed up and selected a phone number, you will be automatically directed to your dashboard which will look like the image below.
Click the link 'Show API Credentials' to view the credentials you will require to connect to FrontlineCloud.
- Your account SID. This tells Twilio which account you are trying to connect to FronlineCloud.
- Your Auth Token: This is what identifies you as the account owner.
You can either copy and paste or manually type them into FrontlineCloud but they must be precise.
Your Twilio Phone Number
Note that you do not need to add your Phone number on the FrontlineCloud UI but its good to keep so that you can share it with your contacts. If you need to find it again, or register more numbers, you can select 'numbers' from the top of the screen and find all numbers registered to your account
Once you have these pieces of information, you can proceed to Connect your Twilio Account to FronlineCloud.
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