SMS Setup and Pricing

Limelight's integrated, highly scalable SMS messaging engine offers another channel of communication. If it's not enabled on your account, email support@limelightplatform.com to have it turned on for you.


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SMS messages can be sent from the Platform very similar to how emails are setup.  There are two components to the SMS pricing you need to know to estimate the messaging costs related to your project:
  1. Duration of your project
  2. Estimated number of messages you are going to send per month

The table below illustrates sample project costs for a one month project:

Messages Sent
Phone Number Cost
Managing Cost
Total
1,000
$12
$29
$41
5,000
$51
$146
$197
10,000
$102
$292
$394
25,000
$252
$730
$982
50,000
$501
$1,460
$1,961
100,000
$1,002
$2,919
$3,921

Billing can be reconciled monthly, quarterly, or on completion of a program. All prices are in USD. Carrier and regulatory fees are not included. For ongoing projects or custom project quotation, please contact your account representative.



How to Edit Your SMS Messaging and Settings

Follow these steps to update and schedule your SMS messaging:

  1. From the Canvas, click on the + icon in the bottom corner of the Communications column.
  2. A pop-up window will appear prompting you to select a type of communication
    1. Select SMS
    2. Click the Next Button
  3. Name your SMS to easily identify it within the Communications column on the Canvas. Click Next to continue.


  4. Once you have entered the SMS Editor page, you can edit the various settings by clicking on the left side Editor Panel sections

    1. Message Body
    2. Recipients
    3. Filter Recipients
    4. Send Test
    5. Schedule


A. Message Body

This section is a basic text editor and will enable you to edit your SMS copy. Please note some of the key differences between emails and text:

  • Custom fonts, colours, or links cannot be added to your messaging.
  • There is a 160 character limit per message. Exceeding this will split the body across two different messages. Usual message charges will apply.
  • QR Codes are not able to be sent through SMS.




B. Recipients

The Recipients section will automatically filter to:

  1. Recipient Source: Project Database
  2. Phone Number Field: {{phoneNumber}}
    You can select multiple phone fields if it's listed in the data capture form.
    Ex. {{phoneNumber}} or {{mobileNumber}}




C. Filter Recipients

The Filter Recipients section allows you to set filters to send the SMS only to those that meet the specified requirement.


You can set multiple Rules, just like email communications.
Ex. "Registration Status" - "Equals" - "Registered"





D. Send Test


Send Test section enables you to send a test SMS to a designated phone number.





E. Schedule

Once your messaging is complete, you are ready to schedule your SMS for deployment. 

  1. Select Send Now and Publish to schedule your SMS to send immediately.
  2. Select Schedule and set a Send Date and Send Time to schedule your SMS to deploy at a later date. Click Save at the top left of the Editor Panel to save your schedule settings.
  3. Click Publish when you are ready to schedule your SMS for deployment.
  4. Once your SMS is published, you will be redirected to the Canvas where you can view your published SMS within the Communications Column.
    1. A timestamp indicator will appear over your published SMS.
    2. You can cancel and edit your SMS at any time prior to its scheduled deployment.
    3. You can also clone an SMS just like an email if multiple/similar messages are needed.




SMS Automatic Responses

Once an SMS is received on your phone, there are several automatic responses that prompt the user as to actions that can be taken to:

  • STOP SMS messages: unsubscribe from the SMS notifications
  • START SMS messages: re-subscribe to the SMS notifications
  • Ask for HELP: provides functionality instructions around the SMS notification

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How to Reply:

  1. STOP: In each SMS, you can include copy around unsubscribing from SMS notifications. The prompt must include the word "STOP" so the user knows this is the correct response to activate the unsubscribe feature within the SMS. The user will then reply "STOP" within the chat and receive an automated response letting the recipient know they have successfully unsubscribed from SMS notifications.
  2. START: If a user has unsubscribed from SMS notifications, they can re-subscribe by replying "START" within the chat. An automated response will appear letting the recipient know they have successfully re-subscribed to SMS notifications.
  3. HELP: If a recipient is unsure of what actions can take place in the chat, they can reply "HELP" within the chat and receive an automated response letting them know the types of actions they can take within the chat.