Skip to main content

SMS Messaging

Updated
ChiDesk uses SMSPortal or Vonage for sending SMS messages. You must sign up for your own SMSPortal or Vonage account and purchase your credits directly from their web sites. Using your own account ensures you always get the lowest cost per SMS as you can purchase your credits direct with the supplier.
 
Setup an SMSPortal account
  1. To sign up for an SMSPortal account browse to http://www.smsportal.com/ and click the Sign Up option.
  2. Once you have signed up for an account, navigate to Settings - API Keys in the SMS Portal application.
  3. Click the Create API Key button and choose HTTP and enter a username and password to use for this API key, or use the pre-generated username and password.
  4. You can enter the username and password you created in SMS Portal API Key into the Add Ons - Sms Portal screen in ChiDesk.
  5. Click the Check Credits button to check if the setup is working correctly.
Buying SMS credits
  1. Sign into the SMSPortal website using the username and password you selected.
  2. Navigate to the Online Payments section and choose the number of credits you want to purchase.
  3. Follow the website instructions to complete your purchase.
Setting up email replies

When a client replies to an SMS you've sent them you can receive these messages via email.

  1. Sign into the SMSPortal website using the username and password you selected.
  2. Navigate to the Account Settings section and scroll down to the Incoming messages forwarding settings.
  3. Enter your email address in the Forward Reply to Email setting.
  4. Click the Update Defaults button to save your changes.
 
Setup a Vonage account
  1. To sign up for a Vonage account browse to http://www.vonage.com and sign up for a free trial of their Communication Api.
  2. Once you have signed up for an account, login to your Vonage account and you will see your API Key and API Secret on the dashboard. Copy and paste these into the relevant sections in ChiDesk under the Add-Ons - Vonage section.
  3. Save these settings, and you are now ready to send SMS messages from ChiDesk.
  • Some countries require you to purchase a specific virtual number from Vonage in order to send an SMS. To do this, browse to the Numbers menu item an choose to Buy a number. Enter this number in the Add-Ons - Vonage - Vonage Number field to configure it on ChiDesk.
 

Related articles