How to send and receive SMS via CLASSOUND

This document describes how to exchange SMS messages using CLASSOUND service.

Created: August 2020

Updated: December 2023

Permalink: https://wildix.atlassian.net/wiki/x/2Q-OAQ

Introduction

The feature allows exchanging SMS messages with external users via CLASSOUND service. PBX users can initiate communication directly from Collaboration / x-bees and also use their mobile apps for further SMS exchange. For this purpose, you need to have activated CLASSOUND DID on your PBX and assign it as Office number for those PBX users / SMS number for Call Group in case of x-bees who need exchanging SMS messages with their customers. External users can send messages to a company number published on a website (available only for US/ Canadian and UK DIDs and Italy (in case of x-bees)). 

Note: By default, Wildix provides a package of 200 SMS per each user per month. Once the package is used, a fee will be charged for each sent SMS. The same fee as for calls is applied (CallTerminationArea_1). You can check the fee on WMP -> Price list -> CLASSOUND.

Note: Starting from December 2023, 2-way SMS is available for Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Singapore, Sweden. Currently, to order 2-way SMS DIDs for the mentioned countries, you need to open a Customer Care ticket.

Note:

  • For some countries, it is necessary to register your sender ID. As a local regulator, it can block SMS sender IDs that are not registered. The list of countries is listed here ETA per Country (1).
    To register ID, make a request to the CLASSOUND support team.
  • For Italy, destinations don't use Sender IDs with Italian given names (such as Federica, Marco, Francesca): Italy has received a lot of phishing traffic in the past using this type of Sender IDs, which is why these messages were filtered as probable phishing attempts. It is not recommended to use this type of Sender IDs. 

Sending SMS via Collaboration

Two-way SMS 

Currently, two-way SMS functionality is available for US/ Canadian and UK DIDs.

Prerequisites

  • Activated CLASSOUND 

  • Min. license type: UC-Business (only users with UC-Business and UC-Premium licenses can send and receive SMS)
  • CLASSOUND DID configured as Office number for those users who need to exchange SMS messages via CLASSOUND

Important: SMS can be sent only to E.164 international format numbers

Two-way SMS for US/ Canadian DIDs

Requirements

  • Min. supported versions: 
    • WMS: 5.03.20210826.1 
    • iOS mobile app: 8.1.45805
    • Android mobile app: 5.02.06
  • The USA Country Code (+1) set in WMS Settings -> PBX -> Language and Region


Starting from WMS version 5.03.20210826.1, the feature is activated by default for PBXs with the USA Country Code. Prior to WMS version 5.03.20210826.1, you need to activate it by adding the following line to the config file /rw2/etc/env.custom.ini: 

SERVICE_SMS_ENABLED="yes"

Usage

Two-way SMS via CLASSOUND is possible for US/ Canadian DIDs for sending and receiving SMS within the USA or Canada respectively:

  1. Enter/ select a phone number in Collaboration Search field -> click 2 Way SMS: [number].


  2. A group chat is automatically created, which includes the PBX user who is sending the SMS and the receiver. You can manage it as an ordinary group chat: change the title, add/ remove participants (you can find details in Collaboration User Guide).

When an external user sends an SMS message to the company DID number (activated via CLASSOUND service), a group chat is automatically created, too. It includes PBX users who matched according to the Dialplan procedure or those who match licenses and Office number requirements; the conference title coincides a DID number from which messages are sent:


Dialplan configuration (optional)

Go to WMS -> Dialplan -> Dialplan rules and create a procedure "kite-sms".

  • Use CLASSOUND DID as a called number 
  • Add Call group Dialplan application

    Note: All the Call group members should be static and assigned a UC-Business license (or higher) and have CLASSOUND DID as Office number.


You can create a separate Dialplan procedure for managing SMS exchange, but messages can be delivered even without it, because initially the system finds the full match for the CLASSOUND DID (including +) and static Call group members with at least UC-Business license. If at least one user is found, a group chat is automatically created. Otherwise, the system searches users in the LDAP who have the CLASSOUND DID specified as their Office number. 

Limitations:

  • Not supported in WMS Network for users who are moved from PBX A to PBX B or who log in to another PBX from WMS Network (not the one they reside on)
  • Only static members of a Call group are added to a group chat

How to block incoming SMS

To block incoming SMS (e.g. in case of spam), send a message STOP as an answer to the undesired number to block any incoming messages from that number.

Two-way SMS for UK DIDs

Requirements

  • Min. supported versions: 
    • WMS: 5.03.20210826.1
    • iOS mobile app: 8.1.45805
    • Android mobile app: 5.02.06
  • The UK Country Code (+44) set in WMS Settings -> PBX -> Language and Region
  • Available for new mobile number +447: United Kingdom (2-way SMS) CLASSOUND DIDs

Usage

Two-way SMS via CLASSOUND allows both sending and receiving SMS within the UK:

  1. Enter/ select a phone number in Collaboration Search field -> click 2 Way SMS: [number].


    Starting from WMS 6.03.20230630.3, it is also possible to send SMS during a call. For this, click other and choose the option Two-Way SMS:

     


  2. A group chat is automatically created, which includes the PBX user who is sending the SMS and the receiver. You can manage it as an ordinary group chat: change the title, add/ remove participants (you can find details in Collaboration User Guide).

When an external user sends an SMS message to the company DID number (activated via CLASSOUND service), a group chat is automatically created, too. It includes PBX users who matched according to the Dialplan procedure or those who match licenses and Office number requirements; the conference title coincides a DID number from which messages are sent:


Dialplan configuration (optional)

Go to WMS -> Dialplan -> Dialplan rules and create a procedure "kite-sms".

  • Use CLASSOUND DID as a called number 
  • Add Call group Dialplan application

    Note: All the Call group members should be static and assigned a UC-Business license (or higher) and have CLASSOUND DID as Office number.

You can create a separate Dialplan procedure for managing SMS exchange, but messages can be delivered even without it, because initially the system finds the full match for the CLASSOUND DID (including +) and static Call group members with at least UC-Business license. If at least one user is found, a group chat is automatically created. Otherwise, the system searches users in the LDAP who have the CLASSOUND DID specified as their Office number. 

Limitations:

  • Not supported in WMS Network for users who are moved from PBX A to PBX B or who log in to another PBX from WMS Network (not the one they reside on)
  • Only static members of a Call group are added to a group chat

How to block incoming SMS

To block incoming SMS (e.g. in case of spam), open a Customer Ticket with the request to block the specific DIDs. 

Outgoing SMS

Prerequisites

  • Activated CLASSOUND 

  • Min. license type: UC-Essential or higher

Important: SMS can be sent only to E.164 international format numbers

Notes regarding sender same:

  • The following symbols are supported in the sender name: a-zA-Z0-9@£$¥èéùìòÇØøÅåΔ_ΦΓΛΩΠΨΣΘΞÆæßÉ !"#¤%&()*+,-./:;<>=?¡äöñüà
  • Non-latin capital letters are converted to small letters, e.g. "Ö" -> "ö"
  • Maximum 10 symbols are allowed in the sender name, longer sender names are cut.   
  • Unsupported symbols in the sender name are converted to the nearest similar letter (e.g. "â" to "a") or the“?“ sign.

Outgoing SMS for US/ Canadian DIDs 

Requirements

  • Min. supported versions: 
    • WMS: 5.04.20220930.1
    • iOS mobile app: 8.1.45805
    • Android mobile app: 5.02.06
  • The USA Country Code (+1) set in WMS Settings -> PBX -> Language and Region

The outgoing SMS can be sent internationally. Incoming SMS are not available in this case. 

Wildix PBX supports multiple ways of sending SMS and accessing SMS functionality in Collaboration. See some options of sending SMS below: 

a) Enter/ select a phone number in the Search field -> click SMS: [number]. It can be a contact from your Phonebooks or just an external number.

b) Click the Add button -> Send SMS -> fill out Mobile number (you can enter multiple numbers) and Message fields, use Postpone delivery if needed -> click Send.

The following logic of sending SMS applies:

  1. If CURL request is configured, it has the first priority
  2. Otherwise, the system checks if there is a GSM gateway and uses it instead
  3. If neither CURL nor GSM gateway are configured, the system sends SMS via CLASSOUND

With CLASSOUND, a package of 200 SMS per each user is provided by default. Once the package is used, a fee is charged for each SMS sent. The same fee as for calls is applied (CallTerminationArea_1). You can check the fee on WMP -> Price list -> CLASSOUND

Note: For the Sender ID the system automatically takes user’s full name from WMS -> Users -> Full Name column. The maximum length of a Sender ID is 11 characters including spaces. If the name is longer, extra characters are cut off. 

Current limitation:

Sending links in SMS may be restricted. 

It is also possible to send mass outgoing SMS via API. Check the relevant section of this guide for detailed instructions: Mass SMS sending via API.

Outgoing SMS for other DIDs (e.g. European DIDs)

Requirements

  • Min. supported versions: 
    • WMS: 5.04.20211214.3
    • iOS mobile app: 8.1.45805
    • Android mobile app: 5.02.06

Important: SMS can be sent only to E.164 international format numbers

Sending SMS is possible both within the country and internationally, e.g. from German DID to French number, etc. 

Wildix PBX supports multiple ways of sending SMS and accessing SMS functionality in Collaboration. See some options of sending SMS below: 

a) Enter/ select a phone number in the Search field -> click SMS: [number]. It can be a contact from your Phonebook or just an external number. Check Collaboration User Guide for more details.

b) Click the Add button -> Send SMS -> fill out Mobile number (you can enter multiple numbers) and Message fields, use Postpone delivery if needed -> click Send.

In either of the two options above, the following logic of sending SMS applies:

  1. If CURL request  is configured, it has the first priority
  2. In case CURL is not configured, the system checks if there is a GSM gateway and uses it instead. 
  3. If neither CURL nor GSM gateway are configured, the system checks if CLASSOUND is enabled. 

With CLASSOUND, a package of 200 SMS per each user per month is provided by default. Once the package is used, a fee is charged for each SMS sent. The same fee as for calls is applied (CallTerminationArea_1). You can check the fee on WMP -> Price list -> CLASSOUND. 

Note: For the Sender ID the system automatically takes user’s full name from WMS -> Users -> Full Name column. The maximum length of a Sender ID is 11 characters including spaces. If the name is longer, extra characters are cut off. 

Current limitation:

Sending links in SMS may be restricted. 

Sending SMS via x-bees

Two-way SMS 

Currently, two-way SMS functionality is available for UK/ Italian/ US and Canadian DIDs.

Requirements

  • Activated CLASSOUND 

  • CLASSOUND DID configured as SMS number for at least one Service (Call group) in WMS (Dialplan -> Call Groups -> edit Call Group -> SMS number). Otherwise, the option “Create SMS conversation“ is not available.

  • WMS 6.04.20231020 or higher

Important: SMS can be sent only to E.164 international format numbers

Usage

  1. Click on the + button on the top panel (1) and select Create SMS conversation (2):


  2. Enter the recipient's phone number (1) and choose Service (2): 


    Limitations:

    • Only one SMS recipient is allowed in SMS conversation (sending SMS to multiple users via SMS conversation is not supported).
    • The list of Services includes only Services (Call Groups) with SMS number added in WMS.

    • Service cannot be changed after SMS conversation is created.

  3. Click Create conversation:

    Note: If agent tries to create a new SMS conversation but SMS conversation with the same Service for the current SMS number already exists, the  agent is added to the existing conversation.

  4.  In the created conversation, type your message and click Send:

    Note: 

    • The maximum number of characters allowed in the input message field is 670.  
    • Sharing files, sending emoji, GIFs, editing/ forwarding messages is not allowed in SMS conversations.

    The delivered SMS message is marked with a blue checkmark (1) and the tag SMS (2) is added to the conversation after sending at least one message:

    When an external user replies, the SMS message appears in the conversation. 

    Note: 

    • An agent can add internal members to the conversation, assign or reassign the conversation to Service members. Adding external users to SMS conversation is not allowed.
    • If all participants left the SMS conversation and the customer sends an SMS, all service (Call group) members are added back to the conversation to ensure the customer's response is received.

Bulk SMS sending via CLASSOUND

There are several ways to send bulk SMS via CLASSOUND: sending bulk SMS via Collaboration, Mail2SMS service and via API. See instructions for each type below. 

Notes: 

  • Only outgoing SMS are supported.
  • To provide possibility for clients to contact back the sender, you can add Kite link to the SMS message. Kite documentation: Wildix WebRTC Kite - Admin Guide: Create Kite link
  • If you want to change sender name (User Name), you can do it in 2 ways: 
    • Manually: change name of relevant user in WMS -> Users
    • Automatically via API: https://{domain}/api/v1/doc/#operation/updatePBXColleague 
      API documentation can be accessed via PBX or by the link: https://www.wildix.com/wp-content/wms-api/.
    • For accessing API, UC-Business license is required. 
  • Unless wrong phone number is provided, outbound bulk SMS are considered delivered by default.

Note for US customers:

  • Sending bulk outbound SMS is allowed only from customer’s DID, to comply with US requirements of numeric sender ID. Sending from customer's name is not supported.
  • Office DID should be indicated in WMS -> User -> Office number.  

Sending bulk SMS via Collaboration

1.  From Collaboration top menu, click on the Add button 

2. Choose Send SMS from the list 


3. Fill in the necessary information:

    1. Mobile number: enter the numbers you want to sent SMS to, separated by commas

    2. Message: enter the message

    3. Postpone delivery: tick the box and select the date to schedule SMS sending

4. Click the Paper plane icon to send SMS: 

Bulk SMS sending via Mail2SMS service

To be able to send bulk SMS via Mail2SMS service, SMS server profile should be configured in WMS -> Settings -> System -> Fax/SMS server
See documentation: WMS Settings Menu - Admin Guide: FAX/SMS server.

Then, to send bulk SMS using Mail2SMS service, you need to send an email in plain text format to the PBX email address containing the text as provided in the example below:

  • SENDSMS: TRUE
  • FROMNUMBER: 100 (enter extension number of SMS sender)
  • TONUMBER: +443412345678 (enter destination number)
  • SMSPASSWORD: wildix (enter the "Protection password" of the SMS server profile configured in WMS -> Settings -> System -> Fax/SMS server)
  • CCNUMBER: +443412345678, +443412345678 (enter additional destination numbers, separated by commas)
  • MESSAGE: Hello World! (type the message here)

Bulk SMS sending via API

Mass SMS sending via API is available for all DIDs (US/Canadian and other countries). 

Note: To access APIs Online Documentation,  use the following URL: https://<pbx-host>/api/v1/doc/#operation/addOriginateSms (available only for admin user/ users with admin rights!)

Make an HTTP POST/GET request with basic authorization (username/ password of the user who is the SMS sender) to http(s)://<PBX_IP_Address>/api/v1/originate/sms.

The POST/GET required parameters are:

  • message: the body SMS messages, length of no more than 300 characters
  • number: the phone number or several numbers separated by a comma. Example: +391234567890 or +391234567890,+391234567891,+391234567892,...

The POST/GET optional parameter is:

  • postpone: date of postponed message delivery. Example: 14/07/2014 15:35

The response of the service is

Success: {"type":"result","result":"Success"}

Warning: {"type":"warning","reason":"Unable to add a SMS to the queue","result":["111"]}

Error: {"type":"error","reason":"Number should not be empty","result":null}

The "reason" part is the description of the warning/error

Sending SMS from Dialplan

To send SMS from Dialplan, apply the following configuration:

  1. Set -> CURLOPT(userpwd) -> 101:sms101api (user credentials) - allows sending API request
  2. Custom application -> Set(message=${CURL(http://127.0.0.1/api/v1/originate/sms, message=the message body&number=%2B39333123456)}); - SMS API is applied  

Notes:

  •  "%2B" added to the mobile number is "+" character with URL encoding transformation. The full reference is available on the w3school web site.
  • In "number=" it is possible to indicate several mobile numbers, separated by commas.
  • Using the same CURL request, you can also send mass SMS via external applications. 
  • Starting from WMS 6.02.20230306.1, in case SMS sent via CURL contains the following characters, they are replaced with a space:  ' (single quote), “ (double quotes), \ (backslash), / (slash).

SMS Statistics

You can view detailed statistics of outgoing and incoming SMS on Wildix Management Portal (WMP) accessible at https://my.wildix.com/. Once logged in to WMP, proceed to the CLASSOUND tab, where you can find Stats of SMS and List of SMS reports. 

See the following documentation for more details: WMP Dashboards - CLASSOUND Dashboard.

Use case: Bulk SMS sending with 2-way SMS option

Need to send Bulk SMS and receive customer’s reply in Collaboration? CLASSOUND supports such an option! Those who have the possibility to send 2-way SMS (in US/Canada), can use it along with Bulk SMS sending: 

  1. Send SMS to multiple users at once (e.g. via Mail2SMS service, API request or via Collaboration)
  2. When a customer replies, a chat is created in Collaboration and you can continue communication with the customer there. Customer’s phone number is used as a user name: