Communication
SMS notifications
Booking confirmations, trip and balance reminders, cancellations and after-trip review requests by text message, from your own Twilio or Sparrow SMS account, in your own words.
Who it's for
Why operators use SMS notifications
Operators whose travellers need a text message they will see even without data or apps.
Highlights
- Booking confirmations, trip and balance reminders, cancellations and after-trip review requests
- Twilio worldwide, or Sparrow SMS in Nepal
- Short, clear messages with the booking link
- Receipts from the till by text
- Replies arrive in the Inbox when that plugin is on
A message that arrives without data or apps
Email is reliable at home and unreliable on the road. A traveller with roaming switched off, or in a valley with patchy signal, may not open an email or a messaging app before a 06:00 pickup, but a text message usually gets through. SMS notifications sends booking updates by text from your own Twilio or Sparrow SMS account.
Texts are booking updates only, never marketing, and go to the mobile number the traveller gave at checkout.
Five messages, in your own words
You choose which texts to send: booking confirmed, trip reminder, balance reminder, review request after the trip, and booking cancelled. Confirmations and trip reminders are on by default. Every text is your own wording with tags such as {business}, {reference}, {tour}, {date}, {time}, {meeting_point}, {balance}, {manage_url}, {pay_url} and {review_url}.
A trip reminder could read “Summit Treks: see you for Everest Flight on 14 May 06:00. Meeting point: Hotel Yak & Yeti lobby. Your booking: …”. Keep texts short: 160 characters is one SMS, or 70 when the text uses non-Latin letters such as Devanagari or Arabic, and longer texts are sent as several parts. Each text is logged with the number of parts it used.
Twilio or Sparrow SMS
Twilio works worldwide. You enter your Account SID, auth token and a sender: your Twilio number or a Messaging Service SID. Sparrow SMS is Nepal’s provider, for local numbers with a registered sender identity; you enter your API token and your approved sender.
The same connection serves other parts of Tourtify. Your team can text everyone on a departure, for example when a pickup moves. Till receipts from Point of sale can go by text. With the Inbox plugin on, replies arrive in the shared inbox: with Twilio as an ordinary two-way number, and with Sparrow through a shortcode and keyword set up with Sparrow.
Setting up SMS notifications
- 1Choose your provider. Switch on SMS notifications and pick Twilio or Sparrow SMS.
- 2Enter the credentials. Twilio: Account SID, auth token and sender. Sparrow SMS: API token and approved sender identity.
- 3Choose the texts. Tick the messages you want to send.
- 4Write your wording. Edit each text with tags, keeping it within one SMS where you can.
- 5Send a test booking. Make a QA test booking to your own phone and check the confirmation arrives.
Features
What's included, plan by plan
Switch on SMS notifications once. Each part below turns on with the plan that includes it, and you choose which ones to use.
-
Verified reviews
Growth & Scale -
Shared inbox
Growth & Scale
Settings
What you can set up
SMS notifications works out of the box with sensible defaults. These are the choices you can make, straight from your console.
Connection
- SMS provider
- Twilio (worldwide)Sparrow SMS (Nepal)
- Twilio Account SID
- Twilio Console › Account info. Not needed for Sparrow SMS.
- Sender
- Twilio: your number (+15551234567) or a Messaging Service SID (MG…). Sparrow SMS: your approved sender identity.
Texts
- Texts to send
- Booking confirmedTrip reminderBalance reminderReview request (after the trip)Booking cancelled
- Booking confirmed
- Tags you can use: {first_name}, {tour}, {date}, {time}, {reference}, {manage_url}, {pay_url}, {balance}, {meeting_point}, {tour_url}, {review_url}, {business}. Keep it short: 160 characters is one SMS (70 with non-Latin letters).
- Trip reminder
- Tags you can use: {first_name}, {tour}, {date}, {time}, {reference}, {manage_url}, {pay_url}, {balance}, {meeting_point}, {tour_url}, {review_url}, {business}. Keep it short: 160 characters is one SMS (70 with non-Latin letters).
- Balance reminder
- Tags you can use: {first_name}, {tour}, {date}, {time}, {reference}, {manage_url}, {pay_url}, {balance}, {meeting_point}, {tour_url}, {review_url}, {business}. Keep it short: 160 characters is one SMS (70 with non-Latin letters).
- Review request (after the trip)
- Tags you can use: {first_name}, {tour}, {date}, {time}, {reference}, {manage_url}, {pay_url}, {balance}, {meeting_point}, {tour_url}, {review_url}, {business}. Keep it short: 160 characters is one SMS (70 with non-Latin letters).
- Booking cancelled
- Tags you can use: {first_name}, {tour}, {date}, {time}, {reference}, {manage_url}, {pay_url}, {balance}, {meeting_point}, {tour_url}, {review_url}, {business}. Keep it short: 160 characters is one SMS (70 with non-Latin letters).
Communication
How communication plugins fit in
Communication plugins control how you talk to travellers: a shared inbox for email, WhatsApp, SMS and website chat, email from your own domain, campaigns, automated messages and text reminders.
- 1
Switch it on
Open Plugins in your console and turn it on. No code and nothing to install.
- 2
Make your choices
Adjust the settings to match how your business works, or keep the defaults.
- 3
It works everywhere it should
Your website, checkout, emails and console pick it up straight away.
Related
More communication integrations
Part of Verified reviews, Shared inbox in Tourtify.
Own email server (SMTP)
Send booking emails from your own address, like bookings@yourbusiness.com, through your email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, Postmark, SendGrid, Mailgun…).
WhatsApp
Everything on WhatsApp in one place. Chat button (Starter): a button on your website that opens a WhatsApp chat with you, with the tour already mentioned, office hours and click tracking. Notifications (Growth): booking confirmations, trip and pickup reminders with a map pin, balance and details reminders, waitlist offers and review requests from your own WhatsApp Business number.
Inbox
Every customer conversation in one shared inbox: emails, WhatsApp messages, texts, website chat and enquiries, next to the customer’s bookings and balance. Assign, add internal notes, use saved replies and AI drafts, and see at a glance who is waiting too long for an answer.
FAQ
SMS notifications: questions
Will travellers receive marketing texts?
No. SMS notifications only sends booking updates.
Can travellers reply?
Yes, with the Inbox plugin on. Twilio numbers take replies directly; Sparrow SMS needs a shortcode and keyword.
How long can a text be?
Up to 480 characters, but 160 characters is one SMS (70 with non-Latin letters). Longer texts are sent in parts.
Which provider should I use in Nepal?
Sparrow SMS sends from a registered Nepali sender identity. Twilio works too and is the simpler choice for two-way texting.
Which plans include SMS notifications?
SMS notifications is available on Growth & Scale, at no extra cost.
How do I switch on SMS notifications?
In your Tourtify console, open Plugins, find it in the list and switch it on. Its settings open straight away, and you can switch it off again at any time.
Do I need a developer?
No. Plugins are built into Tourtify and set up from the console. Where an outside account is involved, such as a payment provider, you connect it by entering your account details.
Does SMS notifications work with my other plugins?
Yes. Every plugin is built and maintained by Tourtify, so they work together: discounts, deposits, vouchers and fees all add up correctly at checkout.
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