Text messaging additions |
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The documentation changes concerning the Text Messaging functionality are summarized here for quick reference.
Summary of changes:
• New: Maintenance / Text Messaging Setup and Batch Texting Setup functions • New: Reports / Customer phone list & batch texting (and Reservation....) • New fields in Data Field Definitions / Customer Fields - "Cust_Enable_Texting" fields for opting-in phone numbers • New on Customer Details and new Reservation (if the new fields above are enabled) : "T" checkbox to 'Opt In' on a phone number for texting • Customer Details - the Phone number labels are blue and clickable to send a text • Customer Details - new Text Msg button (if texting enabled) • Reservation Details - new Text Msg button (if texting enabled) • Transactions dialogs - new Send Text Form button (if texting enabled) • POS - new Send Text Receipt button (if texting enabled) • Access Levels added for texting functions. • Audit Trail new entry type for Text messages sent • Event Actions - new event types for "before" and "after" text message sent • New Advanced Customization functions for texting functions and validating phone numbers.
Customer Details * Reservation Details new button : Text Message (also added to Reservation Details)
If you have Text Messaging set up then you can click the Text Msg... button to send a text message to the customer's phone, directly from Customer Details. This can be a free-form text or a defined Form. A Form Selection dialog will appear where you can choose what to send and whether to preview it first.
Alternatively, you can click the blue phone number field label, e.g. "Phone 1", to send a message specifically to that number.
Customer Details and New Reservation new "T" checkboxes : "Opting in" phones for texting
Before sending a text to a phone number in the customer's details, one or more of their phone numbers must be "Opted in" for texting. This is done by checking the "T" box next to the number. (If you don't see the "T" checkbox or the phone label is not blue, then you need to do Text Messaging Setup first.) This will also select that number for being used automatically when Batch Texting. If there are no valid phone numbers Opted in, then you can still send a text through the "Text Msg" button (if you have sufficient operator access) but you will need to manually enter the phone number.
Why is this required? We did not want to make it too easy to randomly send texts to every phone number in your database, both for privacy/spamming reasons, and also because it generally costs money to send each message. So you will need to check a box next to each phone number in Customer Details that you want to be able to use for texting (and of course we recommend that you ask the customer for permission to send text messages to that number). In addition, some services may have requirements that there be some steps that the customer should take to opt in, which would be outside of Campground Master's scope. Campground Master assumes that if you check the box to "opt in" a phone number, that means you have done the due diligence to get the customer's permission to do so.
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