This article provides a comprehensive guide on using the SMS Extension feature in EFS (Enterprise Feedback Suite). It covers the functionality, setup, and management of SMS messaging within the platform.

Functional Scope

Customers with their own installation hosted at TIVIAN can lease the SMS Extension. This extension is unavailable for group installations and external hosting customers. To order SMS, contact your Sales representative for pricing details. The service is provided by TynTec (http://www.tyntec.de), with costs calculated per dispatch attempt.

SMS can be sent from participant administration in personalized projects, panelists administration, panel groups, and panel samples. This feature is not available for anonymous projects, other menus, triggers, or features. SMS messages cannot be stored in mail templates. Each participant can have one mobile number stored in participant administration.

EFS SMS Extension includes checks for message length and character set compliance.

Note: Switching from TynTec to another SMS provider is possible but requires special programming. Customers handle provider choice, pricing, and billing, while TIVIAN provides the technical setup. Comfort features for TynTec, like length and format checks, are not available with other providers. For this option, contact TIVIAN support.

Storing Participants’ Phone Numbers

The mobile phone numbers of participants are stored in the variable “u_mobile.” From EFS 7.0 onward, this variable is available by default in new personalized projects and employee surveys. In panelists administration, it has been a default variable for some time.

Formatting Mobile Phone Numbers:

• A total of eleven digits
• Two zeros at the start
• Country prefix (e.g., 49 for Germany)
• The number itself (Example: 0049223379336)

Validation:

• Participant numbers in personalized projects are checked for validity.
• No validity check is implemented for panelists and admin accounts.

Export/Import Note: When exporting and importing participant data, format the u_mobile column in the Excel file as “Text” to prevent the removal of the two leading zeros.

Defining the Content of Messages

When writing SMS messages, adhere to the following restrictions regarding text length and character set:

• Text Length and Character Set:
  • A normal SMS can contain up to 160 Western European characters.
  • If the SMS text exceeds this limit, it will be split into multiple SMS automatically. Up to 9 SMS, each with 153 Western European characters, can be sent for one message. Each follow-up SMS is billed separately.
  • For Cyrillic or Chinese characters, only 67 characters are available per SMS. Up to 9 SMS, each with 67 characters, can be sent for one message. Each follow-up SMS is billed separately.
• Character Display:
  • UTF-8 characters can be displayed, depending on the mobile device.
• Text Formatting:
  • Most mobile devices cannot process word wraps in the text. Word wraps are automatically removed when saving texts.
• Using Wildcards:
  • If wildcards are used in the SMS text, note that the length of the text can vary from message to message.

Entering and Sending SMS

SMS messages can be sent from participant administration, panelists administration, panel groups, and panel samples. The sending process requires specific settings:

1. Open the mail form.
2. Delivery Type:
   • SMS messages cannot be stored in mail templates.
   • In the “Delivery” field, select:
     • E-mail
     • SMS
     • E-mail and SMS
   • Confirm with Apply.
3. SMS Delivery Section:
   • If “SMS” or “E-mail and SMS” is selected, the “SMS delivery” section appears.
   • Enter the mobile phone number of the SMS sender (replies will be sent to this number).
   • Formatting rules apply:
     • Until EFS 9.0: Numerical sender address.
     • From EFS 9.1: Non-numerical sender address allowed (limited to eleven characters).
4. Enter SMS Text:
   • Do not use word wrap as most mobile devices cannot process it.
   • Click the question mark icon to access available wildcards.
5. Choose Delivery Options:
   • Click Preview mail.
   • Follow normal procedures, paying attention to hints and error messages.

Checking SMS Dispatch

You can check the status of sent SMS in:

• The Mail Report
• Participant administration → Mail transmission report
• Platform cockpit → Project mail overview

Planning SMS Dispatch

Thorough planning of SMS dispatch and early ordering of SMS packages are essential for a smooth process.

• Contact support to order the required amount of SMS and obtain a current list of prices. As the owner of an installation, you are responsible for all SMS dispatched from and billed on it.
• Estimate the number of SMS needed for a survey, keeping in mind that longer messages might require multiple SMS. Regularly check your remaining SMS resources and order a new package before they are completely used up.
• To ensure that an important survey process is not interrupted, SMS resources can be exceeded by up to 2,000 SMS, which will be billed as usual. If you exceed this limit, dispatch will be interrupted and can only be reactivated after ordering additional SMS.

Managing the SMS Resources of an Installation

Check available SMS in the “Options → SMS overview” menu:

• “Assigned SMS packages” shows ordered packages
• “SMS amount” displays remaining SMS

Do-Not-SMS List

The Do-Not-SMS list can be accessed via “Options → Mail Queue → Do-Not-SMS list”. This list excludes numbers from SMS communication globally or per project.

Adding Participants to the Do-Not-SMS List
You can easily add participants or their mobile phone numbers to the Do-Not-SMS list by importing them. Proceed as follows:

• Click on the Import button.
• Download the import template and fill it out. In the rcpt column, enter the mobile phone numbers you want to add to the list. In the pid column, enter a specific project ID or 0 for global exclusion. Save the file.
• 
• Click on Choose file, select the filled template, and click Send file.
• In the next step, simply click Proceed to preview and then click Import. The numbers will now be in the Do-Not-SMS list.
• You can export the mobile numbers in Excel or CSV format, or remove them from the list by selecting the desired number, choosing Remove from list, and clicking Execute.

Inserting an Unsubscribe Link in SMS
To add an unsubscribe link in SMS messages, insert the placeholders #unsubscribe_global# and/or #unsubscribe_survey# in your SMS or SMS template. These placeholders will be replaced by the corresponding unsubscribe link when the SMS is sent. If the participant clicks on the link, they will be added to the Do-Not-SMS list.

FAQ

Can SMS Extension be used with other SMS providers?

Yes, the SMS dispatch can be switched from TynTec to another SMS provider. This requires special programming and some TynTec-specific features may not be available. Contact support for more information.

What happens if SMS resources are exceeded?

SMS resources can be exceeded by up to 2,000 SMS. Beyond that, dispatch will be interrupted until additional SMS are ordered.