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SMS Templates

An SMS template is written on its own page, opened from Create in the Templates library or from the Template step of a campaign. The layout is the same in both places.

SectionWhat it holds
Template NameThe name the template appears under in the library
Template DescriptionOptional context for colleagues, never shown to recipients
Template ContentThe message body, with a live phone preview beside it
SenderThe sender recipients see the message arrive from

Two tabs sit above the content: Template, where the message is written, and Test Data and Defaults, where sample values and default values are set. Send Test SMS is available from either tab.

Brand​

A Brand selector sits above the message content and is optional. Applying a brand adds the brand's footer to every message the template sends, and the phone preview shows that footer beneath the message body, so the length of what a contact actually receives is visible while writing. A brand can also supply the sender.

Brands are created and managed separately. See Applying a Brand for what a brand contributes to a template and what it leaves alone.

Sender​

The Sender field only appears when the organisation uses the sender selection strategy. Under the sender pool strategy there is no sender field at all, because a sender is allocated automatically for each run. Both strategies are described in SMS Senders.

Where the field does appear, choose one of the senders an Org Admin has approved. Every message the template sends goes out from it.

When the selected brand supplies a sender, the field is prefilled with that sender and cannot be changed. See Applying a Brand.

Under the sender pool strategy a brand's sender has nothing to fill, so it has no effect on the template. The editor says as much when a brand carrying only a sender is selected.

Writing the Message​

The message body is a single plain text field. There is no rich formatting and no HTML.

Two controls sit with the field:

  • Insert Variable places a personalisation variable at the cursor, drawn from the contact fields available on a contact.
  • Insert Quick Text places a pre-written snippet at the cursor, such as standard opt out instructions. Inserted text can be edited afterwards.

Variables appear as tagged placeholders while writing and resolve for each contact when the message sends. Set sample values on the Test Data and Defaults tab to see the message with realistic content, and set a default value for anything a contact might be missing. See Variables and Default Values.

Character Count and Limits​

The editor shows a live character count as you type. The limit depends on how the message is encoded:

EncodingCharacters per segmentWhen used
GSM-7160 charactersStandard Latin characters, numbers and common symbols
UCS-270 charactersMessages containing special characters, emoji or non-Latin scripts

A message longer than one segment is split into several, and each segment counts as one message for delivery. Segments also count towards sending throughput, so a long message consumes more sending capacity than a short one.

A template that exceeds the maximum character limit cannot be saved.

warning

Variables count towards the length at their resolved value, not the length of the placeholder. A variable such as a full address can expand well beyond what the editor shows, pushing a message into extra segments for some contacts. A brand footer counts too. Preview with realistic values before saving.

Opt Out Text​

Include opt out instructions in every campaign message. Many jurisdictions require recipients to have a clear way to stop receiving messages, and Insert Quick Text provides standard wording such as "Reply STOP to opt out" so it reads the same across every template.

Phone Preview​

The preview beside the editor renders the message as it appears on a device and updates as you type. It shows variables resolved to their sample values, the brand footer when a brand is applied, and the total length of what a contact actually receives.

Worth checking before saving:

  • The message reads naturally once variable values are filled in
  • Opt out wording is present and legible
  • No placeholder is left visible where a value was expected
  • The message still fits the intended number of segments once values expand

Send Test SMS​

Send Test SMS delivers the current content to up to 10 numbers entered in the modal, using the sample values from the Test Data and Defaults tab. Under sender selection the test shows the sender recipients will see.

Test messages send immediately and are separate from campaign sending. They do not appear against any campaign, run or message.