To learn about other aspects of managing SMS contact lists, see SMS Contact Lists.
Create a new SMS Contact List
You can create a new list to store your SMS contacts using the following steps:
- On the SMS Contact Lists index page, click the New List button.
- In the New List dialog box, enter a name for the list.
- Click Save.
Once you create an SMS contact list, it is available on the index page where you can perform various actions, including adding contacts into the list.
Adding Contacts into an SMS Contact List
You can add contacts into an SMS contact list either by manually adding each contact or by importing contacts into the list.
Adding Contacts Manually
Following are the steps to add a new contact to an SMS contact list:
- On the SMS Contact Lists index page, find the list to which you want to add contacts. Then, from the Actions drop-down menu, select View Contacts.
- On the [SMS Contacts] page, click New Contact.
- In the New SMS Contact dialog box, add the contact information.
Select from or enter a value for the following fields:
- Phone Number: Enter the contact's phone number.
- Status: Select the contact's status in the list as Subscribed or Unsubscribed.
- Link this contact with your account's Unique Identifier: Turn the toggle on if you want to link the contact with the Unique Identifier defined for your account.
- Click Save.
Adding Contacts Through Import
You can import contacts into your SMS list by uploading the contacts from both the desktop and the opt-in forms. There are two import options available:
- Manual Import
- Automatic Import
Manual Import
To import contacts manually, perform the following steps:
- On the SMS Contact Lists index page, find the list into which you want to import the contacts. Then, from the Actions drop-down menu, select Import SMS List.
- On the Import Contacts dialog box, click the Select a File button, select the file from your desktop, and then click Next.
Note: You can import a file of CSV or TXT format. To see a sample of what formatting is required for CSV, download a sample file by clicking Example.
- Map the column from your file to the Phone Number field.
Optional Mappings: You can also map a column in your file to the Subscribed field and the UID field. To map a subscription status, the proper values for this field are either 'S' for 'Subscribed' or 'U' for 'Unsubscribed.' - Select the options to Import New Contacts and/or to Update Existing Contacts.
- Click Import.
When the import is finished, you’ll receive an alert in the Notifications panel.
Automatic Import
SMS contact information can be automatically added from the same opt-in forms that users fill in for email, using the SMS API.