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2-min quick guide: all you need to know about Salesforce SMS integration

Salesforce SMS integration

Can you send SMS through Salesforce? The answer is no if you only sign up for a standard Salesforce Service Cloud or Salesforce Sales Cloud. However, you have a few choices to add that capability to your business, including: 

  • Purchase additional products (Digital Engagement) from Salesforce

  • Connect Salesforce to a text messaging API provided by software like Twilio, if you have developer resources

  • Purchase third-party software (e.g. SleekFlow) that provides Salesforce SMS integration solutions

TD;LR, here’s a summary.

Salesforce SMS integration optionCharacteristics
Purchase Digital Engagement (Salesforce’s product)1. Multiple chat channels (SMS, Facebook, Apple Business) 2. Send and receive messages directly from Salesforce 3. Per user pricing 4. Limited quota for inbound (25 conversations) and outbound messages (1,000 messages)
Connect Twilio Text Messaging API to Salesforce1. Require software engineering skills to build your own interface 2. Can be fully adapted to your business operations 3. Flexible for future changes and customizations
SleekFlow (Salesforce integration software)1. Omnichannel inbox (SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram) 2. Zero-coding solutions 3. Affordable pricing, flexible add-ons 4. Ability to add field data into the message 5. Bulk messaging campaign tool 6. Automation rules for routing conversations 7. E-commerce and payment integration

What you should consider before sending SMS from Salesforce?

Whether it's Salesforce's product or the software on Salesforce AppExchange, they all have different capabilities. Before choosing which one you should go for, consider what type of messaging you want to deliver. There are 3 common messaging scenarios in Salesforce: automated, one-to-one, and bulk.

  1. Automated messaging: It's commonly used as a part of a sales engagement program or drip campaign. The text message is triggered by automation to notify the contact person when a new lead or opportunity is created in Salesforce or when an event is coming up. Therefore, you would need a flow builder to automate your business process.

  2. Bulk messaging: The easiest way to communicate timely promotions, upcoming offers, or sending loyalty rewards to multiple end-users simultaneously. In this case, you would need a marketing campaign tool to import contacts, add field data to the message, and track delivery statuses easily.

  3. One-to-one messaging: If you want to capture the back-and-forth conversation between the sales reps and your customers on Salesforce, that is considered one-to-one messaging. You would need an inbox embedded in the Salesforce interface, or use a Salesforce integration software that is able to sync with the core database for accessing and gathering contextual information in a 360-degree view.

The best Salesforce SMS integration app is the one that fits your daily operation. Think about your use case scenarios. Is SMS messaging mainly used for customer service, marketing, or sales? Compiling a list of goals helps you determine the cost and complexity of the Salesforce SMS integration system you would need to build.

How to send SMS from Salesforce?

You’ll need an additional product on your core Salesforce database to send SMS messages. Let’s look at the options one by one.

Option 1: Salesforce Digital Engagement

Salesforce has a product called Digital Engagement, which enables you to send messages and have conversations directly from Salesforce. In addition to SMS, it has channels like Facebook chat and Apple Business chat. It is an add-on to the Salesforce Sales Cloud or Service Cloud. It costs US$ 75 for one user each month and must be billed annually. Every license purchased has a limited quota for different types of messaging. For example, it only comes with a one-time amount of 1,000 outbound SMS messages per organization. You need to pay US$ 30 for the subsequent 1,000 messages.

Option 2: Twilio SMS API

Twilio is an API company that allows its users to call and message anyone globally. If you have developers on your team, you can connect your Salesforce to Twilio’s text messaging API and build your own Salesforce SMS integration application to communicate with customers.

Option 3: Salesforce integration software

You could save money on developer costs by subscribing to third-party software. There are some Salesforce integration service providers that use Twilio to send out messages. What's the difference between connecting Twilio to Salesforce directly and through Salesforce integration software? Software providers take care of the technical infrastructure required to set up an inbox, automation flows, and campaign tool page. 

For example, SleekFlow is a Salesforce integration service provider that offers no-coding solutions for sending SMS to Salesforce contacts. You can import Salesforce contact information on the platform and then send bulk messaging to them. SleekFlow syncs any lead or opportunity status change to Salesforce every 10 minutes. It's very easy to maintain Salesforce as the single source of truth without hiring developers. On SleekFlow, even the basic plan for sales and customer service includes 3 user accounts. You can buy plans that fit your budget and have flexible add-ons.

Salesforce Digital EngagementTwilio SMS APISleekFlow
Price per user /month (US$)$75$15 *Underlying communication costs apply to SMS MessagingStartup Plan: Free (3 users) / Pro Plan: $79 (3 users) / Premium Plan: $299 (5 users)
BillingAnnualMonthlyMonthly or yearly (with better rates)
Outbound messaging quota per organization1,000Depends on your REST API’s concurrency limitStartup Plan: 100 / Pro Plan: 5,000
NoteRequires a larger amount of starting budgetRequires developer resourcesRequires users to set up a free Twilio account and connect it to SleekFlow

Consult us to get the best pricing for Salesforce SMS integration today!

SleekFlow: Best Salesforce SMS integration app

You can now connect your Salesforce account to SleekFlow on Salesforce AppExchange

SleekFlow provides Salesforce integration services for sending automated, one-to-one, and bulk messaging. Our key features include:

  • Shared team inbox: SleekFlow enables users to check back and forth message threads in a bird's eye view. Admin users can route inquiries to specific agents and co-manage conversations as a team.

  • Templates: Create your own template for SMS broadcasting and add field data into the message for effortless personalization.

  • Shopify native integration: Shopify merchants can embed trackable product and payment links into the SMS messages on SleekFlow. The shopping cart information is embedded in the SleekFlow inbox, and users can understand customers' purchase history at a glance.

WhatsApp integration: Want to reach an international audience? WhatsApp is more cost-efficient than SMS in that case. There are specific requirements for messaging using WhatsApp API, including message content and daily limit. SleekFlow guides users in forming effective WhatsApp messaging strategies.

Want to outcompete your peers with SleekFlow's help?

Book your personalized demo with SleekFlow today and unlock the potential of seamless communication

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