This article explains how to connect three Aloware features so an SMS campaign responds to contacts automatically.
A trigger watches an incoming line for specific keywords, a sequence sends the follow-up message and assigns the contact to a team, and a broadcast sends the first message that starts the conversation.
Used together, they enroll a contact into the right follow-up and route them to an agent the moment they reply, without anyone working the queue by hand.
The example throughout this article uses a campaign called "Summer deals," where contacts who reply with the keyword "deal" or "deals" are enrolled in a follow-up sequence and connected to an agent.
How the three parts fit together
The campaign runs in this order:
A broadcast sends the opening message to your contact list and tells recipients which keyword to reply with.
A trigger on the line watches for inbound messages that contain that keyword.
When the keyword matches, the trigger enrolls the contact in a sequence that sends a follow-up and assigns them to an agent group.
Set up the trigger and sequence before you send the broadcast, so replies have somewhere to go.
Setting up your SMS triggers
A line trigger runs an action when an inbound message meets a condition you define, such as containing a keyword. Each trigger works on its own, so one line can run several at once.
To create the trigger for this campaign:
Go to the Lines menu and select the line you want to use for the campaign.
Under Triggers, choose SMS trigger.
Set the trigger to activate on an inbound SMS.
Set the condition to check whether the message contains the keyword "deal" or "deals."
Set the action to enroll the contact in the "Summer promo 2024" sequence when the condition matches.
Creating sequences
A sequence is the set of automated actions a contact runs through after a trigger enrolls them. For this campaign, the sequence sends a follow-up message and hands the contact to an agent group.
To build the sequence:
Go to the Sequences Manager page and add a step named "Send SMS to inbox."
Confirm the step enrolls the contacts your trigger identified by the "deal" or "deals" keyword.
Configure the step using the three settings below.
The step has three settings that control timing, ownership, and message content:
Delay sets the wait time between the previous action and this one, which paces how quickly the follow-up goes out.
Inbox sets the agent group that handles the reply, which routes the contact to the right team.
Text message holds the message the contact receives, which should state the offer or the next step clearly.
Implementing your broadcast
A broadcast sends the first message to your contact list and starts the conversation the trigger and sequence respond to.
Set up the broadcast with these three items:
Broadcast message - Write the opening message that invites a reply.
Keyword - Include the exact keyword recipients must send back, since that keyword is what fires the trigger.
Line - Assign the same line that holds the trigger you configured earlier.
When a contact replies with the keyword, the trigger enrolls them in the sequence and the sequence routes them to the assigned inbox. The team handles the conversation from there, and no one has to move replies manually.