Creating a Twilio Account

A Twilio account is required to use iMIS Text Messenger.

To create a Twilio account, do the following:

  1. Sign up for Twilio (as an individual)
  2. Create your Twilio account and verify/ugprade it
  3. Configure billing and auto-replenish
  4. Add CSI Staff as users to your account, in order to support iMIS Text Messenger
  5. Send CSI your Account SID and Auth Token via Privnote
  6. Additional tasks for customers new to iMIS Text Messenger

1. Sign Up for Twilio

Sign up for Twilio on their website.

The user signing up for Twilio will be the initial administrator of the account, and must be able to verify the entered email address and phone number. The phone nunmber must be a valid cellular number.

2. Create a New Account

You should be signed into the Twilio Console. If not, click here to sign into the Twilio Console.

Click Create New Account, and enter in the requested information. Visit the Twilio help center for more information.

When you are asked to fill out a usage survey, specify the following options.

  1. What do you plan to build with Twilio? - Other
  2. Which Twilio product are you here to use? - SMS
  3. Which best describes you/your organization? - Nonprofit or government entity
  4. Which best describes how you will use Twilio? - Direct Brand
  5. How do you want to build with Twilio? - With no code at all
  6. What is your goal today? - 3rd party integrations

3. Configure Billing

Before configuring the billing information, make sure you have the following details ready:

  • Valid government-issued ID (such as a driver’s license or state ID) for the account administrator

    Note: This information is not stored, it is only used one time to verify your identity, which prevents scam and fraud accounts. (We all hate spam texts – this helps prevent that!)

  • Organization’s legal entity name
  • Organization’s EIN / Tax ID
  • Organization’s primary address
  • Primary credit card used for Twilio account replenishment

Do the following to configure the billing information:

  1. From the Twilio Console homepage, in the upper-right corner, click Admin then Account billing.
  2. Click Upgrade Now. Enter the requested details.
  3. Once complete, proceed to configure or confirm your auto-recharge settings.
  4. Once your auto-recharge settings have been set, click Save.

Note: Your Twilio usage is billed on a “consumption” basis. Your account has a bank of credits, and when those credits fall below a certain amount, your card is automatically charged the amount you specify, in order to replenish your account.

The auto-recharge threshold and target balance are dependent upon how many SMS messages you intend on sending via iMIS Text Messenger. If you are unsure about what settings are best for your organization, please reach out to CSI. We can review your past usage and make a recommendation on the best settings for your organization.

4. Add CSI Staff to Account

Follow the steps outlined in the Twilio help documentation to invite the following users:

5. Send Account SID and Auth Token to CSI

CSI will automatically migrate/configure your Twilio account settings in iMIS Text Messenger.

You will need to send CSI your Twilio Account SID and Auth Token. On the Twilio Console homepage, under the Account Info section, you will find these values. Visit the Twilio help center for additional assistance in finding these values.

Do the following to send the Account SID and Auth Token to CSI:

  1. In a new browser tab, open Privnote.com.
  2. Back in Twilio, press the Copy button next to the Account SID.
  3. Paste this value into Privnote.
  4. Back in Twilio, press the Copy button next to the Auth Token.
  5. Paste this value into Privnote.
  6. When finished, Privnote should look like this:

  7. Click Create note.

  8. Copy this URL and send it to CSI via your open support ticket.

Warning! Do not open the URL to check it. Opening the link will cause the note to be destroyed, and CSI staff will be unable to view it.

6. Customers New to iMIS Text Messenger

If you did not previously have a Twilio subaccount with CSI, you will also need to complete the following steps.

A. Provision a Toll-Free Number

To provision a toll-free number, follow to Twilio help center documentation.

When searching for the toll-free number, be sure the search criteria have at least the following selected:

  • Set Number Type = Toll-Free
  • Capabilities = SMS
  • Country = US (+1) {if US based}

Once the number is selected, proceed to Buy the number (and confirm the charge). After the number is purchased, you will need to proceed to the number verification process. You can access the verification process in the Twilio help center.

For additional information on the Opt-in/Opt-out process, see Tracking unsubscribed and re-subscribed members.

B. Create a Message Service

In Twilio, create a messaging service. Name the message service iMIS Text Messenger and select the use-case Notify my users. You will be brought to the Sender Pool configuration.

Add Numbers to the Sender Pool

  1. Click Add Senders.
  2. Ensure the dropdown says Phone Numbers (the default), then click Continue.
  3. Check the box next to the toll-free number you just leased, and click Add Phone Numbers.

Add an Alphanumeric Sender ID for International Countries

  1. On the Sender Pool page, click Add Senders.
  2. Select Alpha Sender, and click Continue.
  3. Enter an appropriate alpha sender. The character limit is 12. This can be anything, but we recommend using your organization name or acronym. To clarify, this is strictly for messages that are sent to certain European and Asia/Pacific numbers, not for North America.

Configure the Message Service for iMIS Text Messenger

  1. In the message service properties, in the side nav, select Integration.
  2. Under Incoming Messages, click Send a webhook.

  3. CSI will provide you with the Alias ID for the Request URL in your ticket.
  4. Enter the following URL with the correct Alias ID instead of "123": https://textmanager-fn.cloud.csiinc.com/api/SmsIncomingCallback?AliasId=123
  5. Leave the Fallback URL blank.
  6. Under Delivery Status Callback, enter the following URL: https://textmanager-fn.cloud.csiinc.com/api/SmsStatusCallback

  7. Ensure the Validity Period is set to 14400 (the default).
  8. Click Save.

C. Track Unsubscribed/Re-subscribed Members (optional)

See Tracking unsubscribed and re-subscribed members.