Text messages

• Manually – From a lead just click New> Text message where you can free type a text message or choose from a template. 
• In Bulk - from search leads using bulk actions.
  
• Workflows - which will send the text message automatically. 
• Lead actions - set to trigger automatically at a certain point I.e status change. Set these in Settings> Lead Groups> Lead Types > Edit > click to add an action to trigger a text message. 

• You can set up inbound Text messaging. This will enable your customers to reply to the text messages they receive.
• Reply messages then display on the user's homepage in the same way that reply emails do. 
• When a reply text comes in, the reply will be assigned to the user who sent the text message rather than the lead's assigned user.

SMS Short Links

• You can enable SMS Short Links on your text message templates.  
• To enable Short Links on a template go to Settings > Templates and either edit an existing text message template or create a new one. Ensure the tick box for “Short Links” is selected. 
• On sending a text message from a template where SMS Short Links are enabled, all links found within the template body will be shortened to a maximum of 13 characters in the format flg.to/xxxxxx.
• SMS Short Links have click tracking enabled. You can set up a lead action to trigger on the event "Text Message Clicked" or head over to Reports and look at either the "Text Delivery Summary" or the "Text Delivery Detail" report for more information on customer engagement with your links.

• You can send notifications to your partners via text message. Set up text message alerts when a partner is referred a lead or when funds are running low. Set this up in Partners> Settings> Under Lead Delivery Settings, tick your options under "Enable Text message alerts"
• It's also possible to 'Contact Partner' or 'Contact User' as a lead type or workflow action. That means the text message will go to the chosen partner or the assigned (or to a specific) user.

• By setting up a text message short code, leads can be created by asking potential customers to send a text message with a keyword (and their name) to a 'shortcode'. 

For example, you could choose a keyword of 'LOAN', in which case the potential customer 'John Smith' would text 'LOAN JOHN SMITH' to 607060. 

• This would create a lead with John's mobile number as the contact telephone number and the Name as John Smith.
  
• A first name and a last name are not compulsory as they can be replaced by unknown. For example, If John Smith just text 'LOAN' to 607060, this would create a lead with John's mobile number as the contact telephone number and the Name as 'Unknown Unknown'. 

Notes

• If you bought keyword 'Loan', It doesn't matter if you text 'LOAN' or 'loan' (capitalisation doesn't matter. Either of these options would create a lead.) 
• If you just text 'Loan' we will add unknown & unknown in the first & last name (be careful on duplication settings here!)
• If John Smith Text 'LOANJOHNSMITH' (no spaces) A lead would be created with JOHNSMITH as the first name. Unknown as the Last Name. Equally if John text 'LOANJOHN SMITH' a lead would be created with JOHN as the first name and SMITH as the Last Name
• Receiving leads by text can be done on a normal phone number (or a keyword number) – Note: the number to receive leads will be a different one to that which receives replies. 

To get started

• Just choose or obtain a short code text message number such as “60-70-60” and a keyword.
• Once the number is acquired, you will need to select which lead group to add these in to.
• FLG will then configure your account to receive leads by text message

Frequently Asked Questions