Why Add SMS to Your Automation Sequences

Email is a powerful tool, but SMS messages have significantly higher open rates and are read within minutes of delivery. By connecting Twilio to your automation builder, you can automatically send a text message to a contact at any point in a sequence — after a form submission, following an appointment, or as part of a re-engagement campaign. This integration lets you reach contacts on the channel they check most, without any manual effort on your part.

This article covers how to connect a Twilio account to the automation builder and configure the HTTP Post step to send automated SMS messages. This article does not cover building the rest of your automation sequence. To learn how to use the Send HTTP Post step in other contexts, see how to use the Send HTTP Post action in the automation builder.

Note: The customer support team cannot help you set up or troubleshoot your Twilio account or any other third-party service. If you experience issues setting up your Twilio account, contact the Twilio customer support team directly.

What You Need Before You Start

Before configuring the automation builder, you need an active Twilio account with a verified phone number set up for sending SMS messages. Twilio offers a free trial account as well as pay-as-you-go and subscription plans. To create a Twilio account, visit twilio.com. The steps in this article use a Twilio free trial account as the example.

How to Set Up Twilio SMS in the Automation Builder

Step 1: Add a Phone Number to Your Twilio Account

Log in to your Twilio account and go to your Twilio dashboard. On the dashboard, locate the option to add a phone number and follow the prompts to add a number. This is the phone number your contacts will see as the sender when they receive an SMS from your automation.

The Twilio dashboard displays the Phone Numbers section. A phone number is listed under Active Numbers, showing the number, its capabilities, and the date it was added to the account.

Step 2: Navigate to Programmable SMS

In the left-hand navigation of your Twilio dashboard, locate the Programmable SMS section. Click Learn & Build under the Programmable SMS section to open the SMS testing and configuration page.

The Twilio left-hand navigation displays the Programmable SMS section with two options: Learn & Build and Logs. The Learn & Build option is selected.

Step 3: Send a Test SMS to Verify Your Phone Number

On the Learn & Build page, use the test form to send a text message to your own mobile phone. This step confirms that your Twilio phone number is active and configured correctly before you connect it to the automation builder.

The Learn & Build page displays a test SMS form with three fields: To (your verified personal phone number), From (your Twilio phone number), and Body (the text of the test message). Click Make Request to send the test message.

After clicking Make Request, the page displays a response from Twilio confirming the message was accepted. If you do not receive the test message on your phone, contact the Twilio customer support team to resolve the phone number setup before continuing.

Step 4: Locate Your Auth Token and Construct the Post URL

On the Learn & Build page, locate the Request section. Check the Show your Auth Token checkbox to reveal your Auth Token. In the format drop-down on the right side of the Request section, make sure curl is selected.

The Request section displays your Account SID, Auth Token (now visible after checking the checkbox), and the curl command. The format drop-down is set to curl.

Copy the highlighted credentials section from the curl command — this is the portion that includes your Account SID and Auth Token — and paste it into a text editor. You will use this to build the Post URL in the next step.

The curl command displays the full request. The credentials section — containing your Account SID, a colon, and your Auth Token — is highlighted between the https:// prefix and the @ symbol in the URL.

Step 5: Copy the Post URL

In the Request section, locate the Post URL at the top of the curl command. Copy the full URL and paste it into your text editor alongside the credentials you copied in Step 4.

The Post URL field at the top of the Request section displays the full Twilio API endpoint. The URL follows the format: https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/[Your Account SID]/Messages.json.

Step 6: Assemble the Complete Post URL

In your text editor, combine the credentials and the Post URL to build the complete Post URL you will enter into the automation builder. The assembled URL follows this format, where each color-coded section represents a different piece of information you copied from Twilio:

https://ACfb38d480c1675f581b4444d908f64b2d:2824cf28f381xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/ACfb38d480c1675f581bxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/Messages.json

The complete Post URL consists of four parts: the https:// prefix, your Account SID and Auth Token separated by a colon, the @ symbol, and the Twilio API endpoint path ending in /Messages.json. Replace the example values above with your actual Account SID and Auth Token from your Twilio account.

Step 7: Note the Required HTTP Post Field Names

Twilio requires three specific field names in the HTTP Post configuration in your automation builder. Note these three field names before moving to the next step:

• To — the recipient's phone number (your contact's phone number)
• From — your Twilio phone number
• Body — the text content of the SMS message

The Parameters section of the curl command displays the three required field names — To, From, and Body — each followed by an example value. These field names must be entered exactly as shown when configuring the HTTP Post step in the automation builder.

Step 8: Add the HTTP Post Step to Your Automation

Open the automation sequence in the automation builder where you want to send the SMS message. Add the Send HTTP Post action at the point in the sequence where the SMS should be sent.

The automation builder canvas displays the sequence with the Send HTTP Post action block added as a step. The action block shows the name of the step and is connected to the previous step in the sequence with a line.

Step 9: Configure the HTTP Post with Your Twilio Details

Click the Send HTTP Post action block to open its configuration panel. In the Post URL field, paste the complete Post URL you assembled in Step 6. In the Phone field, enter your Twilio phone number. Add the three fields from Step 7 — To, From, and Body — and enter the appropriate values for each. In the Body field, enter the text content of the SMS message you want to send.

The HTTP Post configuration panel displays the Post URL field at the top, followed by the Phone field, and then a table of parameter rows. The To, From, and Body rows are filled in with the Twilio phone number and the SMS message text.

Step 10: Test the Automation on Your Own Contact Record

Before activating the automation for your contacts, test the SMS step by running the automation on your own contact record. To do this, make sure your mobile phone number is saved as Phone 1 in your contact record in the CRM. Then run the automation manually on your contact record to trigger the SMS step.

The contact record displays the Phone 1 field with a mobile phone number entered. The actions menu on the contact record includes a Run Automation option that allows you to manually trigger a specific automation sequence on that contact.

The Run Automation dialog displays a list of available automations. Select the automation that contains the Twilio SMS step and confirm to send a test SMS to the phone number saved in your contact record.

Step 11: Review Your Completed Automation Sequence

Once your SMS step is configured and tested, you can build out the rest of your automation sequence. A common configuration includes a delay timer followed by an SMS message and an email sent to the same contact. The delay timer controls how many days after the trigger the contact receives the SMS.

The automation canvas displays a sequence of three connected steps: a 3-day delay timer at the top, followed by the Send HTTP Post step for the Twilio SMS, and an Email step at the bottom. Each step is connected to the next with a line indicating the order of execution.

Limitations and Support

The following limitations apply to the Twilio SMS integration with the automation builder:

• The customer support team cannot help you configure or troubleshoot your Twilio account. For issues with your Twilio account, contact the Twilio customer support team.
• This integration requires an active Twilio account with a phone number capable of sending SMS messages. A Twilio free trial account can be used to test the integration but may have sending restrictions.
• This article covers SMS sending only. Twilio supports additional messaging channels such as WhatsApp and voice calls, which are not covered here.