SMS broadcasts

An SMS broadcast sends one DLT-registered message to many people. Open SMS → Broadcast tab → New Broadcast, pick an approved sender and template, tell Slovio what fills each {#var#}, choose the audience and select Queue SMS broadcast.

#Before you send

• The sender ID (header) and the template must both be approved, and the template must be linked to that sender. See SMS sender IDs and templates.
• Promotional SMS is only delivered in the daytime window operators allow, and not to numbers on the Do Not Disturb (DND) list.
• One SMS part is 160 characters, or 70 when the text has Hindi or other Unicode characters. Longer messages are sent and charged as several parts.

#Fill in the form

1. Enter a Name for your reports.
2. SMS channel: shown for you when you have one.
3. Sender: choose an approved, active sender ID. Only templates registered under it are listed.
4. Template: pick a registered template. Its DLT template ID, Category and Message fill in and cannot be edited, because they must match the registration.
5. Fill the variables: one row per {#var#} (below).
6. When to send: Send now, or Later with a date and time.
7. Audience: Contacts, Segments or Upload (an Excel file; see Broadcast audience from Excel).
8. Select Queue SMS broadcast (or Schedule SMS broadcast).

You can also choose Write new in Template and type a DLT template ID and body. The ID must already be registered and approved under the chosen sender, or every message is rejected.

#How each {#var#} gets its value

A DLT slot has no name, so the slots are filled strictly in order: row 1 fills the first {#var#}, row 2 the second, and so on. Each row starts as First Name. For each row, choose one of:

For a contact field, the box beside it is the fallback: "Fallback when this contact has no value". A contact with no value and no fallback still gets the message, with that slot left blank.

#Worked example

Kaveri Organics has this approved template under the sender KAVERI:

The audience is an Excel sheet with contact_number, name, order_id and tracking columns. The variable rows are filled like this:

Asha, whose row reads Asha, KO-10482, DL5543210987, receives from KAVERI:

Dear Asha, your Kaveri Organics order KO-10482 has shipped. AWB DL5543210987. Track at kaveriorganics.in/track -KAVERI

This is one SMS part (under 160 characters). The Preview on the right shows the message for a sample contact until you pick contacts.

#Messages you may see

#Reports

On the Broadcast tab, open a broadcast's menu → View recipients to see each message's status, reason and charge. See SMS delivery log.

#Common questions

#Can I change the words of a registered template when I send?

No. The body must match your DLT registration character for character, so a picked template's message cannot be edited. Only the {#var#} slots are filled per contact.

#What if my Excel column is not in the list?

Choose Another custom field… and type the column's header, for example order_id. The match ignores upper and lower case.

#What happens if a contact has no value for a slot?

Slovio uses the fallback you typed. Without one, the slot is sent blank and the rest of the message still goes out.

#Are SMS broadcasts sent at night?

Transactional and OTP messages can go at any time. Promotional messages are only delivered in the daytime window the operators allow.

#Can customers reply to an SMS broadcast?

SMS is send-only in Slovio. Replies are not shown in the Inbox.