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Overview

One of the most convenient features of Broadstripes messaging is that it allows you to send an SMS text to multiple workers at once, for instance, all the workers in a given shop or department, or everyone who has recently shown interest in coming to a rally you’re planning.  You can also send a message to just one worker at a time. Either way, you can receive responses back on your cell phone, and can view a history of all your text communications in Broadstripes. Get a look at how Broadstripes text messaging works in this overview video, or scroll down to watch a step-by-step video and learn how to get set up to send your first text blast.

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Video: Overview - How text messaging works in Broadstripes

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Video: How to set up and use text messaging in Broadstripes

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Before you can send a text message

A few things need to be in place before you start sending texts in Broadstripes:
  1. Your organization must be verified for SMS messaging.
  2. You have to have permission to send texts, which an admin can give you.
  3. You need a virtual cell number, which also must be provided by an admin. Broadstripes uses virtual numbers so that:
    • organizers don’t have to give out their real cell numbers
    • if an organizer moves on from a campaign, another team member can continue an ongoing text conversation in their place.
  4. The people you want to text must be opted in. Broadstripes only texts cell numbers a worker has consented to be contacted on, so each recipient needs a valid cell number marked Opted In.
Opting in your records is required — and it decides who actually gets your message. Marking a cell number Opted In records the worker’s consent to receive texts, which mobile carriers and regulations require. Broadstripes skips anyone whose cell number isn’t opted in, so this is the step that determines who a text blast reaches. Learn how in Text messaging permissions – opt in a cell phone.
To receive a notification on your phone when a worker replies to a message you sent, add your personal cell number to your Broadstripes user account. This step is not required to send messages, but without it you will not be notified of replies. This number won’t be visible to the workers you text — they’ll receive texts from your virtual number. Here’s how to add it:
  1. In the top-right navigation bar, click your user disc (the circle showing your initials or photo) to open the user menu, then select User settings.
  2. In the SMS notification settings section, type your cell number into the Phone number for SMS notifications field, then click Confirm and save. Enter your number and click Confirm and save
  3. Broadstripes sends a confirmation text to your cell phone. Reply YES to confirm that you want to receive SMS notifications.
See Set an SMS notification number for more detail.

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Sending a text message to multiple workers at once

From the search results page, you can easily send an SMS text to multiple workers using a bulk action. Learn how step-by-step in the Bulk Actions - Send SMS texts article.

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Sending a text to a single worker

You can also send a text to just one worker. You can use the method above (selecting only their name from the search results), or you can use a shortcut from the Quick view dialog:
  1. From the Search Results page, click the Quick view icon () next to the worker’s name.Quick view icon next to a worker's name in the search results
  2. Click the Quick actions tab in the Quick view dialog, then click Send SMS.Quick actions tab in the Quick view dialog showing the Send SMS button
  3. Compose your message (up to 480 characters). You can optionally attach an image (JPEG, PNG, or GIF, up to 600 KB) or a PDF (up to 5 MB) by clicking the Attach a file () button below the message. Then click Send.

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Receiving replies to your texts

Now let’s look at what happens if a worker writes back to a text you’ve sent using Broadstripes.
  1. If someone replies to a text you’ve sent, you’ll get a text notification on your cell phone with the name of the project, the name of the worker who responded and a snippet of their message. Reply notification
  2. At the bottom of the notification text, there’ll be a link that takes you to the full text conversation in your phone’s browser.
  3. Tap the link and log in to Broadstripes if you’re prompted.
  4. The browser display that opens will look just like a regular text conversation and will allow you to continue your conversation using your Broadstripes virtual number. You’ll be able to send and see messages as they arrive in real time.

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See a history of sent texts in Broadstripes

Seeing a history of the texts you’ve sent in bulk can be helpful for tracking and managing your communications. You’ll also be able to see messages sent by others on your team. Here’s how to view that history using Broadstripes:
  1. Choose Sent texts from the left-hand toolbar.
  2. You’ll see a list of every bulk text sent out for this project. Click the info icon to see more details about a specific text.
  3. The detail page shows the message body, delivery statistics, and metadata such as the sender, recipient count, and sent date. If the message included a media attachment such as an image, an Attached media section appears at the bottom of the page. Click the image preview to open it in a new browser tab, or click Download to save the file to your device.