Linc SMS User Manual
Contents
1. This is so that you can tell the Import Wizard which field belongs where The text files may be in different formats l e in one text file the mobile phone may be the first column and in another spreadsheet the first name of the contact may appear in the first column Mapping the columns helps you to ensure that the contact list is imported correctly Step 10 Click on each of the various fields that you would like to import into the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 11 Select which field relates to which column so that they may be intelligently imported i e so that the BulkSMS Text Messenger can insert the relevant information into each contact field You can also select and import Custom fields for future sending Step 12 Click OK when you have mapped all the relevant fields Step 13 Click Next Step 14 Select the Group that you would like to add the contacts to Should you wish to add a new group you can do so by clicking Add Group This will allow you to create a new group s Step 15 Click Next Step 16 If the database being imported contains South African mobile phone numbers then South Africa can remain as the default In Import Rules you can format the country code for your contact list The BulkSMS Text Messenger is an application that caters for all international prefixes All mobile phone numbers must have a country code for a message to be delivered to the correct mobile p2. to schedule the message Step 6 Ensure the block stating This is a Scheduled Message is ticked Step 7 Choose the date that you would like the message to be sent on Step 8 Choose the time at which you would like the message to be sent Step 9 Click Ok Step 10 Click Send to send the message The message will now be stored on the BulkSMS server ready for sending at the scheduled time This message can be viewed in the sent items box If you need to delete a scheduled message you can do so by clicking on My Account and going to the Internet You can view your scheduled messages online under the Message History header Simply click on Scheduled messages locate the relevant message click on it to view it and click the delete button Alternatively please send an email to support giving the details of the message that you would like to cancel You will need to give BulkSMS 24 hours notice when cancelling a scheduled message 3 5 Send messages from an imported file You can send many different messages too many different individuals through a single file upload You will need to link the BulkSMS Text Messenger to the file and then Send a personalised message in order to send the various messages out Step 1 Create an Excel spreadsheet This should contain the relevant mobile phone number and each unique message If you are not sending unique messages to the various individuals then you should r
3. BulkSMS Text Messenger Product Manual Ulki AS 1 Installing the software 1 1 Download the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 1 Go to www bulksms com and choose your country Step 2 Click on products on the top menu and select Desktop SMS Software Step 3 Click the Download BulkSMS Text Messenger button to start the download process Step 4 Click Run to download the application to your computer Step 5 Once the software has been downloaded you will be asked whether or not you would like to run the software Click Run Step 6 Click Next to enter the BulkSMS Text Messenger Setup program Step 7 Read through the terms and conditions and click accept the agreement to agree to the BulkSMS Text Messenger Terms and Conditions Step 8 Click Next Step 9 Click Next to install the BulkSMS Text Messenger in the default location C Program Files BulkSMS Messenger Should you wish to install the software in another location on your computer click Browse and select the relevant location Step 10 Click Finish to complete the BulkSMS Text Messenger installation You are now ready to login to your account 2 Manage your contacts 2 1 Add edit and delete individual members in your contacts 2 1 1 Add an individual Step 1 Click the Contacts tab on the top toolbar and then click Contact Step 2 Enter the title name and surname of the new contact The title and
4. 11 characters of the corresponding first name this means that only the first 11 characters of the first name will be included Step 5 Type up to 160 characters in the Message box The bottom left will show how many characters are still available The number of characters left will automatically update as the message is typed Step 6 Click Preview in order to see the various messages that will be populated with the personalized fields Step 7 View the personalized messages that will be sent The preview shows you how the messages will appear in the recipients inbox If an X appears next to a previewed message this means that not all the data you requested is available for that particular message Step 8 Click Send to send the message Note You can schedule your message to be sent at a later date and time 3 4 Send a scheduled message Step 1 Click Message under the home tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Standard SMS Text Message Step 3 Enter the contact details of either the group or individual contacts that you would like to send the SMS text message to Step 4 Type up to 160 characters in the Message box The bottom left will show how many characters are still available The number of characters left will automatically update as the message is typed Should you wish to save this message in order to send it at a later stage Click Save f 117 Jh Step 5 Click Schedule
5. Remember Password if this is ticked the BulkSMS Text Messenger will start and open automatically when your computer is switched on if the tick box is unchecked BulkSMS Text Messenger will startup but you will need to enter your password 5 4 Startup Options The Startup page looks at advanced settings related to the BulkSMS Text Messenger start up process Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Settings Step 3 Tick the settings relevant to your usage of the BulkSMS Text Messenger as your computer starts up or as you start the BulkSMS Text Messenger 5 5 Signature The BulkSMS Text Messenger provides the option to add your Signature at the end of your messages You can choose a greeting your name your company mobile phone number or a marketing slogan as a message signature To get to the Signature page simply Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Settings Step 3 Click Signature The signature is limited to 35 characters and is subtracted from the 160 character limit imposed on each SMS text message The number of characters used in the signature is displayed next to the signature BulkSMS offers two types of signatures Standard Message Signature after a standard signature has been enabled and entered it appears whenever a New Message window is opened The signature is editable in the new message Personalised Message Signa
6. Step 1 Right click External Contacts on the navigation panel on the left hand side of the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 2 Select Create a new Link A new window will open Step 3 Name the new link by typing a short descriptive name in the Connection Name field Step 4 Click ODBC data Source Step 5 Select the file Datasource that you wish to link to Step 6 Click Open Step 7 Click the drop down list under Select the source table to select the file sheet that you would like the BulkSMS Text Messenger to link to Step 8 Click on each of the various fields that you would like to import into the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 9 Select which field relates to which column so that they may be intelligently imported i e so that the BulkSMS Text Messenger can insert the relevant information into each contact field You can also select and import Custom fields for future sending Step 10 Click OK when you have mapped all the relevant fields You will now be able to view the datasource under the External Contacts menu item 3 2 2 6 Exporting a database 2 2 6 1 Exporting contacts single export file This process allows you to export all your contacts into one single downloaded file Step 1 Click the Contacts tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Export Contacts Step 3 Select the Export Type i e single file export This means that all your contacts from all of y
7. are still available The number of characters left will automatically update as the message is typed Should you wish to save this message in order to send it at a later stage Click Save Step 5 Click Send to send the message Note You can send an SMS text message longer than 160 characters You can also schedule your message to be sent at a later date and time s 3 3 Send a personalised message Personalised Messages allow you to send bulk SMS text messages with unique information for each contact in your database A single personalised message can be sent to all your contacts by selecting customized information from the Token Field menu This unique contact data is automatically added to the message for example first name account balance date Step 1 Click Message under the home tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Personalised SMS Text Message Step 3 Enter the Group name that you would like to send the personalized SMS text message to alternatively click on Group to select the group that you would like to send the SMS text message to If you would like to add a new group please see Add groups Step 4 To personalize your SMS text message click Insert Token Field This will bring up alist of fields that can be added to your message in order to personalize it If for example you select First Name for each contact the message is sent to the system will insert up to
8. drop down list that may appear if for example you are sending a message to Shaun and there are five Shaun s listed you will need to choose which Shaun you would like to send the message to If the characters are not recognised when the Check button is clicked the option to create a New Contact is offered Accepting this option opens the Contact Properties window where the new contact can be added to your contact list and this newly inserted contact will now appear in the To field See Add an individual Step 4 Type up to 160 characters in the Message box The bottom left will show how many characters are still available The number of characters left will automatically update as the message is typed Should you wish to save this message in order to send it at a later stage click Save Step 5 Click Send to send the message Note You can send an SMS text message longer than 160 characters You can also schedule your message to be sent at a later date and time 3 2 Send a message to a group many contacts Step 1 Click Message under the home tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Standard SMS Text Message Step 3 Enter the Group name that you would like to send the SMS message to alternatively click on Group or Check to add the group that you would like to send the SMS text message to Step 4 Type up to 160 characters in the Message box The bottom left will show how many characters
9. e so that the BulkSMS Text Messenger can insert the relevant information into each contact field The message column can be inserted as a Custom field Step 12 Click OK when you have mapped all the relevant fields Step 13 Click OK to import the file in the selected format i e Column one is Mobile Number and Column 2 is a customer field containing the message Once you have imported the message file you will then need to send the various messages Step 14 Click Home on the top Toolbar Step 15 Click Message Step 16 Click Personalised SMS Text Message Step 17 Click on Group to add the group that you would like to send the SMS text message to This will be the name of the external database that you have just linked to the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 18 Select the group that you would like to send the message to you will select the file that you added as an external contact Step 19 Click gt in order to add the chosen group to the Selected Groups column Step 20 Once you have selected the uploaded file click OK Step 21 In order to insert the message that was typed in the MS Excel spreadsheet you need to choose the relevant token custom field This field is the actual message saved in the file you uploaded In this case Custom 5 was the field that we saved the message under Step 22 Click Preview in order to see the various messages as they appear i
10. hand side will be exported Step 6 Click Next f 4 Step 7 If you would like to import all your contacts to the Web to SMS platform tick the Automatically format the export to be ready for a Web Phonebook Import box If you are simply downloading all your contacts this can remain unticked Step 8 Tick the fields that you would like to include in the Export Step 9 Click Next Step 10 Choose the Export file type from the drop down list Step 11 Click in order to choose where you would like the exported contact files to be saved Step 12 Select the folder that you would like to save the exported files to Step 13 Click OK Step 14 Once you have selected the Export file type and chosen where you would like the exported files saved click Next Step 15 Click Finish to complete the export 3 How to send an SMS 3 1 Send a message to an individual one contact Step 1 Click Message under the home tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Standard SMS Text Message Step 3 Enter the mobile phone number of the contact country code and number with no spaces or leading zero e g 27820010001 that you would like to send the SMS text message to If the contact has been saved into the BulkSMS Text Messenger contacts you can enter the first few letter s of the contacts name Click Check to confirm the individual s name you may need to select the individual from a
11. side menu of the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 2 Select the message that you would like to delete Step 3 Right click your mouse and select Delete message The message will now be deleted out of your drafts folder 3 9 Create a message template This section shows you how to create a message template that you can reuse for sending further messages 3 9 1 Create and send a Standard message template Step 1 Click Message under the home tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Select Message Template Step 3 Select Standard Step 4 Type up to 160 characters in the Message box The bottom left will show how many characters are still available The number of characters available will automatically update as the message is typed Step 5 Click Save to save this as a template message Step 6 Give the template a descriptive name f v Jh In order to access this message select Templates from the menu on the left hand side of the BulkSMS Text Messenger select the message enter the contact details that you would like to send the message to See Send a message to an individual one contact or Send a message to a group many contacts 3 9 2 Create and send a personalized message template Step 1 Click Message under the home tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Select Message Template Step 3 Select Personalized Step 4 Enter the message that you would like to send If
12. 2 Choose one of the four file types to import your file from Af 5 Importing Contacts from MS Excel Importing contacts from MS Outlook Importing contacts from Windows Address Book and Outlook Express Importing contacts from Text files You can also drag and drop any of these files directly into groups in the BulkSMS Text Messenger Folders 2 2 5 1 Importing Contacts from MS Excel Spread sheets Step 1 Select Import Contacts under the Contacts tab on the top toolbar This opens the Import Wizard Step 2 Ensure the MS Excel spreadsheet or csv file has at least two fields including Name and mobile phone number The order of the fields is not important Other fields can include personal details for each contact The Name Mobile phone Number and any other details must be entered in adjacent cells starting at Cell A1 in the spreadsheet with one record per line The mobile phone Number should not contain spaces or separating characters when entered Nevertheless the BulkSMS Text Messenger does format mobile phone numbers into the required format once the data is imported The mobile phone Numbers do not need to have country codes as prefixes as this formatting is addressed in the Import Wizard Note Importing a file containing more than 20 000 contacts in an MS Excel spreadsheet using this method is not advised Rather use Add contacts from an external datasource in 2 2 5 6 below Step 3 Select the type of fil
13. and confirm the same new password as you entered on the Web as per 6 1 1 Step 5 Click OK to save the changes to your password The new password is now active both on the BulkSMS Web site and in your BulkSMS Text Messenger 6 2 Update details Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Internet This will open a web browser which will automatically take you to your BulkSMS account homepage Step 3 Click on Update your profile under User profile Step 4 Enter the changes you wish to make s Step 5 Click Update to update your profile
14. ather Send a message to a group many contacts Your spreadsheet must be in the format first column mobile phone number and in the second column the message There should be only one record per line It is best to enter mobile phone numbers with a country code If the number starts with zero not a country code the default country code can be added during the upload Note When typing the message in the file please note that only the first 160 characters excluding the mobile phone number that the message will be sent to of the message will be uploaded The recipient will not receive anything more than 160 characters Step 2 Open your BulkSMS Text Messenger and click Contacts on the top tool bar Step 3 Click Link Step 4 Click Create new link Step 5 Enter a Connection name i e the name of the External Contact connection Step 6 Click Select File in order to choose the file that you would like to upload Step 7 Select the location of the Excel Spreadsheet Step 8 Select the Excel Spreadsheet s Step 9 Click Open to import the Spreadsheet Step 10 Click to select the data table select which worksheet you want to link to Step 11 Click on each of the various fields i e the mobile phone number column and the message column that you would like to import into the BulkSMS Text Messenger Select which field relates to which column so that they may be intelligently imported i
15. e so that the BulkSMS Text Messenger can insert the relevant information into each contact field You can also select and import Custom fields for future personalised sending options Step 6 Click OK when you have mapped all the relevant fields Step 7 Click Next Step 8 Select the Group that you would like to add the contacts to Should you wish to add a new group you can do so by clicking Add Group This will allow you to create a new group Step 9 Click Next Step 10 If for example the database being imported contains South African mobile phone numbers then South Africa can remain as the default In Import Rules you can format the country code for your contact list The BulkSMS Text Messenger is an application that caters for all international prefixes All mobile phone numbers must have a country code for a message to be delivered to the correct mobile phone The country code chosen when BulkSMS Text Messenger was registered is displayed by default If the checkbox Auto Format mobile phone Numbers for this Country is ticked then the mobile phone numbers to be imported will be formatted for the selected country even if they are imported without country codes i e in South Africa the numbers starting with O will automatically have 27 added at the front of each contact number To format the mobile phone numbers to be imported for a different country code select the Country from the drop list If th
16. e mobile phone numbers to be imported are for various countries the country codes need to be prefixed to the mobile phone numbers in the imported file In this case the Auto format checkbox should not be ticked Step 11 Choose either to update an existing contact or to leave the existing contact as is without importing any new data to that contact specifically The BulkSMS Text Messenger cannot accept contacts with duplicate mobile phone numbers In the event that an existing mobile phone number is to be imported select either Update the Contact Information which _ changes the existing contact s details to the newly imported details or Do not Import the Contact which discards the imported details and keeps the contact details already in the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 12 Click Next Step 13 Click Yes to complete the import The import wizard will display the results from the import It will tell you how many records have been added updated skipped or failed Step 14 Click Save as a Rule if you would like to import this file on a regular basis i e the database is updated on a regular basis To use the save as a rule function simply click Save as a Rule in the Import Wizard select the saved rule click Open browse to a drive and folder where the rule will be saved then type a name for the file and click Save After being imported the file should be moved to a different folder a
17. e you would like to import from In this case an MS Excel spreadsheet xIs Step 4 Click Next Step 5 Click Select File to choose the MS Excel Spreadsheet that you would like to import Step 6 Select the location of the MS Excel Spreadsheet Step 7 Select the MS Excel Spreadsheet Step 8 Click Open to import the Spreadsheet Step 9 Click Next to confirm that this is the MS Excel Spreadsheet that you would like to import Step 10 Click Map Fields This is so that you can tell the Import Wizard which field belongs where Each spreadsheet may be in a different format l e in one spreadsheet the mobile phone number may be the first field and in another spreadsheet the first name of the contact may be in the first field Mapping the fields helps you to ensure that the contact list is imported correctly Step 11 Click on each of the various fields that you would like to import into the BulkSMS Text Messenger s Step 12 Select which field relates to which column so that they may be intelligently imported i e so that the BulkSMS Text Messenger can insert the relevant information into each contact field You can also select and import Custom fields for future personalised sending options Step 13 Click OK when you have mapped all the relevant fields Step 14 Click Next Step 15 Select the Group that you would like to add the contacts to Should you wish to create a new
18. ect the source table to select the file sheet that you would like the BulkSMS Text Messenger to link to 2 Jh Step 9 Select which field relates to which column so that they may be intelligently imported i e so that the BulkSMS Text Messenger can insert the relevant information into each contact field You can also select and import Custom fields for future sending Step 10 Click OK when you have mapped all the relevant fields The datasource can now be viewed under the External Contacts tab Should you wish to delete the link simply right click on the file in this case Example and select Remove Link The BulkSMS Text Messenger also provides you with additional options when adding external contacts from a datasource Click the checkbox Automatically Format mobile phone numbers if the mobile phone numbers begin with 0 Click Treat as a Huge List when more than 20 000 phone contacts are in the datasource Select the size for each sub group This is a powerful tool when dealing with hundreds of thousands of contacts For example a file with 1 000 contacts can be split into 10 Groups of 100 or a file of 10 000 000 can be split into 500 Groups of 20 000 To view a group select the group in the left folder list field To view sub groups select the sub group and click View the contents of this Group from the options in the right field 2 2 5 7 Add contacts from an external datasource via ODBC
19. group you can do so by clicking Add Group This will allow you to create a new group Step 16 Click Next Step 17 If the database being imported contains mobile phone or mobile numbers from within your country then the default can remain the same In Import Rules you can format the country code for your contact list The BulkSMS Text Messenger is an application that caters for all international prefixes All mobile phone numbers must have a country code for a message to be delivered to the correct mobile phone The country code chosen when the BulkSMS Text Messenger was registered is displayed by default If the checkbox Auto Format mobile phone Numbers for this Country is ticked then the mobile phone numbers to be imported will be formatted for the selected country even if they are imported without country codes i e In South Africa the numbers starting with O will automatically be prefixed with 27 or in the UK all numbers starting with O will automatically be prefixed with 44 To format the mobile phone numbers to be imported for a different country code select the Country from the dropdown list If the mobile phone numbers to be imported are for various countries the country codes need to be prefixed to the mobile phone numbers in the MS Excel file In this case the Auto format checkbox should not be ticked Step 18 Choose either to update an existing contact or to leave the existing contact as is without importi
20. he import It will tell you how many records have been added updated skipped or failed Step 20 Click Save as a Rule if you would like to import this file on a regular basis i e the database is updated on a regular basis Step 21 Click Finish 2 2 5 5 Importing contacts with Drag and Drop The BulkSMS Text Messenger also allows you to Drag and Drop contact lists into the programme To use the Drag and Drop feature simply Step 1 Ensure that both the folder containing the file to be imported and BulkSMS Text Messenger are open and visible Resize the folder and the BulkSMS Text Messenger if necessary o Step 2 Select the file to be imported and drag it into the BulkSMS Text Messenger Depending on the file being imported the Import Wizard opens at Map Fields see from Step 3 below or Groups see from Step 8 below Step 3 Click Map Fields This is so that you can tell the Import Wizard which field belongs where The text files may be in different formats l e in one text file the mobile phone may be the first column and in another spreadsheet the first name of the contact may appear in the first column Mapping the columns helps you to ensure that the contact list is imported correctly Step 4 Click on each of the various fields that you would like to import into the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 5 Select which field relates to which column so that they may be intelligently imported i
21. hone The country code chosen when BulkSMS Text Messenger was registered is displayed by default If the checkbox Auto Format mobile phone Numbers for this Country is ticked then the mobile phone numbers to be imported will be formatted for the selected country even if they are imported without country codes i e in South Africa the numbers starting with O will automatically have 27 added at the front of each contact number To format the mobile phone numbers to be imported for a different country code select the Country from the drop list If the mobile phone numbers to be imported are for various countries the country codes need to be prefixed to the mobile phone numbers in the text or csv file In this case the Auto format checkbox should not be ticked Step 17 Choose either to update an existing contact or to leave the existing contact as is without importing any new data to that contact specifically The BulkSMS Text Messenger cannot accept contacts with duplicate mobile phone numbers In the event that an existing mobile phone number is to be imported select either Update the Contact Information which changes the existing contact s details to the newly imported details or Do not Import the Contact which discards the imported details and keeps the contact details already in the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 18 Click Next Step 19 Click Yes to complete the import The import wizard will display the results from t
22. ile to download the messages Step 9 On this page you will find a list of all the delivery status codes Click the link Click here to check whether or not your report has been generated Step 10 Once the report has been generated click the link from to view the message history report Please note that the message history is only kept for 30 days If you want to keep records of all sent messages please download your message history on a monthly basis 4 5 View scheduled messages Step 1 Open the BulkSMS Text Messenger and click on the Sent Items icon on the menu on the left hand side Step 2 View the Sent items The message with a clock face indicates a message that has not been sent yet i e a scheduled message To read the SMS text message simply select it Double click on the message to see when it is scheduled to be sent Step 3 Double clicking will bring up the Sent Message Recipient Report This will show the date and time that the message is scheduled to be sent at Step 4 Click Close to close this window and return to the BulkSMS Text Messenger Sent Items folder 4 6 Delete a scheduled message Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Internet Step 3 Click Scheduled Messages under the Message History heading Step 4 This shows a list of all your scheduled messages Click the Send time field to view the details of the scheduled message Step 5 The
23. n add them in the same way as you did when Add groups in 2 2 1 above To remove a contact from the group select the contact and click Remove Step 5 Click OK when you are finished editing 2 2 3 Split large groups into smaller sub groups Step 1 Right click on your Groups folder on the navigation panel on the left hand side Step 2 Click on Split large Groups into smaller Sub Groups Step 3 Enter the Maximum Contacts per Group Step 4 Click Split Groups The groups will now be split into smaller sub groups with the maximum number in each group as specified by you Note This cannot be undone 2 2 4 Delete contact groups Step 1 Click on your Groups folder on the navigation panel on the left hand side to expand it so that the groups you have set up are displayed Step 2 Right click the group that you would like to delete Step 3 Click Delete Group Step 4 Click Yes to confirm the deletion of the selected group Note This cannot be undone 2 2 5 Import a database using the import wizard A file containing thousands of new contacts can be imported to the BulkSMS Text Messenger with unique information about each contact A temporary backup file contacts bak is created on your computer by default for all contacts stored on the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 1 Select Import Contacts under the Contacts tab on the top toolbar This opens the Import Wizard Step
24. n the imported spreadsheet Step 23 View the personalized messages that will be sent The preview shows you how the messages will appear in the recipient s inbox Step 24 Click Send to send the various messages 3 6 Save a message This section shows you how to save a message that you would like to send at a later stage Step 1 Click Message under the home tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Standard SMS Text Message s _ Step 3 Type up to 160 characters in the Message box The bottom left will show how many characters are still available The number of characters available will automatically update as the message is typed Step 4 Click the save icon on the tool bar Step 5 Click OK Your message will now be saved in the drafts folder 37 Retrieve a saved message This section shows you how to retrieve a saved message Step 1 To access your saved messages click Drafts on the side menu of the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 2 Double click the message that you would like to send in order to open and edit it Step 3 Enter all the relevant details as per Send a message to an individual one contact or Send a message to a group many contacts Step 4 Click Send to send the message to the relevant recipients 3 8 Delete a saved message This section shows you how to delete a previously saved message Step 1 To access your saved messages click Drafts on the
25. nd the next file to be imported should be saved to the original folder with the same name as the original file as the rule will look for that file only and in that specific folder location If new files are imported daily the amount of contacts in the specified Group will increase correspondingly unless those contacts are deleted Step 15 Click Finish 2 2 5 6 Add contacts from an external datasource This allows you to set up a link between BulkSMS Text Messenger and a dynamic datasourse i e a set of data that you wish to manage from a centralised datasource and not keep updating to the BulkSMS Text Messenger groups To add external contacts from an external datasource MS Access database SQL database contact list or another programme follow these steps Step 1 Right click External Contacts on the navigation panel on the left hand side of the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 2 Select Create a new Link A new window will open Step 3 Name the new link by typing a short descriptive name in the Connection Name field Step 4 Click Select File in the Link to a file or if you wish to link to a datasource over the internet or network see Add contacts from an external datasource via ODBC in 2 2 5 7 below Step 5 Browse to the drive and folder where the datasource is stored Step 6 Select the file Datasource that you wish to link to Step 7 Click Open Step 8 Click the drop down list under Sel
26. ng any new data to that contact The BulkSMS Text Messenger cannot accept contacts with duplicate mobile phone numbers In the event that an existing mobile phone number is to be imported select either Update the Contact Information which changes the existing contact s details to the newly imported details or Do not Import the Contact which discards the imported details and keeps the contact details already in the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 19 Click Next Step 20 Click Yes to complete the import The import wizard will display the results from the import It will tell you how many records have been added updated skipped or failed Step 21 Click Save as a Rule if you would like to import this file on a regular basis i e the database is updated on a regular basis 7 Step 22 Click Finish 2 2 5 2 Importing contacts from MS Outlook Step 1 Select Import Contacts under the Contacts tab on the top toolbar This opens the Import Wizard Step 2 Select the type of file you would like to import from In this case Microsoft Outlook Step 3 Click Next Step 4 Choose the import option Step 5 Click Next Step 6 Select the Group that you would like to add the contacts to Should you wish to add a new group you can do so by clicking Add Group This will allow you to create a new group Step 7 Click Next Step 8 If the database being imported co
27. ntains for example South African mobile phone numbers then South Africa can remain as the default This would be the same for other countries In Import Rules you can format the country code for your contact list The BulkSMS Text Messenger is an application that caters for all international prefixes All mobile phone numbers must have a country code for a message to be delivered to the correct mobile phone The country code chosen when the BulkSMS Text Messenger was registered is displayed by default If the checkbox Auto Format mobile phone Numbers for this Country is ticked then the mobile phone numbers to be imported will be formatted for the selected country even if they are imported without country codes i e in South Africa the numbers starting with O will automatically have 27 added at the front of each contact number To format the mobile phone numbers to be imported for a different country code select the Country from the drop list If the mobile phone numbers to be imported are for various countries the country codes need to be prefixed to the mobile phone numbers in the MS Outlook file In this case the Autoformat checkbox should not be ticked Step 9 Choose either to update an existing contact or to leave the existing contact as is without importing any new data to that contact specifically The BulkSMS Text Messenger cannot accept contacts with duplicate mobile phone numbers In the event that an existing mobile phone
28. number is to be imported select either Update the Contact Information which changes the existing contact s details to the newly imported details or Do not Import the Contact which discards the imported details and keeps the contact details already in the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 10 Click Next Step 11 Click Yes to complete the import Af 8 1 Step 12 Click Save as a Rule if you would like to import this file on a regular basis i e the database is updated on a regular basis Step 13 Click Finish 2 2 5 3 Importing contacts from Windows Address Book and Outlook Express Step 1 Select Import Contacts under the Contacts tab on the top toolbar This opens the Import Wizard Step 2 Select the type of file you would like to import from Step 3 Click Next and follow the prompts 2 2 5 4 Importing contacts from Text files Step 1 Select Import Contacts under the Contacts tab on the top toolbar This opens the Import Wizard Step 2 Select the type of file you would like to import from In this case Text files Step 3 Click Next Step 4 Click Select File to choose the text file that you would like to import Step 5 Select the location of the Text file Step 6 Select the Text file Step 7 Click Open to import the text file Step 8 Click Next to confirm that this is the Text file that you would like to import Step 9 Click Map Fields
29. on your BulkSMS account please follow the steps as outlined in 6 1 below If you would like to change the email address associated with your BulkSMS account you can do so my clicking on My Account and Internet This will open a web browser and you will need to click on Update your Profile Once you have updated your email address click Update 5 3 Preferences The Preference page looks at advanced settings related to low credit notification and whether or not you would like the BulkSMS Text Messenger to remember your password To access this page simply Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Settings 4 Step 3 Click Preferences to access the Preference page options Here you are able to manage the BulkSMS Text Messenger start up and reminder functions Low Credit Warning if this is ticked and the number of credits on your account drops below the number inserted a reminder to purchase additional credits will be emailed to the email address loaded when you registered for your BulkSMS account This message will be repeated until you top up your SMS credits The default setting of 5 credits can be changed to suite your needs by clicking on the up or down buttons To purchase additional credits please see How to buy SMS credits and view invoices Disable Inbox new message notifications a pop up will not appear when you have an incoming message
30. ontacts to view and enable Microsoft Outlook contact upload at startup To enable this option ensure that the tick box has been ticked Step 4 Click OK 5 9 External databases This page allows you to set up an automatic download of any of the existing External Databases every time the BulkSMS Text Messenger starts up This means that any new contacts loaded into the external database will appear in the BulkSMS Text Messenger once it has been restarted Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Settings Step 3 Click External Database to view and enable External Database contact upload at startup To enable this option ensure that the tick box has been ticked Step 4 Click OK 5 10 Network Messenger automatically tests the available ports on installation of the software and selects the best choice of connection type to the Internet There is no need for you to change settings unless problems arise The BulkSMS Text Messenger will send and receive SMS text messages over any internet connection corporate or home fixed or wireless even a dial up connection Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Settings Step 3 Click Network to view and change the connection type There are four connection options under Connection Type If you are unsure about the connection select Help or Support on the top toolbar and then Test Connec
31. our groups will be exported into one single file Step 4 Click Next Step 5 If you would like to import all your contacts to the BulkSMS Web to SMS platform tick the Automatically format the export to be ready for a Web Phonebook Import box If you are simply downloading all your contacts this can remain unticked Step 6 Tick the fields that you would like to include in the Export Step 7 Click Next Step 8 Choose the Export file type from the drop down list Step 9 Click in order to choose where you would like the exported contact file to be saved Step 10 Select the folder that you would like the exported file to be saved in Step 11 Type a file name Step 12 Click Save Step 13 Once you have selected the Export file type and chosen where you would like the export file saved and what to call it click Next Step 14 Click Finish to complete the export 2 2 6 2 Exporting Grouped contacts one export file per group Step 1 Click the Contacts tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Export Contacts Step 3 Select the Export Type in this example Export Grouped Contacts This means that all groups will be exported individually i e each group will create a separate file Step 4 Click Next Step 5 Use the add gt gt gt or remove lt lt lt buttons to select the contact groups that you would like to Export The list on the right
32. p 1 Grade 9 parents Regular customers You can select existing contacts see Step 4 below or add a new contact see Step 8 below Step 3 Click Select Members in order to insert existing contacts that you would like in the group Step 4 Type the name of the contact you would like to add to the group alternatively select the name from the list below Hold down the Ctrl key to select multiple contacts for a group Step 5 Once you have selected the contact name from the list click gt to move the contact to the Selected Contacts box Step 6 Click OK to add the Selected Contacts to the New Group that you have created Step 7 Should you wish to add a new contact i e one that isn t already in your contact list click Add New and you can add the contact in the same way as you would Add an individual in 2 1 1 above Step 8 When you have finished adding all the contacts that you would like in the group click OK All contacts are now added to your new group 2 2 2 Edit group details and or members Step 1 Click on your Groups folder on the navigation panel on the left hand side to expand it so that the groups you have set up are displayed Step 2 Right click the group that you would like to edit Step 3 Click Edit Group Step 4 Change the details that you would like to edit l e Group name Members etc If you would like to edit the members you ca
33. send you now have up to 918 characters The message gets split into 6 parts when you send it but when it arrives at the mobile phone it will appear as one full message Please note that some of the older mobile phones do not have the ability to reconnect the messages so that they appear at the recipients mobile phone as one SMS text message To enable Long message sending simply Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Settings Step 3 Click Long Messages to view and enable Long message sending Ensure that all three tick boxes are ticked and choose the Maximum Message Parts anywhere from 2 to 6 this means that you can send from two to six message parts in one message from the BulkSMS Text Messenger Please be aware that each extra message part will be charged for at the standard message rate E g if the text that is being sent is 918 characters long this means that you will be charged for 6 messages i e if one credit equals one SMS text message then 6 credits will be deducted from your BulkSMS account s 5 8 Outlook contacts This page allows you to set up an automatic download of the Contacts in Microsoft Outlook every time the BulkSMS Text Messenger starts up This means that any new contacts loaded into Outlook will now appear in the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Settings Step 3 Click Outlook C
34. surname are optional and can be used for personalized messages Step 3 Enter the new contacts mobile phone number The country code e g 27 for South Africa or 44 for the UK that you entered when the BulkSMS Text Messenger was installed will be applied as the default country code You can change the default country code by using the drop down list If the country is not in the drop down list uncheck the Auto format check box and type in the country code and mobile number This country code will be stored with the mobile phone number for the new contact Step 4 To add the new contact to an existing group tick the group name that the contact should be added to If you need to create a new group click on the Add Group button Step 5 The Custom Fields are fields that can be used when typing up and sending personalized messages For example account number balance or payment amount Step 6 Click OK to save the new contact The contact properties window will close 2 1 2 Search for and edit an individual The BulkSMS Text Messenger gives you full access to your contacts allowing you to search for add edit or delete contacts In order to search for an individual simply Step 1 Click Find and Manage under the Home tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Enter the text that you would like to search for You can change the search criteria according to your search For example you can search by name number etc S
35. tep 3 Click on Find to find the contact Step 4 Double click on the contact that you would like to review edit Step 5 Change the relevant details in the Contact Properties window Step 6 Click OK to save your changes Step 7 Click Close to close the Find and Manage box 2 1 3 Find and delete an individual Step 1 Click Find and Manage under the Home tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Enter the text that you would like to search for You can change the search criteria according to your search For example you can search by name number etc Af 3 Step 3 Click on Find to find the contact Step 4 Right click on the contact that you would like to delete Step 5 Click Delete Step 6 You will be asked to confirm the delete action Click Yes to delete the contact or No to abort the action 2 1 4 Delete all contacts To discard all contacts you can Step 1 Right click on the Contacts icon in the left hand navigation panel Step 2 Click Delete All Contacts All your contacts will now be deleted 2 2 Add edit and delete groups 2 2 1 Add groups The BulkSMS Text Messenger allows you to create groups to which you would like to send SMS text messages You can add new or existing contacts to these new groups To set up a group simply Step 1 Click the Group icon under the Contact tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Type in the Group Name of your choice i e Grou
36. time and date of scheduled message will be displayed Click Delete to delete the scheduled message 5 BulkSMS Text Messenger Settings 5 1 6 1 Introduction Restore default settings The BulkSMS Text Messenger settings can be changed under the My Accounts tab on the top toolbar The Introduction page allows you to restore all the default settings If you restore the default settings it will be as though you are opening your BulkSMS Text Messenger for the first time Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Settings Step 3 The Introduction page will pop up This page allows you to access the various settings that can be changed on your BulkSMS account In order to Restore Defaults simply click the Restore Defaults button This will reset all settings within your BulkSMS Text Messenger back to that of a new installation All saved account details passwords signatures contacts and groups will be deleted You would need to re enter all these details 5 2 Account Details To view your account details such as Username Country and mobile phone Number simply Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Settings Step 3 Click on Account Details You can update your country and mobile phone number on this page Should you wish to log in with a different username and password this is where you would need change these details To change your password
37. tivity The various connection types and when best to use them are listed below Use Internet Explorer settings an existing connection already exists if Internet Explorer is functioning this is often sufficient for messaging purposes Use Internet Explorer settings but no scripts in a corporate environment where scripts are used this setting is preferred to the previous setting Connect directly to the Internet where no Internet Explorer settings are relevant f 7 Connect to the Internet via a Proxy Server this choice opens the Proxy Settings Enter the Address and Port You will need to indicate Keep Connection Alive for authentication and troubleshooting purposes You will be prompted for Proxy Username and Password If the checkbox is selected the Username and Password will be requested each time the connection is opened If left unchecked the Username and Password can be entered allowing the connection to proceed when required Any of the connection types can be used with any of the port settings Even if Proxy Settings are used the correct port must be selected for the connection to work If required select the relevant SMS Port Default 7512 amp 5567 these are the most common ports in use for messaging HTTP 80 in the event that ports 7512 and 5567 are not available port 80 is the next choice Secure HTTP 443 this setting is required where all other ports are
38. ture enabling this function and entering a signature adds Signature to the Token Field drop down list in New s Personalised Messages Select this token field to add this signature to each message i e you can choose whether or not you want to add your signature on the personalised messages that you send out 5 6 Custom fields The BulkSMS Text Messenger provides five different Custom Fields in which unique details for each contact can be saved i e when uploading a spreadsheet with extra fields such as account number or balance due you can change the name of the Custom Fields to reflect the fields columns in your spreadsheet To change the names of the Custom Fields you need to access the page which can be found under the settings menu where these fields can be renamed These fields are used when sending personalised messages Each Custom Field name will appear in the Custom fields of each of the contacts in your BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Settings Step 3 Click Custom Fields Step 4 Change the names of the custom fields as needed For more information on sending Personalised messages go to Send a personalised message 5 7 Long messages Most SMS text messages are only 160 characters long The BulkSMS Text Messenger allows you to send up to 6 SMS text messages in one go Instead of splitting any information that you may need to
39. unavailable for security reasons Secure HTTP is equivalent to SSL 6 How to edit your account 6 1 Change password The BulkSMS Text Messenger was designed so that you could compose SMS text messages off line as well as on line For this reason your password is stored in two places on the SMS gateway and in the BulkSMS Text Messenger application If you wish to change your password it must be changed on both the BulkSMS Web site and the BulkSMS Text Messenger If the password is changed on the BulkSMS Text Messenger only no messages can be sent as BulkSMS will not recognise the new application password until it has been updated on your account on the BulkSMS Web site 6 1 1 Change password on the BulkSMS Web site To change your password on the Web please do the following Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Internet This will open a Web browser which will automatically take you to your BulkSMS account homepage Step 3 Click on Update your profile under User profile Step 4 Change your password as required Re enter your password to confirm the change Remember this is case sensitive and must be at least 6 characters in length Step 5 Click Update to complete your password change 6 1 2 Change password on the BulkSMS Text Messenger Step 1 Click My Account on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Settings Step 3 Click on Account Details Step 4 Enter
40. under the Folders section Step 4 Enter the start date of the report you would like in the following format Year Month and Date YYYY MM DD Step 5 Enter the end date of the report in the following format YYYY MM DD Step 6 Choose the file format that you would like your report downloaded Step 7 Click Generate to access the report of messages sent during the selected period Step 8 Click the link from to view the message inbox report 4 3 View message history Step 1 Open the BulkSMS Text Messenger and click on the Sent Items icon on the menu on the left hand side Step 2 View the Sent items To read the various SMS text messages click on the message you would like to review From here you can forward 4 4 Download message history Step 1 Go to the My Account tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Internet Step 3 Go to the Message History section and click Download message history Step 4 Enter the start date of the report you would like as year month and day YYYY MM DD Step 5 Enter the end date of the report as year month and day YYYY MM DD Step 6 Choose the file format that you would like your report downloaded 2 Step 7 The file download will contain Created time MSISDN Cellular or mobile phone number of the recipient and the status code of the message Should you need any further information Tick any of the optional fields Step 8 Click Generate Download F
41. you would like to personalize your SMS text message you can click Insert Token Field which will bring up a list of fields that can be added to your message in order to personalize it If for example you select First Name for each contact the message is sent to the system will insert up to 11 characters of the corresponding first name this means that only the first 11 characters of the first name will be included Type up to 160 characters in the Message box The bottom left will show how many characters are still available The number of characters left will automatically update as the message is typed Step 5 Click Save to save this as a template message Step 6 Give the template a descriptive name In order to access this message select Templates from the menu on the left hand side of the BulkSMS Text Messenger select the message enter the contact numbers that you would like to send the message to See Send a personalised message 4 How to view sent messages and replies 4 1 View Inbox Step 1 Open the BulkSMS Text Messenger and click on the Inbox icon on the menu on the left hand side Step 2 View the inbox To read the various SMS text messages click on the message you would like to review From here you can reply to or forward the SMS text message 4 2 Download Inbox Step 1 Go to the My Account tab on the top toolbar Step 2 Click Internet Step 3 Click Download Inbox
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