SMS Setup

Connect Jack to Twilio for SMS messaging with guests.

SMS provides universal reach—every phone can receive texts. This guide covers setting up SMS via Twilio.

Overview

You'll need:

  • A Twilio account
  • A Twilio phone number
  • Your Account SID and Auth Token

Step 1: Create Twilio Account

  1. Sign up at twilio.com/try-twilio
  2. Verify your email and phone number
  3. Complete the onboarding questions

Twilio provides trial credit for testing. For production, you'll need to upgrade and add funds.

Step 2: Get a Phone Number

  1. In Twilio Console, go to Phone Numbers → Buy a Number
  2. Search for a number in your country/region
  3. Ensure it has SMS capability (check the "SMS" column)
  4. Click Buy

Tip: Choose a local number for your area. Guests are more likely to respond to local numbers.

Step 3: Get API Credentials

  1. Go to Twilio Console
  2. Find your Account SID on the dashboard
  3. Click on Auth Token to reveal it, then copy

Step 4: Configure Webhook

  1. Go to Phone Numbers → Manage → Active Numbers
  2. Click on your number
  3. Scroll to Messaging Configuration
  4. Under "A message comes in", select Webhook
  5. Enter: https://your-jack-domain.com/api/v1/webhooks/twilio
  6. Set HTTP method to POST
  7. Click Save

Step 5: Configure Jack

  1. In Jack's dashboard, go to Settings → Apps
  2. Find Twilio SMS and click Configure
  3. Enter:
    • Account SID — From step 3
    • Auth Token — From step 3
    • Phone Number — Your Twilio number (e.g., +15551234567)
  4. Click Save and then Enable

Testing

Send a text message to your Twilio number from your personal phone. It should appear in Jack's inbox.

Costs

United States pricing:

  • Phone number $1.15/month
  • Outbound SMS $0.0079/message
  • Inbound SMS $0.0075/message

Prices vary by country. See Twilio pricing.

For a hotel with ~200 SMS conversations/month, expect ~$3-5/month in SMS costs.

Best Practices

Keep messages short

SMS has a 160 character limit per segment. Longer messages are split and charged separately. Jack handles this automatically, but shorter is better.

Include opt-out

For marketing messages, include "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" to comply with regulations.

Respect quiet hours

Avoid sending automated SMS late at night. Use automations to schedule messages during business hours.

A2P 10DLC Registration (US)

If sending SMS in the United States, you need to register for A2P (Application-to-Person) messaging:

  1. Go to Messaging → Trust Hub in Twilio Console
  2. Complete the A2P 10DLC Registration
  3. Register your business and campaign
  4. Wait for approval (1-2 weeks)

Important: Unregistered numbers have significantly lower throughput and higher filtering rates. Register before going to production.

Troubleshooting

Messages not arriving

  • Check webhook URL is correct in Twilio
  • Verify Jack is accessible from the internet
  • Check Twilio webhook logs for errors

Outbound messages fail

  • Verify Account SID and Auth Token are correct
  • Check Twilio account has sufficient funds
  • Ensure phone number format includes country code (+1...)

Messages filtered/blocked

  • Register for A2P 10DLC (US)
  • Avoid spam trigger words
  • Ensure recipients have opted in