How SMS Sending Works: Cost, Sender, and Integration

SMS sending works with the same template system as email and WhatsApp: you create a template in Settings, associate it with a playbook, and trigger it from a workflow. No external integration and no account phone number are required.

1. Where to set it up

Go to Settings → SMS Templates → Create SMS Template. The form asks for:

• Identifier: the template’s internal name.
• Language.
• From: the sender the contact will see (up to 11 characters).
• Body: up to 250 characters, supports variables to personalize the message.
• Playbooks: which playbook(s) the template is linked to.

Only users with the “Manage SMS Templates” ability can create, edit, or delete SMS templates.

2. Which number it sends from (sender)

Unlike calls or WhatsApp, SMS does not use the numbers from Settings → Phones. The “From” field is free text of up to 11 characters and supports two formats:

• A phone number in international format without the “+” symbol (for example, 34685448487).
• A short alphanumeric name as sender (for example, Rentingesp), with no need to correspond to a real number.

Each template can have its own sender, and there’s no need to request or verify any specific number to use SMS.

3. Cost

SMS sending is not included in the fixed plan fee: it is billed as variable usage, just like international calls, and shows up in the “Next estimated bill” under Settings → Plans and Billing.

Cost is calculated by parts, not by message:

• A standard SMS (no accents or emoji) has a limit of 160 characters per part.
• If the message exceeds that limit (the template body allows up to 250 characters), it is sent split into several parts, and each part is billed separately.
• Using accents or emoji reduces how many characters fit per part, which can increase the number of parts (and therefore the cost) of a message that would otherwise fit in one.

When writing the template body, Vixiees shows a notice with the exact number of parts the current message will be sent in.

4. Integration

No external integration is required to send SMS. Sending is enabled the same way as email or a WhatsApp template:

1. The SMS template is created and associated with one or more playbooks.
2. In the playbook’s workflow, add the “Send SMS Template” action (one of the actions available alongside email and WhatsApp) and pick the template to use.
3. The system sends the SMS automatically when that action runs, using the sender configured in the template.

Conclusion

SMS in Vixiees is configured and triggered the same way as email or WhatsApp, with two key differences: the sender is a free field (a number or a short text) instead of an account number, and cost is billed per 160-character part as variable usage, not within the fixed plan.

Relevant scenarios

• Company that wants its SMS identified with a brand name: it can use an alphanumeric sender (e.g. “MyBrand”) instead of a number, as long as it fits in 11 characters.
• Long messages with variables: it’s worth checking the parts notice before enabling the template, since a message with many variables or accents can be billed as 2-3 parts instead of 1.