Twilio
Overview
This article is for both WebinarJam and EverWebinar.
WebinarJam and EverWebinar can send SMS and phone call reminders through our Twilio integration. Therefore, by integrating Twilio with WebinarJam notifications, you can send SMS Text and Voice Messages to those who want to get Webinar updates via their phone.
For example, you can send a reminder for your webinar to your participants: a “Last minute” reminder which will be sent out 15 minutes before your webinar starts.
Remember that this is an optional feature and not necessary to run your webinars. If you decide to use Twilio, here are the steps to take:
Setting up an Account With Twilio
First and foremost, in order to integrate Twilio with WebinarJam or EverWebinar, you firstly need to sign up for an actual Twilio account.
Once you have your account, Twilio can seem a bit overwhelming, but we’ll walk you through the steps to assist you.
Please note this is a third party program, and they may update and change how their interface look. Should you need support configuring your Twilio account, you’ll need to reach out to their support helpdesk.
First, you need to create a Twilio Account at https://www.twilio.com/try-twilio. Complete the required fields: name, email and password. Then click the “Get Started” button.
You will then need to verify you are human by sending yourself a verification code.
This will create a trial account which will only send messages to verified numbers in specific countries.
Getting a Phone Number to Send Text Messages
The next step is to get a phone number. Go to: https://www.twilio.com/console/phone-numbers/getting-started.
There, you’ll see a big red button (see below) that says, “Get Your First Twilio Number”.
This opens a pop up that will offer you a phone number. You can accept the number or choose a different one. The number you choose will be necessary to integrate with WebinarJam.
Information You Need to Integrate with WebinarJam or EverWebinar
To Integrate with WebinarJam, you need three pieces of information: The Twilio Account SID, the Twilio Auth token and the Twilio phone number.
To get this information, go to the Twilio.com/console.
Twilio Account SID
Under your Console Dashboard you will see the Twilio Account SID. Copy this code (Marked #1 Below).
Twilio Auth token
Your Twilio Auth Token is hidden. To see the code press the “eye” icon, then you can copy it (Marked #2 Below).
Twilio phone number
Click the # Phone numbers section to go to the phone number page (Marked #3 Below), or go to Twilio.com/console/phone-numbers/incoming
On the this page: Twilio.com/console/phone-numbers/incoming, you should see the phone number (Marked #2 Below). Twilio.com/console/phone-numbers/incoming, you should see the phone number (Marked #2 Below).
If you don’t see it, be sure you are on “Active Numbers” (Marked #1 Below) and be sure to have a phone number.
Integrating Twilio with WebinarJam or EverWebinar
There are two places you can integrate Twilio: You can add Twilio to your profile and you can add sms messaging to a webinar.
Adding Twilio to Your Profile
Adding Twilio to your profile let’s you use the Twilio Integration on all your webinars.
Go to your profile (Marked with the arrow below).
When the popup opens, click Integrations (Marked #1 Below).
Click “SMS Gateways” (Marked #2 Below).
Your Twilio Account SID (Marked #3 Below), Your Twilio Auth Token (Marked #4 Below), and your Twilio Phone Number (Marked #5 Below) can be added here.
Do not include dashes in your phone number.
To send yourself a verification text, enter a valid phone number and press “Send Test SMS” (Marked #6 Below).
Press Connect. To change your account, press “Reset” (Marked #7 Below).
Adding SMS Messaging to a specific Webinar
To add Twilio only to a specific webinar, go to the Notifications section within your Webinar (Marked #1 Below).
Click “Call/SMS” (Marked #3 Below).
If you added Twilio to “My Profile” this information will automatically appear here.
Creating a Text Message
SMS (and voice) will only be delivered 15 minutes before the webinar. For the SMS message, make sure to remind your attendees to check their email to get the last minute link and any other last minute information (Marked #1 Below).
Click the “Send Test SMS” button to check your text (Marked #2 Below).
Save (Marked #3 Below).
Make sure to confirm your notifications for the page to save.
Issues with Text Messages
Countries Outside of the United States
If you are a country outside of the United States, SMS services may need to be enable the global permissions page and enable the country or number range you would like to send SMS messages to. Twilio has global permissions to protect your account from abuse.
https://www.twilio.com/user/account/settings/international/sms
Why are registrants are not getting messages?
We recommend checking Twilio Logs see: https://www.twilio.com/docs/api/messaging/debugging-common-issues
If it shows as sent, it may be due to the phone carrier. They may block certain types of messages, or may block certain numbers, which they do to protect their users from spam.
If you just created your Twilio account, you may need to confirm your account, you will need to contact them on how to confirm your account.