Texting/SMS Option.

GSS

Curious, 

Do any of the companies you work for use the texting/SMS option? If so, what do you use it for? If you use it as a reminder to get payment in, do you see a big increase in on-time payments? 

Thanks, 

Iamkathleen

Yes, we do use the SMS option and I like it.  Tenants will often ignore a phone call but respond to a text.  Payment reminders what is mostly used.  We have seen more on time payments.  If the customer says they didn't know we can politely tell them when & what we texted them.

Storagelife

I love this feature.  It make collections so much easy.  I like to use it as a  "Friendly Rent Reminder" on 5th day. and on the 9th day, It is called "Last Minute Rent Reminder".  Tenants appreciate the "Last Minute Rent Reminder" the most.

Faye

What are you using for SMS? We currently using Twilio, Im wondering if they are all alike as far as set up goes

i43storage

We use SMS a LOT and it really does help!

Naheed

We also use Twilio. Find it reasonably priced and pretty easy to set up with SiteLink.
We use SMS for payment reminders, and sometimes for short random messages. The fact that it integrates with SiteLink means there's a record of the SMS in the customer's notes too.

Faye

Naheed said:

We also use Twilio. Find it reasonably priced and pretty easy to set up with SiteLink.
We use SMS for payment reminders, and sometimes for short random messages. The fact that it integrates with SiteLink means there's a record of the SMS in the customer's notes too.

Our owners grandson set our Twilio up for SMS. I have glanced at it but it looks to me like writing code or something.

Faye

There are so many things I would like to change or add in Twilio if possible.

Naheed

Faye said:

There are so many things I would like to change or add in Twilio if possible.

I agree.  Sending SMS was the easiest thing I could do. Would love to use it for more, but agree it looks like you need to know how to code.

JamesF

Naheed said:

We also use Twilio. Find it reasonably priced and pretty easy to set up with SiteLink.
We use SMS for payment reminders, and sometimes for short random messages. The fact that it integrates with SiteLink means there's a record of the SMS in the customer's notes too.

What happens to anything they reply? I spoke to site link support and they said it doesn't deal with replies. 

I spoke to twilio support on this too and they were not particularly helpful either. Yes I can see replies in the twilio dashboard but, would prefer an easier way. Preferrably integrated with SiteLink. 

THanks

Naheed

JamesF said:

Naheed said:

We also use Twilio. Find it reasonably priced and pretty easy to set up with SiteLink.
We use SMS for payment reminders, and sometimes for short random messages. The fact that it integrates with SiteLink means there's a record of the SMS in the customer's notes too.

What happens to anything they reply? I spoke to site link support and they said it doesn't deal with replies. 

I spoke to twilio support on this too and they were not particularly helpful either. Yes I can see replies in the twilio dashboard but, would prefer an easier way. Preferrably integrated with SiteLink. 

THanks

Hi James.  If I can, I usually add 'Do not reply to this text'.  I have no idea what happens if they reply.

JamesF

Ok thanks, maybe I am overly concerned about getting replies. The setup for Twilio & sitelink was very easy but seems super lacking if you cant get any text back. Even "unsubscribe" or etc. 

FYI You should be able to see anything you've been sent in your Twilio dashboard, might be interesting to see who and what has texted you. 

Elizabeth_Babyak

JamesF said:

Naheed said:

We also use Twilio. Find it reasonably priced and pretty easy to set up with SiteLink.
We use SMS for payment reminders, and sometimes for short random messages. The fact that it integrates with SiteLink means there's a record of the SMS in the customer's notes too.

What happens to anything they reply? I spoke to site link support and they said it doesn't deal with replies. 

I spoke to twilio support on this too and they were not particularly helpful either. Yes I can see replies in the twilio dashboard but, would prefer an easier way. Preferrably integrated with SiteLink. 

THanks

Our SMS replies come directly to our property's email account for SiteLink. It's quite convenient.

Orkocean

I forget the name of it but my former company had a program that was designed by some of the former higher ups while they were there. It would do automated collection calls and text messages to customers, if they responded to the text it would populate into their account notes and on the reminder screen that you had a response. The caveat to the system was if you used it, you couldn't manually do phone calls the same day due to something in the collection regulations, we actually saw a rise in delinquency when we rolled it out originally as we relied solely on it. Once we convinced them to disable it 1 day a week so we could manually contact customers we started getting our numbers back to where they needed to be. 

JamesF

Orkocean said:

I forget the name of it but my former company had a program that was designed by some of the former higher ups while they were there. It would do automated collection calls and text messages to customers, if they responded to the text it would populate into their account notes and on the reminder screen that you had a response. The caveat to the system was if you used it, you couldn't manually do phone calls the same day due to something in the collection regulations, we actually saw a rise in delinquency when we rolled it out originally as we relied solely on it. Once we convinced them to disable it 1 day a week so we could manually contact customers we started getting our numbers back to where they needed to be. 

Yes I have used a CRM similar to this in the past. It was called Statflo

Elizabeth_Babyak said:

JamesF said:

Naheed said:

We also use Twilio. Find it reasonably priced and pretty easy to set up with SiteLink.
We use SMS for payment reminders, and sometimes for short random messages. The fact that it integrates with SiteLink means there's a record of the SMS in the customer's notes too.

What happens to anything they reply? I spoke to site link support and they said it doesn't deal with replies. 

I spoke to twilio support on this too and they were not particularly helpful either. Yes I can see replies in the twilio dashboard but, would prefer an easier way. Preferrably integrated with SiteLink. 

THanks

Our SMS replies come directly to our property's email account for SiteLink. It's quite convenient.

Are you using twilio? IF not which provider are you using? Any idea how that might be set up? Thanks guys

Faye

Elizabeth_Babyak said:

Our SMS replies come directly to our property's email account for SiteLink. It's quite convenient.


Interesting! I'm going to see if I can figure out how to have the responses sent directly to our company e-mail. Currently I have to keep checking Twilio for responses. 
I wonder if it is possible to use the Twilio number as a emergency number and have it forwarded to my personal cell phone. I don't think the company has ever had anything set up for tenant emergencies. This is something I have been wanting to do for many years. This might be my chance to get the owners to agree.

Storagelife

Do any of you add   text STOP to stop   at the end of every text message you send?

Faye

We can only use 160 characters which also includes spaces. I do if I have room or I might just put "stop", but if I do not have enough room I do not.

Faye

JamesF said:

Ok thanks, maybe I am overly concerned about getting replies. The setup for Twilio & sitelink was very easy but seems super lacking if you cant get any text back. Even "unsubscribe" or etc. 

FYI You should be able to see anything you've been sent in your Twilio dashboard, might be interesting to see who and what has texted you. 

You can check Twilio to see SMS responses and can set Twilio up to receive vm. 

Faye

Does anyone know why the logs in Twilio are 4 hours off from the actually time we received a SMS or recording?

kenmore

For anyone who has used either Twilio or SMS Resources for a while, what is your cost per text? I can't decipher it from their websites. What was the cost to implement? We have 3 sites, about 800 doors per site.

Naheed

Faye said:

Does anyone know why the logs in Twilio are 4 hours off from the actually time we received a SMS or recording?

I am guessing it might be something to do with the time difference between where you are and where the Twilio servers are.

Faye

Naheed said:

Faye said:

Does anyone know why the logs in Twilio are 4 hours off from the actually time we received a SMS or recording?

I am guessing it might be something to do with the time difference between where you are and where the Twilio servers are.

I wish I knew how to fix it

Faye

kenmore said:

For anyone who has used either Twilio or SMS Resources for a while, what is your cost per text? I can't decipher it from their websites. What was the cost to implement? We have 3 sites, about 800 doors per site.

I'm not sure the cost to implement but we pay per Text. The month of August I had 235 Outbound SMS total was $1.76, we had 10 inbound and it was $0.08 . We pay $1.50 a month for the Twillio phone number. Out total bill was $3.50 for the whole month of August.

joleap

Faye said:

Elizabeth_Babyak said:

Our SMS replies come directly to our property's email account for SiteLink. It's quite convenient.


Interesting! I'm going to see if I can figure out how to have the responses sent directly to our company e-mail. Currently I have to keep checking Twilio for responses. 
I wonder if it is possible to use the Twilio number as a emergency number and have it forwarded to my personal cell phone. I don't think the company has ever had anything set up for tenant emergencies. This is something I have been wanting to do for many years. This might be my chance to get the owners to agree.

Faye, were you able to get more info about Emergencies? I use a texting system for rent reminders and I have used it a few times for emergencies but they are not really set up for that. I am looking for a text company that integrates with Sitelink, can send the reminders, allow tenants to pay from reminder, and be used to send out to 600 customers at one time for Emergency situations. Has anyone run across this? 

Faye

joleap said:

Faye said:

Elizabeth_Babyak said:

Our SMS replies come directly to our property's email account for SiteLink. It's quite convenient.


Interesting! I'm going to see if I can figure out how to have the responses sent directly to our company e-mail. Currently I have to keep checking Twilio for responses. 
I wonder if it is possible to use the Twilio number as a emergency number and have it forwarded to my personal cell phone. I don't think the company has ever had anything set up for tenant emergencies. This is something I have been wanting to do for many years. This might be my chance to get the owners to agree.

Faye, were you able to get more info about Emergencies? I use a texting system for rent reminders and I have used it a few times for emergencies but they are not really set up for that. I am looking for a text company that integrates with Sitelink, can send the reminders, allow tenants to pay from reminder, and be used to send out to 600 customers at one time for Emergency situations. Has anyone run across this? 

You can forward calls and text messages from Twilio to another number. I'm not sure about sending out that many texts at once or the option to pay from the reminder text. I will look further into it and let you know if I come up with any answers.

kenmore

We have been using SMS Resources for about a month, and we like it. It works just like email driven by the Past Due calendar, or manually using the Company/Forms option. SMS Resources also has the option to configure reply texts to be directed into our Tenant Notes files, with a a notification in the Reminders table that there is a pending reply. It all takes some setup, mostly the creation of the SMS messages, which can be stand alone or integrated with other printed or emailed letters or notices, so you can print, email, and text a message all at the same time. Since the limit on a text is 160 characters, there is a provision to "piggyback" a short text message onto a longer emailed or printed letter. Pretty slick in my opinion!

i43storage

@kenmore - When did SMS Resources start directing the tenant's reply directly into their notes?

kenmore

Not sure when that started, but it can be done now. It's called Custom Portal, and it takes a little configuration, with some information from us and some from SMS R. You also get a Reminder that a reply has been received, so you can click on it and go straight to the info.

kenmore

Here's one for the masses: Is it possible to use SMS Resources to text a random message on the fly? i.e. In company/forms, choose a unit, choose an SMS form that lets you type in a short message, like "your refund check was returned as undeliverable - new address?"

i43storage

kenmore said:

Here's one for the masses: Is it possible to use SMS Resources to text a random message on the fly? i.e. In company/forms, choose a unit, choose an SMS form that lets you type in a short message, like "your refund check was returned as undeliverable - new address?"

I type random messages all the time - that is mostly what I use SMS for.  Just to into the tenant notes and click on SMS.

kenmore

Genius! I wish that was documented somewhere convenient. Just what I was looking for.

MattSM

I have one account for all locations since when texting from sitelink, the reply will tell you where it came from.  We use it for automated collections - easy way to text say 25 people at one go to speed up that process.  We also use it when customers make reservations.  The day they made the reservation, 2 days before, the day of move in... Then we also use it to solicit for google reviews.  It's a great tool! Sitelink has vendors but I found who the backbone was and just went right to the actual supplier and saved money that way with more tools for no extra cost.