Table of contents
NetSuite SMS integration adds powerful marketing and communication capabilities to your NetSuite implementation. Connecting SMS with your NetSuite platform can improve employee communication, drive sales and marketing, and boost the customer experience.
Let's explore NetSuite SMS integration, learn about its benefits and use cases, and explore how you can set up this versatile and valuable feature to optimize your marketing and communications.
How NetSuite SMS can help your business
Short message service (SMS), commonly referred to as texting, is still one of the best communication channels around. While direct messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have grown in popularity in recent years, SMS is still a powerful tool for businesses of every kind.
SMS is excellent for sales and marketing. Some of the main reasons for this communication method's enduring appeal are:
- 95% of text messages are both read and replied to within 3 minutes of being received
- Two-thirds of consumers prefer receiving text message notifications from brands
- SMS marketing has an excellent click-through-rate of 19%, which is about 5X that of email marketing
NetSuite SMS use cases
NetSuite SMS has a near-endless number of use cases for businesses. It can help with employee management, marketing, and enhancing your customer experience. Building a NetSuite SMS integration into your business opens the door to several possibilities, such as:
Sales and marketing:
- Sales engagement and offers
- Marketing campaign distribution
- Competitions
- Sales outreach
Customer experience:
- Booking confirmation
- Appointment reminders
- Event management
- Delivery confirmation
- Online ordering
- Customer support
- Emergency alerts
- Billing and payments
- Click and Collect
- Surveys and feedback
Employee:
- Two-factor authorization for better security
- IT notifications
- Employee communication and alerts
- Shift scheduling
Benefits of a NetSuite SMS Integration
By integrating NetSuite SMS into your platform, your employees can send and receive text messages without having to use a third-party app. This is great for sending random messages, but its real power comes from being able to automate marketing, updates, and other types of contact.
Modern consumers demand omnichannel communication, and SMS is a big part of that picture. Your NetSuite activity log can keep track of everything you say to your customers and make it easy for you to talk to them. When integrated with your CRM, you have a complete record of all interactions with your customers across all channels.
Some of the most significant benefits of NetSuite SMS integration are:
Reduce support costs
Providing support over the phone costs time and money. You can save on technology, staff overheads, and call center costs by offering SMS support. Fine margins and fiercely competitive markets mean cost-saving opportunities can be the difference between business success and failure.
Resolve customer support issues quickly
SMS support helps you solve issues more quickly than email. You can improve your net promoter score (NPS) and build trust and loyalty if you quickly solve customer problems and respond to better customer reviews.
Increase conversions
SMS improves engagement with leads and can significantly boost sales conversions. Unlike email, SMS has a high open and response rate (19% vs. 4%). Also, NetSuite SMS can work with your CRM to let sales reps know about new leads so they can follow up with them when they are most interested.
Scalability
Your company will need more customer service and communication as it gets more customers and grows. However, adding headcount isn't always the best financial option. Automated SMS support allows your business to scale while providing customers with the self-service options they crave.
Drive your marketing campaigns
Because SMS has a higher open rate and CTRs, your sales and marketing campaigns can deliver better results and conversions. With the automation and CRM features of NetSuite, you'll have a good way to reach your audience.
Provide quality post-sale communication
SMS is an excellent way to provide delivery updates, notifications, and confirmations. You can also use SMS to find out useful information that will help you solve problems quickly and to everyone's satisfaction.
Notable features of SMS integration
NetSuite SMS integrations have a number of features that can help your sales, marketing, and customer service.
Automation triggers
One of NetSuite's most powerful features is automation triggers. You can set SMS automation triggers based on date, time, customer actions, or order updates, among other things.
Responsive keyword automation
SMS integration allows you to monitor inbound communication. You can set up triggers based on certain keywords, which will save you time and help you solve or escalate problems.
Communication templates
You can also save time by making templates and merging them with customer information to make marketing and sales messages that are more personal.
Stay on top of customer sentiment
Integrating SMS with NetSuite CRM allows you to track and record customer communication. This feature lets you keep track of how customers feel so you can keep them and make sure they're happy.
Reporting
All SMS data can be saved and analyzed, so you can keep track of campaigns, make reports, and do other things.
Setting up NetSuite SMS integration
You can install NetSuite SMS integrations like MessageMedia by carefully following a few steps. Here are step-by-step instructions for integrating MessageMedia that are transferable across a range
STEP 1: Enable the necessary SuiteFlex features
Before you install the MessageMedia SMS bundle, you must enable SuiteFlex features.
So, log in to your account as an Administrator and select:
Setup > Company > Enable Features
Hit the "SuiteCloud" tab and enable:
- Client Suitescript
- Server Suitescript
- SuiteFlow
- Token-Based Authentication
Then, select the "CRM" tab and enable:
- Customer Support and Services
STEP 2: Install the NetSuite SMS bundle
Go to SuiteApps and search for your desired SMS integration app. In this case, we will look for MessageMedia. Once found, click "Install" on the right-hand side and follow the prompts.
STEP 3: Configure users
Next up, you need to configure users. You can use global or per-user configuration.
To create new users, click the button marked New MessageMedia - API Credentials. You can edit existing users by selecting the "Edit" button.
To create a new user, you'll need to enter a:
- Credential Type: select "Individual"
- Credential User: Select the user's name
- Username
- Password
- Subsidiary, if you have a OneWorld NetSuite account.
STEP 4: Preferences
In MessageMedia SMS→ MessageMedia Preferences, select the Default country number from the dropdown. Then assign the preferred phone for the :
- Employee
- Partner
- Contact
- or Vendor
STEP 5: Create webhook tokens
You will need to create webhooks to get SMS replies and delivery notifications.
Navigate to Lists > Employees and select the appropriate employee record.
Then select Access > Roles, then add and save "MessageMedia Integrator (Managed)."
Then, go to go to Setup > Users/Roles > Access Tokens > New
Enter:
- Application Name
- User
- Role
Then hit "Save" and copy the Token ID & Token Secret into a word processor document so you can use them for configuring webhooks later.
STEP 6: Configuring SMS reply webhooks
Select the MessageMedia SMS tab and navigate to Preferences > MessageMedia Webhook Config.
Look at the Events and hit edit on the record with Receive an SMS.
Enter:
- Token
- Token Secret
- API key
- API Secret
Click save.
Then login into your MessageMedia hub and hit Configurations > Webhooks on the left-hand side.
Verify your NetSuite webhook has been created. If it has, you can now receive SMS.
STEP 7. Setup the delivery report webhook
This step is similar to #6, but it's for delivery reports instead.
Select the MessageMedia SMS tab and go to Preferences > MessageMedia Webhook Config again.
Edit the Delivery Event Report.
Enter:
- Token
- Token Secret
- API key
- API Secret
Click save.
Then login into your MessageMedia hub and hit Configurations > Webhooks on the left-hand side.
Verify your NetSuite webhook has been created. If it has, you can now receive SMS delivery notifications.
STEP 8: Set up conversational UI (optional)
If you want to set up a conversational UI, go to the Documents tab and select File > Cabinet.
On the left panel, select SuiteApps, then "com.mfouruau.mmsdfmbow" > Bundle 12121, and edit the index.html file.
Enter the index.html's File ID in the URL bar, i.e., URL =18753
Save the file ID into a word processor for later use.
Select Go to MessageMedia SMS > Preferences > MessageMedia Preferences, edit the record, and insert the index.html File ID into the HTML File ID field. Then hit save.
STEP 9: Set NetSuite Permissions
Within MessageMedia, there are various different permissions you might wish to grant or revoke. You can find these record types in the Customisation tab > Lists, Records, & Fields > Record Types
You can set permissions by role or individual and create custom lists of individuals.
Once complete, you're set up and ready to go.
How Seller Universe Can Help
SMS integration opens up your business to several benefits. However, integration and administration require a level of experience with the NetSuite platform. If you need support integrating and managing your SMS integration, Seller Universe is here to help.
Our experts can help you get the most from your NetSuite installation by helping with optimization, customization, and adding modules like MessageMedia.
Get in touch today to discuss how we can take your NetSuite investment to the next level and power your sales and marketing.
