1. Overview

SMS templates let the super admin or admin define and manage the message content for notifications delivered to portal users. These templates are automatically triggered when portal users or admins perform actions such as logging in, resetting passwords, or accepting portal invitations, ensuring the appropriate message is delivered to portal users via SMS.

2. Prerequisites

To set up SMS templates, complete the following prerequisites:

1. Configure Zoho Creator SMS:

SMS Templates are powered by a system integration, Zoho Creator SMS. It must be configured in order to send SMS templates. To configure Zoho Creator SMS, go to Operations > System Integration.

2. Purchase SMS credits:

Sufficient SMS credits must be purchased and available to send SMS notifications.

3. Navigation guide

From the Zoho Creator admin dashboard, the Operations module can be accessed from under MANAGE in the left pane. Under the Applications section, selecting SMS Templates displays the SMS template dashboard.

4. SMS Templates dashboard

Once templates are configured, the SMS template management dashboard displays them along with their associated details and approval status. From this page, admins can create templates, submit them for approval, and assign them to portals where required.

The dashboard includes the details listed below.

1. Template name: The name used to identify this SMS template when assigning it to portals.
2. Template Type: The action that triggers this template. Each template type corresponds to a specific notification sent to portal users.
3. Message: The SMS message content configured for the template that will be sent to portal users.
4. Status: The current approval state of the template. For the IN data center, templates must go through DLT verification before they are approved in Creator.
5. Portals: The portals to which the template has been assigned.
6. Created by: The name and email ID of the super admin or admin who added this template.

5. Use cases

An educational institution manages separate portals for Zylker Engineering, Zylker Management, and Zylker Healthcare on Zoho Creator. Students and staff prefer SMS for real-time updates due to quick mobile access.

The admin creates a single OTP SMS template for students to sign in, and assigns it across all three portals. For invitation notifications, separate templates are created for each program with customized content such as the course agenda and enrollment prerequisites, ensuring the message is relevant to each portal. This allows the institution to manage SMS notifications efficiently across all three portals without redundant configuration.

6. SMS Template Types

Zoho Creator’s SMS template types are preset notification actions. Each type maps to a specific trigger, such as OTP delivery or invitation. When creating an SMS template, admins select the relevant type, which determines the merge fields available for that template. Merge fields are placeholders that automatically pull in context-specific values, such as a user’s name or verification code, to personalize the message for each recipient.

The supported template types are the following:

Type	Trigger by	Description
Invitation	Admin	Notifies the user of their invitation with a sign-up link to access the portal when an admin invites a portal user.
OTP	Portal user	Delivers a one-time password for verification when a portal user attempts mobile-based login.
Reset password	Portal user	Delivers a verification code to complete the reset when a portal user initiates a password reset. Note: Once a portal user sets up their password using ‘Reset Password’, they will no longer be able to use OTP to sign in to the portal. Moving further, they can only sign in using their mobile number and password.
Update mobile number	Admin / portal user	Confirms a successful completion of mobile number change when an admin or portal user changes the portal user’s mobile number
Approval	Portal user	Notifies the portal user on approval provided by admin to access by portal. Applicable only for restricted portals, which require users to request access before joining.

Once you select the template type, add the relevant merge fields to your message to ensure each recipient receives a personalized SMS with the correct context-specific values.

6.1 Supported Merge fields

When you create a template, the available merge fields are determined by the selected template type. Merge fields are placeholders that are automatically replaced with actual values when an SMS is sent to portal users. Adding these fields to your message ensures each recipient receives a personalized SMS with the correct values, such as their name or verification code.

The supported merge fields for specific template types are the following:

Messages must contain all required merge fields. The merge fields available vary by template type, and using fields outside the supported set may result in message failure. A list of supported merge fields for the selected template type is accessible in the template creation popup, which can be copied directly into the message.

7. SMS Template status

Templates are automatically approved for the US datacenter as they are associated with an approved campaign during creation.

Admins in IN datacenter use template status to identify whether a template is ready to be assigned to portal notifications or requires further action, such as adding a new template with the necessary changes and submitting it for approval.

The available statuses for IN datacenter are listed below.

1. Approved: The template has been approved and can be assigned to portal notifications.
2. Unapproved: The template has not been approved yet. Submit it for approval to use it in portal notifications.
3. Under Review: The template is currently being reviewed. Check back in a few minutes for the updated status.
4. Rejected: The template was rejected. Create a new template with the required modifications and resubmit for approval. Learn more on the causes a template could be rejected.
5. Blocked: The template contains restricted or blocked content. Create a new template without the flagged content and submit it for approval.

7.1 Approval based on data center

Note: SMS Templates are available only for IN and US data centers.

In the IN data center, SMS templates require DLT verification to comply with telecom regulations. After DLT approval, templates are approved in Creator before they can be assigned to supported portal notification types.

In the US data center, approved campaigns are associated during addition. Once a campaign is approved, all SMS templates added under it will be automatically approved as well.

8. Template message requirements for India

To send SMS notifications in India, your templates must be approved by the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) platform before use. DLT registration is a TRAI-mandated requirement for all commercial SMS communications in India.

Your templates must meet the following criteria to be eligible for DLT approval:

1. Templates can be a maximum of 4,000 characters.
2. Merge fields allow between 0 and 30 characters to be substituted per field when sending a message.
3. Templates must not contain offensive or spam content, as they will be rejected.

8.1 Best practices for DLT approval of templates

DLT registration and approval is required before SMS notifications can be sent to portal users in Creator. Only DLT-approved templates will be approved in Creator and can be assigned to portal notifications, such as OTP-based authentication or update notifications. The following best practices help you frame your template correctly before registering them.

1. Select the right name for your template type - The title must accurately reflect the type and purpose of the template. Use a clear, direct title that aligns with the template message.
2. Include your brand name - Add your brand name within the message body so recipients can identify the sender. This also helps portal users associate your sender ID with your brand from the first message.
3. Keep formatting clean - Do not add extra spaces within the template or empty lines after the message. Templates with unnecessary spacing are flagged as non-legitimate and rejected.
4. Use merge fields correctly - When mapping merge fields in Creator, use only the supported merge fields. Avoid stringing multiple merge fields together, as this is flagged by network operators and TRAI. The maximum character limit per DLT variable is 30. For shortened links, use two consecutive variables ({#var#}{#var#}) to ensure the full link is captured.
5. Maintain one template per message - If a message matches more than one template, it will be rejected.

8.2 Causes of template rejection

DLT may reject a submitted template for any of the following reasons:

1. The template message duplicates an existing template added in Creator.
2. The message is in an invalid format.
3. The template exceeds the character limit of TRAI.
4. The message contains objectionable words.
5. The number of merge fields exceeds the allowed limit.
6. The template message is misleading.

If your template is rejected, create a new template with revised message based on the reasons above, submit it for approval,from DLR and in Creator.

9. Points to note

1. DLT verification is mandatory for each SMS template in the IN data center.
2. An SMS template must be added for each notification type before it can be assigned to a portal.

10. Related topics

1. Configuring SMS Templates
2. Understand System Integrations
3. Configure integration with Zoho Creator SMS
4. Understand SMS notifications