Tip #3 : Send SMS Reminders for your Subscription Business

Tip #3 : Send SMS Reminders for your Subscription Business

Hello everyone,

As you all know, we are coming up with a tip every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation to the previous blog, this week we will be seeing how you can use SMS reminders for your Subscription Business.

Using SMS messages for your Subscription Business:

While managing your subscription business, more often than not, you need to keep your customers informed about upcoming renewals, payment reminders and cancellations. By keeping them informed in advance, you can get quicker payments and also retain the customers in the long run. As a business owner, you need to come up with ways to get your message/reminders to the customers in a more quick and efficient way.

Email notifications satisfy such requirements where you could just send out an email to your customers about the necessary upcoming reminders. However, with a contrasting ratio of four mobile devices to one computer, it is evident what our customers are using as their preferred mode of communication. Along with the growing number of smartphone users day by day, you should try to make your business more mobile-friendly. 

Now, wouldn't it be more efficient to keep your customers notified instantly via SMS about their upcoming reminders? Let us see how we can leverage SMS messages to effectively communicate with your customers.

How to set up a Custom SMS workflow for your business?

You can use our Custom Function workflow to integrate with one of the many third party SMS providers to send out your messages. You can choose your SMS provider based on your region or preference.

Since most of the reminders are events triggered, we are going to use event based workflow for this integration. You can choose the event according to your requirement. Few such examples would be new subscription, subscription renewal and subscription cancellation events. As soon as the event occurs, you will have to use the SMS provider's API to send an SMS to the customer with an appropriate message.

Below are few of the third party providers for which we have compiled the custom functions.

1)  Twilio


     Website                    - https://www.twilio.com/

     API Documentation -  https://www.twilio.com/docs/usage/api
     Custom Function      - GitHub Link

2) Text Local


    Website                    - https://www.textlocal.in/

    Custom Function     - GitHub Link


3) SMS Magic


   Website                     - https://www.sms-magic.com/

   Custom Function     - GitHub Link

For this particular blog, I will be explaining how to integrate with Twilio's API.

Obtain Twilio credentials for authentication:

In order to use Twilio's API, a Twilio account is needed. We will follow the simple token-based authentication using Custom variables. All requests to Twilio's REST API requires you to authenticate using the two important authentication parameters namely Account SID and Auth Token. 

Login to https://www.twilio.com/ and get the credentials after signing up. Obtain the Account SID and Auth Token.




Code Explanation:

As previously mentioned, you can refer the code for Twilio integration here. The code is written in Deluge script, which is easily understandable to non-programmers.

1) Initially, we need to paste the Account SID and Auth Token values in the corresponding variables.

2) This snippet of code will be executed after the event which you configure in your custom function. So, construct the SMS message with regards to that context.

3) Once that particular event is triggered, we will be hitting an API request to Twilio with the customer's mobile number and the message.

Getting started with the Custom Functions:  


1. Go to Settings -> Automation -> Custom Functions. 


2. Create a new Custom function. Provide a name for the function. 


3. Choose the module and event according to your need.


4. Copy the code which was given above. Do the necessary changes that are required.


5. Save the Custom function and you are good to go.

Found this useful? Try it out and let us know how it works! If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask!


Cheers,

Sasidaran K,
Zoho Subscriptions.

    • Sticky Posts

    • Tip #4 : Refer and Earn Workflow system for your Subscription Business

      Hello everyone, We've been coming up with a tip every week to address specific business scenarios which can be implemented for your business. In continuation to the previous post, this week we will be seeing about how you can implement the Refer and Earn Workflow system to acquire more customers. Why are Referrals important? Customer Acquisition is crucial for any business to sustain itself in a constantly evolving market. It involves persuading new consumers to purchase your products. Customers

    • Tip #2 - Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date

      Hello everyone, As you all know, we are coming up with a custom function workflow every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation of this previous blog, this week we will be seeing about Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date. Business Scenario: In general, for any business, the customers make payments via online as well as offline. In case of subscription where the automatic collection of charge is enabled (aka online subscription), the customer's

    • Tip #3 : Send SMS Reminders for your Subscription Business

      Hello everyone, As you all know, we are coming up with a tip every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation to the previous blog, this week we will be seeing how you can use SMS reminders for your Subscription Business. Using SMS messages for your Subscription Business: While managing your subscription business, more often than not, you need to keep your customers informed about upcoming renewals, payment reminders and cancellations. By keeping them informed in advance, you can

    • Tips And Tricks - Announcement

      Hello everyone, Every business is unique and each of them follows a specific workflow. While managing your customers' subscriptions with Zoho, you might have some needs unique to your business. Custom Functions helps you address such needs. This is a start to a series of posts, where we will be coming up with a custom function workflow every week that addresses specific business scenarios. Watch this space for further updates! Also, if you have any specific business scenario which needs to be addressed,

    • Tip #6 : Accessing external URLs from Zoho Subscriptions

      Hello everyone, We have been sharing a tip every week to address specific business scenarios which you can implement for your subscription business. Last week, we shared a tip about implementing the Approval Workflow system. This week, let's look at how you can access external URLs with the help of Custom Link. Business Scenario: Every business functions differently and has its unique requirements. At times, businesses might want to access other websites or applications by appending specific information

    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


      • Recent Topics

      • Nifty enhancements to Reports in Zoho CRM

        Dear Customers, We hope you’re well! We are here with a line of useful enhancements to Reports in Zoho CRM that are readily available to access. Include or exclude Record ID in the report export Display currency fields in record currency Capture report

      • need a formula to return value as shown (zoho sheet)

        Dear folks, What should be the formula in cell B3 to get that output, based on input sheet data.

      • need a formula to return value as shown (zoho sheet)

        Hello folks, what should be the formula in B3, to get the value shown based on input sheet ranges. thanks in advance.

      • Playground: An exclusive test environment to analyze Field Prediction accuracy

        Hello everyone, We are introducing Playground: an exclusive proactive testing environment for businesses to analyze Zia's prediction accuracy. This allows admins and agents to: Run predictions on actual tickets or specific content for realistic test conditions.

      • Attention: Upcoming changes to Zoho Assist support for older windows versions

        At Zoho Assist, our goal is to provide you with secure, reliable, and feature-rich remote support experiences. To maintain this standard, we periodically align our platform with the latest technology and security updates from the broader software ecosystem.

      • Send again email with link for signup

        Hello, I have a lot of problem to send contract my email, also missing the features "share link". How can I send again email to client and me wit link for signup a contract? Everytime it's a disaster!

      • How do I synchronize a quote to an opportunity?

        Hi everyone, We don't quote anything via Zoho but we use it to track services/products so that I can see what was actually sold, vs an opportunity with just shows an amount.  We use the quotes for other purposes, mostly to request a quote from Salesforce but we don't invoice or do sales orders or anything. (Basically a user makes a quick quote in Zoho, adds items and pricing, and then exports to PDF which gets emailed to our Quote Desk who then enters the request into Salesforce). Just wondering

      • Zoho Sprints Android app update: Tags and Epic search

        Hello everyone! We are excited to introduce tags and an option to search items within Epic module on the latest Android version(v2.0.2) of the Zoho Sprints mobile app. Let's take a look at these features: Tags You can now create, edit, and delete tags,

      • Zoho CRM Webhooks - Dynamic URL

        Hi Zoho, We've noted a gap in the webhooks function that if improved would increase use cases significantly. The "URL to Notify" field in "Create a Webhook" only supports static information. We have a number of use cases where we could use webhooks more

      • Work Order Creation Issue

        Dear Team, I would like to inquire about the daily limit for Work Order creation in Zoho FSM. Yesterday (02/05/2025) at around 6:30 PM GST, I attempted to create a Work Order, but I have been unable to do so since then. Please find the attached image

      • Tracking on Zoho Booking

        Hi We want to use Zoho Booking for our appointment management. We're using Calendly as of now that lets us track sources of the appointments made including UTM parameters. Is there a way for us to do same with Zoho Bookings?

      • Pre-created Popular Zoho Flows returns with 404 Error

        Your popular Zoho Flows are returning with a 404 page error. This applies to all work flows in your Gallery Space. See video here for further clarification. When will this be fixed? https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kDl4ni5EQeLHWeaoIDdtRqoUbW8FNLfO?usp=sharing

      • CRM Feature Request

        When enabling Translation in Zoho CRM I would like to see the ability to remove the language "English (US)". I have encountered a user experience issue with a client recently. The client uses English (UK) but they are based in Spain, so they have activated

      • Import your Google Docs Spreadsheets into Zoho Sheet

        You can now import your Google spreadsheet into Zoho Sheet. This will be useful if you want to switch to Zoho Sheet or if you want to simply try out Zoho Sheet.  If you don't have an account with Zoho, you can still try this by signing in with your Google account. Here is a video on how to do this.  Note: Existing charts won't appear in spreadsheets you import from Google Docs as the Export functionality of Google Docs doesn't give out the charts. Check out the announcement in our blog: https://blogs.zoho.com/general/import-google-docs-into-zoho-productivity-suite

      • Support Mixed Visibility Settings in Knowledge Base Categories

        Hello Zoho Desk Team, We hope you're all doing well. We’d like to submit a feature request regarding visibility settings in the Knowledge Base module. 🎯 Current Limitation As of today, when a category is set to a specific visibility level (e.g., Public),

      • Will a campaign send duplicates is same email is on two separate lists

        Hi I have two lists to which I want to send campaign. One list is ALL leads and other is list of opportunities and current students. There is overlap between the two lists My question is if I send one campaign to all, will zoho automatically know only to send the email once to the duplicate email?

      • Time Based Report / Dashboard

        We measure our support agent's KPI based on their response time and resolution time from the time the ticket is assigned to them The time based dashboard should provide this information however there is a problem with us referring to this dashboard We

      • Zoho Learn API Access?

        We love using Zoho Learn to manage our internal trainings and knowledge base. What we'd really love is to be able to query Learn via API so that in Zoho Projects, Zoho Creator, or Zoho Desk, we can recommend relevant Learn articles and manuals to team

      • creating buttons in zoho site

        the connection between zoho site and zoho learn will be awesome and amazing feature so the user instead of registering himself twice just one time register on zoho site will be enough and creating accout on zoho learn instead of registering on zoho learn

      • Two Problems with the Description Field

        Our ticket workflow is often like this. Client calls or emails (to a personal email address) reporting a problem. We create a ticket and enter a description. Problems: 1. By my way of thinking when we enter a description, that is an internal comment (unless we mark it public). Yet it seems there is no way to mark it internal, and Desk just starts inserting it into communications. 2. Additionally, in the conversation view it makes it appear it was emailed by the customer and inserts their name on

      • Lookup Field limitations

        Good day all, Is anyone else frustrated with the lookup field limitation? I have an enterprise license, but I only get 10 lookups. Additionally, the custom module has been available for a while and is still in diapers. If you want good reporting, you

      • Automation#36: Auto-create time-entry after performing the Blueprint transition

        Hello Everyone, This week’s edition focuses on configuring a custom function within Zoho Desk to streamline time tracking within the Blueprint. In this case, we create a custom field, and request the agent to enter the spending time within the single

      • Dynamically Sync zoho.adminuserid with Current App Admin

        Hello Zoho Team, We hope you're doing well. We’d like to request an important enhancement to the Deluge sendmail task functionality. As per the current behavior, in most Zoho services (excluding Zoho Cliq, Zoho Connect, Zoho Mail, and Zoho Sheet), the

      • "Improper Statement" Error on Deluge Loops (while/for) when Processing a Date Range

        Hello, Zoho Community, I'm facing a very specific issue with a Deluge script and would appreciate any insights from the community. The Goal: I have a form (ausencia_visitadoras) where a user inputs a start date and an end date for a period of absence.

      • Zoho Meeting iOS app update: Hearing aid, bluetooth car audio and AirPlay audio support.

        Hello everyone! We are excited to announce the below new features in the latest iOS update(v1.7.4) of the Zoho Meeting app: 1. Hearing aid support: Hearing aid support has been integrated into the application. 2. Bluetooth car Audio, AirPlay audio support:

      • Automating Daily Lottery Result Publishing with Zoho Creator or Flow – Any Best Practices?

        Hello Zoho Community, I run a results-based informational website in Brazil called CaminhoDaSorte.com, where we publish daily Jogo do Bicho results. Right now, we're doing this process manually every day — but we’re looking to automate the backend using

      • issues with manually shipping sales orders - advise needed please

        we are new to zoho inventory. we are going to roll the program out to our company within a couple of weeks and during the implementation process we have come into a roadblock with manually packaging and shipping sales orders. its important to note important

      • I do not see the “Lead Forms” option under Integrations

        Hi, I’m using Zoho Social on a Premium plan. I’ve connected LinkedIn Company Page and have a valid LinkedIn Ad Account with Lead Gen Forms. However, I do not see the “Lead Forms” option under Integrations, so I can’t enable LinkedIn Lead Generation. Please

      • STOCK function showing #N/A! even thought the Stock symbol is valid

        Zoho Team, I use STOCK function on Zoho Sheet to fetch the recent Last Closing Price. Some stock symbols are valid but when the STOCK function is applied, it shows #N/A! Attaching an image for reference.

      • What’s the Correct Integration Flow Between Zoho Inventory, ShipStation, and Multi-Channel Sales Platforms?

        Hi Zoho Community, I’m currently implementing Zoho One to manage all of my business processes, and I’d appreciate some guidance on the correct integration flow for the tools I’m using. Here’s my current setup: Zoho Inventory is my central system for managing

      • Beyond Email: #4 Note taking done right with Notes

        With her favorite links now saved in Bookmarks, Sarah is feeling even more at home in Zoho Mail. As her day fills up with meetings and project discussions, she often finds herself scribbling quick ideas and reminders—only to lose track of them later.

      • When will Sales Order and Invoice Synchronisation with Zoho CRM be Available?

        When will Sales Orders and Invoices, created in Zoho Books or Inventory be made available in Zoho CRM? John Legg Owner: The Debug Store

      • Generate Unique Customer ID for Each for All Contacts

        Generate Unique Customer ID for Each for All Contacts

      • Bookings to Books automation using Flow

        I'm using Zoho Flow to automate a process between Bookings and Books. When someone uses Bookings to schedule time with me I use Flow to automatically add the person as a customer in books, then create a Quote in Books for the type of consultation they

      • Different Canvas for Different account type

        I would like to have a separate canvas for Customers and Resellers that auto-applies when I enter an ACCOUNT. Is this do-able?

      • IMAP sync issues in Zoho CRM

        We are using the Zoho CRM for a while, and we sync (via IMAP) our Google Apps email system. The sync works properly when looking at emails per account, contact or deal, etc. However, it does not function well in the "Messages" and "SalesSigns" features.

      • Reporting tags for custom modules

        Hi, it could be very useful. At field level and at sub table level. Thanks, Eduardo

      • Can't pass Dates and use date filtered Charts in Pages?

        I don't mess with pages very much, but I'm trying to build a dashboard. I have a search element and several charts that need to be filtered. I also have a stateless form for a start/end date picker I am trying to use to filter data for the charts. Here

      • ZOHO FSM Trial - Assets

        Hi I am currently using Zoho CRM and looking at adding FSM. I am trialing FSM at the moment, to potentially move away from my current programme (SimPro) but have a query on the Asset system within FSM It looks like you can only create 1 asset "type";

      • Customize User Invites with Invitation Templates

        Invitation Templates help streamline the invitation process by allowing users to create customized email formats instead of sending a one-size-fits-all email. Different invitation templates can be created for portal users and client users to align with

      • Next Page