Why Receive SMS Text Messages from Your WordPress Forms?
Receiving SMS text messages from your WordPress forms enables you to instantly receive alerts on your phone. This feature is particularly valuable for small business websites with compact teams. For example, if you manage a restaurant website, receiving an immediate alert for food order forms is essential. Likewise, if your website includes an appointment or booking form, a real-time text message can notify you of a new booking. This functionality can significantly enhance customer satisfaction by enabling you to respond to your customers promptly. With that in mind, let’s explore an easy method to receive SMS messages from your WordPress forms.
How to Receive SMS Text Messages From Your WordPress Forms
You can effortlessly receive text messages from your WordPress forms by integrating WPForms with Twilio. WPForms stands out as the top contact form plugin on the market, utilized by over 6 million websites. Similarly, Twilio is a prominent text messaging service for sending SMS texts. As our objective is to present no-code solutions for beginners, we’ll leverage Zapier to act as a seamless bridge between the two applications. This allows you to set up everything without requiring any coding knowledge. Ready? Let’s begin.
Setting Up Your WordPress Form Using WPForms
To begin, you need to install and activate the WPForms plugin. For a detailed walkthrough, refer to our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin. After activation, navigate to the WPForms » Settings page from the WordPress admin sidebar to input the plugin license key. You can access this information in your account area on the WPForms website. Once you’ve completed this step, it’s time to craft your inaugural form. To commence, go to the WPForms » Add New page from the WordPress dashboard. This action will redirect you to the ‘Select a Template’ page, where you can initiate the process by giving a name to the form you’re developing. Subsequently, you can opt for any of the pre-designed templates provided by WPForms by clicking the ‘Use Template’ button. For this tutorial, we will create a basic contact form.
Preparing to Connect WPForms and Zapier
Next, we’ll utilize Zapier to establish a connection between WPForms and Twilio. To achieve this, you’ll initially need to install and activate the WPForms Zapier addon. To do so, navigate to the WPForms » Addons page from the WordPress dashboard and locate the Zapier addon. Afterward, click the ‘Install Addon’ button. The Zapier addon will then be installed and activated for you. Following this, proceed to the WPForms » Settings page from the admin sidebar and switch to the ‘Integrations’ tab. Here, simply click on the Zapier logo to access your Zapier API key. You will require this key in a subsequent step to link Zapier to WPForms. Be sure to securely store a copy of it or keep the tab open for reference.
Preparing to Connect Twilio and Zapier
Next, let’s guide you through setting up a Twilio account. Twilio is a prominent SMS service provider, offering a limited free account for your use. To begin, visit the Twilio website and click on the ‘Start for free’ button. This action will redirect you to a new screen, prompting you to create a free Twilio account by providing necessary login details. After setting up the account, you’ll receive a verification email that requires confirmation to activate your account. Once the account is verified and you’ve furnished the required additional details, your Twilio dashboard will be accessible on-screen.
Creating a Zap to Send an SMS Upon Form Submission
Zapier stands as an automation tool facilitating the connection of various apps and services to automate repetitive tasks. In this tutorial, we will integrate WPForms and Twilio utilizing Zapier. To proceed, sign in to the Zapier website. If you don’t have an account, simply create a free one. After setting up an account, click the ‘+ Create Zap’ button on your dashboard.
Bonus Tip: Enhancing Engagement by Sending SMS Messages to Users
SMS serves as a potent marketing tool enabling effective communication with customers, ultimately boosting sales. Beyond receiving form submission messages, you can utilize SMS to enhance engagement on your WordPress site. For instance, if you operate an online store, you can dispatch SMS notifications to customers for order confirmations, cart abandonment reminders, and more. Additionally, you can offer exclusive coupon codes or notify customers when their favored products are restocked. This approach establishes a dynamic communication channel with users, potentially increasing conversions. SMS messages boast open rates exceeding 98% and click-through rates exceeding 36%, significantly outperforming other marketing channels such as email marketing.