Summary

Gingr sends many system-generated text messages (SMS) to your customers. You can turn each one on or off and customize its template. These messages include reservation and appointment messages, receipts, and report cards. SMS stands for Short Message Service, which is another name for a text message.

What This Does

Helpful Hints

• System SMS works only for customers in the United States and Canada. If you are outside North America, you can look into a third-party company called Esendex. See Configure International SMS Options.
• Our messaging provider, Twilio, requires every phone number to be verified before you send texts. This helps tie numbers to valid businesses and prevent fraud. If your number is unverified, a banner shows at the top of the 2-way SMS slideout and on the Admin » System SMS page. Without verification, you cannot send messages through Gingr.

Important: Review every SMS template in your app and understand all settings before you turn on your Global SMS setting. Gingr is not liable for wrong information in your templates or for texts sent by mistake because of settings that were not set up correctly. If you are not sure what a template does, contact our support team.

• Only users in the Admin user group can configure System SMS settings and templates. You cannot create more System SMS templates.
• Set permissions so users can send certain SMS. Go to Left-hand Navigation Menu: Reports & More » Groups.
  • Turn on the Can Send SMS permission for user groups that send manually triggered SMS, such as Ready for Pickup and Report Cards.
  • If you have 2-way SMS, turn on the Notification: Incoming SMS permission for users who should get in-app notifications for incoming texts.
• You can review all SMS communications with a customer on the Owner's Communications tab. Open the owner's profile, select the Communications tab, and filter or sort the results. See Owner Communications Tab.
• Variables such as {action_url} may not fill in when you view a message in the SMS Slideout or the Communications log. Gingr creates unique URLs when it sends the message, and they show correctly in the message the customer receives.

Important: Twilio enforces strict SMS content rules. Gingr replaces prohibited terms, such as CBD, Cannabis, or Kratom, with asterisks (*) in the app and for the recipient. Repeated violations may cause Twilio to block your SMS number. See Twilio's Acceptable Use Policy and Forbidden Message Categories. If you have SMS delivery problems, see the Twilio Filtering Guide.

Note: To follow updated SMS rules from our phone provider, Twilio, Gingr limits how businesses can edit customer communication preferences. Customers now have full control over opting in to messages. This is required for message delivery and compliance. See SMS Opt-in and Opt-out.

Topics

• SMS Template Types Reference
• Configure System-Wide SMS Settings How-To
• System-Wide SMS Settings Reference
• Customize SMS Template Types How-To
• SMS Variables Reference
• Set Up Reminder SMS How-To
• Configure International SMS Options How-To