Order shipped
A record-triggered Flow on Order fires when the status changes to Shipped.
- Order status: Shipped
- Record-triggered Flow
- Send Text Message
- Delivery status on the record
Notifications
Status updates by text, triggered by Salesforce.
When an order ships, a case changes status or an invoice falls due, a Flow or an Apex call sends the text. ConnectSMS applies the same number access, opt-out and policy checks as a message someone sends by hand.
- No credit card required
- Listed on Salesforce AgentExchange
- Then $120 per user per year
- Runs on your own Twilio account
How do you send SMS notifications from Salesforce? Add ConnectSMS's Send Text Message action to a record-triggered or scheduled Flow, or call csms.ConnectSMSApi.send from Apex. ConnectSMS checks the business number, the recipient and opt-outs, holds the text during quiet hours if you use them, and tracks its delivery status in Salesforce.
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Hi Sarah, order 00000142 has shipped. Reply to this text if you have any questions.
Update on case 00001042: a replacement part is on its way.
Hi Sarah, invoice INV-0318 is due on 10/13/2026. Reply here with any questions.
Thanks, paying today.
The day-to-day workflow
The record changes. The customer hears about it.
Notifications are one-way by intent but two-way by nature: customers reply to them. Send them from a number your team watches.
Case update
Sent from the service line, so the customer's reply reaches the service team.
- Case status changes
- Flow picks the service line
- Update sent
- Reply lands in the inbox
Invoice reminder
A schedule-triggered Flow runs each morning and texts customers whose invoices fall due in three days.
- Scheduled Flow runs daily
- Invoices due in 3 days
- Personalized reminder
- Blocked if opted out
From another system
An ERP or warehouse system calls Salesforce's REST API, and the same rules apply.
- External system
- REST: actions endpoint
- Same checks as Flow
- Status checked by ID
Guardrails
Automation doesn't get a shortcut.
Every automated text goes through the same checks as one typed on a record, plus a few rules made for automation.
- Idempotency keys stop a re-save or a retried job from texting twice
- Quiet hours hold automated texts and outreach overnight, in your business time zone
- Opt-outs are checked when the text is requested and again when it's sent
- Automation numbers: flows can only use numbers you mark as available to automation, unless the running user has a Send grant
- Blocked requests are recorded with the reason, so admins can see what automation tried to send
- An optional daily safeguard caps messages per day; it's off unless you set it
Messaging policiesControl how messages are sent and set safety limits.
Recreated from the ConnectSMS interface with sample data.
Apex and REST
Send from code with the same rules.
Developers call the global ConnectSMSApi class from triggers, batch jobs or services. External systems call the same actions through Salesforce's standard REST actions endpoint.
ConnectSMSApi.sendmakes no callouts, so it's safe in triggers- Business errors come back in the result, not as exceptions
- REST calls go to Salesforce's standard actions endpoint for
csms__CsmsSendMessageAction - Check progress with Get Text Message Status or
getStatus
// Text the customer when an order ships (subscriber org Apex)
csms.ConnectSMSApi.SendRequest req = new csms.ConnectSMSApi.SendRequest();
req.recordId = order.BillToContactId;
req.templateId = shippedTemplateId;
req.idempotencyKey = order.Id + '-shipped';
csms.ConnectSMSApi.SendResult result =
csms.ConnectSMSApi.send(new List<csms.ConnectSMSApi.SendRequest>{ req })[0];
if (!result.success) {
// result.errorCode: OPTED_OUT, SENDER_NOT_AUTHORIZED, RECIPIENT_NO_PHONE, ...
}Features that matter
What automated messaging depends on.
Flow actions
Ten ConnectSMS actions in Flow Builder, including Send Text Message, Get Text Message Status and Cancel Scheduled Text Message.
Apex API
csms.ConnectSMSApi with send, preview, cancel, status, conversation and reply methods.
REST
The same actions through Salesforce's standard REST endpoint, for systems outside Salesforce.
Automation numbers
Choose which business numbers automation may use, and a default for flows that don't name one.
Status you can trust
Queued, Sending, Sent, Delivered or Failed. If Twilio's answer is lost, the message is marked Unknown and checked with Twilio, never resent automatically.
Templates
Keep notification wording in shared templates, so changing a sentence doesn't mean editing a Flow.
Example messages
Notifications worth reading.
Lead with the news, include the reference the customer will quote, and say what to do if something is wrong. Order and invoice texts assume your admin has enabled those objects in Recipients.
Order · record-triggered Flow
Order shipped
As written
Hi {!Order.BillToContact.FirstName|there}, order {!Order.OrderNumber} has shipped. Reply to this text if you have any questions.
What the customer receives
Hi Sarah, order 00000142 has shipped. Reply to this text if you have any questions.
Case · record-triggered Flow
Case update
As written
Update on case {!Case.CaseNumber}: a replacement part is on its way. Reply here if you have questions.
What the customer receives
Update on case 00001042: a replacement part is on its way. Reply here if you have questions.
Invoice__c · scheduled Flow
Payment reminder
As written
Hi {!Invoice__c.Contact__r.FirstName|there}, invoice {!Invoice__c.Name} is due on {!Invoice__c.Due_Date__c}. Reply here with any questions.
What the customer receives
Hi Sarah, invoice INV-0318 is due on 10/13/2026. Reply here with any questions.
Dates are formatted for the user the Flow runs as.
Contact · Apex
Delivery window
As written
Hi {!Contact.FirstName|there}, your delivery is planned for tomorrow between 8 AM and noon. Reply here if nobody will be home.
What the customer receives
Hi Sarah, your delivery is planned for tomorrow between 8 AM and noon. Reply here if nobody will be home.
Setup notes
What your admin sets up for notifications.
Most setup questions come down to one thing: which user does the automation run as, and may it send from this number?
Running user
Automation sends as a Salesforce user.
- Give the user your automation runs as the ConnectSMS Automation permission set
- A record-triggered Flow runs as the user who changed the record, so that user needs send rights too
- For platform event–triggered flows, set the running user to an integration user with ConnectSMS Automation
Numbers
Pick numbers customers can reply to.
- Mark the numbers automation may use Available to automation
- Choose an Automation default sender for flows that leave Business Number blank
- Send case updates from the service line and order updates from a number your team watches
Policies
Set in ConnectSMS Setup, under Policies.
- Turn on quiet hours to hold automated texts overnight, in your business time zone
- Choose whether a STOP blocks all your numbers or only the one that received it
- Set an optional daily safeguard; it's off by default
Testing
Try it in a sandbox first.
- In a sandbox copy, ConnectSMS turns sending off until an admin turns it on there
- Check the result with Get Text Message Status or on the record timeline
- When Success is false, route on Error Code rather than the message text
FAQ
Automated notifications: common questions
What can trigger a text from Salesforce?
Anything in Salesforce that can call an invocable action or Apex: record-triggered, schedule-triggered and platform event–triggered flows, Apex through the global ConnectSMSApi class, and external systems through the Salesforce REST API. ConnectSMSApi makes no callouts itself, so it's safe to call from a trigger.
How do I stop a flow from texting the same customer twice?
Pass an Idempotency Key that identifies the business event, such as the order ID plus -shipped. If the same key is used again, ConnectSMS returns the original message with Duplicate set to true and sends nothing new. Keys are case-sensitive and up to 255 characters.
What happens if the customer has opted out?
The text isn't sent. Send Text Message returns Success false with the error code OPTED_OUT, and the request is stored as a Blocked message with the reason, so admins can see what automation tried to send. If the customer opts out after a text was queued or scheduled, the check at send time blocks it.
Do quiet hours apply to automated notifications?
Yes, when your admin turns them on. Texts from Flow, Apex, REST, agents and outreach that would go out during quiet hours are held until quiet hours end, in your business time zone. The Scheduled For output shows when a delayed text is due. Replies in a conversation are never delayed.
Which number do automated notifications come from?
The number passed in the Business Number input, or your automation default number if the input is blank. The user the automation runs as needs either the ConnectSMS Automation permission set and a number marked Available to automation, or a Send grant on the number.
Keep exploring
Salesforce Flow SMS
Every ConnectSMS action and input, step by step.
Service
How service teams handle the replies your notifications get.
How Twilio and Salesforce connect
Callouts, webhooks, status callbacks and signatures, explained.
Try it now: every feature, free for 14 days
Put every customer text where your team already works.
Install ConnectSMS from AgentExchange, connect your Twilio account and give your team the numbers they should text from.
- No credit card required
- Listed on Salesforce AgentExchange
- Then $120 per user per year
- Runs on your own Twilio account
ConnectSMS is published by WorkBridge Solutions. Twilio bills your Twilio account directly for messaging, including during the trial.