A guide to SMS automation: Benefits and how it works

Customers have come to expect instant, round-the-clock communication. Whether it’s a delivery update, an appointment reminder or a limited-time offer, businesses need to respond quickly and efficiently while keeping costs and admin time down. That’s where an automated text messaging solution can help.

This guide explains what SMS automation is, how it works, and how your business can use it to improve customer communication, save time and increase efficiency.

What is SMS automation?

SMS automation uses software to automatically send out text messages to certain customers, or customer segments, at a specific time. It’s a fast and effective way of driving action using a number of triggers – for example, asking for feedback immediately after a phone call, or confirming a booking or appointment that someone has just made online.

How to send automated text messages

To set up and send automated text messages, first you need to choose the right platform. There are many different providers to choose from, but Esendex is designed to make sending automated text messages simple and scalable. Businesses can use rule-based workflows—commonly known as “if-this-then-that” logic—to trigger messages based on real-time customer actions.

For example, when a customer books an appointment or places an order, they’ll automatically receive a confirmation and any follow-up updates without manual input.

There are two main ways to automate SMS with Esendex:

• Web-based SMS Platform: Send and schedule messages online with an intuitive interface. Ideal for teams who want a fast setup without development work.
• SMS API Integration: Seamlessly connect Esendex with your website, CRM, app or internal systems. This enables fully automated messaging workflows using your existing customer data—no downloads or manual uploads needed.

Whether you’re sending order updates, reminders or personalised offers, Esendex gives you the tools to do it automatically, accurately and at scale.

Why not start a free trial and try it for yourself?

Step by step guide to sending automated text messages with Esendex

1. Information (e.g. the customer’s name, and date/time of appointment) is identified within your business software
2. A file is uploaded using SFTP – a secure file transfer
3. Esendex’s automation framework analyses the file and automatically sends out all communications according to pre-agreed workflows, triggers and templated messages
4. The customer receives the intended message

How your business can benefit from automated text messages

Reach more customers at the right time

Like any kind of automation, SMS automation takes the heavy lifting out of sending text messages at scale. 

Using your chosen SMS platform, you can send out potentially tens-of-thousands of text messages to customers in any part of the world at just the right time. You can strike while the iron’s hot, at the moment when they’re most engaged. Automating this process means you get the benefits of SMS – including direct communications and unrivalled open rates – on a scale and with a level of accuracy that wouldn’t be possible to achieve manually. 

This makes it really effective for getting the most out of your SMS marketing efforts.

Improve customer satisfaction

As well as time-savings, automating SMS also drives up customer satisfaction. Most people now take it for granted that they will receive an instant response, no matter what time of day or night it is. In retail, for instance, consumers expect instant confirmation of a purchase, and updates on delivery. 

Ensure accuracy with integrations

Automating text messages is also a good way to achieve a high degree of accuracy. SMS APIs can be integrated with ecommerce, warehouse, and delivery websites so the status of an order can be communicated to customers, in a single seamless experience. This eliminates the risks of human error.

Save time and costs

There are clear time and cost-savings linked to SMS automation too. 

It reduces the workload for customer services teams who might previously have spent too much time chasing order statuses. And it can also cut the cost of missed appointments in healthcare; failed deliveries in retail and logistics; and no-shows in restaurants or hairdressers. 

Increase revenue

Automated SMS is also a powerful way to drive revenue, through personalised offers and messaging based on demographics and behaviour, for example, by reminding customers to complete their purchase if they already have items in their cart. 

In general, automating SMS means that organisations can deliver the kind of joined-up customer experience that drives conversions.

Just because it’s possible to automate text messaging doesn’t mean it needs to be robotic either. Esendex allows you to create highly-relevant and bespoke messages for different customer groups, straight to their mobile device.

Find out how Esendex can support with our range of business SMS solutions.