SMS Messaging Setup and User Guide

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Getting Started

Activate SMS Messaging

SMS Messaging is a Firefly account add on. Follow these steps to to turn on to the SMS Add-on for your property: 

1. Click on your name on the top right of your screen
2. Click Account. 
3. Click the Add-ons tab.
4. Check the box next to SMS Messaging under the list of Available Add-ons
5. Click Save.

Subscribe to the SMS Messaging Add-on to enable SMS

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Choose your Phone Number

Once you have turned on the SMS Messaging add on, you can set up your number. 

1.  Click on the Settings menu
2. Click Property,
3. Navigate to the General tab,
4. Click Select SMS Number 
5. Click Select SMS number to claim a local number
6. Enter your desired area code and click Search.
7. When you find the desired number, check the box next to it
8. Click the blue "Select Number" to save
9. When you return to the General Property Settings tab, you will see your new number

If you don't see the option for Select SMS Number, check to make sure you have subscribed to the addon. 

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Set Up International SMS Messaging

International pricing has been updated to be included in the listed price under the Account Manager, Addons tab.

1. Click Settings
2. Click Property

On the General tab, check the box that says to "Enable International SMS Messaging" 

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Set Up and Edit SMS Messaging Templates

You have the ability to customize SMS Message templates, create new templates for SMS Messages, and choose when some of the automatic messages send.

To access the SMS Message Templates:

1. Click the left Settings menu
2. Click SMS Templates
3. Click on the template you wish to edit

Click on any template to edit the template message. 

Update Sending of Templates

For any automated template, you can choose if it sends to your guests or not. To turn on/off sending, check/uncheck the "sending" box in the top right corner of the template. 

For a few of the automated messages, you can choose when they send. To do so, edit the criteria box in the top left corner of the template settings as seen in the image below:

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Create New SMS Messaging Templates

Your park might have the same type of message that you send repeatedly. Custom templates are a perfect option to save you time. To create a new SMS Message Template:

1. Click Settings
2. Click SMS Messaging Templates
3. Click "New Custom Message" in the top left corner
4. Enter in the name of the template
5. Enter the text you wish to send
6. Click Save
   
   

Set Up SMS Notifications

SMS Notifications have customizability. You can choose to receive alerts when guests message your park, the sending window that you would receive these notifications, and how many minutes a message would be left unread before you get the alert to your own device. 

1. Click Settings
2. Click Property Settings
3. Click the Notifications Tab
4. Update the settings as best fits your park

Here is an example of what the notification to your or your staff may look like:

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SMS Message Center: your property-wide SMS hub

The SMS Message center is your go-to hub for SMS messages in Firefly. It is one convenient location to view, reply, and create SMS messages for any reservation or guest throughout the property.

View the SMS Message Center: 

On the main menu, click the Guests dropdown then select SMS Message Center.

The left side of the page shares a list all SMS messages sent and received, displayed in order of recent activity. Clicking on a message in the list opens the conversation. The right side of the page then displays a black title box containing the guest's name and reservation details, if applicable, with the message thread directly below. In the lower, right corner you may type and send a reply to continue SMS messaging with the guest.

Messages that fail to send display in the list with red text for the message preview. When the message thread is opened, each failed message is highlighted with a red background and a bold red notice: "Message failed to send". After you have confirmed the guest's phone number on their guest profile, you may resend the message by clicking "Click to retry".

Draft and send a new message:

1. Click "New Message" in the top right corner
2. Choose Returning Guest or New Guest and Enter in the information as needed
3. Select the guest you wish to message.
4. Type your SMS message into the textbox provided.
5. Click Send.
   

Mark a message as Read or Unread:

When viewing a message in the SMS Message Center, you may wish to return a read message to an unread status or mark a message an read if you've already connected with the guest and no longer need to read the message. Changing the read status of a message in the SMS Message Center is as simple as clicking the circle with three dots next to the message then selecting  "Mark as unread" or "Mark as unread". A message's read status may be changed any time, by any user.

Pin a message to the top of the inbox:

You may pin message threads you wish to set aside for a specific follow-up or keep a close eye on. To pin an SMS message thread to the top of the SMS Message Center, click the circle with three dots next to the specific message you wish to track then select "Pin chat".

Pinned messages are quickly identified by the green "push pin" icon. Click the circle with 3 dots and select "Unpin chat" to return the message thread back to it's place in the order of message activity.

Search SMS Message Center:

The Search feature allows you to quickly and easily find SMS messages for a specific guest or reservation unit. To filter your SMS messages, click the blue bar with the word Search on the left and a plus sign on the right.

The Search box expands so you may enter details like the message date range, guest's first or last name, phone number, or unit number. Click Search to see SMS messages fitting this criteria.

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SMS Message Guest for Bulk Messaging

This is a great feature for using SMS message templates and sending a mass message to multiple guests. There are several filter and search options for choosing the specific audience you wish to send a message to. 

To load the message contents from a template click the Load from template dropdown.

Use the Select All option to message the entire recipient list or select each one individually using the check boxes. If messaging a majority of the list, you can Select All then uncheck guests you do not want to receive the message.

Once you have the desired recipients selected and your message is finalized, click Send Message to send the SMS text.

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Disable SMS Messages

Disabling your SMS messages is the same steps as setup, in reverse order:

1. Release your SMS phone number. On Firefly's main menu, go to the Settings dropdown and select Property. On the General tab, click "Release SMS number". 
2. Disable the service add-on in your Account Manager. In the upper right corner of any Firefly page, click the dropdown for your user profile then select Account.
   Go to the Addons tab, uncheck the box for your selected SMS Messaging plan. Click Save.
   

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Frequently Asked Questions

💡 FAQ: Why do not all of the templates show when I send a manual SMS Message?

Some of the templates for SMS Messaging require specific data in order to be sent. When sending a manual text, data is not always available so it will not show as a template able to be used in that scenario. 

For example: The "New charge notification" requires information about the specific, new charge. When sending a manual text, there might not be a new charge to pull the information from to be able to send. 

💡 FAQ: I keep getting an error, "Some guests listed below require international SMS."

If the guest you are wanting to communicate with does not have an international number, but you see this message it may mean that their phone country code needs to be selected in their guest profile.

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🙋‍♀️ Still need help? Email: support@fireflyreservations.com and one of our technicians can help answer your questions.

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