Using Group SMS Assistant

Notes

• Max. numbers in a batch sending task: 1 million. Supported file: XLSX file with size up to 12 MB.
• The system charges the SMS that has been sent based on the SMS service type. For details, see Billing Mode.
• For details about the browsers supported by the Message & SMS console, see Which Browsers Are Supported?

Prerequisites

• You have created an SMS application.
• (Chinese mainland SMS only) You have an SMS signature that has been approved and configured with a channel number.
• You have an approved and activated SMS template.
• Applications, signatures, and templates are associated. For details, see Resource Introduction.

Creating a Sending Task

1. Log in to the Message & SMS console. In the navigation pane, choose Group SMS Assistant > Task Management.
2. Click Create Task in the upper right corner.
3. On the displayed page, set the parameters as prompted.

   

   Parameter	Description
   Task Name	Set this parameter based on the service requirements and SMS types. For example, International SMS_Service Notification_01.
   SMS Application	Select an international SMS or Chinese Mainland SMS application based on service requirements. The SMS Application setting determines values available in the SMS Signature and SMS Template drop-down lists.
   SMS Signature	This parameter must be specified for a Chinese mainland SMS application. Select an SMS signature that is associated with the SMS application. The setting of SMS Signature determines values available in the SMS Template drop-down list. For details, see Why an SMS Signature and an SMS Template Cannot Be Selected in the Group SMS Assistant?
   SMS Template	Select an SMS template that is associated with the SMS application. For Chinese mainland SMSs, the template must belong to the selected SMS signature or universal signature. For details, see Why an SMS Signature and an SMS Template Cannot Be Selected in the Group SMS Assistant?
   Recipient Number File	Click Download to download a template (with or without variables). Add recipient numbers to the file as instructed, and upload the file. NOTE: Max. numbers in a template file: 1 million. Max. file size: 12 MB. File name: Only digits and letters are allowed. To prevent numbers from being displayed abnormally, set cells to the text format, or copy the sample cells, paste and modify them. For Chinese mainland SMSs: If the recipient number is a Chinese mainland mobile number, the number does not need to be prefixed with the country code +86. Other numbers must be in the +{CC}{NDC}{SN} format, for example, +8613112345678. All recipient numbers to which international SMSs are sent must be in the +{CC}{NDC}{SN} format, for example, +2412000000 (a Gabon number). {CC} indicates the country code. {NDC} indicates the region code. If the called number is a mobile number, {NDC} is optional. {SN} indicates the recipient number.
   Schedule SMS Sending	(Optional) Select Yes if you want to send SMSs at a scheduled time.
   SMS Sent	This parameter specifies the date and time when an SMS is sent. Set this parameter only when Schedule SMS Sending is set to Yes. You are advised to send scheduled SMSs between 08:00 and 22:00 every day. Sending SMSs at other time may incur user complaints.

4. Click OK.

   The system checks the imported recipient numbers as follows:

   Check Item	Matching Rule	Solution	Example
   Number normalization	The number consists of 11 digits and starts with 1.	Prefix the number with +86.	131****5678 -> +86131****5678
   	The number consists of 13 digits and starts with 86.	Prefix the number with a plus sign (+).	86131****5678 -> +86131****5678
   	The number consists of neither 11 nor 13 digits and does not start with a plus sign (+).	The system considers them invalid, deletes them from the number list, and records the quantity of such numbers.	231****5678 -> Delete 131****567 -> Delete 1234****56789 -> Delete 86131****567 -> Delete
   Number deduplication	Check whether duplicate numbers exist after number normalization.	Delete deduplicate numbers and record the quantity of such numbers.	Only one duplicate number is reserved.

   • If the message "Submission request failed. The recipient number file includes invalid phone numbers." is displayed, check the recipient number file, enter valid numbers, and upload it again.
   • If a message "X phone number(s) imported. Redundant and invalid numbers have been deleted. You will not be charged for the Y message(s) deleted." is displayed, check the recipient number file for whether invalid numbers exist, create a task again for modified numbers.
5. After the sending task is submitted successfully, click View in the Operation column of the task to view the sending result. The sending result is displayed in about 3 minutes. To view the real-time result, refresh the page.

   After the sending task is submitted successfully, click Copy in the Operation column of the task to create a task with the same configuration. The imported recipient number file is not copied. You need to import the file again. In this way, you can quickly create a sending task.

Viewing Task Details

1. Log in to the Message & SMS console. In the navigation pane, choose Group SMS Assistant > Task Management, and filter tasks by task name and status. Click View in the Operation column of the task. The task details page is displayed.
2. Filter sending details by recipient number and sending result to view sending details of specific numbers.

   

   "√" indicates that the operation is supported, and "-" indicates that the operation is not supported.

   Status	Viewing	Canceling	Deleting	Description
   Pending	√	√	-	Click Cancel Task to cancel a scheduled task to be executed. Cancel a scheduled task at least 5 minutes before the scheduled SMS sending time. The task cannot be canceled if it is about to be executed within 5 minutes. If a scheduled task is not executed within 24 hours, it is automatically canceled.
   Canceled	√	-	√	Click Delete Task to remove a canceled task from the system. To resend the SMS, submit the sending task again.
   Executing	√	-	-	The sending task is being processed. Some recipient numbers do not return the SMS status in time due to errors (such as mobile phone power-off/suspension, poor signal, and unallocated number). Click View Details, select the number whose Send Result is Sending, and dial the number to check whether the mobile phone is in normal state.
   Completed	√	-	-	The sending task is processed, and the SMS status reports of all recipient numbers are returned.

3. View information about sending SMSs, such as number quantity, receipt time, SMS ID, and sending result.

   

   • A long SMS will be segmented to multiple records with the same SMS ID. For details about how an SMS is segmented, see SMS Sending Rules.
   • Click Download Failed Number File to obtain a file containing all numbers to which SMSs fail to be sent. Only the numbers whose sending tasks fail in the latest three days can be exported. Such numbers before three days cannot be exported.
   • If Send Result is Sending, the SMS gateway does not send a sending status report. Wait for a period of time and check the sending status again. For details, see Why Send Result Is Displayed as Sending or the SMS Is Received After a Long Time?
   • If Send Result is Failed, click SMS Status Error Codes to query the error based on the status code.