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How to send SMS text messages from Google Sheets with Twilio
Send text message reminders to customers directly from a Google Sheet by building each message with a formula and sending it through Twilio with the Connect to Twilio SMS add-on.
By Nur Islam- 7:50 video
- 7 steps
- 33.5K views
Jump to a step (7)
Small businesses keep customer names, phone numbers and appointment or deal details in a spreadsheet, then type reminder texts one by one on a phone. It is slow and easy to get a name or detail wrong.
A formula joins your customer columns into a ready-to-send SMS text for each row. Twilio provides the phone number and sends the messages, and the Connect to Twilio SMS add-on links your Google Sheet to your Twilio account so you can select rows and send.
Twilio can connect to Google Sheets without an add-on, but that route is harder to set up. The add-on keeps it to a few clicks.
What you need
- A Google Sheet with customer names, phone numbers and the details you want to include
- A Twilio account (a trial works for testing) with a Twilio phone number
- The Connect to Twilio SMS add-on for Google Sheets
Step by step
0 of 7 done-
01
Prepare your customer data
Set up a sheet with one row per customer and columns such as name, service and phone number. Include the country code in each phone number.
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02
Build the SMS text with a formula
Add an
SMS Textcolumn that joins fixed text with values from other columns. Put fixed text in double quotes and join pieces with&. For example:="Hi "&A2&", this is a reminder about your "&E2&" service."Fill the formula down so every row has its own message.
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03
Install the Connect to Twilio SMS add-on
In Google Sheets, select Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons, search for
Connect to Twilio SMSand select Install. -
04
Set up your Twilio account
Sign up for a Twilio account and get a Twilio phone number. Then set up a messaging service: under Messaging, select Try it out > Get set up > Start setup, give the service a name and assign your Twilio number to it.
Use Send an SMS in the Twilio console to send a test message to your own phone.
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05
Copy your Account SID, Auth Token and phone number
On the Twilio console dashboard, scroll down to find your Account SID, Auth Token and Twilio phone number. You need all three for the add-on.
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06
Configure the add-on in Google Sheets
Select Extensions > Connect to Twilio SMS > Configure SMS provider. Choose Twilio as the provider, paste the Twilio phone number, Account SID and Auth Token, and save.
In the panel on the right, choose your phone number column and your
SMS Textcolumn. Select a row and select Preview to see what the customer will receive. -
07
Send the messages
Select the rows you want to text and select SMS selected rows. The add-on adds a status column showing whether each message was sent, or the error if it failed.
On the free plan you can send to two rows at a time, so select two rows, send, then select the next two.
Tips and common problems
- The free plan of the add-on sends to two selected rows at a time. The video mentions a premium plan (about 6 dollars a year at the time) to send to every row at once.
- Check the status column after sending. If a number fails, the error appears there.
- Twilio trial accounts can only send to phone numbers you have verified in Twilio. Upgrade the account before texting customers.
- If you lose your Account SID or Auth Token, they are always on the Twilio console dashboard.
Quick version
The short version of this tutorial covers the same flow in under a minute: sign up for a Twilio trial and set up the SMS service, copy the API key and phone number, install the free Connect to Twilio SMS extension, paste the details, map your columns, preview, then select rows and send. A status column shows what was sent. Watch it here: Send SMS from Google Sheets (short).
Questions
Can you send text messages from Google Sheets?
Not natively. Google Sheets needs an SMS service. In this video, Twilio sends the messages and the Connect to Twilio SMS add-on lets you send them from selected rows in your sheet.
Is sending SMS from Google Sheets free?
The add-on has a free plan that sends to two rows at a time. Twilio gives trial credit to test, but sending real messages is paid per message at Twilio's rates.
How do I personalize each text message?
Build an SMS Text column with a formula that joins text and cell values with &, such as ="Hi "&A2&", ...". Each row then gets a message with that customer's details.
