Setting Up SMS Notifications (Twilio)

Why do I need Twilio?

Kontrol™ sends SMS messages through Twilio — a phone carrier built for businesses. Think of Twilio as your shop's dedicated texting service. You own the phone number, you control the messages, and texts come from a real US number your customers will recognize (not a random shortcode).

What you'll need before you start

The setup takes about 20 minutes total. Have these handy:

1. 1A credit card for Twilio (even the free trial requires one to verify your account)
2. 2Your shop's legal business name (for carrier registration)
3. 3Your shop's EIN or Tax ID (for A2P brand registration — same number on your business tax returns)
4. 4A brief description of what your shop texts customers about (e.g., "Order status updates and shipping notifications for a screen printing shop")

Step 1 — Create a Twilio account

Go to twilio.com and click "Sign up for free". Fill in your name, email, and password. Twilio gives you $15.50 in free trial credit — enough to test everything before going live.

1. 1Go to twilio.com and click "Sign up for free"
2. 2Enter your name, work email, and a strong password
3. 3Verify your email address (check your inbox for the confirmation link)
4. 4Verify your phone number when prompted (Twilio sends a 6-digit code to your mobile)
5. 5Skip the onboarding survey — click "Explore Products" to go straight to the console

Step 2 — Buy a phone number

Your shop needs a dedicated phone number to send texts from. US numbers cost $1.15/month.

1. 1In the Twilio Console, click "Phone Numbers" in the left sidebar, then "Manage" → "Buy a number"
2. 2Select Country: United States
3. 3Under Capabilities, check the SMS checkbox
4. 4Search for numbers — you can filter by area code to get a local number that matches your city (recommended — customers are more likely to recognize a local area code)
5. 5Click "Buy" next to the number you want, then confirm the purchase
6. 6Your new number now appears under Phone Numbers → Manage → Active Numbers

Step 3 — Register for A2P 10DLC (required for US texting)

A2P 10DLC is a US carrier requirement for business-to-customer texting. Without it, your texts will be filtered or blocked by carriers like Verizon and AT&T. The registration takes 5–10 minutes to fill out and 1–3 business days for carrier approval.

Step 3a — Register your brand

This tells carriers who your business is.

1. 1In the Twilio Console, go to "Messaging" → "Regulatory Compliance" → "A2P 10DLC" → "Brands"
2. 2Click "Register a Brand"
3. 3Select "Standard" brand type
4. 4Fill in your legal business name, EIN/Tax ID, business address, and company type (most screen print shops are LLC or Sole Proprietor)
5. 5Enter your company website URL. If you don't have one, enter your Kontrol™ customer portal URL or a social media page
6. 6Click "Submit Brand" — this costs a one-time fee of $4.00 charged to your Twilio balance
7. 7Wait for approval (usually instant, sometimes up to 24 hours)

Step 3b — Register your campaign

This tells carriers what you're texting customers about.

1. 1Go to "Messaging" → "A2P 10DLC" → "Campaigns", then click "Create a Campaign"
2. 2Select "Low Volume Mixed" as your use case (covers order updates, shipping, invoices — perfect for screen printers)
3. 3Description: Write 2–3 sentences describing your messages. Example: "We send order status updates, art approval requests, and shipping notifications to customers of our screen printing shop. Messages are transactional and triggered by customer order activity."
4. 4Sample messages: Write 2 example texts. Example 1: "Hi [Name], your order #1042 is ready for pickup! - Ink & Thread Co." Example 2: "Your art mockup is ready for review: [portal link] - Reply STOP to opt out."
5. 5Check the box to confirm your messages include opt-out language (STOP instructions)
6. 6Click "Submit Campaign" — this costs $15.00/month or a one-time $20 fee depending on your selection

Step 3c — Link your phone number to your campaign

The final step ties your phone number to your approved campaign.

1. 1Go to "Messaging" → "A2P 10DLC" → "Number Pools"
2. 2Click "Create Number Pool"
3. 3Add your phone number to the pool
4. 4Select your approved campaign
5. 5Click "Save" — your number is now registered

Step 4 — Copy your credentials to Kontrol™

Now grab the three keys Kontrol™ needs. All three are in your Twilio Console dashboard.

1. 1Account SID: On your Twilio Console homepage, find the box labeled "Account SID" (starts with AC…). Copy it.
2. 2Auth Token: Right next to Account SID, click the eye icon to reveal your Auth Token. Copy it.
3. 3Phone Number: Go to Phone Numbers → Manage → Active Numbers. Copy your number in E.164 format (e.g., +13125551234 — the + sign and country code are required).
4. 4In Kontrol™, go to Settings → Integrations → Twilio
5. 5Paste your Account SID, Auth Token, and Phone Number into the matching fields
6. 6Click Save — a green checkmark confirms the connection is live

Step 5 — Send a test message

Before turning on automations, verify everything works end-to-end.

1. 1In Kontrol™, go to Settings → Integrations → Twilio
2. 2Click "Send Test SMS"
3. 3Enter your own mobile number
4. 4Click Send — you should receive the test text within 30 seconds
5. 5Check the message came from your registered Twilio number (not a shortcode)

Step 6 — Turn on automation rules

With Twilio connected, you can activate SMS automations. Go to Settings → Automations and enable the rules you want — like texting customers when their order ships or when their invoice is ready.

Estimated monthly costs

Here's a typical monthly breakdown for a screen printing shop sending ~200 SMS notifications:

1. 1Phone number rental: $1.15/month
2. 2Outbound texts (200 × $0.008): ~$1.60/month
3. 3A2P campaign fee: $15.00/month (Low Volume Mixed) or included in the one-time $20 fee
4. 4Total (after first month): roughly $3–5/month for most small shops

Troubleshooting: texts aren't sending

The most common issues and how to fix them:

1. 1"Not Configured" in Kontrol™ Settings: Double-check all three fields (SID, Token, Phone Number). The phone number must include + and country code (e.g., +13125551234).
2. 2Messages sent in Twilio logs but customers don't receive them: Your A2P campaign is likely still pending approval. Check the campaign status in Twilio Console → A2P 10DLC → Campaigns.
3. 3Error 21608 in Twilio logs: Your phone number is not SMS-capable or not linked to your A2P campaign. Go to Number Pools and confirm the number is in your registered campaign.
4. 4Texts sending in trial but not after upgrading: Make sure your Twilio account is funded and not in trial mode (trial accounts can only text verified numbers).
5. 5Error 30007: Carrier filtering — your A2P registration needs to be completed or is rejected. Re-check your campaign registration.