Step 0: Get a Twilio Account

Sheet Mind uses Twilio to send personalised SMS texts. You need to sign up for your own Twilio account and add it to Sheet Mind. See tutorial.

Step 1: Prepare your excel file

Make an excel sheet using the first row as the heading to make it easier to use.

Download Sample File

Step 2: Choose the communication mode as SMS and data source as Upload file

In this stage, select SMS as the communication mode and data source as Upload file and then proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Upload the excel file

Upload the file created in Step 1. Acceptable file formats are .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm, .xlsb.

Following the file selection, you should see the file details as seen in the figure below. If everything appears to be in order, click upload, then next once the file has been properly uploaded.

Step 4: Choose a template for the SMS texts

This is where you set the format of the personalised message that will be delivered to your recipients.

The required fields are From Account, From Number and To Number. In each of the fields, you can choose a place holder value. For example, using the {{ Phone Number }} in the To Phone Number field will replace the values from the data in the excel sheet.

You can add a placeholder in two ways:

1. By clicking on the sticky buttons, each of whom represents a valid column header.
2. Adding the header name enclosed in double curly braces manually. For example: {{ Phone Number }}

Please note: To Phone Number field is expected to be in E-164 format.

Step 5: Preview the sample SMS texts

You'll be able to check how the data from the excel file you supplied in Step 3 replaces the header variables in this step. Please double-check all of the samples to ensure that the format is what you want to use.

Step 6: Schedule the send

You can schedule the send for a specific date and time in the future or send it right away at this stage.

Step 7: Send

This is the last step in the process. If everything appears to be in order, you can submit the work and monitor its progress. Take a seat and unwind!