Actionstep has released improved SMS function that will work in all regions allowing users to send one-direction SMS messages to any party and to allow for reminders of calendar appointments for your client.

This feature is currently in the early adopter feature preview mode.

In this article, we explain how the SMS alerts work. If you want to learn how to set your Actionstep so it can use SMS Alert, please see SMS Alert Setup.

Note:

While in Early Adopter mode, SMS is not available in Express systems.

Overview

There are two parts to Actionstep's SMS Alerts

Sending one-off SMS (text) messages
Automatically sending calendar reminders to clients
Staff alert reminders for items like appointments, tasks and key dates

Sending one-off SMS messages

A user can send SMS messages by going to the global create button in the top right of Actionstep and choosing SMS.

They can also send an SMS to a contact from the contact record by clicking on the SMS number.

Note:

If you create an SMS with the matter open on the screen, the SMS will automatically be assigned to that matter. If you open an SMS from a contact record, the SMS will automatically be assigned to that contact.

The Create SMS screen

Filling in an SMS is easy, choose the contact from the To field.

If the contact has a phone number loaded on their contact record as a "Mobile" it will automatically appear in the Mobile field. Otherwise, you can manually enter it.

Select a matter for the message and enter the text of the message.

Click Send when finished.

TIPS FOR SENDING SMS

Introduce yourself

The message that will be received will not be altered by Actionstep in any way and will be received from a short code number (e.g., 7623, 3462).

You may want to ensure your first message mentions your own name or your firms to ensure the recipient understands who it is from.

Recipients cannot reply

If a message is responded to, that message will not be displayed in Actionstep - nobody will receive it. You may want to make this clear in your message.

Numbers user on the Contact record

To ensure that the SMS number from your contact is automatically populated, please either:

Enter the mobile number as one of the four phone numbers and choose the option 'Mobile'.
Enter the number (including country code) into the TXT/SMS number field

Viewing sent SMS messages

You will find a list of all SMS messages related to a matter under the Comms menu on your matter.

You will find a list of all SMS messages for all matters under the Comms menu at the top of the Actionstep screen.

Calendar Appointments for Clients

When enabled, calendar appointments can send SMS reminders to selected attendees when an appointment is linked to a matter. The attendee must be linked to a contact record and have an SMS number configured.

To ensure that this works, the following criteria must be met:

The appointment is linked to a matter
The client (or primary participant if you don't use clients) is an attendee to that matter
The client has a value SMS number recorded to their record.

Two reminders are sent for each appointment.

1 day before the appointment
1 hour before the appointment start time, with all-day appointments adjusted to 8 am the day before.

The message will read as below:

Reminder: You have an appointment with us <when> at <location>. Thanks, <Firm name> <Firm primary phone no>

EXAMPLE

Reminder: You have an appointment with us tomorrow at 123 Exemplar Place. Thanks, ABC Law +1 (831) 3326495

If no location is included in the appointment, it will be excluded from the message.

EXAMPLE

Reminder: You have an appointment with us today at 4:30 pm. Thanks, ABC Law +1 (831) 3326495

Reminder: You have an appointment with us tomorrow at 123 Fake st. Thanks, Lance EBM USA Cash +1 (831) 3326495

Note: The message information is only applicable to automatic reminders set in admin. For setup, see SMS Alerts Setup. Manual reminders will send only the title of the appointment at the designated time.

Staff SMS Alert Reminders

There are several ways you can setup alerts for staff members with a login to Actionstep. These alerts can be:

Reminders that are linked to items like tasks, appointments and key dates, or
One-off alerts setup by a user

TIP:

You are also able to set up alerts to be created automatically for tasks that are created as part of a step-change or for matter data. See our articles on Matter Type setup for more information.

Alerts linked to other Actionstep items

The location of alerts will vary depending on the item they are linked to.

For calendar appointments

To the right of the appointment screen:

Click Add Appointment.
Select the amount of time before the appointment the reminder alert should be given.
Select the type of reminder (Email, SMS or Popup). You can select multiple options.

Any Actionstep staff member invited to the appointment will get a reminder of the appropriate type at the indicated time.

For tasks

To set up a reminder alert for a task:

Go to the Reminder / Workflow tab on the task
Under the 'Reminder' section, click on the drop-down and select the time before the tasks due date that you would like the reminder to be given.
Select the type of reminder (Email, SMS or Popup). You can select multiple options.