Vodafone Bulk Text. User Guide. Copyright Notice. Copyright Phonovation Ltd

Transcription

1 Vodafone Bulk Text User Guide Copyright Notice Copyright Phonovation Ltd

2 Important Notice: The Information contained in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment from Phonovation Ltd. Phonovation Ltd assume no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. All bulk SMS campaigns must contain an Opt out option at the end of each message. For Vodafone Bulk Text clients sending SMS to Republic of Ireland mobile phones, the opt out should be written as one of the following: Text STOP to Text OPTOUT to Text OPT OUT to The recipient has the option to send one of those keywords (STOP, OPTOUT OR OPT OUT) to (free of charge) if they no longer wish to receive any messages from your Vodafone Bulk Text account. The recipients will automatically be added to your Opt out list and will no longer be able to receive SMS from your account. It is a legal requirement to offer a free of charge opt out option with all marketing SMS. The charge for the opt out SMS is paid by the bulk SMS account holder. Author This document was prepared and issued by Phonovation Ltd. Any comments or questions in connection with the document should be addressed to bulktext.ie@vodafone.com Page 2

3 Contents 1. Glossary of terms Registering Logging in Forgotten your password? Send Campaign Send to SMS File Step 1. Enter your campaign details Step 2. File Send Options Step 3. Enter message text Step 4. Send Send to SMS Saved List Step 1. Enter your campaign details Step 2. Select SMS Distribution List Step 3. Enter message text Step 4. Send Send to One Mobile Number Step 1. Enter your campaign details Step 2. Enter Recipient Number Step 3. Enter message text Step 4. Send Incoming Messages Search Incoming Messages Search Incoming Reply Messages Bulk Text tools Dashboard Reports Lists Create a new List Edit Lists Add Numbers Edit Lists Remove Numbers Templates Add a new template Page 3

4 7.4.2 Delete - Templates Opt-out Contacts Add a new contact to Opt-Out list Delete Opt Out My Account Top up my account Pre-Paid Top Up Post Paid Bundle Top Up Top up history Account Detail Change my password Support Bulk text Support User Guide Contact us sales Contact support Terms and conditions Logging Out Page 4

5 1. Glossary of terms Many words and phrases used in this document have a special meaning in the context of Bulk SMS. This section defines some of the most important terms used. Child Account: Opt-out: Parent account: Post-paid bundle: Sender ID: SMS: This is an account created by an Administrator or a Parent account holder. A Child account has the same functionality as a standard Client but is administered and managed by the Parent account holder. This refers to the methods by which individuals can avoid receiving further messages or information from a Vodafone Bulk Text account. A parent account is an account that has been set up with the ability to administer and manage child accounts. A parent accounts will have the ability to allocate credits, view message transactions, set sender ids, etc. The customer is charged for credit bundle purchased and cost will be added on to their bill. Sender ID, also known as Originating Address (OA), is the number or name that is displayed on the recipient's mobile phone when an SMS is received. Short Message Service (SMS) is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices Page 5

6 2. Registering New users will be required to contact Vodafone on or their Vodafone account manager to set up an Vodafone Bulk Text account. They will be asked to supply the following details to register for a new Vodafone Bulk Text account: Company: First Name: Last Name: Mobile: Fixed Line: Address: City: County: Country: This is the Clients Company that the new account is to be associated with. First name of the account Holder. Surname of the account Holder. address of the account holder. This must be a valid address as it will be used to authenticate the address. The mobile number of the account holder, this must be a valid mobile number. A land line number used for contact purposes. This is the address of the company setting up the account; this is used for billing purposes. The City that the company is located in. The County that the company is located in. The Country that the company is located in. Once you have supplied this information Vodafone will be send you a Registration to complete the registration process and validate the address provided. Page 6

7 The will contain a link to the Vodafone Bulk Text application. When you select this link you will be directed to the terms and conditions page where you will be asked to read and confirm acceptance to the Vodafone Bulk Text terms and conditions. On clicking Continue the user will be directed to the Set Password screen. Here they can set their own login password. Page 7

8 You will then be redirected to the Vodafone Bulk Text dashboard. From here you can send broadcasts, view message transactions, maintain number lists and more. Page 8

9 3. Logging in Registered users can log into the Vodafone Bulk Text application by going to the following URL: Once at the login screen you can enter your Username and Password details. The Username will be the address that you supplied during registration. Once your details are entered, select the log in button to gain full access to the main site. The main site is made up of three sections. 1. The left navigational panel, made up of Send Campaign and Bulk Text Tools. 2. The top menu bar made up of My Account, Support and Contact Us sections. 3. The central area where details and input forms are displayed. Page 9

10 4. Forgotten your password? In the event that the user has forgotten their password details the user can gain access to the system by having their password reset. To do this, they are required to carry out the following: Select the Forgotten your password? link located under the Username and Password text boxes on the login page. The user will be redirected to the Forgotten your password? screen. If the User knows their login name or Username they can enter it here along with the mobile number that they supplied during registration. Once the correct details have been entered, select the Send button. An containing a reset password link will be sent to the users address. The user will be required to select this link to reset their password to gain access to the Vodafone Bulk Text system. Page 10

11 5. Send Campaign To send out a campaign, select one of the options from under the Send Campaign heading based on the type of send method that is required: Send to SMS File: Send to SMS Saved List: Send to One Mobile Number: This option allows Users the choice of sending a broadcast to a list of contact numbers that are uploaded from a Microsoft Excel file. It allows users the option to populate an excel document with individual/personalised messages and the functionality to schedule exactly when the message broadcast is to be sent. This option gives Users the choice of sending broadcasts to a managed list which they have previously created. Users can select this option to send a single message broadcast to one number. Page 11

12 5.1 Send to SMS File This option is used when you have a list of numbers contained in a Microsoft Excel file that you want to upload and use as the contacts list that a message will be broadcast to. To send a message broadcast to a Microsoft Excel list, Select Send to SMS File from the Send Campaign menu, the Send to SMS File page is displayed. Users will be required to follow the 4 steps on the Send to SMS File screen to send their message broadcast: Page 12

13 Step 1. Enter your campaign details Step 2. File Send Options Step 3. Enter message text Step 4. Send These steps will be explained in more detail in the following sections Step 1. Enter your campaign details Users will be required to enter the following campaign details: Campaign Name: This is a name given by the user to the message broadcast; it is only used for reference. This will not be sent as a part of the message. Campaign names are used to easily identify broadcasts that have been sent by the user Allow recipients to reply to this message? Broadcasts that are sent with this option selected are sent with the sender name set to ; this allows users to reply back to the message that they receive. The message text length is anything up to 460 characters. Please see further information in the Message Text section Sender name: Page 13

14 This is the name that will appear at the top of the recipient s handset. This is useful as the Sender Name is easily identifiable when received by the recipient. The default sender name is set to FreeText. A new Sender name can be created and allocated upon request. An example of a sender name might be Vodafone, when this lands on a recipient s handset they can easily identify that Vodafone has tried to send them a message. Note: The Sender names or Sender IDs are limited to 11 alphanumeric characters (including uppercase letters) with no spaces or special characters. They are sent along with the broadcast message and are displayed to the recipient as the message Sender. The Sender name replaces the mobile number when displayed on the handset. A Sender name does not allow a recipient to reply to the message. If a recipient however wants to opt-out from receiving any further messages from a Vodafone Bulk Text then they can text any of the following keywords STOP, OPTOUT OR OPT OUT to To receive a reply messages a broadcast needs to be sent requesting a reply, this option is selected in step Step 2. File Send Options Step 2 deals with locating and importing the Microsoft Excel file to the system to be broadcast. Page 14

15 Select an Excel file from your computer First you will be required to choose the file that you want to upload. The application allows you to upload Microsoft Excel files. The Microsoft Excel files need to be formatted in the correct format prior to being uploaded. Note: You can specify individual messages and specific dates for messages to be broadcast through the use of the second column (Column B) and third column (Column C) of the Microsoft Excel spread sheet. Please see sections on Use message from spreadsheet? and Use scheduled dates from spreadsheet? Microsoft Excel file Formats: 1. The contact numbers should be placed in the first column (Column A) of your Microsoft Excel file. 2. The number should be formatted with the full international code. E.g You may need to format the first column (Column A) of the Microsoft Excel document. Please see sections on Formatting the Number Column (Column A). 4. Make sure to remove all special characters and spaces. E.g. ( ) - + ~ etc. 5. Make sure that there are no breaks or empty records in the file. 6. There should be no formulas in the Microsoft Excel cells. Page 15

16 Save my file as a list for future use? This option can be selected if the user wants to save the Microsoft Excel file for future use as an Vodafone Bulk Text list. This list can be accessed and updated at a later date if required, please see the section on Lists for more information on managing lists Remove duplicates Selecting this option removes duplicates from the uploaded Microsoft Excel file. It will not remove duplicates from files when the Use message from spread sheet option in step 3 is selected Use scheduled dates from spreadsheet? This option allows users to use the third column (Column C) of the Microsoft Excel file and schedule messages to be broadcast for dates and times in the future. These dates should ideally be formatted as shown below: dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm, Please see sections on Formatting the Future Date Column (Column C) Formatting the Number Column (Column A) Depending on the version of Microsoft Excel installed on the clients PC, there may be a need to format the number column so that it will be processed correctly. To format the numbers, clients will need to carry out the following, Please note that the instructions below may vary depending on the version of Microsoft Excel installed: Select all of the numbers in the first column (Column A) by clicking above the top cell. There should only be numbers present in the first column. Page 16

17 Right click on the selected items and select Format Cells from the list. The Format Cells pop up box is displayed. Locate the Number tab on the Format cells pop up box. Select Number from the Category list. Set the number of decimal places to Zero. Select OK to save the changes to the selected items. Page 17

18 The number column should now be configured with the correct formatting. Page 18

19 Formatting the Future Date Column (Column C) Depending on the version of Microsoft Excel installed on the clients PC, there may also be a need to format the Date and time column so that messages will be sent to future dates and times correctly. To format the date and time column, clients will need to carry out the following, Please note that the instructions below may vary depending on the version of Microsoft Excel installed: Select all the dates in the third column (Column C), there should only be future dates and times present in this column. Right click on the selected items and select the Format Cells option from the list. The Format Cells pop up box is displayed. Page 19

20 Locate the Number tab on the Format cells pop up box. Select Custom from the Category list. Select the format option dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm from the sample formatting options available. Select OK to save the changes to the selected items. Page 20

21 5.1.3 Step 3. Enter message text Step 3 deals with the actual message that is to be broadcast to the recipient Use message from spreadsheet? If this check box is selected the application will look for a message in the second column (Column B) of the uploaded Microsoft Excel sheet. Please see the message text section to see how your message should be formatted and the size limits. Note: If this option is selected then you will be required to populate the second column (Column B) of the uploaded Microsoft Excel sheet with the broadcast message for each mobile recipient located in the first column (Column A). Page 21

22 Message text or choose from template If a text message body has been saved as a template it can be selected here and will populate the Message Text box. This template can then be edited before sending. Templates are used when sending predefined text messages such as for notifications or alerts where the wording may need to be specific or repeated quite often. Message text The Message text box will contain the body or content of the message that will be sent in the broadcast. Depending on the option selected for Allow recipients to reply to this message you can send up to 459 character SMS messages for messages that do not require a reply from the recipient. Messages requesting a reply allow only 160 character messages. A standard SMS message length is made up of 160 characters. Longer messages require multiple messages to be grouped together and sent as 2 to 3 messages, using 2 to 3 Credits depending on the message size. For example, a character message uses 1 credit, a message using characters uses 2 credits, and a message using characters uses 3 credits. These values are correct for English plain text characters. International character sets are also supported for messages that do not require a reply, the use of international character sets allows you to include International characters in your message. For example, Á, É,, etc. are fully supported in your SMS Messages. Note: If you choose to use special characters within your message, you should be aware that there are limitations on the length of your message depending on which carrier is used. For further information please see the pdf here: Save message text as template Underneath the Message Text box there is an option to save the message as a template. Saving a message as a template allows you to reuse commonly used text message content. Please see section on templates for more information in managing templates. Page 22

23 5.1.4 Step 4. Send There are two options that can be selected in Step 4, Send Now or Send Later Send now To send the message at the current time and date, select the Send Now button. If the option to use dates from the Microsoft Excel file is selected then these dates will be used. If there are no dates in the Microsoft Excel document the message will start to be broadcast to the recipients straight away Send Later Select this option if you would like all of the messages to be broadcast at a later date. Options to enter a future date will be displayed. The User will be required to select the date and time for the message broadcast from these options. The message will then be stored by the Vodafone Bulk Text application to be sent at the specified future date and time. Note: A message broadcast that has been scheduled to be sent at a later date may be cancelled up until the selected send later date and time. Once messages in a broadcast have started to be sent then the broadcast cannot be cancelled. Page 23

24 Confirm Campaign After you have selected either Send now or Send later, a message box will appear that will ask you to confirm your message details before sending. If you select cancel, the broadcast will not be sent. You will return you to the Send Campaign page to amend or update details. If the details are correct, click Confirm to continue with the broadcast. You will then be redirected to dashboard where the results of your message broadcast can be viewed. Page 24

25 5.2 Send to SMS Saved List This option is used when users want to send a broadcast to a previously saved list of numbers in the Vodafone Bulk Text application. Lists can also be managed in more detail on the Lists page under the Bulk text tools menu. Numbers can be added to, and removed from previously uploaded lists. Lists can be used to separate the recipient groups, and keep a central location for number storage. To send to a saved List, select Send to SMS Saved List from the Send Campaign menu. The Send to SMS Saved List page is displayed. Users will be required to follow the 4 steps on the Send to SMS Saved List screen to send their message broadcast: Step 1. Enter your campaign details Step 2. Select SMS Distribution List Step 3. Enter message text Step 4. Send Page 25

26 These steps will be explained in more detail in the following sections Step 1. Enter your campaign details Users will be required to enter the following Campaign details Campaign name: This is a name given to the broadcast. It is only used for your reference. This will not be sent as a part of the message. Campaign names are used to easily identify broadcasts that have been sent by the user Allow recipients to reply to this message Broadcasts that are sent with this option selected are sent with the sender name set to ; this allows users to reply back to the message that they receive on their handset. The message text length is anything up to 460 characters. Please see further information in the Message Text section Sender name: This is the name that will appear at the top of the recipient s handset. This is useful as the Sender Name is easily identifiable when received by the recipient. The default sender name is set to FreeText. A new Sender name can be created and allocated upon request. An example of a sender name might be Vodafone, when this lands on a recipient s handset they can easily identify that Vodafone has tried to send them a message. Page 26

27 Note: The Sender names or Sender IDs are limited to 11 alphanumeric characters (including uppercase letters) with no spaces or special characters. They are sent along with the broadcast message and are displayed to the recipient as the message Sender. The Sender name replaces the mobile number when displayed on the handset. A Sender name does not allow a recipient to reply to the message. If a recipient however wants to opt-out from receiving any further messages from Vodafone Bulk Text then they can text any of the following keywords STOP, OPTOUT OR OPT OUT to To receive reply messages a broadcast needs to be sent requesting a reply, this option is selected in step Step 2. Select SMS Distribution List Select from existing list You can select the list from the Select from existing list dropdown box; Lists can be created by uploading Microsoft Excel sheet or text document in the correct format or by saving a Microsoft Excel sheet during a message broadcast, See Send to SMS File. Please see the section on Lists for more information on managing lists. Page 27

28 5.2.3 Step 3. Enter message text Step 3 deals with the actual message that is to be sent to the recipient Message text or choose from template If a text message body has been saved as a template it can be selected here and will populate the Message Text box. This template can then be edited before sending. Templates are used when sending predefined text messages such as for notifications or alerts where the wording may need to be specific or repeated quite often Message text The Message text box will contain the body or content of the message that will be sent in the broadcast. Depending on the option selected for Allow recipients to reply to this message you can send up to 459 character SMS messages for messages that do not require a reply from the recipient. Messages requesting a reply allow only 160 character messages. A standard SMS message length is made up of 160 characters. Longer messages require multiple messages to be grouped together and sent as 2 to 3 messages, using 2 to 3 Credits depending on the message size. For example, a character message uses 1 credit, a message using characters uses 2 credits, and a message using characters uses 3 credits. These values are correct for English plain text characters. Page 28

29 International character sets are also supported for messages that do not require a reply, the use of international character sets allows you to include International characters in your message. For example, Á, É,, etc. are fully supported in your SMS Messages. Note: If you choose to use special characters within your message, you should be aware that there are limitations on the length of your message depending on which carrier is used. For further information please see the pdf here: Save message text as template Underneath the Message Text box there is an option to save the message as a template. Saving a message as a template allows you to reuse commonly used text message content. Please see section on templates for more information on managing templates Step 4. Send There are two options that can be selected in Step 4, Send Now or Send Later Send now To send the message at the current time and date, select the Send Now button. If the option to use dates from the Microsoft Excel file is selected then these dates will be used. Page 29

30 Send Later Select this option if you would like all of the messages to be broadcast at a later date. Options to enter a future date will be displayed. The User will be required to select the date and time for the message broadcast from these options. The message will then be stored to be broadcast at the selected date and time. Note: A message broadcast that has been scheduled to be sent at a later date may be cancelled up until the selected send later date and time. Once messages in a broadcast have started to be sent then the broadcast cannot be cancelled Confirm Campaign After you have selected either Send now or Send later, a message box will appear that will ask you to confirm your message details before sending. Page 30

31 If you select cancel, the broadcast will not be sent. You will return you to the Send Campaign page to amend or update details. If the details are correct, click Confirm to continue with the broadcast. You will then be redirected to dashboard where the results of your message broadcast can be viewed. Page 31

32 5.3 Send to One Mobile Number This option is used when Users want to send a broadcast to only one number or recipient. To send to a single number, select Send to One Mobile Number from the Send Campaign menu. The Send to One Mobile Number page is displayed. Users will be required to follow the 4 steps on the Send to One Mobile Number screen to send their message broadcast: Step 1. Enter your campaign details Step 2. Enter Recipient Number Step 3. Enter message text Step 4. Send These steps will be explained in more detail in the following sections. Page 32

33 5.3.1 Step 1. Enter your campaign details Users will be required to enter the following Campaign details Campaign name: This is a name given to the broadcast; it is only used for your reference. This will not be sent as a part of the message. Campaign names are used to easily identify broadcasts that have been sent by the user Allow recipients to reply to this message? Broadcasts that are sent with this option selected are sent with the sender name set to ; this allows users to reply back to the message that they receive. The message text length is anything up to 460 characters. Please see further information in the Message Text section Sender name: This is the name that will appear at the top of the recipient s handset. The default sender name is set to FreeText. A new Sender name can be created and allocated upon request. An example of a sender name might be Vodafone, when this lands on a recipient s handset they can easily identify that Vodafone has tried to send them a message. Note: The Sender names or Sender IDs are limited to 11 alphanumeric characters (including uppercase letters) with no spaces or special characters. They are sent along with the broadcast message and are displayed to the recipient as the message Sender. The Sender name replaces the mobile number when displayed on the handset. A Sender name does not allow a recipient to reply to the message. If a recipient however wants to opt-out from receiving any further messages from Vodafone Bulk Text then they can text any of the following keywords STOP, OPTOUT OR OPT OUT to To receive reply messages a broadcast needs to be sent requesting a reply, this option is selected in step 3. Page 33

34 5.3.2 Step 2. Enter Recipient Number Type the destination number This option is selected if the user wants to send a broadcast to just one mobile number. When entering the mobile number please remember to enter the number using the following rules: 1. The number should be formatted with the full international code. E.g Make sure to remove all special characters and spaces. E.g. ( ) - + ~ etc Step 3. Enter message text Step 3 deals with the actual message that is to be sent to the recipient. Page 34

35 Message text or choose from template If a text message body has been saved as a template it can be selected here and will populate the Message Text box. This template can then be edited before sending. Templates are used when sending predefined text messages such as for notifications or alerts where the wording may need to be specific or repeated quite often Message text The Message text box will contain the body or content of the message that will be sent in the broadcast. Depending on the option selected for Allow recipients to reply to this message you can send up to 459 character SMS messages for messages that do not require a reply from the recipient. Messages requesting a reply allow only 160 character messages. A standard SMS message length is made up of 160 characters. Longer messages require multiple messages to be grouped together and sent as 2 to 3 messages, using 2 to 3 Credits depending on the message size. For example, a character message uses 1 credit, a message using characters uses 2 credits, and a message using characters uses 3 credits. These values are correct for English plain text characters. International character sets are also supported for messages that do not require a reply, the use of international character sets allows you to include International characters in your message. For example, Á, É,, etc. are fully supported in your SMS Messages. Note: If you choose to use special characters within your message, you should be aware that there are limitations on the length of your message depending on which carrier is used. For further information please see the pdf here: Page 35

36 Save message text as template Underneath the Message Text box there is an option to save the message as a template. Saving a message as a template allows you to reuse commonly used text message content. Please see section on templates for more information in managing templates Step 4. Send There are two options that can be selected in Step 4, Send Now or Send Later Send now To send the message at the current time and date, select the Send Now button. If the option to use dates from the Microsoft Excel file is selected then these dates will be used Send Later Select this option if you would like all of the messages to be broadcast at a later date. Options to enter a future date will be displayed. The User will be required to select the date and time for the message broadcast from these options. The message will then be stored to be broadcast at the selected date and time. Page 36

37 Note: A message broadcast that has been scheduled to be sent at a later date may be cancelled up until the selected send later date and time. Once messages in a broadcast have started to be sent then the broadcast cannot be cancelled Confirm Campaign After you have selected either Send now or Send later, a message box will appear that will ask you to confirm your message details before sending. If you select cancel, the broadcast will not be sent. You will be returned to the Send Campaign page to amend or update details. If the details are correct, click Confirm to continue with the broadcast. You will then be redirected to dashboard where the results of your message broadcast can be viewed. Page 37

38 6. Incoming Messages Vodafone Bulk Text Clients have the ability to request Shortcodes/Longcodes and Keywords to be set up against their accounts. Incoming messages that are sent to these number and keyword combinations are then routed to the correct client for viewing. The Incoming Message section on the left Client menu groups the functionality to view the clients configured incoming SMS messages and Incoming Reply Messages. Clients can get more information about this feature by contacting their Vodafone Account Manager. 6.1 Search Incoming Messages To search for Incoming messages selects the Search Incoming Messages option from the Incoming Messages section. The Incoming Messages page is displayed. Page 38

39 There are a number of search parameters that can be used to search through the inbound messages. Senders Mobile No. This is the mobile number of the sender of the message. When entering the mobile number please remember to enter the number using the following rules: 1. The number should be formatted with the full international code. E.g Make sure to remove all special characters and spaces. E.g. ( ) - + ~ etc. Reply No. This list is made up of all the numbers that incoming messages can come in on. Keyword This list is made up of all the Keywords that are configured against the client account. Wildcard Keyword Search Place the wildcard symbol * (an asterisk) beside keyword text to search for that text within the body of messages received. E.g. To find text at the start of a message use the format: keyword* or to find text within the body of a message use: *keyword*, Substitute the word Keyword for the text you are searching for. Page 39

40 In the below example you can see that the text *Message* was searched for. This search looks for the text Message where it is located within the body of the inbound message. There were two results which matched these search criteria. Message Received between Date from and Date To Date ranges for incoming messages can be added to the search criteria. Messages received before or after this date range will not be displayed in the search results. Total Received The total received figure counts the number of results returned in the message search Credits Used The Credits Used figure is the total sum of the credits used to receive the inbound messages for the results returned in the message search. Export to Excel This feature allows the results of the message search to be exported to Excel. Note: This feature requires Microsoft Excel to be installed on your computer. Page 40

41 6.2 Search Incoming Reply Messages Clients have the facility to search through their incoming reply messages. Incoming Reply messages are messages sent by the receivers of broadcasts to the clients account. To search for reply messages selects the Search Incoming Reply Message option from the Incoming Message section. The Incoming Reply Message page is displayed. There are a number of search parameters that can be used to search through the inbound Reply messages. Senders Mobile No. This is the mobile number of the sender of the message. When entering the mobile number please remember to enter the number using the following rules: 1. The number should be formatted with the full international code. E.g Make sure to remove all special characters and spaces. E.g. ( ) - + ~ etc. Reply No. This list is made up of all the numbers that reply messages can come in on. Broadcast Sent between Date from and Date To Date ranges for the broadcast sent be added to the search criteria. Messages received for broadcasts received between these date ranges will be displayed. Page 41

42 Message Received between Date from and Date To Date ranges for reply messages can be added to the search criteria. Messages received before or after this date range will not be displayed in the search results. Export to Excel This feature allows the results of the message search to be exported to Excel. Note: This feature requires Microsoft Excel to be installed on your computer. Page 42

43 7. Bulk Text tools 7.1 Dashboard The Dashboard is the central hub for your Vodafone Bulk Text site. From the Dashboard you can view reports on your recent messages, remaining credits and access other areas of the application. The number of remaining credits will be viewable along with any saved lists. 7.2 Reports From the dashboard you can select the reports button to open the Campaign Reports section. This page shows the broadcast campaigns that have been sent previously. You can search for specific campaigns by entering dates in the From and To date fields. To find a campaign you will need to enter the date prior to the date the campaign broadcast was queued on. Page 43

44 A summary of broadcasts can be exported to Microsoft Excel by selecting the Export to Microsoft Excel button. Users can select the name of their campaign in the report list under the Subject column. From here they can see a more detailed breakdown of an individual campaign. Within this screen you also have the ability to download an export of the campaign report by selecting the export report button. 7.3 Lists Lists are a handy way of managing the contacts that users send broadcasts to regularly. Lists can be uploaded, have additional numbers added, have numbers removed and be exported in excel format if required. Under Bulk Text Tools, select Lists to be brought to the lists section. Users can see the lists that were created previously from this screen. They will be able to see the list name, total number of valid numbers in the list and the date they were created and the date they were last modified Create a new List If users need to create a list they can add one by clicking on Create a new list button. Lists can be imported from either Microsoft Excel or from a text document. Page 44

45 Give your new list a name This will be the name that the list will be saved as Select a Excel file from your computer (Plain Text files can also be used) First you will be required to choose the file that you want to upload. The application allows you to upload both Microsoft Excel files and Plain Text files. The files need to be formatted in the correct format prior to being uploaded Microsoft Excel file Formats: Microsoft Excel files need to be formatted as follows prior to being uploaded: 1. The contact numbers should be placed in the first column (Column A) of your Microsoft Excel file. 2. The number should be formatted with the full international code. E.g Make sure to remove all special characters and spaces. E.g. ( ) - + ~ etc. 4. Make sure that there are no breaks or empty records in the file. 5. There should be no formulas in the Microsoft Excel cells. Page 45

46 Note: This feature requires Microsoft Excel to be installed on your computer Text file formats: Plain text files need to be formatted as follows prior to being uploaded. 1. The contact numbers can be placed in a list, one above the other. 2. There is no need to separate the numbers with a comma, a carriage return is sufficient. 3. The number should be formatted with the full international code. E.g Make sure to remove all special characters and spaces. E.g. ( ) - + ~ etc. 5. Make sure that there are no breaks in the file. Once you have formatted the file correctly, you can then browse to where your file is located by selecting the Choose file button. The File upload window is displayed. Navigate to the correct file path location and select Open. Page 46

47 To save the uploaded file as an imported list, select the Save list button. Note: Duplicates will be removed from the list entries Edit Lists Add Numbers To add numbers to a list, users will be required to carry out the following: 1. Select the list they want to edit from the list section. Page 47

48 2. Users can select a Microsoft Excel file or text file to upload, the list of numbers can be added to the existing list of numbers by browsing for the correct file and selecting the Add button. 3. Alternatively a single number can be added one at a time by entering the number in the Or just add one number text box and selecting Add number. Note: Uploaded files need to be in the correct file formats, see Creating a new list section. Duplicates will be removed from the list entries uploaded Edit Lists Remove Numbers To remove numbers from a list, users will be required to carry out the following: 1. Select the list they want to edit from the list section. 2. Remove numbers from all their lists by selecting the Remove from all my lists check box. Page 48

49 Users can upload a Microsoft Excel file with the numbers they want to remove from the list by browsing for the correct file and selecting the Remove button. Alternatively they can remove a single number by entering the number in the Or just remove one number text box and selecting Remove number. Note: Uploaded files need to be in the correct file formats, see the Creating a new list section for details on file formats. Page 49

50 7.4 Templates Saving a message as a template allows users to reuse text message content. You can add message templates up to 160 characters. All message templates that you have previously saved can be viewed on the Templates screen, which can be accessed from the Bulk Text Tools menu by selecting the Templates button Add a new template You can also add a new template by typing in the text that you would like to have in the new template, and then selecting the Add template button. The new template will be added to your available list of templates. Page 50

51 7.4.2 Delete - Templates To remove a template, select the delete link beside the template to be removed. 7.5 Opt-out Contacts Message recipients can choose to opt out from receiving further messages from a particular user. To do this they can reply STOP, OPTOUT OR OPT OUT to after receiving the broadcasted message. Alternatively users can add numbers to their optout list so that messages will not be broadcast to the selected numbers. This opt-out list is checked before any further broadcasts are sent; numbers in the opt-out list will not receive messages from this user. Page 51

52 7.5.1 Add a new contact to Opt-Out list To add a contact to the optout list select Opt-out contacts from the Bulk Text Tools menu. Here users can add numbers to the list manually by entering the number and selecting Add Contact. When entering the mobile number please remember to enter the number using the following rules: 1. The number should be formatted with the full international code. E.g Make sure to remove all special characters and spaces. E.g. ( ) - + ~ etc.export to Microsoft Excel To view all opt-out out contacts users can either step through each of the pages or can export the numbers to a Microsoft Excel sheet to view. Select the Export to Microsoft Excel button to view all optout contacts Delete Opt Out Contacts that have been added to the optout list can be removed from the list by the user selecting Delete beside the contact to be removed. Once removed, this user will now be able to receive messages again. Page 52

53 8. My Account Located on the Top Menu bar is the My Account menu, this allows you to make changes to your account details, manage Top-up information if they are a pre-paid customer (Post-paid bundle customers will be required to contact their accounts team to purchase credits) and change password information. There are four options available from this drop down menu: Top up my account Top up history Account details Change my password These options are explained in detail in the following sections. Page 53

54 8.1 Top up my account If you have a pre-paid account you will need to add credit to your account to send messages. If you are a post-paid client you will be required to contact your Vodafone Bulk Text accounts team to purchase a SMS bundle Pre-Paid Top Up To top up your Pre-Paid account, click on Top up my account under the My Account menu. You can select the amount you wish to top up by and then click Proceed to Payment to precede to the confirmation screen. You will be shown a summary of the amount the top up will cost and the number of credits that will be purchased. If these details are correct the user can select Confirm and pay to be redirected to the Realex secure payment page where the user will be asked to enter their credit card details to complete the payment. Page 54

55 8.1.1 Post Paid Bundle Top Up To top up your Post-Paid Bundle account, click on Top up my account under the My Account menu. You can select the amount you wish to top up by and then click Purchase to request the bundle amount to be applied to your account. You will be requested to select Confirm to confirm the bundle to be applied to your account. A request mail will be sent to the Vodafone Bulk Text Support team to action the request. Note: The rates displayed in the Image are for example purposes and are subject to change. Page 55

56 8.2 Top up history To view the history of previous top ups select the Top up history button under the My Account menu. This will display amounts and dates that top-ups took place. Each of these top up records can be selected and printed out as a record of payment made. 8.3 Account Detail If you wish to change any account details, click on Account details in the My Account menu. On this screen you will be able to make changes to your account details. First Name: Last Name: Mobile: First name of the account Holder Surname of the account Holder The mobile number of the account holder, this must be a valid mobile number as it is required for the initial registration process. It may also be required if the password needs to be reset. Page 56

57 Fixed Line: Address: City: County: Country: A land line number used for contact purposes This is the address of the company setting up the account; this is used for billing purposes. City that the company is located in. County that the company is located in. Country that the company is located in. When you are finished, select Update my details to save the changes. Visible on the right hand side of the Account Details screen is a list of any sender names you may have. If users wish to create a new sender name you will be required to contact your Vodafone account manager. 8.4 Change my password Change Password If users wish to change their password, they can do so by selecting Change Your Password on the My Account menu. The Change your Password Screen is displayed. Page 57

58 Users will be asked to supply their old password and insert the new required password and select Change Password for the changes to take effect. Change forgotten passwords If the login password has been forgotten you can get it reset by selecting the Forgotten your password? link on the login page. The user will be required to enter their login name and their mobile number that was used during registration. An SMS message with the reset password will be sent to the users mobile. This reset password can then be used to log into the system. This password can be reset through the Change Password screen. Page 58

59 9. Support 9.1 Bulk text Support 9.2 User Guide Clicking here will download a PDF with this User Guide. 10. Contact us The Contact Us menu gives the user a number of options to contact different departments of the Vodafone Bulk Text team. There is also a link to the terms and conditions for Vodafone Bulk Text. Page 59

60 10.1 sales The Contact Us menu allows users to contact the following Vodafone Bulk Text departments: Sales: 10.2 Contact support The Contact Us menu allows users to contact the Vodafone Bulk Text support team. The following form will be displayed when the Contact Support option is selected: Alternatively the User can mail the support team directly on the following address: Support: 10.3 Terms and conditions The Terms and conditions of the Vodafone Bulk Text service are displayed here. These are the rules that users must fully agree to in order to use the service. 11. Logging Out Logged in users can log out of their Vodafone Bulk Text session by selecting the Logout button located on the right hand side of the top menu bar. Page 60