In short
- Keep the Twilio Account SID, Auth Token and sending number in CRM Variables, and add .toString() when you read them.
- Check the phone number and the Approved to SMS field before you call Twilio.
- Wrap the call in try/catch and check the response for a message sid. A response is not a sent text.
- Log every send, and every failure, on the record.
- Map button arguments with the field picker. Typed merge fields arrive as plain text.
What you are building to send SMS from Zoho CRM
A button on the record
A custom button on Leads, Deals, Contacts or Accounts that runs a Deluge function.
A Deluge send function
It reads the record, checks the number and consent, and calls Twilio.
The Twilio Messages API
Twilio sends the text from your number.
An SMS record in Zoho CRM
The message, the result and the time saved on the record it was sent from.
Before you start
- A Twilio account and a sending number, with the carrier registration Twilio requires for business texting done.
- An Approved to SMS checkbox on the modules you text from.
- A module for SMS records, related to Leads, Deals and Contacts, to hold the message history.
- Phone numbers stored in one format. Twilio expects E.164, like +15555550100.
Step 1: Store the Twilio credentials in CRM Variables
Add three CRM Variables (org variables) in Zoho CRM: the Account SID, the Auth Token and the sending number. Keeping them out of the function code means a token change is one edit, and the token is not copied into every function that sends.
Step 2: Write the Deluge function that sends the SMS
Take the record ID as an argument
Fetch the record with zoho.crm.getRecordById, so the function works from current data.
Null check the phone number
If the mobile or phone field is empty, stop and return a clear message. Do not call Twilio with a blank To.
Check consent
If Approved to SMS is not checked, stop and return "Not approved to SMS".
Format the number
Strip spaces, dashes and brackets, and add the country code, so the number is in E.164.
Build the auth header
Base64 encode "AccountSID:AuthToken" with zoho.encryption.base64Encode and send it as "Basic" plus the encoded value.
Call Twilio inside try/catch
Use invokeurl with type POST to the Messages.json URL for your account, with To, From and Body as parameters. Catch any exception and log it.
Step 3: Check the Twilio response
Getting a response back does not mean the text went out. Read it before you report success.
- Success: the response has a message sid and a status such as queued. Save the sid on the SMS record.
- Error: the response has a code and a message, such as an invalid To number. Save both on the SMS record and show the message to the rep.
- No response or an exception: log it as failed, and send an alert so someone looks.
Step 4: Log the text on the Zoho CRM record
Create an SMS record for every attempt: the body, the to and from numbers, the status, the Twilio sid or the error, and the user who sent it. Relate it to the lead, deal or contact, so the next rep sees the whole conversation.
Failed sends belong in the log too. A list view of failed texts is the fastest way to spot a bad number format or an expired token.
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Step 6: Receive Twilio replies in Zoho CRM
Sending is half of it. For replies, point your Twilio number's incoming message webhook at a Twilio Function. The function passes the message to Zoho CRM, where it is matched by phone number and saved on the record. A text from a new number can create a lead.
When to move from a button to a widget
A button sends one message from one field. When reps need to pick the number to send from, choose a template, schedule a text or see the history while they type, build a widget. The widget calls the same Deluge function, so the credentials stay on the server.
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