Using RefTracker with SMS/Texting

Outgoing SMS/Mobile phone texting is supported by RefTracker.  You will require an email to SMS service (Altarama can provide one for you – please ask for a quote, or you can use one that your organisation already subscribes to).  Put the email address used by that service into the SMS Gateway code table.  The client’s mobile phone number will be used with that address to send them SMS’s.
Please note that any such SMS’s should mention that a reply by SMS is inappropriate, as replies cannot yet be handled automatically.
If you want to implement this outgoing SMS service you will need to enable the SMS response method in your Response method code table.
You will also need to include the SMS link in any staff email templates where you need that link.  The link is not currently automatically included as it would appear for all questions where the mobile phone number field it filled, even if the SMS service is not available for your system.
We recommend that you ask your Altarama representative for assistance if you want to implement this limited SMS functionality at this time.

Other ways that you might want to consider using an SMS/Texting service in conjunction with RefTracker include:

SMSReference – Altarama’s Reference SMS service provides a phone number that your clients can send SMS’s to that delivers those SMS as either emails or through a web based interface. If you have the SMS’s delivered as emails they can be automatically picked up by the RefTracker Email upload function and handed through to RefTracker.

RefChatter option – if you run an online reference service using RefChatter you can set up an SMS gateway for that service (talk to your Altarama representative about obtaining the phone number and call plan required to interface with RefChatter).

Smart phone option – Allocate a smart phone such as an iPhone to a Rover type staff member. This staff member will be responsible for replying to SMS’s and recording statistics for the service provided using a DeskStats level signon running on that phone. With this option the phone number that clients ring will be the phone number of that Smart Phone.