SMS notifications

It is possible to send SMS messages from the bot to notify users of important events that require attention.

Programmatically sending SMS messages is done using the sms_notify() function.

Installation

Sending SMS messages is integrated via Twilio programmable SMS, so you need a Twilio account set up. Additionally, you need to create an SMS service resource using the Twilio console. This will give you the service ID that you need.

To integrate into DialoX, create a YAML file called twilio in your bot, and add the credentials from Twilio:

sms_notify:
  account_sid: "ACa70df98e790a87d98a7fd98d79fae876"
  service_sid: "MG805ad87f5d907f5e9a875d97a5f70aed"
  token: "78ffff87aed07a0d868976a0d896fda8"

Usage

After you have set up your bot with the Twilio credentials you can use the sms_notify() function. It takes a phone number and a message:

dialog sms_test do
  sms_notify("+31641234567", "I have a message for you!")
end

The phone number must be specified in full international format, e.g. +31641345678. The sender of the SMS is configured by your Twilio SMS service.

Linking back to the chat

Using the shorten_url() function combined with chat_link(), you can create a link back into the conversation:

dialog sms_test do
  url = shorten_url(chat_link("web_pwa", user_id: user.user_id))
  sms_notify("+31641234567", "I have a message for you, read it here: #{url}")
end

SMS Call deflection

When handling phone calls, it can be useful to temporarily deflect the caller to a web interface to complete certain tasks that are difficult to do over the phone, such as filling out forms or uploading documents. The sms() function can be used to send the caller a link to continue the conversation on the web, while keeping them on hold.

Here's an example of how to implement call deflection:

# main.yaml

# This is the dialog that handles the phone call and sends the SMS
dialog __main__ when conversation.frontend == "phone" do
  say "Hello, I will send you a link"
  sms(user.phone, "This is your link: ", chat_link: true)

  await input_method("wait",
    caption: "Please click the link in the SMS message and fill out the form.",
    wait_time: 2,
    event: "form_filled"
  )
  say "You answered: " + event.payload.street + " " + event.payload.city
  say "Goodbye"
  close
end

# This is the dialog that handles the web form submission
dialog __main__ when conversation.originator do
  say "Welcome."
  ask "Please enter your address", expecting: input_method("form", @forms.address)
  emit "form_filled", answer.data, to: conversation.originator.addr
  say "Thanks."
  close
end

# forms.yaml
address:
  caption: Shipping address
  height: tall
  schema:
    type: object
    properties:
      street:
        type: string
        title: Street
      city:
        type: string
        title: City
    required: ["street", "city"]
  ui_schema:
    ui:order:
      - street
      - city
      - "*"
    comments:
      ui:widget: textarea