Setting up automatic SMS sending from Bitrix24 CRM

Setting Up Automatic SMS Sending from Bitrix24 CRM

Emails get read, SMS — get read even faster. Appointment confirmations, payment reminders, order-ready notifications — short transactional messages deliver 95%+ open rates. We configure automatic SMS sending from CRM without writing any code.

SMS Providers in Bitrix24

Bitrix24 doesn't send SMS directly — it's done through connected SMS providers. Built-in integrations:

• SMS Aero — a popular Russian provider with direct module integration
• SMSC — another popular provider
• Unisender, SendPulse — via the omnichannel module
• Any provider with an HTTP API — via a custom provider

Connection: Settings → Telephony → SMS Providers. Enter the provider's API key, sender name (alpha name), test the sending.

Important note: the alpha name (sender name instead of a phone number) must be registered with the provider in advance. This takes 1–3 working days and must be done before configuring robots.

"Send SMS" Robot

Configured in CRM → [Funnel] → Robots → [Stage] → Send SMS.

Parameters:

• Provider — selected from connected providers
• Recipient number — the phone field from the CRM entity ({=Document.PHONE})
• Message text — up to 160 characters for one SMS, supports field substitution

Field substitution in SMS text:

Your request #{=Document.ID} has been received.
Manager {=Document.ASSIGNED_BY_SHORT_NAME} will call before {=Document.CLOSEDATE:formatDate}.

Limit: 160 characters for Latin script, 70 characters for Cyrillic in one SMS. Exceeding this means double billing from the provider. Check your template length.

Conditions and Delays

A payment-reminder SMS logically goes out N days after the invoice is issued, not immediately. The delay is configured directly in the robot.

Condition: send SMS only if the phone number is filled in, and the deal hasn't moved to "Paid" in the meantime. The second condition is especially important — without it a client who pays the next day will receive a payment reminder for something they've already paid.

Configuring the condition in the robot: Add Condition → Deal Status ≠ "Paid".

Sending Restrictions

SMS marketing legislation requires recipient consent. Transactional SMS (request confirmation, order status) — in a grey area: technically consent is required, but court practice is inconsistent on the matter. For marketing SMS — consent is mandatory.

Bitrix24 has no built-in "SMS consent" field. Solution: a custom checkbox field on the contact or deal, and a condition in the robot: send SMS only if {=Document.UF_CRM_SMS_CONSENT} = Y.

Multiple SMS in a Chain

Payment reminder after 3 days → follow-up after 7 days → final reminder after 10. Scheme:

1. "Send SMS" robot with 3-day delay, condition: status = "Invoice Issued"
2. "Send SMS" robot with 7-day delay, same condition
3. "Create Task" robot after 10 days — manual work by the manager

A scheduled robot cannot be cancelled — it's only when the deal moves to a different stage that unstarted robots from the previous stage are cancelled automatically.

Setup Time

The technical setup — 2–4 hours. The main waiting time is tied to registering the sender name with the SMS provider.