Communications
Send and receive SMS, email, and voice calls from a unified inbox — plus automate notifications, run campaigns, and manage templates across all channels.
Overview
DramTrade's communications layer is built on Twilio (SMS and voice) and SendGrid (email), giving your team a professional, fully trackable channel to every customer. Inbound and outbound messages all land in a single inbox, threaded by customer. Automated notifications fire at every job milestone, and you can build campaigns to reach segments of your customer base without leaving the platform.
Key Concepts
Inbox — A unified view of all customer conversations across SMS, email, and voicemail, organized by contact.
Template — A reusable message with variable substitution (e.g., {{customer_name}}, {{appointment_time}}). Templates can be used manually or triggered automatically.
Notification — An automated message that fires when a defined event occurs (job confirmed, technician en route, invoice sent, etc.).
Campaign — A one-time or recurring message sent to a filtered segment of customers or leads.
Twilio Number — A DramWell-provisioned phone number used for SMS and voice. Each sub-account gets at least one dedicated number.
Unified Inbox
Navigate to Communications > Inbox. Every inbound message — SMS reply, email, or voicemail transcription — appears here, threaded by customer record.
From the inbox you can:
- Reply via SMS or email in the same thread
- See the customer's recent job history and outstanding invoices in the sidebar
- Assign the conversation to a specific team member
- Mark conversations as resolved or flagged for follow-up
Conversations are linked to the customer record, so every message is also visible from the CRM profile.
SMS Messaging
SMS is powered by Twilio. Messages are sent from your dedicated business number, so customers see a consistent caller ID.
Sending a Manual SMS
Open a customer record and click Send Message. Type your message or insert a template. Character count and segment count are shown in real time. Long messages are automatically split into multiple segments but delivered as a single threaded message on modern smartphones.
Two-Way SMS
Inbound replies from customers arrive in your inbox immediately. The system maps the reply to the correct customer record using the inbound number. If a number isn't recognized, DramTrade prompts you to associate it with an existing record or create a new lead.
SMS Compliance
DramTrade enforces opt-out handling automatically. When a customer replies STOP, they are immediately removed from all outbound automated messaging. Opt-out status is visible on the customer profile. Manual messages to opted-out numbers generate a warning before sending.
Transactional and marketing emails are sent via SendGrid using your verified sending domain.
Transactional Emails
Automatically sent at key events:
- Appointment confirmation
- Technician on the way
- Invoice delivered
- Payment received
- Membership renewal upcoming
Content is driven by templates configured under Settings > Notifications.
Manual Email
From any customer record or the Inbox, click Send Email. Choose a template or compose from scratch. Rich text editing with logo and branding is supported.
Voice Calls
Outbound and inbound calls route through your Twilio number.
Click-to-Call
From any customer record, click the phone icon next to a number to initiate a call directly from the browser. Calls are recorded (with disclosure) and transcribed. The recording and transcript are attached to the customer's communication history.
Inbound Call Routing
Inbound calls to your DramTrade number can be routed to:
- A specific team member or hunt group
- An IVR menu (press 1 for scheduling, press 2 for billing)
- Voicemail with automatic transcription
Configure routing under Settings > Communications > Call Routing.
Conference Calls
For complex jobs requiring a dispatcher, technician, and customer on the same call, use Conference from the active call screen. Invite participants by entering their numbers — they receive an automated call to join.
Automated Notifications
Pre-built notification automations cover the full job lifecycle:
| Trigger | Default Channels |
|---|---|
| Job booked | SMS + Email |
| Technician en route | SMS |
| Technician on site | SMS |
| Job complete | SMS + Email |
| Invoice sent | Email + SMS |
| Payment received | |
| Membership renewal (30 days) | |
| Membership renewal (7 days) | SMS + Email |
Each notification maps to an editable template. Toggle notifications on or off per channel under Settings > Notifications.
Campaigns
Creating a Campaign
Go to Communications > Campaigns > New Campaign.
- Name the campaign and select the channel (SMS, email, or both).
- Define the audience using filters: customer segment, membership status, last service date, geography, or custom tags.
- Choose a template or create new content.
- Schedule the send time or set a recurring schedule.
- Review estimated recipient count, then activate.
Campaign Analytics
After sending, the campaign detail view shows:
- Delivered, bounced, and failed counts
- Open rate (email)
- Click rate (email)
- Reply rate (SMS)
- Opt-out count
Communication Templates
Templates are managed under Settings > Communication Templates. Each template has:
- A name and channel (SMS, email, or both)
- Subject line (email only)
- Body with variable placeholders
- An optional category tag
Variables are wrapped in double curly braces: {{first_name}}, {{job_date}}, {{technician_name}}, {{invoice_total}}. The full variable reference is available in the template editor.
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