Business SMS: Contact Lists

Contact Lists allow you to organize and group contacts within Business SMS. Lists are commonly used when sending text message blasts, marketing campaigns, staff notifications, appointment reminders, and other group communications.

By organizing contacts into lists, you can quickly communicate with specific groups without manually selecting recipients each time.

What Are Contact Lists?

A Contact List is a collection of contacts grouped together for a specific purpose.

Examples include:

• Patients
• Staff Members
• Customers
• VIP Clients
• Appointment Reminders
• Emergency Notifications
• Marketing Campaigns

Contact Lists make it easier to target communications to the appropriate audience.

Creating a Contact List

1. Navigate to the Contact Lists section.
2. Click New List.
3. Enter a name for the list.
4. Click Add List.
5. Click Save List Changes.

Your new list is now available for use.

Naming Best Practices

Choose descriptive names that clearly identify the purpose of the list.

Examples:

• Staff Alerts
• Patient Reminders
• Monthly Newsletter
• VIP Customers
• Marketing Campaigns

Editing a Contact List

1. Select the list from the list menu.
2. Update the desired settings.
3. Click Save List Changes.

You can modify the list name, subscription keywords, and membership at any time.

Adding Contacts to a List

1. Open the desired contact list.
2. Click Add Contacts.
3. Select one or more contacts.
4. Click Add Contacts to save your changes.

The selected contacts will immediately become members of the list.

Removing Contacts from a List

1. Open the list.
2. Select the contact or contacts you wish to remove.
3. Click the trash can icon.
4. Confirm the removal.

Removing a contact from a list does not delete the contact from Business SMS. It only removes them from that specific list.

Using Auto-Subscribe Keywords

Contact Lists can automatically add contacts when they text a specific keyword to your Business SMS number.

For example, you might create a list called Newsletter and assign the keyword:

NEWSLETTER

When a contact texts that keyword to your number, they can automatically be added to the list.

Example Uses

• Patient wellness tips
• Promotional offers
• Staff notification groups
• Event announcements

Automatic Replies for Subscriptions

You can combine Contact Lists with Canned Responses to automatically acknowledge subscriptions.

For example, when someone texts a subscription keyword, Business SMS can automatically reply:

Thank you for subscribing to our updates. You will now receive future messages from our organization. Reply STOP at any time to unsubscribe.

Deleting a Contact List

1. Locate the list you wish to remove.
2. Click Delete.
3. Confirm the deletion.

Deleting a list does not delete the contacts contained within it. Only the list itself is removed.

Compliance Considerations

Before sending marketing or automated messages to a list, ensure that recipients have provided appropriate consent to receive communications.

Contacts who have opted out using keywords such as STOP, END, CANCEL, or UNSUBSCRIBE will not be eligible for automated messaging.

Best Practices

• Use clear and descriptive list names.
• Keep contact lists organized by purpose.
• Review list membership periodically.
• Remove outdated contacts when appropriate.
• Obtain proper consent before sending marketing messages.
• Honor opt-out requests immediately.

Need Help?

If you need assistance creating or managing Contact Lists in Business SMS, please contact Nextgen Solutions support.