Zoho CRM | Sending Messages in Bulk

There are two different ways to send out a Bulk SMS Campaign in Zoho CRM depending on your needs. Let's take a look...

• Sending messages in bulk from Zoho CRM - selecting Leads/Contacts directly from the normal record list, with 1-500 recipients per campaign.
• Sending messages in bulk from the SMS for Zoho CRM integration- using the Send Bulk Campaign tab, with 500+ recipients per campaign.

Sending a Bulk SMS Campaign from Zoho CRM

1. We're going to send our bulk SMS campaign to a group of contact in the Leads module, but you can also follow the same steps from the Contacts, Deals, and other custom modules too. Once you're in the Leads module, you can use the panel on the left to apply any relevant filter's to your records to focus on your target audience:

2. Now that you've segmented your lead records for your SMS campaign, use the checkbox in the title row to select all contacts, and then use the arrows in the top right corner to move through the pages until all records are selected. Remember, when you're sending from Zoho CRM, the maximum number of contacts you can have in a bulk send is 500. Once that's done, you can click the Send Bulk Smooth SMS button at the top:

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3. When the messaging window appears, you can configure the sending parameters:

A) From Number - use the dropdown arrow to select your From number.
B) To field - you can use this box to see who you're sending the message to.
C) Advanced settings - we'll explain these below.
D) Templated or Blank message content - choose whether you want to use a template or compose the message from scratch.
E) Template - if you do decide to use a template, use the dropdown box to select a template, or click Edit to edit the template. If you want to learn more about creating templates, see this article.
F) Message Content - you can compose and edit your message here.

4. There are also some advanced settings you can modify:

A) Number to use - you can select to send to All Possible Numbers stored in the recipient's CRM record, or you can specify a number field.
B) Who should be notified of replies? - you can choose either "Me" (which is the user sending the message), the Owner of each record or pick a specific user.
C) Campaign Name - to help with reporting, you can configure the name of the bulk SMS campaign. A record will be created in the Campaigns module after you send. By default it will be named "SMS/MMS campaign using {template} to {number of recipients} recipients on {date}". If you're sending a lot of bulk SMS campaigns, the default name may be confusing so you can override it here.

5. Once you've configured the sending parameters, you're ready to send. You'll need to confirm a few things before sending:

A) Opt-in Confirmation - before sending any messages out, you need to be certain that all contacts participating in your bulk SMS campaign have given their explicit consent to receive those messages. Checking this box is your confirmation that this agreement is in place, and you won't be able to hit send without this.
B) Cost - make sure you understand the cost of the campaign before sending it. Longer messages and messages that include emojis/special characters cost more to send.
C) Special character warning - if you include emojis or special characters (e.g. Asian scripts or Spanish characters), messages cost more to send. Sometimes this happens accidentally when pasting a template from another system, so we show this warning. The special characters are highlighted in dark blue.
D) Timezone warning - we check if any of the contacts in the campaign are in a timezone where it is outside your approved sending hours. You can still send the campaign by checking this box but we recommend sending during standard sending hours (8am to 7pm).
E) Sending Time - click this button to send your message, or use the arrow to schedule the message to send at a later time.

6. If you want to take a more detailed look at your campaign record stats, you can access them right after you've pressed send by clicking the link in the pop-up send receipt:

Later on when you realise that you need to find your way back to your campaign record stats, but your trusty little pop-up is long gone, you can easily navigate back via the Campaigns module in the menu ribbon at the top. Once you're back, just click on the name of the campaign you want to view, and you're golden.

Sending a Bulk SMS Campaign using the SMS for Zoho CRM integration

When you want to send out a bulk SMS campaign to 500+ people, you'll have to head over to the SMS for Zoho CRM integration.

1. To get the ball rolling, navigate your way to the Smooth Inbox and Bulk SMS module, and click the Send Bulk Campaign tab:

2. Just like sending a bulk campaign from Zoho CRM, the first thing you need to do is apply filters to segment your records based on your target audience. The best way to filter is by using custom views. After creating a custom view in your CRM, you can use it for your SMS campaign:

3. When your filtered lead records have loaded, you'll be able to see how many records/pages of data are in the segment. Making a note of the total No. of Records is handy because you can compare that number to the final send number from the campaign record stats. If there is a discrepancy with the total number of records, it could indicate that your contact database is due for a spring clean!

Select Next to progress to the message configuration window:

4. When you reach the part where you need to configure the bulk message, you may notice that all the fields are exactly the same for both Zoho CRM and SMS for Zoho CRM Integration! So in the spirit of efficiency, if you click this link, you'll jump back up to where we walked you through the message configuration earlier.