Send SMS Alerts on Expiring TV Subscriptions Using Pabbly Connect

Learn how to send SMS alerts for expiring TV subscriptions from Google Sheets using Pabbly Connect. This detailed tutorial guides you through the integration process step-by-step.

Watch Step By Step Video Tutorial Below

1. Setting Up Pabbly Connect for SMS Alerts

To start sending SMS alerts for expiring TV subscriptions, the first step is to set up Pabbly Connect. This powerful integration platform allows users to connect various applications seamlessly. Begin by visiting the Pabbly Connect website and signing up for a free account.

After signing up, navigate to the dashboard and click on ‘Create Workflow’. This is where you will build your integration. Name the workflow descriptively to help identify its purpose, such as ‘Google Sheets to SMS Alerts’. After naming, click on the ‘Create’ button to proceed.

2. Scheduling the Workflow in Pabbly Connect

Once your workflow is created, the next step involves scheduling it to run daily. This is essential for sending timely SMS alerts. In the trigger window, select ‘Schedule by Pabbly’ as the app. Here, you can set the frequency of the workflow. using Pabbly Connect

• Choose a daily schedule for sending alerts.
• Set the time to 9:30 AM IST (UTC +5:30).
• Convert your local time to UTC for accurate scheduling.

After configuring the schedule, click on ‘Save’ to finalize your settings. This step ensures that the workflow will check for expiring subscriptions every day at the specified time.

3. Retrieving Data from Google Sheets via Pabbly Connect

Now that the workflow is scheduled, the next step is to retrieve data from Google Sheets. In the action window, select ‘Google Sheets by Pabbly’ and choose the action event ‘Get Rows’. This action allows Pabbly Connect to pull the necessary data from your subscription list. using Pabbly Connect

Connect your Google Sheets account by clicking on ‘Connect’, and then select the spreadsheet that contains your subscription data. You will need to specify the range of cells to retrieve, typically from A2 to C15, which includes customer names, phone numbers, and subscription expiry dates.

4. Applying Conditions for Sending SMS Alerts

After retrieving the data, you need to apply conditions to determine who should receive SMS alerts. Utilize the iterator feature in Pabbly Connect to loop through each row of data. This allows you to check each subscription’s expiry date against the current date.

• Establish current date using ‘DateTime’ action.
• Subtract expiry date from current date to determine urgency.
• Create filter conditions to check if the expiry is within 5 days.

If the conditions are met (expiry date is less than 5 days away), the workflow will proceed to send an SMS alert to the respective customer. This is a crucial step to ensure that only those whose subscriptions are about to expire receive notifications.

5. Sending SMS Alerts Using Twilio

The final step in this integration process is to send SMS alerts using Twilio. In the last action window of Pabbly Connect, select ‘Twilio’ as the app and choose the action event ‘Send SMS’. This will allow you to configure the SMS message that will be sent to customers.

Fill in the required fields such as the sender number (provided by Twilio), recipient number (mapped from Google Sheets), and the SMS body. The SMS body should include a personalized message indicating the expiry date and a reminder to renew the subscription.

Once everything is set up, click on ‘Save and Send Test Request’ to verify that the SMS is sent successfully. You can check the recipient’s phone to confirm delivery. This step finalizes the workflow, allowing for automated SMS alerts to be sent whenever a subscription is nearing its expiry date.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we explored how to send SMS alerts for expiring TV subscriptions using Pabbly Connect. By integrating Google Sheets and Twilio, you can automate the reminder process efficiently. With this setup, you ensure timely notifications to your customers, enhancing their experience and prompting timely renewals.