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Use Case | Boost attendance with SMS event reminders in Salesforce

Updated

Goal: Use Salesforce and SMS for Salesforce by Sinch Engage to send automated SMS reminders for events, webinars, and appointments. This boosts attendance, reduces no-shows, and maximizes event ROI by keeping your event top-of-mind.

  • Reduce manual effort by automating reminders
  • Maximize attendance and event ROI
  • Provide a seamless, professional attendee experience
  • Increase engagement before, during, and after your event
  • Engage registrants at critical moments in the event lifecycle

Customer scenario

Customer industry: Any business using Salesforce to manage events, including B2B tech (webinars), education (workshops), sales (exclusive demos), and event marketing agencies.

An organization invests significant time and budget into planning and promoting events. Registrations are coming in through web forms and are tracked in a Salesforce Campaign. However, as the event approaches, there's a high risk of "no-shows" simply because people forget.

Email reminders often get lost in crowded inboxes. The team needs a more direct and effective way to communicate with registrants to ensure they attend.

By integrating Sinch SMS into its Salesforce workflows, the business can automate the entire reminder process. Using the native power of Salesforce Flow, the team can schedule a sequence of personalized SMS messages that are automatically sent to every registrant.

This approach ensures registrants are kept informed and engaged, directly converting more sign-ups into actual attendees.

By integrating SMS into Salesforce workflows, the business can:

  • Automatically send registration confirmation texts
  • Schedule a series of reminders leading up to the event
  • Deliver last-minute "starting soon" alerts with join links
  • Send post-event follow-ups like "thank you" messages and feedback surveys

Implementation requirements

Product setup:

  • Sinch for Salesforce app installed and authenticated from the AppExchange
  • SMS-enabled number provisioned
  • SMS templates created for different event stages (e.g. confirmation, 1-week reminder)
  • Salesforce Flows configured with scheduled paths

Data requirements:

  • Contacts or Leads with valid mobile numbers and SMS opt-in status
  • Salesforce Campaigns used to manage events and track registrants (via the Campaign Member object)
  • Custom fields on the Campaign object for key event details if desired e.g. AgendaURL or Event.JoinURL

Workflow summary

This solution leverages the power of Salesforce automation to create a seamless communication journey for every registrant. Using Salesforce Flow Builder, you can schedule a series of SMS messages to be sent at key intervals leading up to, during, and after your event.

  1. A Person Registers: A lead or contact is added as a Campaign Member to your event's Salesforce Campaign with a status of "Registered." 
  2. Salesforce Flow is Triggered: A Record-Triggered Flow initiates when the new Campaign Member record is created. 
  3. Scheduled Reminders are Queued: The Flow schedules multiple SMS messages to be sent at specific times relative to the event date (e.g., 7 days before, 1 day before, 1 hour before). 
  4. Sinch Sends the Personalized SMS: At the scheduled time, the Flow instructs the Sinch integration to send the appropriate SMS template, personalized with the registrant's name and event details. 

Key use case and setup guide

Here’s a conceptual guide to setting up your automated SMS reminder system. 

Step 1: Craft Your SMS Templates for the Entire Event Lifecycle

Think about the key touchpoints where a message would be most valuable. Personalize your templates with merge fields for a better experience.

Common event stages and example templates:

  • Registration Confirmation: "Hi {!Contact.Name}, you're registered for {{Campaign.Name}}! We're excited to have you. The event is on {{Campaign.StartDate}}. Add to calendar: {{Event.CalendarLink}}"
  • One-Week Reminder: "Hi {!Contact.Name}, your spot at {{Campaign.Name}} is just one week away! Check out the full agendahere: {{Campaign.AgendaURL}}"
  • 24-Hour Reminder: "Tomorrow's the day! Don't forget {{Campaign.Name}} starts at {{Campaign.StartTime}}. If it's a virtual event, use this link to join: {{Event.JoinURL}}"
  • One-Hour "Starting Soon" Reminder: "{{Campaign.Name}} is starting in one hour! Grab a coffee and get ready. Join here: {{Event.JoinURL}}"
  • Post-Event "Thank You" & Survey: "Thanks for attending {{Campaign.Name}}, {!Contact.Name}! We'd love your feedback. Please take 30 seconds to fill out our survey: {{Survey.URL}}"

Step 2: Build Your Automation in Salesforce Flow

Use Flow Builder to automate the delivery of these messages based on your event campaign.

  1. Create a Record-Triggered Flow:
    • Object: Campaign Member.
    • Trigger: When a record is created.
    • Entry Conditions: Set the Flow to run only for members of a specific campaign or for campaigns of a certain type (e.g. Campaign.Type = 'Webinar') and with a specific status (e.g.  Status = 'Registered').
  2. Add Multiple Scheduled Paths:
    • This is where you schedule your sequence of reminders. Create a separate Scheduled Path for each reminder you want to send.
    • Path 1 (1-Week Reminder): Time Source: Campaign.StartDate, Offset: 7 Days Before.
    • Path 2 (1-Day Reminder): Time Source: Campaign.StartDate, Offset: 1 Day Before.
    • Path 3 (1-Hour Reminder): Time Source: Campaign.StartDate, Offset: 1 Hour Before.
  3. Add the "Send SMS" Action to Each Path:
    • Within each scheduled path, add an Action element and select the Sinch "Send SMS" action.
    • Configure the action to send the corresponding template for that time frame (e.g., use the "24-Hour Reminder" template in the "1 Day Before" path). Map the recipient's phone number from the associated Contact or Lead record.
  4. Activate Your Flow:
    • Once your paths are configured, save and activate the Flow. Your automated event reminder engine is ready to go.

FAQs

  • Can the SMS messages be personalized?
    Yes - The Sinch for Salesforce app allows you to use merge fields from the Contact, Lead, Campaign, or any related standard or custom object, ensuring messages are personal and relevant.
  • Can workflows branch based on replies?
    Yes - You can configure keyword-based automation within the Sinch app to take further actions based on inbound replies, such as adding someone to a new campaign or notifying a sales rep.
  • Can I use this for one-on-one appointment reminders?
    Yes - This same logic can be applied to reminders for sales calls or service appointments. The Flow would be triggered from the Event or Task object in Salesforce instead of the Campaign Member object.
  • Do I need to write custom Apex code for this?
    No - This entire workflow can be built declaratively using the point-and-click Salesforce Flow Builder and the "Send SMS" action included with the Sinch package.

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