BITRIX24 + TWILIO SMS integration: Two way SMS for BITRIX24 CRM
“Giving Customers a great experience” is listed across several blogs as one of the top business trends to catch up on in 2022.
Customers are looking for a personal touch. They do not only want to identify with the ideals of the brands they patronize, but to also have a personal connection with the brand.
This is what one of our clients, who is a coach, wanted to achieve. He wanted to be able to build closer relationships with his clients through SMS messaging - to remind them of upcoming classes, meetings, and get their responses in his Bitrix24 CRM. He purchased a Twilio number and could send outbound SMS to his clients form his Bitrix24 CRM. The problem was, he couldn't receive inbound Twilio SMS.
So, we developed a Bitrix24 integration with Twilio to allow receiving inbound Twilio SMS in Bitrix24 CRM. The SMS are attached to the CRM entity cards.
Why should you integrate your Bitrix24 CRM with Twilio SMS?
75% of customers say they would like to receive offers from brands they patronize via SMS.
SMS has a 98% open rate, while for emails, that figure stands at 20.81%.
60% of customers read SMS within 1-5 minutes after receiving them.
45% of potential customers would choose a brand after receiving text messages from them, while the conversion rate for emails is 1.22%.
How to integrate your Bitrix24 CRM with Twilio for outbound and Inbound SMS
1. Set up a Twilio number with SMS capabilities to SEND SMS
2. Install Twilio SMS to CRM module to RECEIVE inbound Twilio SMS
Set up a Twilio number with SMS capabilities
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Create a Free account, fill in your details in the form, and click on “start your free trial”
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Get a free trial number
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set locations where you will send messages
Messaging ->settings -> Geo permissions
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In your Bitrix24 CRM, go to the sales center and set up messaging.
Sales Centre -> SMS provider -> Twilio
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Copy and paste your Account SID and auth in the appropriate fields
P.s To return to the page with your account SID and auth, click on “My first account” in the top left corner.
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Test that you can send outbound Twilio SMS from your Bitrix24 CRM.
Open any CRM card (lead, deal, company or contact) with a phone number card, and select Twilio.com as the messaging provider
Send an SMS.
It should be delivered.
Note:
With a free Twilio number, you can only send text messages to verified numbers - numbers which you have added to your twilio account.
To add a verified number, Go to verified caller IDs in your account
Phone numbers -> Verified caller IDs -> Add a new Caller ID.

This is inconvenient and can't be used with clients. You should only use it to test that outbound SMS works.
After you have, go ahead and Purchase a Twilio number.
Install Twilio SMS to CRM module to RECEIVE inbound Twilio SMS
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On the left menu bar of your Bitrix24 CRM, select "Market"
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In the search bar, type in "Twilio SMS to CRM"
Click on "install"
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Agree and Install.
- Refresh the page. If the module appears in the left menu, you have successfully installed the module.
Twilio SMS to CRM module Settings
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Click on the module on the Bitrix24 left menu to open the settings page.
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A webhook is displayed at the top. Copy this link.
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Open your Twilio account
Go to Phone numbers -> active numbers ->Messaging
Paste the webhook you copied from the module into “a message comes in”
- Change "HTTP POST" in "A message comes in" to "HTTP GET". With HTTP POST, you will not receive inbound SMS
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On the Module "Settings" tab, you can set:
1. Default entity - What entity should be created when there's an incoming message.
2. Receiving CRM entities - What entities should a message be attached to?
3. Users to notify about an incoming message from an unknown number
4. Open channels
Add the module to Bitrix24 Contact Center and connect to Open Channels by selecting "Use Open Lines" option on the module settings page!
When there is an inbound Twilio SMS, the Open Channel dialog opens.
When an operator replies, the application sends an outbound Twilio SMS to your client.
How we achieved Twilio SMS integration with Bitrix24 CRM
Our Bitrix24 integration with Twilio SMS allows you to SEND (with open lines) and RECEIVE inbound Twilio SMS in your portal.
Bitrix24 receives inbound SMS and displays them on the CRM “lead card” page. If the sender is an existing client, the standard notification is sent to the responsible person. If the client's number doesn't exist in your Bitrix24 CRM, it means that the client is new. In that case, the notification is shown to all users.
Thanks to our messaging integration, the coach, and all our clients are now able to communicate with their clients effectively through a convenient text messaging channel without leaving their CRM portal.
They can learn what their customers need, and scale their businesses accordingly.
Technical details of the integration
Our integration uses an existing messaging webhook. Our PHP script in the server receives the webhook, looks for telephone numbers in the CRM, and sends notifications from the server via REST API in Bitrix24.
Deployment diagram
We offer a 14 Days trial period, during which you have access to try out ALL the features of the SMS module.
To find out more about ourTwilio SMS integration with Bitrix24, or to make inquiries about similar features/ integrations with Bitrix24, send us a message.
More information about Twilio SMS to CRM
- 18.12.2020
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Anatoly Erofeev
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Elena Fedianova