Topic:

How to enable the short URL in SMS messages for Organizations in Everbridge.

Description:

There are two different types of short URLS in SMS messages:

• Short URLs generated by the Single SMS feature/flag.
• Short URLs generated by the Include Short URL in SMS Confirmation feature/flag.

Short URLs generated by the Single SMS feature/flag are enabled by default. With Single SMS links, the recipient clicks/taps on the link found in their SMS message and is led to a webpage that shows the message in its entirety, but does not confirm them. To confirm, the recipient must then click/tap on a button at the bottom of the webpage. For more information on this feature, please see knowledge base article .

The second type of short URL in SMS messages allows contacts to automatically confirm without replying to the message. This feature addresses situations where a contact might not have cellular service but does have access to the internet (e.g. Wi-Fi).

To enable the short URL in SMS messages, follow the steps below:

1. Log in to the Manager Portal and select the appropriate organization from the upper right-hand corner.
2. Click the Settings tab.
3. Click Notifications from the left side of the page.
4. Click SMS Options from the sub-menu.
5. Toggle the radio button next to Include Short URL in SMS Confirmation to the On position.
6. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save.

  After enabling this feature, an SMS message sent from Everbridge will look similar to the following:
 

When contacts receive an SMS message, they will now have the option to tap the link to respond:

• For standard and conference notifications, tapping the link will immediately confirm receipt of the message.
• For polling notifications, tapping the link will direct you to a web-page where you can make a selection from polling options.

NOTE: Enabling this feature can lead to the behavior reported in knowledge base article 000063372 - EBS: When Contacts Try to Confirm Receipt of an Email or SMS Message, They See 'We appreciate your response, but you already responded to this message'.