Texting is off until you enter your Twilio details and switch it on. Nothing goes out before that.
What you need before you start
- An Owner or Manager login for RepairAmigo (Text Messaging is under MANAGEMENT → SETTINGS).
- A Twilio account with a phone number that can send SMS.
- For US numbers: an approved A2P 10DLC business-texting registration on that Twilio account.
Step 1: Create a Twilio account
Sign up at twilio.com/try-twilio. Use your shop's business details. A trial account can only text numbers you have verified yourself, so it is fine for testing but you will need to upgrade before texting customers. Twilio explains the trial limits in its free trial guide.
Step 2: Buy a phone number
In the Twilio Console, go to Phone Numbers and buy a local number with SMS capability. Pick a local area code your customers recognize. This is the number customers will see texts come from.
Step 3: Register for US business texting (A2P 10DLC)
US carriers require businesses that text from regular 10-digit numbers to register. This is called A2P 10DLC. You do it yourself, inside your own Twilio account: you register your business (brand) and describe what you send (campaign), for example "repair status updates to customers who dropped off a device." Then you attach your number to that campaign.
Approval can take some time, and unregistered texts to US numbers may be blocked or filtered. Twilio's guide walks through every step: A2P 10DLC registration. Shops outside the US should check Twilio's rules for their country.
Outside the US
Twilio works in many countries, but each country has its own SMS rules. Some need a registered alphanumeric sender ID or local documents before you can send. Some do not offer SMS-capable local numbers. US A2P 10DLC registration only applies to US numbers—it does not cover messaging in other countries.
Before you buy a number, check Twilio's SMS guidelines by country for the country where you will text customers. Rules for places such as Mexico and other parts of Latin America can differ from the US, so confirm what Twilio requires for your market. Pricing also varies by country; see Twilio's pricing page.
Step 4: Find your Account SID and Auth Token
Open the Twilio Console home page. Under Account Info you will see:
- Account SID: starts with
ACfollowed by 32 characters. - Auth Token: 32 characters. Click to reveal and copy it.
Treat the Auth Token like a password. Do not post it or email it around.
Step 5: Enter the details in RepairAmigo
Go to Main menu → MANAGEMENT → SETTINGS → TEXT MESSAGING → TWILIO SETTINGS and sign in with an Owner or Manager username and password. The screen is titled Text Messaging (Twilio) and has these fields:
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Account SID | Your SID from Twilio (AC + 32 characters). |
| Auth Token | Your 32-character token. It is never shown again after saving. |
| From number(s) | Your Twilio number. One per line; the first number sends every text, and extra numbers are kept for reference. |
| Text messaging | Choose ON. OFF (nothing is sent) stops all texts. |
Click Save. Once something is saved, the SID and token boxes show "leave blank to keep," so you only fill them in again when you change them. The page shows who last changed the settings, and a Recent changes table keeps a log (When, Who, Action, Detail).
While texting is off, a red banner says no customer, staff or daily-sales texts are sent.
Step 6: Send a test text
On the same screen, under Send a test text, type your own mobile number in the To: box and click Send test SMS. You should receive: "RepairAmigo test message from DB Maintenance > TEXT MESSAGING" with the date and time. (That default wording uses an older menu name; you can reword it in the Test message template.) If it arrives, you are ready.
Step 7: Review your text templates
Go to Main menu → MANAGEMENT → SETTINGS → TEXT MESSAGING → MESSAGE TEMPLATES (Owner or Manager). The page is titled Text messages; the TEXT MESSAGING link at the top takes you back to the Twilio settings. Each message has a box you can reword, a live preview with character count, a Send this message checkbox to switch just that one off, Save, and Reset to default. Words in {braces} such as {shop_name}, {device_name}, {ro_number}, {status} and {repairs_done} are filled in automatically.
Messages to clients and when they go out
| Message | Sent when |
|---|---|
| Repair received (intake) | A new repair order is saved at intake. Not sent if the phone is blank. |
| Warranty repair received | A warranty repair order is saved. |
| Status: ready for pick up | A ticket update is saved with status REPAIRED - WAITING FOR PICK UP. |
| Status: waiting on client input | A ticket update is saved with status WAITING ON CLIENTS INPUT. |
| Status: any other update | A ticket update is saved with any other status. |
| Picked up - thank you / review request | A repaired device is checked out. Not sent for warranty/courtesy, "not returned," or "do not text." |
The status texts are skipped when DO NOT TEXT CLIENT is ticked on the ticket.
Messages to staff go to owner (and some to manager) phones: Courtesy repair alert, Daily sales summary, Phone marked sold, Cash refund issued, and Manual count change. There is also the Test message template used by the test button.
One text holds 160 plain characters (153 per part when longer). Emoji or special characters drop that to 70 (67 per part). Keep templates short so each update stays a single text.
Where the customer's number comes from
On intake (Receiving → NEW CUSTOMER), the form has a Text Messaging Number field next to the phone number, with a checkbox to make it the same as the phone number. That is the number RepairAmigo texts. To stop texts for one job, tick DO NOT TEXT CLIENT on the ticket update screen.
Consent and opt-out (STOP)
- Only text customers who gave you their number for repair updates. Say so at the counter: "We'll text you updates on this repair."
- Keep messages about their repair. Marketing texts need separate, clear consent.
- Twilio handles standard opt-out words such as STOP on its side; see Twilio's opt-out support article. If a customer asks not to be texted, also tick DO NOT TEXT CLIENT on their ticket.
- Include your shop name in every message (the default templates already do).
Troubleshooting
- No texts at all: Check that Text messaging is ON and the red "Texting is OFF" banner is gone.
- Test fails right away: Re-enter the Account SID and Auth Token. A token that was regenerated in Twilio stops working in RepairAmigo.
- Test works, customers get nothing: Check the A2P 10DLC status of your number in Twilio, and look at Twilio's message logs for error codes.
- Trial account: Trial accounts only reach verified numbers. Upgrade the account.
- One message never sends: Make sure Send this message is ticked on that template, and that the ticket does not have DO NOT TEXT CLIENT ticked.
- Customer not texted at intake: The Text Messaging Number may be blank.
- Texts split in two: Shorten the template or remove emoji; watch the preview count.
What it costs
RepairAmigo is free. Twilio charges for numbers and messages, and those prices are set by Twilio. See Twilio's SMS pricing page.
Questions?
Read the setup guide or go back to More about RepairAmigo.
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