Gurus SMS - User guide

This page is for the Sheet Gurus SMS Add-on, which allows you to easily send mass text messages to team members, clients, customers, friends and anyone else while providing awesome features like dynamic variables and message history. You can install the add-on for free here.

Contents

Introduction

Setup

In order for the add-on to function properly, your data must follow two rules:
  1. You must have a "header" row. This means the first row of your sheet can not be data about a specific recipient, but rather must include labels for what type of information each column contains, as shown in the image above.
  2. Phone numbers must be exactly 10 digits with no special formatting. The following characters should not be anywhere in this column: ( ) - # +

User interface

Page 1: Phone Number Column & Text Message Box
  1. This label shows which Sheet in your file the add-on is reading data from. This sheet should contain all of the information necessary for you to complete message sending. If you would like the add-on to look at a different sheet, simply close the sidebar, navigate to the correct sheet, and re-open the add-on by selecting Gurus SMS -> Gurus SMS
  2. Enter the Column of the Sheet named above that contains the phone numbers for all of your message recipients.
  3. Type the message that you would like to send to your recipients in here. If you would like certain parts of your message to dynamically change based on the recipient, you can use variables. To do so, simply wrap a word or phrase in between { and } characters as shown in the example image. On the next page, you will designate what data should replace these {variables} you have written in your message.
  4. This label will count the total number of characters in your message. Note that if you are using {variables}, the final character count may change slightly depending on the recipient and what data is inserted. Messages that are over 160 characters after all variables have been replaced will cost more than 1 credit to send.
  5. The CANCEL button will close the sidebar.
  6. The SET VARIABLES button will proceed to the next step of the sending process.
Page 2: Variables Setup
  1. This box will display the message you wrote on the previous page, but will highlight all {variables} you have indicated in green. If you do not know how to set variables, please review the section above.
  2. This section allows you to set what data should replace the {variables} you've written in your message. By selecting a column, you are telling the add-on to replace that {variable} with data found in that column, in the respective recipient's row in the Sheet. Note that if your {variable} name matches a header name in your Sheet, the add-on will automatically select it, but these can still be changed to other columns if desired.
  3. The BACK button will return you to the previous page.
  4. The PREVIEW button will take you to the final stage of the sending process.
Page 3: Confirm & Send Messages
  1. This section will show you the final messages that will be sent. What you see in this box is exactly what your recipient will see on their phone, so make sure it is correct before sending. You can use the < and> buttons to browse through all of the queued messages.
  2. This shows your current account Balance in "Credits".
  3. This label shows the total cost of sending this batch of messages. The cost will be equal to the total number of recipients, except in cases where some or all of your messages exceed 160 characters.
  4. This label shows what your total account balance will be after sending these messages.
  5. If you do not have enough Credits to send these messages (your Remaining Balance is less than 0) then you will see this message directing you to purchase more below.
  6. The Add credits section is where you can purchase additional credits to fund your account. Due to the low cost of Credits ($0.03/per), the processing fee can make up a large percentage of the total cost. Therefore it would be wise to purchase a larger amount of Credits at once instead of smaller amounts multiple times.
  7. Clicking this button will pop up a Stripe payment overlay within the sidebar where you can complete your transaction for the selected amount of credits.
  8. The BACK button will return you to the previous page.
  9. The SEND button will send all of the messages displayed at the top of the page to their intended recipients. If your Remaining Balance is less than zero, this button will be disabled.

Custom Phone Number & Replies

By default, replies to messages are not delivered to you, and do not cost any credits. If you wish to receive replies to your messages, the only way to do so is by registering a Custom Number within the add-on.

You can register a Custom Number directly from the add-on menu by clicking Extensions -> Sheet Gurus SMS -> Custom number and following the instructions provided.

The cost of leasing a Custom Number is $6 per month, cancel any time. This is separate from the regular cost of credits required to send and receive messages, explained further in the Pricing section.

Pricing

This add-on works based on a "Credits" system. Credits are a currency used by the add-on in order to send and receive* text messages. When your account does not have sufficient credits to send the messages you have created, you will be prompted to purchase more from within the add-on sidebar.

1 Credit allows you to send or receive* 1 SMS Text Message up to 160 characters. Beyond 160 characters, the Credit cost per message can be calculated as Message Cost = 1 + (Message Length / 160), rounded down to the nearest full Credit.

Credits cost 3 cents ($0.03 USD) each.

In addition to the 3 cent cost, there is a Processing Fee of $1 each time you purchase a credit bundle. This is to cover the transaction fees of our payment provider (Stripe) as well as our Telecom SMS partner. Since the Processing Fee is comparatively higher than the low Credit cost, it makes sense to buy Credits in larger bulk quantities, if you believe you will use them.

Credits never expire.

*To receive messages, you must first set up a Custom Number

Support and feedback

The best way to receive technical or billing support, or to provide feedback on the add-on, is to use the "Contact us" link at the bottom of the add-on sidebar. This link will open a custom dialog box within your Spreadsheet where you can send us a message.

If you are not able to access the add-on, you can reach us by sending an email to help@sheetgurus.com with the word "Support" in the subject line.

Privacy policy

You can view our privacy policy here.

Terms and conditions

You can view our TOS here.