Twilio
Enable your AI agent to send SMS, MMS, and WhatsApp messages, validate phone numbers, send booking confirmations, and alert your team — all through natural conversation.
7 min read
Updated April 2026
Overview
The Twilio integration gives your AI agent the ability to send text messages on your behalf. Customers can ask to receive a confirmation, a link, an address, or any other information by text, and your agent handles it all through natural conversation.
You can also use Twilio to send your team an SMS alert when a new lead comes in, or automatically text a customer their booking confirmation right after they schedule an appointment through Square, Calendly, or Google Calendar.
Available Actions
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Send SMS | Send a text message to a customer or contact |
| Send MMS | Send a media message with an image, coupon, or document |
| Send WhatsApp | Send a WhatsApp message via Twilio's WhatsApp Business channel |
| Check Message Status | Look up whether a previously sent message was delivered |
| Lookup Phone Number | Validate a number and check if it can receive SMS (mobile vs. landline) |
| Notify Team SMS | Send an internal SMS alert to a staff member when a lead or key event occurs |
| Send Booking SMS | Text a customer their booking confirmation after scheduling an appointment |
Prerequisites
Before setting up the Twilio integration, you'll need:
- A Twilio account (free trial works for testing)
- A Twilio phone number capable of sending SMS, or a Messaging Service SID
- Your Account SID and Auth Token from the Twilio Console
- For WhatsApp: a Twilio WhatsApp-approved sender (see the WhatsApp section below)
Setup Instructions
Step 1: Get Your Twilio Credentials
- Log in to the Twilio Console
- On the dashboard, locate your Account SID and Auth Token
- Click the eye icon next to the Auth Token to reveal it
- Copy both values
Step 2: Get Your From Number or Messaging Service SID
Your agent needs a sender to send from. You can use either a Twilio phone number or a Messaging Service.
- Phone number: Go to Phone Numbers in the Console, copy a number that has SMS capability, and use it as your From Phone Number.
- Messaging Service: Go to Messaging → Services, copy the Service SID (starts with
MG), and use it as your Messaging Service SID. Required for scheduling booking reminders.
Step 3: Enable in ChatSpark
- In ChatSpark, go to AI Actions
- Find Twilio in the Library and click Enable
- Select the agent that should have access
- Enter your Account SID and Auth Token
- Enter your From Phone Number or Messaging Service SID
- Optionally, enter an Agent Notify Number for team alert actions
- Click Save
Configuration Fields
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Account SID | Your Twilio account identifier | ACxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
| Auth Token | Your Twilio auth token (kept encrypted) | xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
| From Phone Number | The Twilio number your agent sends from. Leave blank if using a Messaging Service. | +15551234567 |
| Messaging Service SID | Use instead of a From number if you have a Messaging Service. Required to schedule booking reminders. | MGxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
| Agent Notify Number | Your team member's mobile number for internal alert actions | +15559876543 |
WhatsApp Setup
The Send WhatsApp action uses the same Twilio credentials but requires a WhatsApp-approved sender in your Twilio account. Twilio must approve your WhatsApp Business number before you can send messages.
- In the Twilio Console, go to Messaging → Senders → WhatsApp senders
- Follow the steps to request a WhatsApp-enabled number
- Once approved, use that number as your From Phone Number in ChatSpark
Testing Your Integration
After setup, test the integration in your AI Agent widget:
- Open your AI Agent widget
- Share a phone number in the chat
- Try one of the phrases below
- Confirm the message arrives on the target phone
Sample trigger phrases by action:
- Send SMS: “Can you text me the details?” or “Send that to my phone”
- Send MMS: “Text me the menu” or “Send me a photo of that product”
- Send WhatsApp: “Can you WhatsApp me?” or “Send that over WhatsApp”
- Check Status: “I never got that text” or “Did my confirmation send?”
- Lookup Number: “Is this a valid number?” or “Can this phone receive texts?”
- Notify Team: Fires automatically when a lead is captured — no customer phrase needed
- Booking SMS: Fires automatically after a booking completes — no customer phrase needed
Troubleshooting
Authentication failed
Double-check your Account SID and Auth Token. The Account SID starts withAC and can be found at the top of your Twilio Console dashboard. If the token was recently rotated, update it in the action settings.
Invalid phone number (error 21211)
The recipient's phone number is not valid. Ask the customer to confirm their number and try again. Use the Lookup Phone Number action first to validate numbers before sending.
Number cannot receive SMS (error 21614)
The number is a landline or VoIP number that cannot receive text messages. The Lookup Phone Number action returns the line type before sending so your agent can catch this automatically.
No sender configured
Either a From Phone Number or a Messaging Service SID must be set in the action configuration. Go to AI Actions, open the Twilio settings, and add one of the two.
WhatsApp message not delivered
Confirm your Twilio sender is approved for WhatsApp in the Console. The From number must be listed under WhatsApp senders with an “Approved” status before messages can be sent.
Booking reminder not scheduled
Scheduled reminders require a Messaging Service SID (not just a From number) and an appointment date that can be parsed automatically. Set your Messaging Service SID in the action configuration to enable this feature.