How Two-Way SMS and Bulk SMS Works

Source: autosoft-workshop/app/controllers/sms_logs_controller.rb

Bulk SMS validates the 160-character maximum; phone numbers that fail validation are skipped with an error logged (not reported to the user in real time)
BUG: In bulk SMS, the full_name placeholder replacement is overwritten by a subsequent operation — only the first_name placeholder works correctly; full_name will not be replaced in the final message
SMS can include links to job cards, invoices, or video attachments — existing unexpired links are reused rather than generating new ones
SMS pricing has three tiers based on quantity and country (AU/UK/US); the minimum purchase is 100 credits
Only active accounts can purchase SMS credits, and the user must explicitly agree to the purchase terms
Incoming SMS webhook validates three things: customer_id is present, the customer exists in the database, and the destination number matches
Incoming SMS triggers a real-time broadcast to all connected browser clients for that company — staff see new messages appear instantly
When a customer is matched to a phone number, the system backfills all previous messages from that unknown number to the matched customer record

"The full_name didn't appear in my bulk SMS" → known bug where full_name replacement is overwritten; use first_name instead as a workaround
"Some customers didn't receive the bulk SMS" → their phone numbers likely failed validation and were silently skipped; check the error log
"I want to buy SMS credits but the button isn't working" → account must be active (not trialing or suspended) and the user must accept the purchase agreement
"We got an SMS from a number we don't recognize" → the system will hold unmatched messages; once the customer is linked to that number, all previous messages are backfilled to their record
"Staff aren't seeing incoming messages" → incoming SMS uses real-time broadcast; staff must have an active browser session to see new messages appear