SMS Notifications

Send appointment reminders and queue updates via SMS to Egyptian phone numbers.

SMS Plans & Limits

Each BeeSeen plan includes SMS credits:

| Plan | Monthly SMS | |------|-------------| | Starter | 100 | | Growth | 500 | | Premium | 1,500 | | Enterprise | Unlimited |

ℹī¸Additional SMS can be purchased if you exceed your monthly limit!

Setting Up SMS

Twilio Integration

BeeSeen uses Twilio for SMS delivery:

  • Create a Twilio account at twilio.com
  • Get your Account SID and Auth Token
  • Purchase a phone number (or use Twilio's sender ID)
  • Go to Settings → Notifications → SMS
  • Enter your Twilio credentials
  • Test with a sample message

    • Sender ID vs Phone Number

    | Type | Pros | Cons | |------|------|------| | Phone Number | Replies possible, reliable delivery | Monthly cost | | Sender ID | Clinic name as sender | One-way only, may be filtered |

    We recommend using a Twilio phone number for best delivery rates.

    Automatic SMS

    Appointment Reminders

    Configure in Settings → Notifications → SMS:

    • Reminder timing: 24h, 12h, 2h before
    • Message template: Customize content
    • Include: Date, time, doctor, cancel link

    Queue Updates

    SMS sent when:

    • 3 patients ahead (optional)
    • 1 patient ahead
    • Patient's turn now

    Sample Messages

    Appointment reminder: 

    BeeSeen Clinic: Reminder - You have an appointment with Dr. Ahmed tomorrow at 3:00 PM. Reply CANCEL to cancel.

    Queue update: 

    BeeSeen Clinic: You're next! Please proceed to Room 2. Queue status: beeseen.clinic/q/abc123

    SMS Templates

    Placeholders Available

    | Placeholder | Description | |-------------|-------------| | {patient_name} | Patient's first name | | {doctor_name} | Doctor's name | | {date} | Appointment date | | {time} | Appointment time | | {clinic_name} | Your clinic name | | {queue_link} | Queue status URL | | {cancel_link} | Quick cancel URL |

    Character Limits

    Standard SMS is 160 characters. Arabic text uses 70 characters per message.

    💡Keep SMS concise! Long messages are split and cost multiple credits.

    Phone Number Format

    Egyptian Numbers

    Numbers must be in format: +201XXXXXXXXX

    We automatically convert:

    • 01012345678 → +201012345678
    • 201012345678 → +201012345678

    Validation

    Invalid numbers are flagged:

    • Wrong digit count
    • Invalid prefix
    • Non-Egyptian numbers (not supported)

    SMS Usage & Reports

    View Usage

    In Settings → Notifications → SMS:

    • Current month usage
    • Remaining credits
    • Usage by type (reminders, queue, manual)

    Delivery Reports

    Track SMS delivery status:

    • Sent
    • Delivered
    • Failed (with reason)
    • Bounced

    Common Issues

    SMS Not Delivered?

  • Verify phone number format
  • Check Twilio account balance
  • Review Twilio error logs
  • Confirm sender ID is approved

    • High Failure Rate?

    • Switch from sender ID to phone number
    • Check for DNDs (Do Not Disturb registrations)
    • Verify message content isn't filtered