Crew Scheduling: Configure Twilio to Send Crew Change Notifications by Text

You can use a webhook in Helm CONNECT to send real-time crew change notifications by text message. Our webhook is designed to work with Twilio, a leading SMS (short message service) provider.

To set up your crew change notifications, you'll need to do the following:

• Sign up for a Twilio account
• Get your Twilio phone number and URL
• Configure a webhook in Helm CONNECT
• Set your crew change notification preferences in Helm CONNECT

Sign Up for a Twilio Account

You need a Twilio account in order to get these two things:

• An SMS-enabled phone number that will send the text messages
• A URL with the authentication token that Helm CONNECT will use to integrate with Twilio

To sign up for your Twilio account, visit the Twilio website or call (844) 814-4627.

Get Your Twilio Phone Number and URL

Once you've signed up for your Twilio account, you can get the phone number and URL needed for the webhook.

To get your Twilio phone number and URL

1. On your Twilio dashboard, under Step 1. Get a Twilio phone number click Get a Twilio phone number. Make a note of this number because you'll need it later to set up the webhook.
2. Click Next to proceed to step 2.
3. Under Step 2. Send your first SMS, select the Show Auth token checkbox.

   NoteIt’s important to select the Show Auth token checkbox so Twilio includes the authentication token in the URL when you copy it in the next step. This authentication token is needed for the callback URL to work properly in Helm CONNECT.

4. Click Copy the code to copy your Twilio URL, then paste it into a text editor, such as Notepad.
5. You need to rearrange the Twilio URL in a specific way to work with the Helm CONNECT webhook. Take a moment to review the screenshot below: you will keep and rearrange the highlighted text and discard the rest.
6. Use the screenshot below as our guide to rearrange the URL then save your changes.

Configure a Webhook in Helm CONNECT

Once you have the Twilio phone number and the callback URL, you'll configure a webhook in Helm CONNECT. The webhook has three parts (also known and 'JSON payloads') called From, To and Body.

To configure a webhook in Helm CONNECT

1. On the Setup > Webhooks > Webhooks tab, click Add Webhook.
2. From the Entity list, select Crew Changes.
3. Copy the re-ordered URL from your text editor and paste it into the Callback URL field.
4. Follow the steps below to add the first key:
   1. Click Add JSON Payload.
   2. In the Key field, name it From.
   3. In the Value box, enter the phone number provided by Twilio.
   4. Click Save.
5. Follow the steps below to add the second key:
   1. Click Add JSON Payload.
   2. In the Key field, name it To.
   3. Click the plus sign + on the Crew Cell Phone option to add it to the Value box.
   4. Click Save.
6. Follow the steps below to add the third key:
   1. Click Add JSON Payload.
   2. In the Key field, name it Body.
   3. Click the plus sign + on the Message Body to add it to the Value box.
      • This Message Body item will load the default text and acknowledge/decline links.
      • (Optional) You can add your own introduction or end text above and/or below the Message Body.
   4. Click Save.

Set Crew Change Notification Preferences in Helm CONNECT

For each person who wants to receive the crew change notification by text message, you'll need to enter a valid cell phone number in the Cell Phone field in Management > People > Details. This number must contain the country code and area code.