Set up an SMS Channel for Aspsms

This topic describes how to set up an Aspsms SMS channel on Yeastar P-Series PBX System, so that agents in your business can receive and reply to SMS messages from customers on their Linkus UC Clients.

Requirements

The Yeastar PBX should meet the following requirements:
  • Firmware: Version 37.21.0.117 or later
  • Plan: Enterprise Plan (EP) or Ultimate Plan (UP)
  • Domain Name: PBX can be remotely accessed via a domain name.
    Note:
    • Due to the limitation of the third-party platform, the domain name must NOT contain underscore character(s), otherwise the messaging channel will encounter authentication failure, or will fail to receive messages.
    • If you use a self-managed domain name, make sure you have installed a valid domain certificate for the domain name, otherwise the messaging channel will encounter authentication failure, or will fail to receive messages.
    For more information about the domain configuration, see the following topics:

Restriction

The Aspsms SMS channel supports text messages.

Prerequisites

You have an account at Aspsms, and have purchased phone number(s) dedicated for two-way SMS.

Important: According to US legislation (A2P 10DLC SMS), 10DLC (10-digit Long Code) phone numbers that are used for A2P (Application-to-Person) messaging MUST be registered, otherwise SMS messages sent to US numbers from the unregistered 10DLC numbers will be blocked. If business needs to communicate with US-based customers, contact your service provider to ensure that the phone number has been completed with 10DLC registration to avoid disruption in message delivery.

Procedure

Step 1. Obtain a Wehbook URL from PBX

Obtain a Webhook URL from PBX web portal first, which is required when you configure a number for SMS on Aspsms.
  1. Log in to PBX web portal, go to Messaging > Message Channel.
  2. Click Add, and select SMS.
  3. In the ITSP drop-down list, select Aspsms, then select and copy the desired Webhook URL.
    Important: The URL will change once you leave the current page, please make sure you use the latest Webhook URL for the configuration on the service provider's customer portal.

Step 2. Configure a number for SMS on Aspsms

Configure the number you purchased for SMS, and obtain credentials required for the channel integration on Aspsms portal.
  1. Log in to Aspsms portal.
  2. On the left navigation bar, go to Two-Way SMS > My Mobile Numbers, then click Edit beside the desired number.

  3. Scroll down to the Forward SMS as HTTP raw data section, complete the callback settings with the PBX's webhook URL, so that the PBX can receive SMS messages sent to this number.

    1. In the protocol://HOST field, enter the protocol and domain name extracted from the PBX's webhook URL. For example, https://yeastardocs.ras.yeastar.com .
    2. In the HEADER field, enter the following HTTP request template, and replace the variables with your PBX's specific webhook information.
      POST {{Webhook Path}} HTTP/1.1      
Content-type: application/json
Host: {{PBX domain}}                
Connection: keep-alive
Content-Length: <ContentLength>
Accept: application/json
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: text/*
      • {{Webhook Path}}: The path of the Webhook URL provided by your PBX.

        For example, if the PBX's webhook URL is https://yeastardocs.ras.yeastar.com/api/v1.0/webhook/aspsms/091e568fec824f52bb9e83abe68f7693 , then the {{Webhook Path}} is /api/v1.0/webhook/aspsms/091e568fec824f52bb9e83abe68f7693.

      • {{PBX domain}}: The domain name of your PBX (without the https:// prefix) extracted from PBX's webhook URL.
    3. In the BODY field, paste the following code.
      {
   "MessageDataHex":"<MessageDataHex>",
   "Recipient":"<Recipient>",
   "Originator":"<Originator>",
   "DateReceived":"<DateReceived>"
}
    4. Click Save.
  4. Obtain API credentials for the channel integration.
    1. Go to Registered Users > API Credentials.
    2. Note down the Userkey and API Password for later use.

Step 3. Create and configure an SMS channel on PBX

Create an SMS channel on PBX, and configure the channel with the credentials and number obtained from Aspsms.

  1. Log in to PBX web portal, go to Messaging > Message Channel.
  2. Click Add, and select SMS.
  3. In the Authentication tab, enter the authentication information of Aspsms.

  4. In the Messaging Settings tab, configure the channel.
    1. In the Message Sending Rate field, specify the number of messages that PBX can send per second.
      Note:
      • If the number of messages to send exceeds the set value, PBX will arrange the messages in queue and send them at the sending rate.
      • If the sending rate set in PBX exceeds the limit set by the SMS service provider, it may result in message delivery failures. Contact your SMS service provider to confirm the sending rate limit of your account and increase the limit as needed.
    2. Optional: If you want the system to automatically close the sessions that have been inactive for a specific period of time, select the checkbox of Close Session Automatically, then set the timeout in the Session Timeout (Days) field.

    3. In the Number section, click Add to add a message routing rule.

      • Number: Enter the purchased number.
        Note: The phone number should be in E.164 format ([+][country code][phone number]). For example, +41791234510.
      • Destination for Inbound Messaging: Specify the destination of inbound messages from the number.
        Option Description
        Extension If selected, choose an extension from the Extension drop-down list.

        Only the extension user can receive inbound messages from the number.
        Message Queue If selected, choose a queue from the Message Queue drop-down list.

        All the agents in the selected message queue can receive inbound message(s) of new sessions in the queue. However, only the user who picks up a session will be able to receive and respond to the follow-up inbound messages in the session.
        Third-Party Message Analytics Platform (Transmitted via API) If selected, inbound messages will be automatically forwarded to a third-party message analytics platform via API for advanced processing.
        Note: To enable automatic forwarding of inbound messages to a third-party message analytics platform, ensure that your PBX server has been integrated with the third-party message analytics platform via API. Once this option is selected, the PBX system will automatically transmit inbound messages to the designated platform. You can get notified by monitoring the API event (30031) New Message Notification. Additionally, the PBX provides a comprehensive Message API suite for advanced message interaction with the integrated third-party message analytics platforms.
      • Extensions allowed to create messaging sessions: Select the extensions that are allowed to initiate a messaging session with customers.
    4. Click Save.
  5. Click Save.

Result

  • A messaging channel is created successfully. You can see the channel displayed in the Messaging Channel list with Status showing .

  • PBX automatically tracks and records the number of messages sent and received on the channel, where the Total column indicates the total number of sent messages, including both successfully sent messages and failed ones.
    Note:
    • For sent messages, PBX only tracks the number of the messages sent from agents' Linkus UC Clients. If you want to calculate the actual cost of sent messages, consult with the SMS service provider for the precise number of messages transmitted, as long text messages (longer than 160 characters) are automatically split into segments and then re-assembled when they are received, increasing the number of sent messages.
    • You can filter the statistics by a time period using the time filter.

What to do next

Send text messages to the phone number and see if the specified agent can receive messages on his or her Linkus UC Client.