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Setting up the IVA for SMS/MMS (Twilio)

Updated on March 23, 2022

Ensure that users can interact with your Pega Intelligent Virtual Assistant™ (IVA) by sending SMS or MMS messages from a mobile phone. As a result, you make your business services available to users on a convenient messaging platform as a chatbot, helping to address their important business needs. You need to set up a Twilio account for the phone number that is used by your application as a chatbot.

For example, for a financial bank application, customers can send SMS messages to your chatbot to obtain the current balance on their savings account.
Before you begin:
  • Configure Unified Messaging channel security settings. For more information, see Configuring Unified Messaging channel security.
  • If you do not have an IVA for Unified Messaging, create a Unified Messaging channel. For more information, see Creating a Unified Messaging channel.
  • If you do not have a Twilio account for the mobile phone number that you plan to use with your Pega Platform application, create a Twilio account. Twilio will generate a unique identifier and authorization token for your Twilio account. For more information, refer to the Twilio portal.
You access Digital Messaging Manager in the Unified Messaging channel to configure individual messaging accounts from one place for your application.
Note:
  • MMS support on Twilio is determined by the mobile phone number. If you create a Twilio account for a mobile phone number that supports MMS, then the system will also support MMS.
  • After you update Pega Platform or Pega Customer Service, to use the latest Digital Messaging Manager features, save your existing Unified Messaging channel.
  1. In the navigation pane of App Studio, click Channels.
  2. In the Current channel interfaces section, click the icon that represents your existing Unified Messaging channel.
  3. In the Unified Messaging channel, click the Connection tab.
  4. Click Integration Manager.
  5. In the Digital Messaging Manager window, click Add Connection, and then click the SMS icon.
  6. On the New Twilio SMS page, in the Name field, enter a name for your Twilio account.
  7. In the Number field, enter the phone number, including the country code, for your Twilio account.
  8. In the Account SID field, enter the identifier for your Twilio account.
    Twilio generates a unique identifier when you create a Twilio account.
  9. In the Auth token field, enter the authorization token for your Twilio account.
    Twilio generates an authorization token when you create a Twilio account.
  10. In the Add country list, select a country code for which you allow to send messages to your application, and then click Add.
    Note: Ensure that you align the options you select in this list with the geographic permissions for your Twilio number. In the Twilio portal, you can search for SMS Geographic Permissions to configure the locations for the permitted inbound messaging.
    For example:

    The following figure shows sample configuration settings for SMS/MMS:

    The configuration settings for SMS/MMS
    The configuration settings on the Digital Messaging Manager page for SMS/MMS.
    Result: The system displays information that the selected country code was successfully updated.
  11. Optional: To add more country codes, repeat step 10.
  12. Click Save.
    Result: The system displays information that the new SMS account was successfully registered.
  13. In the Webhook section, highlight and copy the generated webhook URL for Twilio.
    For example: The webhook URL that the system generates looks like this: https://incoming.sample.pega.digital/twilio
  14. Optional: To display all of your configured accounts for messaging platforms in the Digital Messaging Manager window, click Home.
  15. Close the browser window, and then in the Unified Messaging channel, click Save.
  16. Access your account on the Twilio portal, click Manage Numbers, and then click Active Numbers.
  17. In the Messaging section, in the field next to the A Message Comes In webhook section, paste the webhook URL that you copied in step 13.
    This action ensures that when your Twilio phone number receives inbound SMS or MMS messages, Twilio forwards the messages to the IVA channel.

Related articles

Troubleshooting the Unified Messaging channelUnified Messaging channel overviewCreating a Unified Messaging channel

Tags

Pega Platform 8.5 Conversational Channels

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