Communicating with SMS

We have created a new SMS service to make it easy to communicate through your platform!

Our SMS service features a pay-as-you-go model, allowing you to only pay for what you use.

Send SMS messages through your platform for just $0.05 + GST, without needing to bulk-buy credits or top up, allowing unlimited use.
 

The features of our SMS service include:

• Unlimited use
• No setup or switching fees
• Purely pay as you go
• No need to bulk buy credits
• Switch over when you’re ready
• Never worry about topping up or running out
• Automatically synced to your foundU monthly invoice

  Contact us: If you are interested in signing up or switching to our foundU SMS service for your business, then please use the link here to get started! 
 

SMS Sender ID Registration (ACMA Requirement)

Under a new regulation starting 1 July 2026, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) requires all businesses sending SMS messages with a custom sender ID (a business name instead of a number) to register that ID on the SMS Sender ID Register. 

This is a spam-prevention measure; if your sender ID isn't registered, your messages may not send, or may arrive marked as unverified.

If you use foundU's SMS service:

You can either:

• Provide us with the Sender ID you've already registered with ACMA, or
• Ask us to register a Sender ID on your behalf

Another option for using SMS on your platform is to choose a 3rd-party provider. This can be a good fit if you already have an existing relationship or contract with an SMS provider, or want more control over your own credits and billing.

If you would like to use a 3rd-party SMS provider, please note that from 1 July 2026, under Australian legislation, all businesses sending SMS with a custom sender name must register that Sender ID with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). This is a spam-prevention measure; if your Sender ID isn't registered, your messages may fail to send or arrive marked as unverified. 

As you'll be using your own 3rd-party provider, registering and maintaining this ID with the ACMA will be your responsibility. For full details on registering your Sender ID, visit the ACMA Sender ID Register.
 

To get started, you will need to:

1. Choose a third-party SMS provider and
2. Connect your chosen SMS provider credentials to the platform to activate it.
3. Register your sender ID with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

We have the following SMS providers that can easily connect with your foundU platform:

• SMS broadcast 
• Essendex 
• Message media 
• Intelli messaging 
• Burst SMS 
• SMSGlobal 
• Whispir

If you need to buy more SMS credits, you'll need to do that with your chosen SMS provider. 
 

To connect/update your chosen SMS provider:

1. Navigate to the main menu > Communication > Communication Settings.
2. Select the SMS Configuration tab, and select Yes to 'Enable System SMS?'. This enables SMS in your foundU platform.
3. Select your chosen SMS provider and add your credentials. The credentials you may need to provide vary by provider but can include:
   • Provider Username
   • Provider Password
   • Provider API key
   • Provider API secret
   • Account reference
   • Basic Auth key
   • X-API key
     
       Please note: If you enter your credentials and see an 'incorrect username or password' warning, ensure that the credentials entered in the SMS Settings of foundU match the credentials provided by your SMS provider. Depending on your chosen provider, these credentials may differ from the details you use to log in to your SMS provider's account.
     
     For example, if using SMS broadcast, you can locate/create the credential details in your SMS broadcast API Settings. If you are a new customer, you will be prompted to create a new API key, or you will find your existing credentials here if you have forgotten them. 
     
     However, if you are unsure where to find your credentials, please contact your chosen SMS provider for further assistance. 
4. Next, you'll need to enter your SMS Sender ID. This will be the ID that's been verified with ACMA and will need to be in accordance with your registration. This ID has a maximum length of 11 characters and no spaces.
   
     Contact us: If you update your Sender ID, please reach out to our support team first, as this ID must remain compliant with the ACMA.
5. To save your changes, select Save from the taskbar. 

Testing SMS

Once your SMS is set up, you can also send a test SMS message. Before doing so, you should disable SMS in your platform after adding valid SMS credentials; when turned back on at a later date, the original credentials will automatically re-populate.
 

To send a test SMS message: 

1. Navigate to the main menu > Communication > Communication Settings.
2. Select the SMS testing tab > Send a test SMS, enter a mobile number, and select 'Send' to test an SMS. A once-off test SMS is then sent from the foundU platform.

If you would like to redirect all SMS notifications for testing purposes:

1. Turn on the toggle 'Redirect all SMS messages for testing?'.
2. You'll then see a section appear to enter the mobile number you'd like to redirect all messages to.
3. Save in the action bar at the bottom of the page.

You can track the number of SMS credits you have on your Dashboard. This is useful to check periodically, particularly if you're sending a high volume of SMS or approaching a busy period, as running low on credits can mean your messages stop sending until more are purchased with your provider.

Keeping an eye on your balance helps you top up in advance and avoid any interruptions to your SMS communications.

  Please note: This excludes foundU SMS Service and Whispir.

The SMS balance is displayed as:

1. In the quick menu, select 'Home' to view the Dashboard.
2. Your SMS Balance is displayed in the Insights section.
   
     Please note: If you have chosen to use Whispir as your provider, this will show as Disabled. When using the foundU SMS Service, it will show as Active but have a 0 balance. 
3. The SMS Balance is shown in the number of SMS messages available to be sent. For example, 373 represents the quantity (number of SMS that can be sent before all the SMS credits are used).
4. The number shown is the quantity of SMS that you can send (i.e. not the $ dollar value of the SMS provider balance).

An SMS template lets you set up a message in advance for regular communications, using tokens so you don't need to manually fill in details like an employee's name or operation each time. This means you can send the same message out in bulk, and each recipient will still receive it personalised to them.

This can be beneficial for communications that don't already have a system-automated email or SMS (such as shifts or leave, which generate their own notifications). Use cases where you may want to use SMS templates:

• Training module reminders
• Internal policy updates
• Road closure warnings
• Updating availability deadlines
• Public holiday reminders

Watch a demo of how you can send an SMS to a group of people, reflected on their profile.

  For step-by-step instructions on creating an SMS template, please read our Creating Templates for Email or SMS article.

There will be times when you need to SMS all employees who are working today with an urgent message! This action can be performed from your Dashboard via the 'People working today' card.

Similar to any features from the Dashboard, your permissions and search restrictions are respected here, so you can be assured that you will only communicate with employees you have access to!

This feature will be handy to send an SMS to:

• All employees working today
• A filtered group of employees (by roster or operation) who have a shift today 

Common use cases for this feature might be:

• Send a quick SMS to all employees working on a roster to "Stay safe on flooded roads on the way to work".
• An SMS reminder at the end of your shift to upload the qualification from today’s training course.
• An urgent message to 'available' employees asking who can start 1 hour earlier today.

  If you'd like to use this feature to SMS your employees working today, please refer to our detailed section on Communicating from your Dashboard.

You're able to send an SMS to an individual or a group of employees. This simple process is the same regardless of which SMS provider you use.

This excludes sending any attachments (e.g., PNG or PDF), which are only available with email communication.

To send an SMS individually to employees:

1. Navigate to People > Approved People and select the relevant employee to go to their profile. 
2. From the overview page, you have 3 options to select:
   • Employee's mobile number - This will open in an external system, such as a softphone.
   • Send Icon - This will open the modal to send an SMS from your platform. 
   • Copy Icon - This will copy the employee's mobile number. 
3. When sending an SMS from your platform, add the content of your SMS or select a template. Please see below for further details. 

4. Select Send SMS to xx employee.

   

To send an SMS to an employee or employees:

1. In the quick menu, navigate to People > Approved People.
2. Use the Show Filter and/or select people from the checkbox next to their names. 

3. Select Bulk Actions > Send SMS to Selected.

   

4. You can select an SMS template from your previously created templates or you can write a new SMS message.
5. When sending an SMS to multiple employees, you can use tokens as placeholders, allowing you to write one message that employees will receive personalised in the name section (for example, using the first-name token).

  Hot tip: You can send an SMS reminder to a pending person during their onboarding from their employee profile.

You can send an SMS to operations either singularly or in bulk. This is handy when you need to quickly notify one operation about something specific, or send the same message to a group of operations at once, such as an unexpected closure or a major change that affects several operations.

To send an SMS to an operation, or to multiple operations:

1. In the quick menu, navigate to Operations > Approved Operations or Pending Operations (depending on who you want to send the SMS to).
2. Choose which operation(s) to send the SMS to via one of the following options:
   • Select the check box next to the specific operation(s) you want to send to, or
   • Use the Show Filter to find operations based on specific criteria such as Suburbs or Office Codes. Even if you're sending to everyone, apply a filter to make sure all intended operations are captured on the page before selecting them.
3. Select Bulk Actions and select Send SMS to All Filtered/Selected.
4. Then either choose a pre-existing SMS template or type in your SMS content.
5. To send, select Send.

You can view your SMS send history in Communication > Communication Log > Operation SMS Log.

There are two places where you can review the SMS messages sent from your platform.

These areas are:

• The Employee Profile
• The Communication Log

  For more information on viewing your sent email and SMS communications, please refer to our helpful guide here!