How to Receive SMS Messages

Multiple ways to receive and manage incoming SMS communications

Flexible SMS Receiving Options

Whether you need simple email notifications or advanced webhook integrations, WebSMS provides multiple ways to receive and process incoming SMS messages. Perfect for customer service, marketing campaigns, competitions, and automated business processes.

Four Ways to Receive SMS

Choose the method that works best for your business

SMS to Email

Receive incoming SMS messages directly to your email inbox. Simple, reliable, and requires no technical setup.

How it works:

  • Customer texts your shortcode or number
  • Message arrives instantly in your email
  • Includes sender number, timestamp, and message
  • Reply directly from email (converts to SMS)

Perfect for:

  • Customer inquiries
  • Support tickets
  • Competition entries
  • Simple notifications

Web Portal

Access all incoming messages through our secure web portal. Centralized message management with powerful features.

Features:

  • Real-time message logging
  • Search and filter capabilities
  • Contact management
  • Reply directly from portal
  • Message history and archiving
  • Export to CSV/Excel

Perfect for:

  • Team collaboration
  • Campaign management
  • Contact databases
  • Message analytics

Webhooks / API

Integrate incoming SMS directly into your applications and systems. Real-time automated processing.

Capabilities:

  • HTTP/HTTPS POST notifications
  • JSON payload format
  • Real-time message delivery
  • Custom endpoint configuration
  • Automatic retry on failure
  • Signature verification

Perfect for:

  • CRM integration
  • Ticketing systems
  • Automated workflows
  • Custom applications

Slack

Receive incoming SMS messages directly in your Slack channels. Perfect for teams.

Capabilities:

  • Real-time Slack notifications
  • Formatted message display
  • Sender details included
  • Configure multiple channels
  • Integrate with Slack workflows

Perfect for:

  • Team collaboration
  • Customer service
  • Real-time alerts
  • Distributed teams

Webhook Integration Details

Incoming Message Webhook Format

When a message is received, we'll POST a JSON payload to your configured webhook URL:

{
  "messageId": "12345",
  "connexusMessageId": "MO-abc123",
  "from": "+64211234567",
  "to": "3333",
  "body": "Hello, I have a question",
  "timestamp": 1709123456,
  "type": "SMS",
  "encoding": "text/plain",
  "network": "vodafone_nz"
}

Webhook Parameters

Parameter Type Description
messageId String Unique message identifier in our system
connexusMessageId String Connexus API message ID (if using Connexus API)
from String Sender's mobile number (E.164 format)
to String Your shortcode or number that received the message
body String The message content
timestamp Integer Unix timestamp when message was received
type String Message type (always "SMS")
encoding String Message encoding (e.g., "text/plain")
network String Sender's mobile network

Common Use Cases

How businesses use incoming SMS

Customer Support

Receive support requests and inquiries via SMS, route to appropriate teams

Competitions

Collect entries via SMS for keyword campaigns, automatically log and manage participants

Surveys & Polls

Gather feedback and responses for marketing campaigns, automatically process results

Alerts & Notifications

Receive system monitoring alerts, status updates, and confirmations

Keyword Campaigns

Route messages based on keywords (e.g., JOIN, STOP, INFO)

Two-Way Messaging

Enable conversations between your business and customers

Appointment Confirmations

Receive yes/no confirmations, update booking systems automatically

Order Updates

Receive order changes, delivery confirmations, and customer requests

Why Choose WebSMS for Receiving SMS?

Real-Time Delivery

Messages delivered instantly to your chosen channel - no delays, no queues

Reliable Infrastructure

99.9% uptime guarantee with redundant systems and failover protection

Easy Integration

Simple webhook setup with comprehensive documentation and examples

All NZ Carriers

Receive messages from Spark, Vodafone, 2degrees, and all NZ networks

Keyword Routing

Automatically route messages based on keywords to different endpoints

24/7 Support

Technical support available around the clock for integration assistance

Getting Started

1

Choose Your Number

Use our shared shortcodes or get a dedicated number

2

Configure Delivery

Set up email forwarding, portal access, or webhooks

3

Test Integration

Send test messages to verify everything works

4

Go Live

Start receiving SMS messages from your customers

Ready to Start Receiving SMS?

Set up incoming SMS for your business today. Our team will help you get started with the right solution.

View Pricing

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