Documentation

Send SMS to group

Send an SMS message to all active members in a Symba Microbanking group. The message is sent to each active member's registered mobile phone number.

Prerequisites

  • Log in to Symba Portal with a user account that has the "Send Group Message" authorization
  • The group must have at least one active member with a valid mobile phone number
  • At least one SMS integration must be enabled

Accessing from Symba Microbanking

The easiest way to send an SMS to a group is directly from the Symba Microbanking Group page:

  • Log in to Symba Microbanking
  • Navigate to the group's detail page
  • Click the menu button in the group header
  • Select "Send SMS Message"
  • A new tab opens in Symba Portal with the group information pre-filled

Steps

  • In Symba Portal, navigate to "Messages" → "Send SMS to Group"
  • The group information is displayed:
    • Group name with link to Microbanking (opens in new tab)
    • Number of active members who will receive the message
  • Enter your message in the message field:
    • The encoding badge shows whether GSM-7 or Unicode is being used
    • The character counter shows used/limit and remaining characters
    • If your message requires multiple parts, this is indicated in orange
  • Click "Send SMS"

The message is sent to all active group members. A summary shows:

  • Group name
  • Total active members
  • Messages delivered
  • Messages failed (if any)

You can view individual message statuses in the Messages list.

Message Distribution

When you send a message to a group:

  • Only active members receive the message
  • Members must have a valid mobile phone number registered
  • Each member receives an individual SMS (not a group message)
  • Failed messages to individual members don't affect delivery to other members
  • You are notified of the delivery summary after completion

Message Encoding

The message field automatically detects the encoding:

  • GSM-7: Displayed with blue badge, allows 160 characters (153 per part for multi-part)
  • Unicode: Displayed with blue badge, allows 70 characters (67 per part for multi-part)

Extended characters in GSM-7 (^{}[~]|\€) count as 2 characters. The counter accounts for this automatically.

Cost Considerations

Each active group member receives a separate SMS:

  • A group with 50 active members = 50 SMS messages charged
  • Multi-part messages multiply the cost (2 parts × 50 members = 100 SMS charged)
  • Keep messages under one part when possible to minimize costs

Tips

  • Verify the active member count before sending
  • The character counter turns orange when your message will be sent as multiple parts
  • Hover over the encoding badge or character count for detailed information
  • Use the group link to review member list before sending

Error Handling

Messages may fail to send to individual members if:

  • The member is not in "Active" status
  • The member's phone number is invalid or missing
  • The phone number is not in valid international format

The delivery summary shows how many messages were delivered successfully and how many failed. You can review individual failures in the Messages list.

Contact Symba Global Support if you experience widespread delivery failures.

Related Topics