SMS is a powerful and discreet channel. Used in the right dose, it complements email with remarkable results. Overused, it triggers complaints and a cascade of unsubscribes. This article gives you the keys to using Odoo's SMS Marketing module effectively.
What SMS is for
Before talking about the tool, let's talk about when. SMS delivers its full value in four main situations.
- First case: transactional confirmation.
- The customer places an order, they receive a confirmation SMS.
- The parcel is shipped, they receive an SMS with the tracking number.
- The appointment is confirmed, they receive an SMS the day before.
- These operational SMS are expected, perceived positively and improve the customer experience..
Second case: highly exclusive promotion. A forty-eight-hour private sale for loyal customers. Early access for subscribers. A last chance before the end of an exceptional offer. The condition for success is real exclusivity: if you send a promotional SMS to your whole base every two weeks, the channel wears out quickly.
- Third case: targeted reactivation.
- A customer hasn't ordered in six months.
- A short, personalized SMS with a dedicated offer.
- The response rate to this type of SMS is generally higher than that of an equivalent email..
Fourth case: authentication or sensitive notifications. One-time code, security alert, transaction validation. These SMS follow a security logic and are expected by the customer.
Setting up SMS sending in Odoo
Odoo's SMS Marketing module is native, but actual sending goes through a third-party provider service. You therefore need to choose an SMS provider, create an account with them, and configure Odoo to use their API credentials.
The main providers that can be connected to Odoo are Octopush, SMS Factor, Esendex and Smsmode. Prices in France are generally between four and ten cents per SMS, with volume discounts. For an SME sending a few thousand SMS a month, budget three hundred to a thousand euros a month depending on volume and provider.
- The SMS sender can be customized.
- Instead of an impersonal long number, the recipient sees your company name (up to eleven characters).
- This customization improves the open rate and perceived legitimacy.
- Warning: a custom sender name does not allow the recipient to reply.
- For SMS that call for a reply (for example a survey), use a short number that accepts replies..
Building an SMS that converts
- A good commercial SMS respects strict constraints.
- One hundred sixty characters maximum if you want to fit in a single SMS.
- Beyond that, the message is split into several SMS, each segment being billed.
- Most tools handle this segmentation automatically, but the cost climbs quickly if you don't control the length..
- The content must get to the point.
- A clear hook at the start (the sender's identity if it is not in the name).
- A main message in one sentence.
- A concrete action offered (link, promo code, number to call back).
- A mandatory unsubscribe notice (usually “STOP at [number]” or “STOP SMS”)..
- Example of a well-calibrated SMS: “[Brand] Loyal customers have 48 hours to enjoy -20% in store.
- Code FIDELE25 at the till.
- See conditions: [short link].
- STOP at 36180”.
- Seventy-two characters for the message, and everything is said..
Segment smartly
As with email, the quality of your segmentation determines the performance of your sends. In Odoo, SMS segments are built on the same criteria as email segments: tags, sales history, geolocation, customer status.
- Our practical advice: be more restrictive with SMS than with email.
- A poorly targeted email is ignored.
- A poorly targeted SMS is felt as an intrusion.
- For a first rollout, limit your sends to your best segments: loyal customers, highly engaged prospects..
Measure and improve
For each SMS campaign, Odoo tracks the essential indicators: deliverability rate (how many actually arrived), unsubscribe rate, and if you use Odoo shortened links, click rate. This last measure is valuable: it tells you not only that the SMS was received, but that it was read and generated an action.
Watch the unsubscribe rate in particular. Above one percent per send, your targeting or your frequency needs review. With SMS, recipients' patience is shorter than with email.
Automated SMS from other modules
- Beyond SMS Marketing proper, Odoo lets you trigger automatic SMS from any module.
- Order confirmation sent from Sales.
- Shipping notification sent from Inventory.
- Appointment reminder sent from Calendar.
- Back-in-stock alert sent from the website..
These contextual SMS are the most effective because they meet a precise expectation of the recipient at a precise moment. Our advice: start with these operational SMS before launching into SMS marketing proper. You get your base used to receiving useful SMS from you, which increases the effectiveness of later marketing sends.
Compliance, no surprises
All commercial SMS sends must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation and French law. This requires explicit consent from the recipient, a clear statement of the sender's identity, and a simple unsubscribe mechanism.
- Odoo natively handles consent per channel.
- A contact may have consented to emails but not to SMS, or vice versa.
- SMS unsubscribes are recorded and prevent any later follow-up.
- Keep your proof of consent (online form, signed contract, double opt-in): in case of a complaint, it is your only protection..
Conclusion
- Odoo's SMS Marketing module lets you use this powerful channel professionally, integrated with your ERP, and compliant with regulations.
- Well used, it complements email with conversion rates sometimes five to ten times higher for suitable uses.
- Poorly used, it damages your customer relationship within a few weeks.
- The golden rule: send fewer SMS, to better-chosen recipients, with higher-value messages..