Understanding SkioSMS

SkioSMS is Skio's free, in-house SMS notification and subscription management system. It gives you multiple ways to engage with subscribers via text messaging, combining automated notifications with interactive subscription management tools.

Why should I use SkioSMS?

Higher engagement than email

SMS delivers significantly higher engagement than email. While email open rates typically hover around 20-35%, SMS open rates can reach 95%+ with opt-out rates typically less than 5%. This makes SMS an essential channel for time-sensitive notifications like billing reminders or payment failures.

Frictionless subscription management

The easier it is for subscribers to manage their subscriptions, the more revenue they generate over time. Two-way SMS management removes friction by letting customers make changes without remembering passwords or navigating to a portal.

Subscribers who actively engage with their subscriptions (making edits, adjustments, and customizations) typically have higher lifetime value and lower churn risk. SkioSMS makes these interactions as simple as replying to a text.

Setting up toll-free verification

SkioSMS uses Twilio toll-free numbers to send messages. When you enable SkioSMS for the first time, you'll see a setup prompt that walks you through toll-free verification.

This survey collects business and regulatory information required to obtain a toll-free number from Twilio. Learn more about Twilio toll-free number verification here.

Your Twilio number cannot send messages to customers until verification is complete. You can check your verification status in the Settings tab on the SkioSMS page.

Configuring SMS quiet hours

To limit when notifications can be sent to customers, configure SMS quiet hours in the Settings tab. This ensures you don't send messages during times when subscribers are unlikely to engage (like late at night).

Analytics and messaging history

One-way SMS notification analytics

In the Notifications section, you'll see:

• An overview of total notifications sent

• Breakdown by notification type (billing reminders, order confirmations, etc.)

• Daily sending trends

Use the dropdown on the right side of the page to filter which notification types appear in the daily breakdown.

Two-way subscription management analytics

The 2-Way Management section shows:

• An overview of actions taken by customers via SMS (skips, swaps, date changes, etc.)

• Breakdown by action type to identify which management options are most valuable to your subscribers

• Daily action trends

Use the dropdown on the right side of the page to filter which actions appear in the daily breakdown.

Messaging history

At the bottom of the SkioSMS page, you can view complete messaging history for both notifications and customer messages sent during two-way management interactions.

Search for customers by phone number, email, or name to see their full SMS history.

If a customer has multiple subscriptions, the history viewer shows notifications sent for all of their subscriptions without differentiating between them.