You can now send an automated text message (SMS) from a workflow built on the Outbound Referral module. When an outbound referral is created or updated, a workflow can text the recipient — using the referral's own phone fields or those of its linked Opportunity, Account, Referral Contact, or Staff — with a message you compose from live record values.
Contents
1. Before You Start
2. Enable Outbound Referrals for SMS
3. Open Your Outbound Referral Workflow
4. Add a Send SMS Action
5. Configure the Message and Recipient
6. If the Module Isn't Enabled Yet
7. Frequently Asked Questions
1. Before You Start
You will need:
Permission to manage Settings → Workflows.
SMS (text messaging) enabled and configured for your instance, with at least one sending number available.
An existing or new workflow whose Target Module is Outbound Referral.
Access requirements: Sending SMS from a workflow requires the SMS gateway to be set up for your instance, and the Outbound Referrals module to be included in your SMS-enabled modules list (see Section 2).
If you don't see the Send SMS action or the Outbound Referral target module, contact Dazos support to confirm the feature is enabled for your instance.
2. Enable Outbound Referrals for SMS
Before an Outbound Referral SMS will actually send, the module must be turned on for SMS: 1. Go to Settings → Voip Controls.
2. In the SMS section, open the SMS-enabled modules list.
3. Add Outbound Referrals to the selected modules.
4. Click Save.
Important: If this step is skipped, you can still build and save the workflow action, but messages will not be sent until the module is enabled here.
3. Open Your Outbound Referral Workflow
Go to Settings → Workflows and open (or create) a workflow whose Target Module is Outbound Referral.
Field | Description |
Workflow Name | A clear name, e.g. Outbound Referral to Referral Source . |
Target Module | Must be Outbound Referral for this feature. |
Status | Set to Active so the workflow runs. |
Trigger Workflow On | When the workflow runs — for example, when a referral is created or updated. |
4. Add a Send SMS Action
Scroll to the Workflow Actions section and click Add Action. Choose Send SMS from the menu.
Tip: The same menu offers other action types (Send Mail, Update Fields, and more). Pick Send SMS to text the recipient.
5. Configure the Message and Recipient
The Send SMS editor opens. Fill in the fields below, then click Save.
Field | Description | Example |
Action Title | A label for this action, shown in the actions list. | Text the Referral Source |
SMS Template | Optional — pick a saved SMS template to pre-fill the message. | Referral Received |
Message | The text to send. Use the Select dropdown beside it to insert live field values (tokens). | Hi, we received your referral. |
Recipient Phone Fields | The phone field(s) the text is sent to. Includes fields from the referral itself and its linked Opportunity, Account, Referral Contact, and Staff. | Primary Phone |
From Number | The sending number the text goes out from. | Select an Option |
Inserting tokens: Place your cursor in the Message box, then choose a field from the Select dropdown to drop in a placeholder such as [{OutboundReferrals.Referral Title}] . When the SMS sends, each placeholder is replaced with that record's real value — including values pulled from the linked Opportunity, Account/Referral Source, Referral Contact, and Staff.
Tip: Send yourself a test referral first to confirm the message reads correctly and the tokens resolve to the values you expect.
6. If the Module Isn't Enabled Yet
If Outbound Referrals has not been added to the SMS-enabled modules in Voip Controls (Section 2) when you save the action, a yellow warning banner appears:
Outbound Referrals is not enabled for SMS in Voip Controls Settings. The action will be saved but SMS will not be sent until this module is enabled.
Your action is still saved. It becomes active automatically once the module is enabled in Voip Controls.
A separate warning also appears if the Message contains a token that isn't valid for this module — remove or replace the highlighted token so every placeholder can resolve.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which phone number does the text go to? Whichever field you choose under Recipient Phone Fields. You can pick a phone field from the referral itself or from its linked Opportunity, Account, Referral Contact, or Staff.
Q: I saved the action but no text was sent. Why? The most common reason is that Outbound Referrals is not enabled for SMS in Voip Controls (Section 2). Enable it and the action will start sending.
Q: Can I reuse wording across workflows? Yes. Save your wording as an SMS Template, then select it in the SMS Template field to pre-fill the message.
Q: What happens if a token doesn't have a value on a given record? The placeholder is replaced with the record's value when one exists; if the linked record or field is empty, that part of the message is left blank. Test with a real referral to confirm the result.
Q: Do recipients' opt-out settings still apply? Yes. Standard SMS opt-out rules for your instance continue to apply to messages sent from workflows.
Need Help?
If you run into issues:
1. Confirm Outbound Referrals is enabled under Settings → Voip Controls → SMS.
2. Re-open the workflow's Send SMS action and check the Recipient Phone Fields, From Number, and any token warnings on the Message.
3. Contact Dazos support with the workflow name and referral details, and reference CRM-2857.