Make: Send an SMS message when a chat starts

Notifications in the tawk.to mobile apps help you avoid missed chats when you have to step away from the desk. You can also stay informed about new chats via SMS messages by using Make to integrate your SMS provider with tawk.to.

Follow the steps below to create a Make workflow that sends a new text notification to your mobile device when a visitor initiates a chat.

Note: To set up this automation, you'll need to have accounts with both Make and an SMS provider.

Learn more about creating automations with Make and tawk.to in this article: Make

Log in to your Make account. Then, navigate to Scenarios in the left navigation menu.

To create a new workflow, click the Make a new scenario button in the upper-right corner of your Make dashboard.

Click the plus (+) sign to add an app and select tawk.to.

Select Watch Chat Starts.

Select an existing webhook. If you do not already have a webhook for watching new chat starts in tawk.to, select the Add button.

Name your webhook and select Save to update your settings.

Then, copy the URL address to your clipboard and click OK. You’ll need the URL to create a webhook in your tawk.to account.

Log in to your tawk.to Dashboard and make your way to⚙️Administration ➞ Settings ➞ Webhooks for your selected property.

Then, click the + Create Webhook button in the upper right.

In the Name field, enter the name of your new webhook.

Enter the webhook URL you copied under Your Endpoint URL.

Under Select Events, tick the box for Chat Starts.

Then, click the Save button.

See our guide to creating webhooks here: Creating and managing Webhooks

Click the plus (+) sign to add another module to your workflow.

Select an existing SMS connection in Make or click Add to connect a new SMS account.

For this example, we will add a new Twilio connection. Select Twilio from the list of apps.

Then, select Create a Message in the list of actions.

Select an account in the dropdown menu or click Add to create a new connection to your account.

In the Create a connection window, give your Twilio connection a name.

Then, add your SID and Authorization token and click Save.

Sign in to your Twilio account and allow access to Make. Then, enter the details for your Twilio connection:

1. Under Send a message from, select phone number.

2. Under Phone number, select your Twilio phone number.

3. Under To, enter your mobile phone number in E.164 format:

[+] [country code] [area code and phone number]

4. In the Body field, enter a message for your notification. For example: “A new chat has started.”

Then, click OK to save your settings.

In the lower-left corner, click Run once.

Then, check the status of your newly created scenario.

To activate your new workflow, navigate to the Scenarios tab in the left menu.

Next to your scenario, toggle the switch to the on position. 

Now, when a visitor starts a chat in your widget, you will receive an SMS notification on your mobile device.

If you need someone to walk you through the setup process, book a call with our support team.