"How to Connect Clickatell SMS to On-Chat"

Introduction

Clickatell is one of the world's leading SMS gateway providers, delivering billions of messages globally for enterprises and businesses. With Clickatell integrated into On-Chat, your support team can manage inbound and outbound SMS conversations at scale — all from a single shared inbox with automation, routing, and reporting features.

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Prerequisites

• An active Clickatell account with SMS API access
• Clickatell API key (from the Clickatell portal)
• On-Chat account with admin privileges
• A dedicated Clickatell long number or short code for two-way SMS
• Webhook URL support enabled in your Clickatell account

Step 1: Retrieve Your Clickatell API Key

Log in to your Clickatell portal at portal.clickatell.com. Navigate to My Apps and select your application, or create a new SMS API app. Copy your API Key — this is what On-Chat will use to authenticate and send outbound SMS messages through Clickatell.

Step 2: Obtain a Two-Way SMS Number

In Clickatell, ensure you have a long number or short code that supports inbound (two-way) SMS messaging. This number is what your customers will text. Navigate to Numbers in the portal and note your dedicated number.

Step 3: Create an SMS Inbox in On-Chat

In On-Chat, go to Settings → Inboxes → New Inbox and select SMS. Choose Clickatell as the provider. Enter your API Key and the dedicated phone number. Save to generate your On-Chat webhook URL for inbound messages.

Step 4: Configure the Inbound Webhook in Clickatell

In your Clickatell portal, go to your SMS application settings and find the Incoming Message URL or callback configuration. Set it to your On-Chat webhook endpoint. Clickatell will POST all incoming customer SMS messages to this URL.

Step 5: Assign Agents and Configure Routing

In On-Chat, navigate to Settings → Inboxes → select your Clickatell inbox → Collaborators. Add agents who will handle SMS support. Configure conversation routing — round-robin, manual, or based on team availability — to ensure SMS messages are handled promptly.

Step 6: Set Up Automation and Canned Responses

Create canned responses for common SMS queries. Set up On-Chat automation rules to auto-reply to customers when no agents are online, or to tag conversations by keyword. This keeps response times low even during high-volume SMS periods.

Step 7: Test and Monitor the Integration

Send a test SMS to your Clickatell number and verify it appears in On-Chat. Reply from an agent and confirm the customer receives the reply. Monitor delivery reports in Clickatell's analytics dashboard alongside conversation data in On-Chat.

Best Practices

• Keep SMS replies under 160 characters where possible to avoid multi-part message charges
• Use On-Chat labels to categorize Clickatell SMS conversations by issue type
• Review Clickatell delivery reports weekly to monitor message success rates
• Combine Clickatell SMS with On-Chat's CSAT surveys to measure SMS support quality