"How to Connect Plivo to On-Chat"

Introduction

Plivo is a cloud communications platform offering SMS and voice APIs used by businesses worldwide to build messaging workflows at scale. By integrating Plivo with On-Chat, support teams can receive inbound customer SMS messages directly into a shared inbox, manage conversations with routing and automation, and reply via Plivo's global SMS network — all from one unified platform.

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Prerequisites

• An active Plivo account with SMS capabilities
• Plivo Auth ID and Auth Token from the Plivo console
• A Plivo phone number enabled for inbound SMS
• On-Chat account with admin access
• Ability to configure the message URL (webhook) in Plivo

Step 1: Retrieve Your Plivo API Credentials

Log in to the Plivo console at console.plivo.com. On the Overview page, copy your Auth ID and Auth Token. These credentials authenticate On-Chat's requests to send outbound SMS through Plivo.

Step 2: Identify Your Plivo Phone Number

In the Plivo console, go to Phone Numbers → Your Numbers and select the number you want to use for SMS support. Note the full E.164 formatted number (e.g., +12025551234). This number will receive customer messages routed into On-Chat.

Step 3: Create an SMS Inbox in On-Chat

In On-Chat, navigate to Settings → Inboxes → New Inbox and select SMS. Choose Plivo as the provider. Enter your Auth ID, Auth Token, and phone number. Save the inbox — On-Chat will generate a webhook URL for receiving inbound messages.

Step 4: Configure the Inbound Webhook in Plivo

In the Plivo console, go to your phone number settings and set the Message URL to the On-Chat webhook URL you generated. Set the method to HTTP POST. Save the configuration. Plivo will now forward all incoming SMS messages to On-Chat.

Step 5: Add Agents and Set Up Routing

In On-Chat, go to Settings → Inboxes → select your Plivo inbox → Collaborators. Add agents to handle SMS conversations. Enable round-robin or load-balanced auto-assignment so incoming messages are distributed to available agents automatically.

Step 6: Test the Integration End-to-End

Send a test SMS to your Plivo number. Verify the message appears as a new conversation in On-Chat. Reply from an agent and confirm the customer receives the reply. Check Plivo's message logs to verify delivery status and On-Chat's conversation timeline for the full thread.

Best Practices

• Use On-Chat automation rules to route Plivo SMS conversations to specific teams based on keywords or time of day
• Enable canned responses in On-Chat to help agents reply faster to common SMS inquiries
• Monitor Plivo delivery receipts to identify numbers with delivery failures
• Set up On-Chat business-hours automation to send away messages when agents are offline