# "How to Connect SMSCentral to On-Chat"

> "On-Chat integrates with SMSCentral so your team can receive and reply to inbound SMS messages from Australian customers in a centralized inbox with agent routing, canned responses, and conversation tracking."

URL: https://on-chat.live/guides/how-to-connect-smscentral-to-on-chat/
Last updated: 2026-11-14

## Introduction
SMSCentral is an Australian SMS gateway provider that delivers reliable, high-throughput SMS messaging for businesses across Australia and New Zealand. By integrating SMSCentral with On-Chat, support teams can receive and respond to inbound customer SMS in a shared inbox, enabling efficient two-way communication with routing, automation, and full conversation history — all in one platform.

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## Prerequisites
- An active SMSCentral account with API access
- SMSCentral API username and password or API key
- A virtual number or dedicated shortcode enabled for inbound SMS
- On-Chat account with admin access
- Ability to configure delivery reports and inbound message webhooks in SMSCentral

## Step 1: Retrieve Your SMSCentral API Credentials
Log in to your SMSCentral account portal. Navigate to the API settings or integration section and copy your **API username** and **password** (or API key). Note the API base URL for the SMSCentral REST API. These credentials will be used by On-Chat to authenticate outbound SMS requests.

## Step 2: Provision an Inbound SMS Number
In SMSCentral, ensure you have a dedicated virtual number or shortcode configured for receiving inbound messages. If you don't have one, contact SMSCentral support to request a number suitable for two-way SMS customer support.

## Step 3: Create an SMS Inbox in On-Chat
In On-Chat, go to **Settings** → **Inboxes** → **New Inbox** and select **SMS**. Choose **SMSCentral** as the provider. Enter your API credentials, the SMSCentral API endpoint, and your virtual number. Save the inbox — On-Chat will generate an inbound webhook URL.

## Step 4: Set the Inbound Webhook in SMSCentral
In your SMSCentral account, navigate to your number settings and configure the **inbound message callback URL** to point to the webhook URL On-Chat generated. Set the method to HTTP POST. SMSCentral will now forward all incoming customer SMS to On-Chat, automatically opening new conversations.

## Step 5: Add Agents and Configure Routing
In On-Chat, go to **Settings** → **Inboxes** → select your SMSCentral inbox → **Collaborators**. Add agents who will manage SMS conversations. Enable auto-assignment so new conversations are distributed evenly across available agents using round-robin or load-based assignment.

## Step 6: Send a Test Message and Verify
Send a test SMS to your SMSCentral number. Confirm the message appears as a new conversation in On-Chat. Reply from an agent and verify the customer receives the outbound SMS. Check SMSCentral's delivery reports and On-Chat's conversation logs to ensure end-to-end success.

## Best Practices
- Use On-Chat automation to send immediate auto-replies confirming receipt of customer SMS via SMSCentral
- Take advantage of SMSCentral's delivery reporting to monitor outbound message success rates
- Label conversations in On-Chat by issue type to track trends and improve team performance
- Configure On-Chat business hours to send automated away messages outside of support hours

## Keep reading

- [How to Build a WhatsApp Chatbot Without Code](https://on-chat.live/guides/how-to-build-a-whatsapp-chatbot/): A step-by-step tutorial for building a dynamic WhatsApp chatbot in a visual flow builder, from your first message to live data and agent handoff.
- [Chatbot Flow Design: 12 Best Practices](https://on-chat.live/guides/chatbot-flow-design-best-practices/): Practical rules for designing chatbot conversation flows that customers finish: branching, fallbacks, personalisation, handoff and testing.
- [Make Your Chatbot Dynamic with Webhooks](https://on-chat.live/guides/dynamic-chatbot-webhooks/): Connect your chatbot flows to live data. Learn how webhooks, expressions and splits turn a scripted bot into one that answers with real information.