How to Receive SMS in Google Sheets Using Pabbly Connect and Twilio

Learn how to automatically receive SMS in Google Sheets using Pabbly Connect and Twilio with this detailed step-by-step tutorial. Discover hidden automation capabilities within your existing tools. This guide shows you how to connect your essential applications and permanently eliminate redundant manual processes.

Watch Step By Step Video Tutorial Below

1. Setting Up Pabbly Connect for SMS Integration

To receive SMS in Google Sheets, the first step is to access Pabbly Connect. This platform allows you to automate workflows by connecting different applications seamlessly. Start by visiting the Pabbly website and signing up for a free account, or log in if you are already a user.

Once logged in, navigate to the dashboard and click on the blue button labeled ‘Create Workflow’. You will need to name your workflow something descriptive, such as ‘Auto Save Incoming SMS to Google Sheets’. Click on ‘Create’ to proceed.

2. Configuring Twilio as the Trigger Application

The next step is to set up Twilio as the trigger application in Pabbly Connect. In the trigger setup, select Twilio as the application and choose the trigger event as ‘New SMS’. This event will trigger the automation whenever a new SMS is received.

• Select Twilio as the application.
• Choose the trigger event: New SMS.

After selecting the trigger event, Pabbly Connect will provide you with a webhook URL. This URL is essential for connecting Twilio to Pabbly Connect. Copy this URL and head over to your Twilio account to configure it.

3. Configuring Twilio for Webhook Integration

In your Twilio account, navigate to the console’s numbers page and select the phone number you wish to use for receiving SMS. Locate the messaging section and find the option labeled ‘A Message Comes In’. Here, you will paste the webhook URL copied from Pabbly Connect.

After pasting the URL, save the changes. This step ensures that any incoming SMS to the specified Twilio number will be sent to Pabbly Connect for processing. You can test this by sending an SMS to the Twilio number and checking if the webhook response is captured in Pabbly Connect.

4. Saving SMS Details to Google Sheets

Now that Twilio is configured, the next step is to save the received SMS details to Google Sheets using Pabbly Connect. In the action application setup, select Google Sheets and choose the action event as ‘Add New Row’. This action will add a new row in your Google Sheets for each incoming SMS.

• Select Google Sheets as the action application.
• Choose action event: Add New Row.

Connect your Google Sheets account to Pabbly Connect, and select the spreadsheet where you want to save the SMS data. Map the fields such as sender number and SMS content from the webhook response to the appropriate columns in your Google Sheet. This mapping ensures that every time an SMS is received, the details are automatically populated in the sheet.

5. Testing and Activating the Integration

After setting up the action in Google Sheets, it’s time to test the integration. Click on the ‘Save and Send Test Request’ button in Pabbly Connect. This will trigger the workflow and you should see the newly received SMS details appear in your Google Sheets.

Once confirmed that the data is being captured correctly, your automation is complete. You can now close Pabbly Connect, and it will continue to run in the background, automatically saving any new SMS received to your Google Sheets. This seamless integration allows you to manage customer queries efficiently.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we explored how to receive SMS in Google Sheets using Pabbly Connect and Twilio. By following these steps, you can automate the process of logging SMS messages directly into your Google Sheets, enhancing your workflow and customer interaction.