topic Re: Toast SMS Beta in Guest Experience

Toast SMS Beta

JimmyD99 — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 15:05:53 GMT

Anyone using Toast SMS Beta? How is it going?

Re: Toast SMS Beta

haystackstx — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 20:46:40 GMT

I have been using sms marketing for a couple years now in conjunction with email marketing building up to about 10k participants. Sadly the toast sms platform doesn't have the ability right now to upload a csv of our subscribers. once that happens ill be able to use the platform

Re: Toast SMS Beta

Foxpubs — Fri, 31 May 2024 13:57:12 GMT

TOAST, why are we not able to use the exisiting customers cell numbers, within our database, used for the rewards program to send SMS messages? If its a consent issue, why not allow us to send them an initial SMS message and they can decide to opt out if they choose. I find this so odd, that we take their cell number for the rewards program, but aren’t allowed to use it for marketing purposes.

Re: Toast SMS Beta

haystacks — Fri, 31 May 2024 15:10:57 GMT

I agree, I want to use the sms feature and have thousands of numbers from our existing loyalty accounts. I have a separate sms marketing software because I can keep that updated with a csv uploaded every week. I hope they add this feature soon.

Re: Toast SMS Beta

Rob — Fri, 31 May 2024 16:33:38 GMT

The customer would need to permit this first. Right now, we do not offer the capability for the customer to grant the restaurant permission to use their phone number for marketing purposes, but we are working on steps to allow for this.

Re: Toast SMS Beta

Foxpubs — Fri, 31 May 2024 16:58:41 GMT

Do you have an estimated time line of when this might be available?

Re: Toast SMS Beta

Rob — Fri, 31 May 2024 21:28:33 GMT

@Foxpubs I reached out to my team, and this is actually available right now.

"In order to send a marketing related SMS that is not transactional, restaurants must collect express consent before sending any texts in order to be compliant. This includes any initial message to join the program. Currently the loyalty SMS messages are transactional and signup has only collected consent for loyalty-related transactional SMS.

We've added touch-points in the loyalty experience where guests will be offered the ability to subscribe to SMS marketing messages when they check in or sign up, sending an SMS marketing welcome message. Guests who respond "YES"(?) to the welcome message will then appear in the SMS subscriber list"

It should look like this:
It's that checkbox below the second picture is a zoomed-in version.

You need to be part of the SMS beta, to have this functionality. If you are part of the beta and do not have access to this, please reach out to sms.marketing.beta@toasttab.com for more help!

Re: Toast SMS Beta

Penguin_Meg1 — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 15:34:49 GMT

Hi Foxpubs, I'm thinking about signing up for SMS marketing and from reading Robs response it still seems like you can't use your current database of loyalty and email subscribers to do SMS marketing. Looks like loyalty customers can check a box but I have doubts that any of my loyalty customers will notice that box during checkout. Am I understanding this right? How are you liking the SMS marketing for your business?

Re: Toast SMS Beta

Foxpubs — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 15:40:22 GMT

Hey there, I have been using it now for several months and Im up to whopping 250 subscribers. Hardley a number to gain any real info. I have over 15,000 users in my data base and there are SO MANY othere SMS providers that allow you to upload your existing DB, and send an SMS to those customers with an OPT OUT options. For the life of me, I have no idea why TOAST doesnt offer this. That being said, I have sent several messages, and have some response...nothing measurable.