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Netgsm Zapier integrationAutomate Netgsm with Zapier.

The Netgsm Zapier integration gives you 1 trigger, 6 actions and 1 search. It picks up incoming texts, sends single, group and OTP SMS, places voice messages, connects calls and checks whether a sent SMS was delivered, all from your other tools.

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Overview

What the Netgsm Zapier integration does for you

The Netgsm Zapier integration links your Netgsm SMS, voice messaging and VoIP account to the rest of your tools through Zapier. A Zap (the automation you build on Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions) can pick up the texts you receive, and send texts, voice messages or calls when something happens in another app.

Every incoming text in one place. New Incoming SMS picks up each message your Netgsm number receives, and the next step writes it to a spreadsheet or a shared inbox, where the whole team can read it.

Texts sent by your other tools. A signup, an order or a booking recorded elsewhere becomes a message through Send SMS, or a one-time code through Send OTP SMS. You pick the header, the number and the wording once.

A voice message instead of a text. Send Voicemail (Dynamic) reads out a text you write in the Zap, so a reminder can reach someone as a call.

What Zapier does not do here: there is only one trigger, it is a polling one, and it covers incoming SMS only. Nothing starts a Zap when a call comes in or a delivery report changes. There is no action to manage groups, headers or audio files: those stay in the Netgsm panel. And its one search, Query SMS Report, makes any Zap multi-step, so it needs a paid plan. See our Netgsm Make integration page.

Vocabulary

Zapier words, explained once

Eight words come back all over this page. Here they are, in plain English.

Zap
The automation you build on Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run each time that trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is switched on, Zapier waits for that event and nothing else.
Action
What the Zap does once it has started: the step that writes, sends or moves something on your behalf.
Task
The unit Zapier bills. Each action your Zap completes successfully counts as one task on your plan.
Polling vs instant
A polling trigger is checked by Zapier on a timer; an instant one is reported by the app as it happens. Netgsm's only trigger is a polling one.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap go on only when what arrived meets a condition you set, and stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something that already exists in an app, so the steps after it can use what it found.
Multi-step Zap
Any Zap beyond one trigger and one action. A second action, a filter or a search makes it one, and it then needs a paid plan.
Cost

What the Netgsm Zapier integration costs you

Netgsm is not a premium app on Zapier, so it works from the free plan. Zapier counts in tasks, not in checks.

  • Premium appNo, available on the free plan
  • Trigger check0 tasks
  • Successful action1 task each
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps

The trigger costs nothing, however often Zapier looks. Each action that succeeds counts as one task, and one that fails is not counted. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, capped at two steps. A filter, a search or a second action makes the Zap multi-step, which needs a paid plan. The interval below applies to New Incoming SMS. On the free plan, that means Zapier looks for new texts every 15 minutes.

Connect

Connect Netgsm to Zapier in three steps

  1. 01

    Open your connections

    In your Zapier account, go to the Apps page and click + Add connection. A connection is your Netgsm account linked to Zapier once, then reused by every Netgsm step you add.

  2. 02

    Pick Netgsm

    Type Netgsm in the search box of the dialog, select it, then click Add connection. A new tab opens on the Netgsm side, where you sign in with your account.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Sign in to Netgsm in that tab and grant Zapier access to the account. You need an account on the app, plus read or write access on anything you do not own yourself and want the Zap to touch.

First Zap

Your first Zap: forward certain incoming texts to your own phone

GoalWhen a text reaching your Netgsm number meets your condition, send an SMS alert to a number you choose.

  1. 01

    Pick the trigger

    Start a new Zap, choose Netgsm and New Incoming SMS. Test it: Zapier brings back the three most recent texts of the account, so you set up the rest on a real one.

  2. 02

    Add the filter

    Add a filter and set the field to look at, the rule and the value, so only the texts you mean are forwarded. A filter makes the Zap multi-step, so it needs a paid plan.

  3. 03

    Add Send SMS

    Add Netgsm again and pick Send SMS. Choose your Header, type the number that should get the alert in Phone Number, and write the Message with the details the test brought back.

  4. 04

    Test, then publish

    Run each step once and read what came back before going further. When the text looks right, click Publish to switch the Zap on.

Triggers

Netgsm trigger on Zapier

1 event starts a Zap when something happens in Netgsm. Zapier checks for them at the interval your plan allows.

1

New Incoming SMS

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when you receive an incoming SMS.”

Starts a Zap each time your Netgsm account receives a text. Every message becomes an item the following steps can file, forward or answer, without anyone checking the Netgsm panel.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
when replies to a campaign or questions sent by text should land where your team already works, such as a spreadsheet or a chat channel.
Watch out
texts received before you publish the Zap are not picked up. Only what arrives after it is switched on goes through.
Actions

Netgsm actions on Zapier

Netgsm gives you 6 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Send a Voice Message (Simple)

Action

In Zapier“Sends a previously created audio file as a voicemail.”

Plays an audio file you created beforehand as a voicemail to one number. It asks for the Number and the AudioID of that recording.

When to use it
when the same recorded message goes to everyone.
Watch out
the AudioID is found in the Installed Audio Files area, under the Voicemail menu of Netgsm.
2

Connect Call

Action

In Zapier“Connects a call using Netgsm Netsantral services. You can start the call by selecting the number you want to call first.”

Connects a call through Netgsm's Netsantral service: the call starts from one number and is put through to another. Central Name, Caller Number and Called Number are required.

When to use it
to put a contact through to the right line once a request lands in another tool.
Watch out
Central Name is where you choose the Netsantral number the call goes through.
3

Send Voicemail (Dynamic)

Action

In Zapier“Sends a voicemail created from dynamic text.”

Turns a text you write into speech and sends it as a voicemail. Number and Text to be read are required, and the text can mix fixed words with data from earlier steps.

When to use it
for a spoken reminder whose wording changes from one recipient to the next.
4

Send SMS to the Group

Action

In Zapier“You can send bulk sms to Netgsm groups.”

Sends one message to a whole Netgsm group in a single step. It needs a Header, the code of a group created in your Netgsm account, and the Message.

When to use it
when an event in another tool should reach a list you keep in Netgsm, rather than one person.
5

Send OTP SMS

Action

In Zapier“Sends a OTP SMS using Netgsm services.”

Sends a one-time password by SMS through Netgsm. Like a regular text, it requires a Header, a Phone number and the Message carrying the code.

When to use it
when another tool generates a verification code and Netgsm should deliver it to the user.
6

Send SMS

Action

In Zapier“Sends an SMS using Netgsm services.”

Sends one text through Netgsm to a single phone number. Header, Phone Number and Message are all required.

When to use it
to confirm a booking or an order recorded in another tool, one recipient at a time.
Watch out
Header is required too: choose it in the action, then check at test that the text goes out as expected.
Searches

Netgsm search on Zapier

1 search step looks for data that already exists in Netgsm, so a later step can use it.

A search step looks up something that already exists, here the delivery status of a text you sent. In the action list, searches sit at the bottom under SEARCH. It adds a step, so a Zap with a search needs a paid plan. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not a single clean match.

1

Query SMS Report

Search

In Zapier“Query the transportation status of the SMS you have sent using Netgsm services.”

Looks up the delivery status of SMS you sent through Netgsm. Its one required field is the SMS Bulkid of the send you want to check.

When to use it
when an earlier step carries the Bulk ID of a send and your records should show whether the message got through.
Watch out
SMS Bulkid is required, so check at test which earlier step supplies it before you publish.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap there. Switched on, the Zap carries on without a result.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    Turns a search into find-or-create. Netgsm offers no such variant on Zapier, so this box does not show on its search.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Keep the first match (the default), stop the Zap, or hand every match on at once.
When it breaks

When the Netgsm Zap breaks

Zapier links no help article to Netgsm, so the known weak spots are the general ones of any Zap.

Four of them matter for an SMS account. If a Zap stops doing what you expect, our Zapier troubleshooting guide is the next stop.

  • Nothing from before the Zap

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after it is switched on. Texts already received are not picked up, and moving that history is a separate job.

  • A Zap that sets itself off

    A Zap that writes into the very place its own trigger watches can start itself again and again, and burns through your tasks fast.

  • A big batch held back

    When a trigger suddenly returns a huge batch, after a bulk import or a migration, Zapier's flood protection can hold it back.

  • The same text never runs twice

    On a polling trigger, Zapier keeps track of what it has already seen, so the same item does not start the Zap a second time.
Need help

Need help automating Netgsm with Zapier?

A person reads every message.

FAQ

Netgsm Zapier integration: questions people ask

01Is the Netgsm Zapier integration free?
Yes, within the free plan's limits. Netgsm is not a premium app, so you can use it without paying Zapier. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and as many Zaps as you like, each capped at two steps: one trigger and one action. Query SMS Report adds a step, and so does a filter or a second action, so a Zap using them needs a paid plan. New Incoming SMS followed by a spreadsheet row stays free.
02How many Zapier tasks does a Netgsm Zap use?
One task for each action that succeeds, and nothing for the trigger. Zapier can check for incoming texts as often as your plan allows without spending a task. A Zap that sends one SMS per new order uses one task per order. Send SMS to the Group is still one action, so one group send counts as one task. An action that fails is not counted against your plan. Watch the loop case too.
03Does Netgsm trigger Zaps in real time?
No. New Incoming SMS, the only Netgsm trigger, is a polling trigger. Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one, 2 minutes on Professional, 1 minute on Team and Enterprise. On the paid plans you can change how often it checks and run a check by hand from the editor. A text that arrives just after a check waits for the next one.
04What does it take to connect Netgsm to Zapier?
An account on Netgsm, plus read or write access on anything you do not own yourself and want the Zap to touch. Start from the Apps page of your Zapier account with + Add connection, pick Netgsm, sign in in the tab that opens and grant Zapier access. Each action then asks for its own required values: a Header for the SMS actions, a group code, an AudioID, or a Central Name for Connect Call.
05Why does Send SMS ask for a Header?
Because Header is a required field on Send SMS, and on Send OTP SMS and Send SMS to the Group as well: each of these actions asks you to choose your SMS header. You set it in every action that sends a text, next to the Phone Number and the Message, which are required too. The Message can mix fixed words with data from earlier steps. Run each step once at test and read what came back before you publish.
06What if the Netgsm operation you need is not there?
Check the Netgsm page on Zapier, which shows the current list of triggers, actions and searches. Today that is 1 trigger, 6 actions and 1 search: nothing to create groups or upload audio files, and no trigger for incoming calls. Sometimes a search fills part of the gap: Query SMS Report checks the delivery status of a send whose Bulk ID an earlier step carries. When nothing fits, the job needs another route than the steps Netgsm offers on Zapier.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Netgsm?
It depends on what matters most in your case. On Zapier, Netgsm brings 8 operations, a single polling trigger, and billing per successful action. If sending texts and voice messages from your other tools is the main need, and two-step Zaps are enough, the free plan is a reasonable start. If you need operations that are missing here, check what the other platforms expose for Netgsm, and compare how each one bills a run with several steps.
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