Why Twilio?
Twilio handles the actual SMS delivery. Groundbase connects to your Twilio account using credentials you provide. We never see your messages or your Twilio password — your credentials are encrypted with your operating system's keychain (Windows DPAPI or macOS Keychain).
01 — Create a Twilio account
Sign up at twilio.com/try-twilio. Free trial accounts will let you sign up and explore the Twilio console, but Groundbase does not allow sending SMS from trial accounts — see step 2 for why. You'll need a paid Twilio account before sending.
02 — Why we block trial accounts entirely
Twilio trial accounts prepend "Sent from your Twilio trial account - " to every outbound message. Every recipient sees this on every message — there's no way to disable it on Twilio's side. For professional outreach, this destroys your credibility before they read a word of what you wrote.
Example of what your recipient sees: "Sent from your Twilio trial account - Hi Sarah, just confirming our 3pm meeting tomorrow."
Groundbase refuses to send any SMS from a trial account to protect your reputation. To send normally, upgrade to a paid Twilio account — separate from your Groundbase license. Twilio bills you per message, typically ~$0.0079 per US SMS segment.
03 — Buy a phone number
From the Twilio console, navigate to Phone Numbers → Manage → Buy a number. Pick a number in the area code you want (typically your own area code or your customers'). US numbers cost ~$1.15/month. Save the number — you'll paste it in the form above as your sender number.
04 — A2P 10DLC registration (US numbers only)
US carriers now require business registration for outbound commercial SMS — this is the A2P 10DLC program. Without it, US carriers may filter or block your messages.
From the Twilio console: Messaging → Regulatory Compliance → A2P 10DLC. Register your business (takes 1–3 business days for approval), then attach your phone number to the approved campaign.
Canadian and international numbers don't need 10DLC — skip this step. Twilio's full A2P 10DLC guide.
05 — Find your Account SID + Auth Token
From the main Twilio console dashboard, scroll to the "Account Info" panel. Both values are right there:
Account SID: starts with AC… (34 characters)
Auth Token: 32-character hex string (click "Show" to reveal)
Treat the Auth Token like a password — anyone with it can send SMS on your account's dime.
06 — Paste into Groundbase
Copy your Account SID, Auth Token, and the phone number you bought (in E.164 format, e.g. +14155551234) into the form on the Twilio settings page. Hit "Save credentials" — Groundbase verifies the credentials with Twilio before saving. Once green, SMS works from Compose, Bulk SMS, and the per-contact SMS tab.