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ClickSend SMS for Salesforce — Setup & User Guide

This guide covers everything needed to install, configure, and use the ClickSend SMS managed package in a Salesforce org.

Prerequisites

Before installing the integration, make sure you have:

  • Salesforce Administrator Access with permissions to install managed packages and modify page layouts.

  • An active ClickSend Account with an available SMS balance or credit line.

  • Your ClickSend API Username and API Key (found under Account → API Credentials).

  • The Package Installation URL provided by ClickSend.

Installing the package

  1. Log into your Salesforce production or sandbox org.

  2. Paste the installation URL into your browser address bar and press Enter:

    https://login.salesforce.com/packaging/installPackage.apexp?p0=04tXXXXXXXXXXX

  3. On the package installation screen, select Install for All Users.

  4. Check the box to approve third-party API access and click Yes, grant access.

  5. Click Install. (Installation typically takes one to three minutes).

  6. Salesforce will send an email confirmation once the installation completes.

Verify the install: Go to Setup → Installed Packages and verify that ClickSend SMS appears in your list with the latest version number.

Configuring API credentials

Connect the plugin to your ClickSend account before sending any messages:

  1. Open the Salesforce App Launcher (the nine-dot icon in the top left) and search for ClickSend SMS.

  2. Select the ClickSend Settings tab.

  3. Click New (or click Edit if a record already exists).

  4. Fill in the following settings:

Field

What to Enter

Name

A label for this account (e.g., your ClickSend email address)

Username

Your ClickSend account username (usually your email address)

API Key

Your ClickSend API key (copy carefully with no spaces)

Is Default

Tick this box if this should be your primary sending account

5. Click Save.
​

Verification: If the credentials fail to validate, double-check your API key inside your ClickSend Dashboard under Account → API Credentials.

Setting up the SMS Composer on contact records

The ClickSend SMS Composer component allows users to draft and send SMS directly from a Contact's record page.
​

Note: The SMS Composer component is designed for Contact records only.

  1. Open any Contact record in your org.

  2. Click the Setup Gear icon (⚙) in the top right and select Edit Page.

  3. In the Lightning App Builder left sidebar, scroll down to the Custom components section.

  4. Locate the ClickSend SMS Composer component.

  5. Drag and drop it onto the page layout (recommended: right column or above/below the record details).

  6. Click Save.

  7. In the activation modal, select Activate → Assign as Org Default → Save.

  8. Click ← Back to return to the Contact record.

Setting up the SMS Conversation View (Inbox) on contact records

The ClickSend SMS Inbox provides a live, two-way conversational thread showing both inbound and outbound messages.

  1. Open any Contact record.

  2. Click Setup (⚙) → Edit Page.

  3. In the Custom section of the left component palette, find ClickSend SMS Inbox.

  4. Drag it onto the page canvas (ideally directly adjacent to or beneath the ClickSend SMS Composer).

  5. Click Save. (If already activated as Org Default, you do not need to re-activate).

  6. Click ← Back to exit Lightning App Builder.

Features of the Inbox:

  • Outbound Messages: Displayed on the right in dark bubbles.

  • Inbound Replies: Displayed on the left in light bubbles.

  • Timestamps: Every message displays date and time.

  • Auto-Refresh: The conversation pane refreshes every 30 seconds automatically without requiring a browser reload.
    ​

Setting up the SMS Quick Action

Add the Send SMS action button to the Contact highlights panel for quick, pop-up sending:

  1. Go to Setup → Object Manager → Contact → Page Layouts.

  2. Click Edit on your active Contact page layout.

  3. In the top palette, select Mobile & Lightning Actions.

  4. Locate the Send SMS action.

  5. Drag Send SMS into the Salesforce Mobile and Lightning Experience Actions section.

  6. Click Save.
    ​

Important: Do not add the action named Send SMS (Legacy). Ensure you select only Send SMS.

Sending SMS from a contact record

Method A: using the SMS Composer panel

  1. Open the Contact record.

  2. Locate the ClickSend SMS Composer panel on the page.

  3. The recipient's phone number auto-fills from the MobilePhone or Phone field.

  4. Select your ClickSend Account (if using multiple accounts).

  5. (Optional) Select a From Number (dedicated number or approved alphanumeric sender ID). Leave blank to use your account default.

  6. Type your message. The character and segment counter updates automatically in real time.

  7. Click Send.

Method B: using the Quick Action modal

  1. Open the Contact record.

  2. Click the Send SMS button in the top action bar.

  3. Fill out the Account, From Number, and Message fields.

  4. Click Send.

Tracking sent messages:

  • Inbox Component: Displays the message bubble instantly in the conversation thread.

  • Related List: Creates a ClickSend Message record under the Contact with status, direction, and timestamp details.
    ​

Setting up inbound SMS (two-way messaging)

To receive customer replies back into Salesforce, configure a public Salesforce Site to act as a webhook receiver.
​

Step 1: Register a Salesforce Site domain (if not already done)

  1. Go to Setup → search for Sites in Quick Find → select Sites.

  2. If prompted to register a domain, enter a subdomain (e.g., yourcompany-sms) and click Register My Salesforce Site Domain.

Step 2: Create the inbound site

  1. On the Sites setup page, click New.

  2. Fill in the site details:

    • Site Label: ClickSend SMS Inbound

    • Site Name: ClickSend_SMS_Inbound

    • Active: Checked (Yes)

    • Active Site Home Page: Select any default page (e.g., InMaintenance or UnderConstruction)

  3. Click Save, then click Activate on the site detail page.

Step 3: Grant guest user Apex class access

  1. On the site detail page, click Public Access Settings.

  2. Scroll to the Enabled Apex Class Access section and click Edit.

  3. Move ClickSendSMS.ClickSendInboundController from Available to Enabled.

  4. Click Save.

Step 4: Register the webhook with ClickSend

  1. Navigate to the ClickSend Settings tab in the App Launcher.

  2. Open your configured ClickSend Settings record.

  3. Click Generate Token. The generated URL will follow this pattern:

    https://[your-domain].my.salesforce-sites.com/services/apexrest/ClickSendSMS/clicksend

  4. Click Register with ClickSend. This registers the webhook endpoint with ClickSend to route inbound replies directly to your Salesforce org.
    ​

Critical check: The webhook URL must contain .salesforce-sites.com (public site), not .salesforce.com (internal domain). If it contains .salesforce.com, your site is inactive or missing.

Bulk SMS from list views (contacts & leads)

Send mass SMS directly from Contact or Lead list views using Salesforce batch processing.
​

One-time setup: enable the button on list views

  1. Go to Setup → Object Manager → Contact (or Lead).

  2. Click Search Layouts (or List View Button Layout).

  3. Click Edit next to List View.

  4. Under Custom Buttons, move Send SMS into Selected Buttons.

  5. Click Save.

How to send bulk SMS:

  1. Navigate to the Contacts or Leads tab and choose a list view.

  2. Select the contacts using the checkboxes, or check the header box to select the page.

  3. Click the Send SMS button in the list header.

  4. Select your ClickSend Account, choose an optional From Number, and enter your message.

  5. Click Send.
    ​

Good to know: Recipients without a valid phone number (Phone and MobilePhone blank) are automatically skipped without halting the batch job.

Salesforce Flow automation

Automate SMS messaging within Screen Flows, Record-Triggered Flows, and Scheduled Flows using ClickSend's native Flow actions.
​

ClickSend Account Picker (screen component)

Drop the ClickSend Account Picker onto any Screen element to let users choose which ClickSend account to send from. It outputs the selected account's username.
​

Single SMS action (Send SMS via ClickSend)

Sends a single text message to one phone number or Contact record.

Inputs:

Parameter

Type

Required

Description

Account Username

Text

Yes

ClickSend username/email (use output from Account Picker)

Phone Number / Contact ID

Text / ID

Yes

Target phone number or Contact ID

Message Body

Text

Yes

SMS body copy

From Number

Text

No

Dedicated sender number or approved alphanumeric tag

Outputs:

Output Variable

Type

Description

smsSendSuccess

Boolean

Returns true if accepted by ClickSend

smsSendError

Text

Returns error description if the send failed

Bulk SMS action (Send Bulk SMS via ClickSend)

Sends one message to a collection of Contacts in a single API call after collecting IDs with a loop.

⚠️ Best Practice: Place the Send Bulk SMS action after the Loop finishes (on the After Last path). Never place the action inside the loop body, as doing so burns through API limits and triggers per-record calls.
​

Recommended bulk flow architecture:

[Screen: Account Picker]         ↓  [Screen: Message Input]         ↓  [Get Records: Target Contacts]         ↓  [Loop: Target Contacts] ──(For Each)──> [Assignment: Add Contact.Id to Text Collection]         ↓ (After Last) [Action: Send Bulk SMS via ClickSend]         ↓  [Screen: Results Summary]

Bulk limits:

  • Flow Get Records Limit: Maximum 2,000 records per flow execution.

  • ClickSend API Limit: Maximum 1,000 recipients per single bulk payload.

  • For lists exceeding 2,000 recipients, use List View Bulk SMS instead.
    ​

Multi-account support

If your business manages multiple ClickSend sub-accounts (e.g., across departments, regions, or brands):

  1. Go to App Launcher → ClickSend Settings.

  2. Click New to configure each additional account.

  3. Give each record a recognizable Name (e.g., Support Desk, Sales AU).

  4. Ensure Is Default is ticked for exactly one account.

  5. In the SMS Composer or Flow Picker, users can switch between accounts. Sender IDs and phone numbers will update dynamically according to the selected account.
    ​

Legacy quick actions

You may notice buttons labelled Send SMS (Legacy) in your layout palette.

Item

Status

Recommendation

Send SMS

Current & Supported

Add to all Contact page layouts

Send SMS (Legacy)

Deprecated

Remove from layouts to avoid confusion

Why are legacy actions still there? Salesforce packaging rules require deprecated components to remain in managed packages during upgrades to prevent breaking older layouts.

How to remove legacy actions:

  1. Go to Setup → Object Manager → Contact (and Lead) → Page Layouts.

  2. Click Edit on your page layout.

  3. Under Salesforce Mobile and Lightning Experience Actions, drag Send SMS (Legacy) out of the action bar back to the top palette.

  4. Click Save.
    ​

Troubleshooting & FAQs

The SMS Composer or Inbox component is missing from the record

  • Cause: Components are not auto-added upon package installation.

  • Solution: Follow Sections 4 and 5 using Lightning App Builder to place the components on your Contact layout.

  • Note: These components only exist for the Contact object.

The "Send SMS" button is missing from list views

  • Solution: Navigate to Setup → Object Manager → Contact/Lead → Search Layouts → List View and add Send SMS to the Selected Buttons list.

Inbound replies are not appearing in the inbox

Check the following in order:

  1. Webhook Registration: In ClickSend Settings, confirm the token was generated and registered successfully.

  2. Site Status: In Setup → Sites, make sure ClickSend SMS Inbound is set to Active.

  3. Guest User Security: In Site Public Access Settings → Apex Class Access, verify ClickSendSMS.ClickSendInboundController is enabled.

  4. Number Routing: In your ClickSend Dashboard, confirm your inbound rule routes replies to the registered webhook endpoint.

"Session expired or invalid" error on webhook URL

  • Cause: The URL was generated using an internal domain (.salesforce.com) rather than the public site domain.

  • Solution: Activate your Salesforce Site first, then return to ClickSend Settings and click Generate Token again. The URL should end in .salesforce-sites.com.

Quick reference cheat sheet

Task

Navigation Path

Install Package

Paste managed package install URL → Install for All Users

Add API Credentials

App Launcher → ClickSend SMS → ClickSend Settings → New

Add Composer to Page

Contact Record → Gear (⚙) → Edit Page → Drag ClickSend SMS Composer

Add Inbox to Page

Contact Record → Gear (⚙) → Edit Page → Drag ClickSend SMS Inbox

Add Quick Action

Setup → Object Manager → Contact → Page Layouts → Add Send SMS

Enable Bulk SMS

Setup → Object Manager → Contact/Lead → Search Layouts → List View → Add Send SMS

Configure Inbound Webhook

Setup → Sites → Create Site & Grant Apex Access → Register in ClickSend Settings

Send Single SMS via Flow

Flow Builder → Screen (Account Picker) → Action: Send SMS via ClickSend

Send Bulk SMS via Flow

Flow Builder → Loop Contact IDs → After Last → Action: Send Bulk SMS via ClickSend

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