How do I send automated text messages to multiple recipients?

April 14, 2011 10:35 AM

For a community health project, I need automated capability to send text messages to participants' phones based on a specified schedule, content and sequence of messages. The volume would be in the range of 100 recipients grouped into 6 or 8 different categories (each category would receive a distinct sequence of messages), with perhaps 2 or 3 messages per day to each recipient. Any suggestions?
posted by pavi to technology (4 answers total)

Is this by sending from a mobile phone? biteSMS allows you to schedule SMS to recipients with various recipient lists, messages, and recurrences. Though, you need to have a jailbroken iPhone for it. For Android, apps like this already exist.
posted by sub-culture at 12:04 PM on April 14, 2011

I looked a little bit in PubMed and found a study that talked about using scheduled text messages to educate patients about atopic dermatitis. The tool they used was at http://www.txtsignal.com/.
posted by lakeroon at 12:09 PM on April 14, 2011

I used an online service called Jott back when it was free. You could send a text to groups of people that you set up, might be able to schedule it. ... Apparently Jott is shutting down, so these two pages list alternatives.
http://lifehacker.com/#!5040132/free-alternatives-to-replace-jotts-functions
http://visionbeta.com/reviews-of-free-jott-alternatives/

Tangentially, I seem to remember a SMS service that send reminders and tips to new mothers - neat!
posted by jander03 at 12:58 PM on April 14, 2011

This is the OP. Thanks to all - lakeroon - txtsignal looks like exactly what I need. I'm playing around with it now. I saw that study, but wasn't as observant as you on picking up the specific sms application.
posted by pavi at 6:14 PM on April 14, 2011