How to Send Bulk Personalized SMS from a Salesforce List View

TL;DR: Salesforce List View Bulk SMS Data & Setup

Market Data: Email open rates have stalled at 20% with click-through rates under 3%. In contrast, SMS achieves 98% open rates and 45% response rates. 90% of text messages are read within three minutes.

Technical Requirements: Sending bulk SMS from Salesforce requires the Professional Edition or higher, API access, and the Kixie PowerCall Chrome/Edge extension.

Configuration: Admins must modify the Task object by editing the Type picklist to include "Incoming SMS" and "Outgoing SMS". Field Accessibility must be enabled for all profiles. Phone, MobilePhone, and Direct fields must be added to Lead/Contact List View columns and Search Layouts.

Automation: For zero-touch automation, use Salesforce Flow with an HTTP Callout (POST) to https://apig.kixie.com/app/event. The JSON payload requires businessid, apikey, target, eventname ("sms"), and message.

Compliance: A2P 10DLC registration is mandatory for US carriers. Failure to register results in "silent blocking" where messages appear sent in logs but are not delivered.

Analytics: The primary KPI is Response Rate, calculated as (Total Incoming SMS / Total Outbound SMS) x 100. The target benchmark is 30% to 45%.

Comparison graph of email vs SMS performance

Why Bulk Personalized SMS Outperforms Email for Salesforce Users

Salesforce users operating in high-velocity sales environments currently face a crisis of efficacy with traditional outreach methods. For nearly twenty years, email functioned as the primary communication channel for business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) strategies because it was scalable and cost-effective. However, the current digital market environment has shifted. The "Attention Economy" now renders email less effective for immediate engagement due to oversaturated inboxes, aggressive spam filtering by providers like Google and Microsoft, and consumer fatigue.

Industry data highlights this decline. Analyses indicate that email open rates have stalled at an average of 20% across sectors, while click-through rates rarely exceed 3%. This creates a bottleneck for sales development representatives (SDRs) and account executives (AEs) who need timely responses to advance opportunities. Consequently, Short Message Service (SMS) has become a critical tool for modern revenue teams.

SMS offers immediacy that email lacks. Research shows SMS open rates reach 98%, which is statistically nearly five times higher than email. Furthermore, 90% of SMS messages are read within three minutes of delivery. This metric, known as "Speed to Read," directly influences "Speed to Lead." Engagement depth is also superior, with SMS response rates averaging 45% compared to 6% for email. For a Salesforce user reviewing a "Lead List View," selecting SMS over email is a decision based on mathematical probability and conversion potential.

Limitations of Native Salesforce List Views for Bulk SMS

Operationalizing bulk SMS within the Salesforce ecosystem often presents challenges because the platform is primarily a System of Record (SoR). Salesforce architecture focuses on record storage and relationship mapping rather than high-velocity outbound engagement. While features like "Sales Engagement" exist, they contain inherent restrictions that limit the agility required by modern sales teams.

A primary constraint involves volume and workflow friction. Native Salesforce tools often cap usage or force users into "Quick Send" workflows not intended for true bulk list processing. Sending a message to 50 leads typically requires moving away from the list view into a campaign wizard or a separate interface. This disruption breaks the sales representative's focus. The mental energy lost when switching between tabs or interfaces is a significant drain on productivity.

Additionally, the native "Messaging Session" object in Salesforce is stateful. It is built to manage customer service interactions that have a defined start and end. If a sales representative sends a bulk SMS blast to 100 people, it creates 100 open "Messaging Sessions." This action can overwhelm the Omni-Channel routing engine and block the pipelines intended for inbound support cases. Due to this architectural mismatch, administrators often restrict SMS access to prevent disruptions to Service Cloud operations.

The Kixie Integration for Salesforce List View Bulk SMS

Kixie addresses the limitations of native Salesforce texting by functioning as a "Sidecar System of Engagement." In this configuration, Kixie overlays an engagement layer on top of the Salesforce data layer rather than attempting to replace it. Using a browser extension compatible with Chrome and Edge, combined with a bi-directional API sync, Kixie reads the data displayed on the Salesforce List View. This allows the user to act on the data without leaving the page.

This integration offers specific advantages for bulk SMS workflows:

Context Retention: The sales representative stays on the Salesforce List View. They view their configured columns, such as Lead Status, Last Activity, and Industry. When they initiate the bulk SMS, they retain full visibility of this context, which ensures the recipient selection is accurate.
Stateless Logging: Unlike native Messaging Sessions, Kixie logs SMS interactions as "Completed Tasks" within the Salesforce Activity History. By utilizing the standard Task object, the system ensures the System of Record remains accurate. It logs "Outgoing SMS" and "Incoming SMS" responses without consuming Omni-Channel capacity or creating stateful objects that require manual closure.
Dynamic Personalization: The browser extension extracts field data, such as First Name, directly from the rendered HTML or fetches it via the API. This enables the use of variables like [fname] in a bulk broadcast, ensuring that hundreds of messages sent simultaneously appear customized to each recipient.

Configuring Salesforce List Views for Bulk Personalized SMS

A Salesforce environment requires specific configuration before a user can utilize a List View for bulk SMS. These setup steps form the foundation that ensures every text message is logged, trackable, and compliant. If these steps are missed, data silos may occur where SMS activity exists in the dialer but remains invisible to the CRM reporting engine.

Integration Foundation and API Access

The integration requires the Salesforce Professional edition (or higher) with API access enabled. The initial connection occurs via the Kixie dashboard, where a Salesforce Administrator authorizes the OAuth handshake. This action permits the application to create, read, and update records within the Salesforce instance.

Modifying the Task Object

To log SMS activity correctly, the Task object must be customized. This step allows managers to distinguish a text message from a phone call or a generic task. Administrators must go to Salesforce Setup > Object Manager and select the Task object. In the Fields & Relationships section, the Type picklist field requires editing. Administrators must add specific values: Incoming SMS and Outgoing SMS.

Once these values are added, the Field Accessibility settings must be reviewed. These new picklist values must be visible to all profiles using the system (e.g., Standard User, System Administrator, Sales User). If the "Incoming SMS" value is hidden from the Standard User profile, the API will fail to write the log entry to Salesforce, creating a gap in the activity history.

Phone Number Field Visibility

The browser extension functions by scanning the web page to identify phone numbers. For the backend integration to associate a phone number with the correct Salesforce Record ID, specific phone number fields must be exposed. Administrators should ensure fields such as Phone, MobilePhone, and Direct are added to the columns in the Lead List View and Contact List View. Additionally, these fields should be included in the default view within the "Search Layouts" configuration. If a mobile number is hidden from the search layout, the match rate decreases, which may lead to unlogged tasks.

Executing Bulk Personalized SMS from a Salesforce List View

The workflow for sending bulk SMS mirrors the efficiency of "Power Dialing" but applies it to asynchronous messaging. This process changes the Salesforce List View from a static table into an outreach command center.

Step 1: Loading and Filtering the List View
The user begins in the native Salesforce interface under the Leads or Contacts tab. The user selects a List View that represents a specific cohort, such as "Leads - Untouched - Last 7 Days." The filter logic might define Status as 'New' and verify the Mobile Phone field is not empty. It is vital to ensure the List View displays the Name column for personalization and the Phone column. Keeping list views to 50-100 records per page typically yields the best browser performance.

Step 2: Engaging the Overlay
Once the list renders, the user opens the extension panel. The system's algorithms detect the phone numbers displayed in the rows. The user then clicks Select All within the extension interface. This action captures every valid phone number visible on the page, parsing the HTML and queuing the contacts for engagement.

Step 3: Crafting the Message
Personalization is essential to avoid spam filters. In the composition window, the user selects a pre-approved template. The syntax uses internal tagging, such as [fname], [lname], and [email]. When the user selects a template containing Hi [fname], the engine performs a real-time mapping. It swaps the token for the data in the Salesforce First Name field before dispatch. Users must ensure their List View filter logic excludes records where the First Name is blank.

Step 4: Execution and Automated Logging
Upon sending, the system queues the messages. Large lists may trigger throttling to ensure carrier compliance. As each message is sent, the API pushes a task to Salesforce with the subject SMS Sent: [Message Snippet], the type Outgoing SMS, and a status of Completed. This creates a permanent record in the Activity Timeline.

Scaling Bulk Personalized SMS Beyond the Salesforce List View

Enterprise operations often require automation beyond manual clicks. Salesforce Flow and advanced list management features can facilitate this scale.

PowerLists for High Volume

For teams managing thousands of leads, manually selecting pages is inefficient. The "PowerList" feature functions as a wrapper around a contact list. Users can utilize Zapier or APIs to feed a Salesforce List View into a PowerList.

Trigger: A Lead enters a specific status or List View in Salesforce.
Action: A Salesforce Flow or Zapier automation detects this change.
API Call: The automation fires the "Add to Powerlist" API call, sending the Lead's phone number to the queue.
Result: The lead appears in the agent's dialer automatically, allowing them to use the SMS function without manual searching.

Fully Automated SMS via Salesforce Flow

For transactional messages, such as demo confirmations, Salesforce Flow can interact directly with the API. Administrators can create a Record-Triggered Flow that fires on Lead Creation. This flow uses an HTTP Callout (POST) action to communicate with the endpoint: https://apig.kixie.com/app/event.

The Flow constructs a JSON packet requiring the following structure:

businessid: The unique account identifier.
apikey: The security token.
target: The destination phone number (mapped from {!$Record.Phone}).
eventname: This must be set to "sms".
message: The content of the text, utilizing Salesforce variables for personalization.

This setup ensures the SMS is sent milliseconds after the lead is created.

A2P 10DLC Compliance for Salesforce List View Bulk SMS

Sending bulk SMS requires adherence to strict regulations. The telecommunications market is governed by the A2P 10DLC (Application-to-Person 10-Digit Long Code) framework, mandated by US carriers to protect consumers from spam.

Registration and Trust Scores
A2P 10DLC requires businesses to register their "Brand" and "Campaigns." The Campaign Registry assigns a "Trust Score" based on this registration. This score dictates the "Throughput Limit," defining how many messages a business can send per day and per second. A low score might limit a business to 2,000 messages a day, while a high score allows for significantly more.

Consequences of Non-Compliance
If a business attempts to send bulk SMS from a Salesforce List View without registering, carriers will block the traffic. The messages will appear as "Sent" in Salesforce logs, but they will never reach the consumer. This "Silent Blocking" is the primary cause of failed SMS campaigns in unregistered setups.

Content Best Practices
To ensure delivery, businesses should avoid public URL shorteners like bit.ly, which carriers flag as high-risk. Additionally, compliance requires respecting "STOP" requests. The system handles this keyword at the carrier level, but best practice involves configuring a Salesforce Flow to listen for an Incoming SMS task with the body "STOP" and automatically updating the Salesforce Email Opt Out field.

Tracking Bulk Personalized SMS from List Views in Salesforce

Because the integration logs activity back to the Salesforce Task object, Salesforce Reports & Dashboards serves as the central hub for analytics.

Creating the SMS Performance Report

Administrators should create a new report based on the Tasks and Events report type to track List View efficacy.

Filter Logic: Task Type equals Outgoing SMS, Incoming SMS. Date equals Current Fiscal Quarter.
Grouping: Group by Assigned Role to monitor user utilization. Group by Account or Lead Source to identify responsive segments.

The Response Rate Metric

While "Open Rate" is standard for email, it is difficult to track for SMS. Therefore, Response Rate is the primary Key Performance Indicator (KPI). Administrators can create a Summary Formula in the Salesforce Report:

        Response Rate = (Total Incoming SMS / Total Outbound SMS) x 100
    

A healthy benchmark for cold SMS outreach falls between 30% and 45%. If the rate drops below 10%, it suggests issues with data quality, aggressive content, or incorrect targeting.

Strategic Comparison: Native Salesforce List Views vs. Kixie Bulk SMS

Salesforce provides the foundational data, while Kixie supplies the operational agility. The following points summarize the strategic differences between the two approaches for bulk SMS.

Bulk Quick Send:
Native Salesforce does not support this efficiently. The integrated approach supports it fully.

Bulk Sending Limit:
Native Salesforce limits users based on "Messaging Sessions" and architecture. The integrated approach uses automated "Speed to Lead" and webhooks.

Data Logging:
Native Salesforce uses the stateful "MessagingSession" object. The integrated approach uses the stateless "Completed Task" object.

System Infrastructure:
Native Salesforce bulk sending can consume Omni-Channel capacity. The integrated approach acts as a sidecar system that does not impact support routing.

Setup Requirements:
Native solutions often require Digital Engagement licenses and complex namespace configurations. The integrated solution requires a static DID, A2P 10DLC registration, and Task object modification.

Implementing bulk personalized SMS from Salesforce List Views creates a necessary channel for high-velocity teams. By connecting Salesforce's data structure with an agile SMS tool, revenue teams establish a method of engagement that outperforms email. The process of loading the list, engaging the extension, and sending customized templates streamlines operations, ensuring that leads in the "Untouched" list receive immediate attention.