Low-credit warnings and what happens when SMS runs out

Running out of SMS credits should never take you by surprise, and even when it happens, patients are not left in the dark.

The low-balance warning

When your clinic has been sending texts recently and the balance drops below 20 credits, an email is sent to your clinic's contact email address with the remaining count and a Top up SMS credits button that takes you straight to the Messaging page. You will not be nagged: the warning repeats at most once a week.

The warning goes to the clinic email address saved in your clinic settings, so make sure one is set; without it there is nowhere to send the warning.

What happens at zero

A text that would cost more credits than you have is skipped, not queued or sent on credit. Two safety nets soften this:

• The email version of the message still sends as normal; reminders, confirmations and follow-ups all have email counterparts, so the patient still hears from you.
• Every skipped text is recorded in your Messages log with status Skipped, so you can see exactly which texts did not go out. Filter the log by the Skipped status to review them.

Skipped texts are not sent retrospectively after you top up; new messages simply start sending again.

Avoiding the situation entirely

Switch on Auto top-up on the SMS credits card. With a saved card and a sensible threshold, the balance refills itself before it ever reaches the warning, and texts never stop.