NOTE: There are two ways to integrate Rock RMS with Clearstream. You can use just one, or both, depending on what you'd like to do.
In this article, we'll show you how to configure the Clearstream SMS Transport plugin for Rock RMS, which will allow you to send texts in Rock using your Clearstream account's short code and/or long code.
First, install the Clearstream SMS Transport plugin from the Rock Shop. The plugin can be found in the Communications category.
After the installation, you'll need to configure the plugin. To speed things up, you can watch this video walkthrough. Or, follow the written instructions below.
NOTE: If you are using subaccounts in Clearstream, you'll also want to read this article: Using the Rock RMS Plugin with Subaccounts.
Configure Clearstream
Log in to your Clearstream account and create an API key and webhook. You will need to be on a paid Clearstream plan to create an API Key.
Step 1: Create an API Key
Navigate to Settings > API Keys.
Generate a new API key with the following configuration:
Name: Rock RMS
Copy this API key. You'll need it when configuring Rock.
Contact support to raise your API limits. If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to send very many texts from Rock.
Step 2: Create a Webhook
Navigate to Settings > Webhooks.
Create a new webhook with the following configuration:
Event: text.received
Endpoint URL: https://<Your Rock URL>/Webhooks/Clearstream.ashx
Configure Rock
Log in to your Rock account and configure the transport and your phone numbers.
Step 1: Communication Transport
Navigate to Admin Tools > Communications > Communication Transports.
Select "Clearstream" from the list and configure the following options:
Active. Must be set to Yes.
API Key. Your Clearstream API key that you created above.
Message Header Setting. In most cases, you'll want to set this to "Use account's default header". Then, whenever you send a text in Rock, the default header for your Clearstream account will be prepended as follows: "[Your Church Name]: Hi there!". You can disable the message header if you're using a dedicated short code.
Custom Message Header. If you select "Use custom header" above, you can specify the header here, instead of in your Clearstream account.
Throttling. Amount of time in milliseconds to wait between sending texts. Require to avoid hitting rate limits. Defaults to 50ms.
Override Opt-outs. Whether to override opt-outs in Clearstream. If this option is set to No, an outgoing text will fail if a subscriber is opted-out in Clearstream. Setting this to Yes is useful if a subscriber is opted-out but you still want to be able to send a text to them from within Rock, such as in response to a keyword or a one-time notification. This option is only available to accounts using dedicated short codes.
Step 2: Communication Medium
Navigate Admin Tools > Communications > Communication Mediums.
Select "SMS" and update the following options:
Active. Must be set to Yes.
Character Limit. Clearstream has a character limit of 765 for outgoing texts, which includes the message header.
Transport Container. Must be set to Clearstream.
Step 3: System Phone Number
Navigate to Admin Tools > Communications > System Phone Numbers.
Click the plus symbol to add a new phone number:
Value. The long code or short code in your Clearstream account. Must be in the format +12005551234 (for long codes) 55498 (for short codes).
Description. Can be whatever you want to help you recognize this number.
Active. Must be checked.
Enable Response Recipient Forwarding. This setting is optional. We recommend setting it to no, unless you're familiar with this Rock feature. More info.
That's it! The plugin is now configured properly.