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Use MoEngage via Exotel Generic SMS Plugin

Overview​

Configure MoEngage to use Exotel's generic SMS plugin for sending SMS messages as part of your customer engagement and marketing automation workflows. Exotel is added as a Generic SMS Provider in MoEngage's SMS channel settings, allowing MoEngage's campaign engine to dispatch messages through Exotel's delivery infrastructure.

Key Capabilities​

  • Route transactional and promotional SMS through Exotel from MoEngage flows and campaigns
  • Leverage MoEngage's segmentation and A/B testing while Exotel handles delivery and DLT compliance
  • Support for both single and bulk SMS triggered by user behaviour events
  • Pass personalised variables (name, coupon code, order status) via MoEngage's template engine
  • Monitor delivery reports within MoEngage using Exotel's status callback responses
  • Works across MoEngage campaign types: Push, Triggered, and Scheduled flows

Prerequisites​

  • An active Exotel account with SMS enabled; contact support@exotel.in if SMS is not yet active on your plan
  • Your Exotel Account SID, API Key, and API Token from the API Credentials section on my.exotel.com
  • A DLT-registered Sender ID and approved message templates registered on the TRAI DLT portal
  • MoEngage account with Admin or Channel Settings access
  • Recipient phone numbers stored in E.164 format (+91XXXXXXXXXX) in MoEngage's user profiles

Setup Steps​

  1. Log in to my.exotel.com and go to Settings → API Credentials. Copy your Account SID, API Key, and API Token.
  2. Identify the Exotel bulk SMS endpoint for your region. For India, the standard endpoint is https://api.exotel.com/v1/Accounts/{AccountSID}/Sms/send.
  3. In MoEngage, navigate to Settings → Channel → SMS.
  4. Click Add SMS Provider and choose Generic from the provider type list.
  5. Fill in the configuration form:
    • Provider Name: Exotel
    • API URL: the bulk SMS endpoint from step 2 with your Account SID substituted
    • HTTP Method: POST
    • Authentication: Basic Auth — API Key as username, API Token as password
    • Sender ID field: map to Exotel's From parameter using your DLT sender ID
    • Message field: map to Exotel's Body parameter
    • Recipient field: map to Exotel's To parameter
  6. Configure the response parser to read Exotel's JSON response and map the Status field so MoEngage can track delivery outcomes.
  7. Save the provider and send a test message to a verified number. Check SMS Logs in your Exotel dashboard to confirm delivery.
  8. Set the new Exotel provider as the default (or per-campaign) SMS provider in your MoEngage channel settings.

Configuration Notes​

  • MoEngage's generic SMS plugin sends requests one message at a time; use MoEngage's campaign throttling settings if you need to control send rate against Exotel's API rate limits.
  • DLT template IDs must match exactly. If MoEngage allows passing custom headers or body fields, include the DLTTemplateId parameter in the request body to ensure operator-level compliance.
  • Delivery receipts from Exotel are returned synchronously in the API response. If MoEngage requires a webhook-based delivery callback, configure the Exotel Status Callback URL in your SMS settings on my.exotel.com to point to MoEngage's callback endpoint.
  • For promotional SMS, Indian regulations restrict delivery to 9 AM – 9 PM IST. Schedule MoEngage campaigns accordingly.