Creating a bot integration with the Twilio channel

You can create a bot integration with the Twilio channel when you deploy a chatbot on IBM RPA on premises.

Before you begin

Requirements:

  1. Create a chatbot instance. See Creating a chatbot instance for instructions.
  2. Create a chat mapping for your chatbot script. See Creating a chat mapping for instructions.
  3. Create a Twilio account External link.
  4. Get a Twilio phone number with SMS capability.

Procedure

Create a TwiML application

  1. Open the Twilio Console External link.
  2. Click Create new TwiML App. Fill the fields according to the following values:
    • In the Friendly Name field, enter a name for your TwiML app.
    • In the Voice Configuration section, leave the Request URL empty.
    • In the Messaging Configuration section, define the Request URL to https://sms.botframework.com/api/sms.
  3. Click Create.

Add a phone number to Twilio

Follow the instructions in "Adding a Verified Phone Number or Caller ID with Twilio External link" to add a phone number to Twilio. As result, you can see your verified number in Verified Caller IDs page on Twilio Console.

Define TwiML app to use for messaging

  1. Open the Twilio Console External link.
  2. In the Phone Numbers > Active numbers, click the number that you want.
  3. In the Configure > Messaging section, from the Configure With list, select TwiML App.
  4. From the TwiML APP list, select the TwiML app that you created.
  5. Click Save.
  6. Optional: Go to Active Numbers again to review the active configuration defined.

Gather credentials from Twilio

  1. Open the Twilio Console External link.
  2. In Account Info, copy and save the following data from the project dashboard:
    • Account SID
    • Auth Token

Enter Twilio credentials in the Azure portal

  1. Open the Azure portal External link.
  2. Go to your resources and click the Azure Bot you want.
  3. In the Settings menu, click Channels.
  4. In the list of available channels, click Twilio (SMS).
  5. Enter the Twilio data and credentials as you saved before:
    • Phone Number
    • Account SID
    • Auth Token
  6. Click Apply to save your configuration.

What to do next

Test your chatbot connection with Twilio by sending an SMS message to your Twilio number. It must send a message back to you after it receives your message.