Getting Started
Platform Overview
engageSPARK is a self-service platform that enables anyone to build interactive automated phone calls (IVR) and two-way SMS campaigns. You’ll quickly discover how easy it is to create Surveys, Auto Replies, Blasts or Information Services, Drip Campaigns, and Hotlines.
- Reach out people in over 200 countries. We are integrated with telcos worldwide with Voice virtual numbers in 90+ countries and SMS virtual numbers in 50+ countries.
- No tech skills or training required. Our goal is to enable anyone to create and launch SMS or Voice campaigns within minutes.
- Our service is pay-per-use, meaning we charge only per SMS or per voice call minute and per virtual number. We have no contracts, no minimums, and no subscription plans.
Setting up an account
Site tour
Reports
Engagement wizards
Voice engagement types
SMS engagement types
Video tutorials
Adding funds
Getting a local phone number to launch 2-way SMS or IVR
Uploading contacts
Creating organizations and adding users
Setting up an account
Signing up is free and easy to do. Simply fill out your basic information details. No credit card or payment info is required. Immediately test the IVR and SMS service with the free credits you’ll receive once you set up an account.
Campaign Wizard
Our three-step campaign wizards will be your setup assistant to quickly create 1-way or 2-way SMS and Automated Calls (IVR) program. When logged in to your account, go to the Campaigns Page and click New Campaign. Choose from the different Campaign types: SMS Blast Campaign, Drip Campaign, SMS Survey, or Voice IVR Survey. You’ll then see the 3-step Campaign Wizard as below:
❶ Content | Upload mp3s or record audio for Voice-related campaigns; or enter the message for SMS-related campaigns. |
❷ Contacts | Select contacts OR incorporate a Missed Call and/or SMS Opt-in to let people subscribe to your engagements. More about Step 2 » |
❸ Confirm | Schedule your messages immediately or in the future. Enter your organization’s registered Sender ID/Caller ID or set the outbound or ‘send’ network here. Click Launch to set the engagement live or save it as a draft. More about Step 3 » |
View Reports
Analytics and statistics on audience responses are available real-time to quickly get actionable insights. View detailed reports for an in-depth analysis of the engagement results. Click Reports under Actions in the Engagement dashboard. Learn more »
Learn from video tutorials
Visit our YouTube page to watch demo videos and webinar recordings. Check out the following video tutorials:
IVR Advanced – Sophisticated IVR Survey / Voice Poll. Watch a video »
IVR Simple – Simple IVR Hotline / Automated Call. Watch a video »
Manage Contacts – Bulk Contacts Upload and Smart Groups. Watch a video »
Voice engagements
Wizard |
Description |
Sample Uses |
Push out calls using pre-recorded voice messages, immediately or scheduled. Learn more » |
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![]() IVR Simple |
Provide or retrieve information in a voice menu. People can answer by pressing keys during the call or by leaving a spoken response. Learn more » |
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![]() IVR Advanced |
Build sophisticated surveys with jump logic and autoupdate of contact information. View and listen to answers in the engagement Report. Learn more » |
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SMS engagements
Wizard |
Description |
Sample Uses |
![]() SMS Blast |
Send information via SMS text, immediately or scheduled. Learn more » |
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![]() Curriculum |
Schedule a series of SMS text messages spread out over time. Learn more » |
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![]() SMS Poll |
Conduct quick SMS surveys. Participants reply with the pre-defined keywords that correspond to their answer. Learn more » |
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![]() Auto-Reply |
Get users to send an SMS keyword and the system automatically reply with information you specified. Learn more » |
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![]() Webhook |
Manage data on your own server, but send and receive SMS via simple API integration. Learn more » |
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Add funds or credits
Different payment methods are available to top-up your engageSPARK account. To add funds, click on the Avatar and go to Billing (or click the Balance Amount on the top right corner of the page). Then select your payment method: credit card (Visa, Mastercard and American Express), PayPal, bank transfer or Western Union.
Enable Low Balance Notifications to receive an email alert to know when to top up your Balance and ensure you have enough funds to cover the cost for sending SMS or Voice messages.
Get a local phone number to launch two-way SMS or Voice campaigns
In order to create two-way SMS (e.g. SMS Polls and Auto-Replies) or IVR engagements with Missed Call/SMS Opt-ins you either need to purchase a Virtual Phone Number OR have an android phone with our Android Relay App installed to get a local number people can dial or send SMS messages to.
A local phone number is not required if you simply want to push out Voice IVR calls or send SMS (outbound) without requiring people to text back. But if you want to receive missed calls or receive SMS (inbound), a virtual number or android relay app is needed. How to buy a virtual number »
How to upload contacts
Either add each contact manually on the Contacts page or on Step 2 of the engagement wizard or save time with bulk upload by using the Contacts Excel template.
Upload millions of contacts in one go!
- Go to Contacts page
- Click Upload Contacts button
- Download Excel Template
- Read and follow instructions and tips before uploading contacts
- Populate the spreadsheet with contact data, then save as .xlsx file
- Select file to upload
- Then click Upload Contacts button and wait for the upload to finish.
Important Notes:
- Only numbers in international format (with country code) are accepted. Avoid using a hyphen (-) when entering phone numbers.
- Do not change default column headers. Otherwise, upload errors may occur.
- Only the first sheet of the excel file is read by our system.
Add Users to Organization
Your staff or team can easily work together with the platform by setting up an Organization account. Simply add them as users to send an invitation and once the invitation is accepted, the new users will have access to your account and/or campaign reports. For now, you’ll need to reach out to our customer support if you want a team member to be added to your existing organization/s. You can chat with us through our live chat facility or send us an email at HelpTeam@engageSPARK.com.
Later on, you will be able to add new users on your own within the platform.
To create a new organization, go click here to learn how »
Get help and support
Explore support articles and find out answers to the most frequently asked questions about using the platform.
Need a little extra help? Don’t worry—we’re easy to reach and always happy to help! Use our live chat tool or drop us amessage here.