SMS, WhatsApp & voice alerts

Phone channels reach you when you're away from your laptop. SutramX sends SMS and places voice calls from its own numbers and sends WhatsApp messages from the SutramX business number, so you don't need a Twilio or Meta account. Each message or call uses one alert credit for that channel.

Before you start#

• SMS, WhatsApp and voice calls depend on your plan, and each has its own monthly credit allowance. See Plans & limits.
• Each alert uses one credit: your plan's monthly allowance first, then any extra credits you bought. See Alert credits.
• A card that shows a plan name (for example Growth plan) is locked on your current plan. A card that says Not available yet means the channel can't be used on SutramX right now; nothing needs to change on your account.
• Only the workspace owner can connect, edit or remove channels.

Set up a phone channel#

1. Go to Alerts → Channels & API in the sidebar.
2. On the SMS, WhatsApp or Voice Call card, click Connect SMS (or Connect WhatsApp, Connect Voice Call).
3. Enter the number in international format, for example +1XXXXXXXXXX.
4. Click Connect. SutramX sends a 6-digit verification code to the number: by SMS for SMS and voice connections, on WhatsApp for WhatsApp.
5. Enter the code on the connection's card and click Verify. The card then shows Verified.
6. Optionally click Send test from the connection's menu to confirm alerts arrive.

Phone channels are not tested automatically after you connect, because a test costs a credit.

Verify the number#

A number receives nothing, tests included, until someone in the workspace enters the code sent to it. Until then the card shows Unverified (or Code sent) and "Alerts to … are paused until you verify it with a 6-digit code".

Verification codes don't use alert credits. A number is verified once per workspace: an SMS number also counts as verified for voice calls and escalation steps to the same number, while WhatsApp is verified separately. Numbers connected before verification was introduced were verified automatically.

If an alert is due for a number that isn't verified, it is skipped, the skip is recorded on the incident, and the workspace owner is emailed about it.

SutramX only sends to numbers in the countries it supports, and never to premium-rate number ranges. A number outside them is rejected when you connect it, with a message to contact support@sutramx.com if you need that country.

To alert several people, add one connection per number. Each channel type allows up to 10 connections. Every connection is a separate message and uses its own credit.

Number format examples#

Leave out the leading 0 of the local number. Numbers that aren't in E.164 format are rejected with "Phone number in E.164 format (e.g. +1XXXXXXXXXX) is required".

Routing#

Each connection has its own routing. Open the connection's menu, choose Routing, then pick All monitors, Selected groups or Selected monitors and click Save routing. Routing a phone number to only your critical monitors is the easiest way to save credits.

What the messages say#

SMS#

A down alert:

[DOWN] Checkout API is DOWN
URL: https://api.example.com/health
Region: FRA1 (Frankfurt, Germany)
Detail: <failure reason>
Details: https://app.sutramx.com/dashboard/incidents/<incident id>

A recovery:

[UP] Checkout API has RECOVERED
URL: https://api.example.com/health
Downtime: 4m 12s
Details: https://app.sutramx.com/dashboard/incidents/<incident id>

If someone resolves the incident by hand, the message starts [RESOLVED] Checkout API: incident resolved manually and shows how long it was open instead of the downtime.

WhatsApp#

WhatsApp alerts use an approved WhatsApp message template with two values: the alert title (for example "Checkout API is DOWN" or "Checkout API has RECOVERED") and a link to the incident.

Voice call#

SutramX calls the number and reads the alert aloud:

• Down: "Checkout API is DOWN." followed by the failure reason.
• Recovery: "Checkout API has RECOVERED."

Escalation steps#

SMS and voice steps in an escalation policy send a different message:

• SMS: [ESCALATION step 2] Checkout API is still DOWN. followed by the incident link.
• Voice: "Escalation. Checkout API is still down."

When messages are sent#

Phone connections receive both down and recovery alerts for the monitors they're routed to, so one outage normally uses two credits per connection. They don't receive SSL, domain, maintenance or other notices.

Each event is sent once per connection. If a send is retried after a provider error, it is not sent or charged twice. If a message was never accepted by the provider after all retries, its credit is given back.

Testing#

Send test sends a real message or places a real call, and uses 1 credit:

• SMS: "SutramX SMS integration test"
• Voice: "This is a test call from Sutram X monitoring."
• WhatsApp: a test alert in the normal alert format

You can send at most 3 tests per channel type per day (rolling 24 hours). After that, Send test shows "Daily test limit reached. Try again tomorrow."

When credits run out#

When both the monthly allowance and any extra credits for a channel are used up:

1. SMS, WhatsApp or voice alerts on that channel are skipped. The skip is recorded on the incident.
2. The alert is emailed to the account owner instead.
3. The account owner gets a one-time notice that the credits are used up for this billing period.

Email and every other channel keep working. Credits reset at the start of the next billing period, or you can buy an extra credit pack from Billing. See Alert credits.

The SMS, WhatsApp and voice credits card on Alerts → Channels & API shows the credits used and remaining this period.

Troubleshooting#

• "Phone number in E.164 format… is required": add the + and country code and remove spaces, dashes and the leading 0.
• No verification code arrived: wait 60 seconds and click Resend code, or use Call me with the code on a voice connection. Check the number is right; to fix it, use Edit, which sends a new code.
• "Verify … with the code sent to it before sending a test": enter the verification code first. Tests only go to verified numbers.
• "SutramX does not send SMS, voice or WhatsApp alerts to this country yet": the number's country isn't supported. Contact support@sutramx.com if you need it.
• Test sent but nothing arrived: confirm the number can receive messages from international senders, and that WhatsApp is installed and active on that number for WhatsApp alerts.
• Connection shows Failing: the last 3 deliveries failed. Check the error shown on the connection, fix the number with Edit, then send a test.
• Alerts arrive by email instead: your credits for that channel are used up for this period.
• Card is locked: the channel isn't included in your plan. See Upgrade, downgrade & cancel.