How To Set Up 160.com.au In Zapier
This guide walks through connecting your 160.com.au account to Zapier and building your first Zap that sends an SMS. It takes about five minutes. You need a 160.com.au account with credit, a Zapier account (the free plan is enough to start) and your SMS Secret, which is on the Profile page of your 160.com.au account. For an overview of what the integration can do, see the Zapier SMS integration page; for the other ways to connect, see SMS integrations.
Step 1: Find Your SMS Secret
Log in to 160.com.au and open your Profile page. The SMS Secret is shown there. It is a separate key used by integrations and the API; it is not your login password. Copy it somewhere handy.
Note that changing your 160.com.au password generates a new SMS Secret. If you change your password later, you will need to reconnect Zapier (Step 8).
Step 2: Create A Zap And Choose The Trigger
In Zapier, click Create and choose Zap. The first step is the trigger, which is the event that starts the Zap. Pick the app where the event happens, for example Shopify, HubSpot, Typeform or Google Sheets, then pick the event, such as New Paid Order or New Form Entry. Connect that app if Zapier asks you to, then test the trigger so Zapier has a sample record to work with.
If you want the Zap to start from an incoming SMS instead, choose 160.com.au as the trigger app and New Incoming SMS as the event.
Step 3: Add 160.com.au As The Action
Click the plus below the trigger to add an action step. Search for 160.com.au and select it. In the Action event box choose what you want to happen. Send SMS is the usual choice; the full list also includes Send SMS to Group, Send OTP, Verify OTP, contact and group management, Find Contact, Find Group, Delete Message and Get Account Balance. Typing in the search box filters the list.
Step 4: Connect Your 160.com.au Account
Under Account, click Sign in. A small window opens asking for your 160.com.au username and your SMS Secret. Enter both and click Yes, continue. Zapier tests the connection and returns you to the editor. You only do this once; the connection is saved and can be reused in every Zap you build.
Step 5: Configure The Message
On the Configure tab, fill in the fields. Mobile Number is the recipient; click into the field and choose the phone number from the trigger data so each message goes to the right person. Text Message is the content; you can type fixed text and insert data from the trigger, for example the customer name or order number. Sender Name is optional and lists the Sender IDs approved on your account; leave it blank to send from your default number. The remaining fields, such as Delay and Call Back URL, are optional.
Step 6: Test The Action
On the Test tab, click Test step. Zapier sends a real SMS using the sample data from your trigger, so make sure the sample mobile number is one you own. One credit is used. The response shows the message ID and status returned by 160.com.au; the message also appears in the sent messages report in your 160.com.au account.
Step 7: Publish
Click Publish. The Zap is now on and will send a text every time the trigger fires. Zapier checks polling triggers every few minutes on paid plans and every 15 minutes on the free plan; instant triggers from apps such as Shopify and Typeform fire straight away.
Step 8: Reconnecting After A Password Change
If Zaps stop with an authentication error after you change your 160.com.au password, the SMS Secret has changed. In Zapier go to Apps, find 160.com.au, open the connection and choose Reconnect, then enter the new SMS Secret from your Profile page. All Zaps using that connection start working again.
Using A Template Instead
If a ready-made template exists for your app, it is quicker to start from it. Open the 160.com.au page in the Zapier directory, choose a template such as text a customer when a Shopify order is paid, and click Try it. The steps above are pre-filled; you connect your accounts, check the Mobile Number mapping and publish.
Sending A One-Time Passcode
To verify a phone number rather than send a plain message, use two actions. Send OTP takes an OTP Configuration from your account and the Mobile Number, and texts a code. Verify OTP takes the code the person entered and returns whether it matched, failed, expired or was already used, which a Filter step can then act on. The codes are handled by 160Verify, the same service behind our SMS OTP product.
Troubleshooting
The connection test fails
Check that you entered the SMS Secret, not your password, and that the username is your 160.com.au login name. If the secret was copied from an email or document, make sure no spaces came with it.
The message was accepted but never arrived
Open the sent messages report in your 160.com.au account and check the delivery status. Check that the number is a valid Australian mobile number. A message sent from an unregistered alphanumeric Sender ID for marketing purposes can be blocked by the carrier, see the Sender ID registration guide.
The Zap ran but the Mobile Number field was empty
The trigger record did not contain a phone number, or the field was not mapped. Open the Zap, click the Mobile Number field and pick the phone field from the trigger data. Some form apps only include a phone field if the form has one.
Replies are not triggering my Zap
New Incoming SMS only receives replies to messages sent from a 160.com.au virtual number or with a reply-to email address. Messages sent from an alphanumeric Sender ID cannot be replied to. See two-way SMS.
Ready To Build Your First Zap?
If you do not have a 160.com.au account yet, open one first and copy the SMS Secret from your Profile page. If you get stuck at any step, call 1800 671 823.
Try 160.com.au freeBack to the Zapier integration page
160.com.au is operated by Bay Call Pty Ltd (ABN 60 104 926 678), Suite 18, 281-287 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000, phone 1800 671 823, and has provided SMS services to Australian businesses since 2002.