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Setup guide

About 15 minutes from sign-up to your first live text. This is the full reference; the in-app Setup guide (the ? button) walks you through it and tracks your progress.

1. Getting started

RingSparrow runs in your browser. Your contacts stay on your device (or in your own Google Drive), and messages go out through your own texting and email accounts, so there’s no per-message markup. The quickest route to your first live text:

  1. Connect a texting account and pick your number.
  2. Register the number with carriers (US numbers). You can practise in test mode while you wait.
  3. Add your business details.
  4. Add a contact, or connect a sign-up form.
  5. Press Send a test text, then turn on Live sending.

In the app, the ? button in the top bar opens the Setup guide, which tracks your progress through these sections.

2. Connect Twilio

  1. Create an account at twilio.com and verify your email and phone.
  2. Buy a number with SMS: Phone Numbers → Manage → Buy a number, tick SMS.
  3. Copy your Account SID (starts with AC) from the Console home page.
  4. For the secret, either copy the Auth Token, or (safer) create an API Key under Account → API keys & tokens. An API Key starts with SK and can be revoked on its own.
  5. In RingSparrow, go to Settings → Texting, paste them and press Connect Twilio. Pick your number. RingSparrow points the number’s incoming texts to your inbox automatically.
  6. Press Send a test text, then switch on Live sending.

Trial Twilio accounts can only text numbers you’ve verified in the Console, and add “Sent from a Twilio trial account” to each message. Upgrading your Twilio account removes both.

Using SignalWire, Telnyx or Plivo instead

In Settings → Texting, pick the provider first. Everything works the same way afterwards, except where noted.

Registration status (A2P 10DLC or toll-free) is only read automatically from Twilio. With the others, check it in their dashboard; carriers still require it for US texting.

3. Carrier registration

Carriers filter business texts from unregistered senders. Register before texting customers:

The registration guide. In Settings → Texting, the registration card shows where each number stands and opens a four-step guide: what each number needs, a checklist of what to have ready, ready-to-paste answers (campaign description, how people opt in, two sample messages) built from your business details, and where to submit it in your provider’s console. RingSparrow can’t submit the registration for you (it needs your legal details), and it reads the status automatically only from Twilio. With other providers, tick “I’ve finished registering” in the last step once you have.

Most rejections come from a website that doesn’t show your business name, no privacy policy, sample messages without your business name or “Reply STOP to opt out”, or an opt-in description that doesn’t match your form. Fix that one thing and resubmit.

4. Business details

In Settings → Business details, add your business name, website, postal address and reply-to email.

5. Turn on the AI reply assistant

  1. Create an API key with OpenAI (platform.openai.com) or Anthropic (console.anthropic.com) and set a monthly spending limit there.
  2. On RingSparrow’s Chatbot page, pick the provider and model, paste the key, and describe your business: services, prices, area, hours and common questions. The assistant only uses what you write.
  3. Add your booking link (Calendly, Cal.com, Google Calendar). The assistant adds it when someone wants to book.
  4. Try it in the Try it box, then switch it on.

By default your AI key stays in your browser and goes straight to the AI provider, so the assistant answers while RingSparrow is open and catches up on replies when you open it.

Answer around the clock: switch on When RingSparrow is closed → Answer texts even when RingSparrow is closed on the Chatbot page. Your key and business info are then stored encrypted on RingSparrow’s server so texts are answered within seconds, day or night. Your limits, quiet hours and handoffs still apply, keyword workflows still go first, and when you text someone yourself the assistant steps back for a while.

6. Connect email

RingSparrow sends email through Mailgun, SendGrid or Postmark using your own account.

  1. In your provider, verify your sending domain (add the DNS records they give you) or at least your From address.
  2. Create an API key. Mailgun: the sending key or private API key, plus your sending domain (for example mg.yourbusiness.com) and region. SendGrid: an API key with Mail Send permission. Postmark: the server token; use a broadcast stream for marketing emails.
  3. In RingSparrow, go to Settings → Email, fill it in, press Connect email, then Send a test email.

Emails you write come from your Gmail. When you write an email in a conversation, RingSparrow sends it from the Google account you signed in with, so it shows in your Sent folder and replies arrive in your Gmail. RingSparrow can only send, never read your mail. Turn this off in Settings → Email to send through your email provider instead. Workflows and campaigns always use the email provider above, so they keep working while RingSparrow is closed.

RingSparrow adds your business name, postal address and an unsubscribe link to every email, and stops emailing anyone who unsubscribes.

7. Review requests

  1. In your Google Business Profile, choose Ask for reviews and copy the link.
  2. In Settings → Review requests, switch it on and paste the link.
  3. Press Ask for a review on a contact, or put {{review_link}} in any message, template, campaign or workflow step. Each contact gets their own link.

Customers who tap 4 or 5 stars (or only 5, if you choose) go straight to Google. Lower ratings see a short private feedback form first, which arrives in RingSparrow tagged unhappy so you can follow up. That form still shows a small “Leave a Google review” link, because Google’s rules don’t allow hiding the review option from unhappy customers.

8. Calling from RingSparrow

Press the phone button on a contact, or use Calls in the sidebar (a dialer with a keypad, and your recent calls; on your phone it’s under More). Type any number with its country code, or pick a contact. Every call is logged in the conversation with how long it lasted, or that they didn’t answer. Calls are only recorded if you turn on recording.

In-browser phone (Twilio). On Calls, press Turn on the in-browser phone. RingSparrow sets it up inside your own Twilio account with one click (it adds a call key and a voice app, using the Auth Token you connected with; an API key alone can’t do this). After that, calls use your computer’s or phone’s microphone and go straight to the contact, who sees your RingSparrow business number. Nothing rings first. A small call panel stays on screen while you move around RingSparrow, with Mute, a Keypad for phone menus and End call. Your browser asks to use the microphone the first time; if you said no, allow it from the lock icon by the address bar. Twilio bills the call by the minute.

Ring-my-phone (Twilio or SignalWire). Without the in-browser phone, RingSparrow rings your own phone first and connects you when you answer; the provider bills both parts. You can also choose it on the dialer with Ring my phone instead. Your number is kept on the device and sent only to your provider.

Calling is part of the Lifetime licence. Turn on Ring this phone first under Missed-call text-back to have incoming calls to your RingSparrow number ring your mobile too. Incoming calls don’t ring in the browser yet.

Missed-call text-back

In Settings → Texting, turn on Missed-call text-back and write the text callers get. When someone calls your RingSparrow number and nobody answers, they get that text straight away, even with RingSparrow closed, and the call shows in your inbox. Add your mobile under Ring this phone first to take calls yourself; the text only goes out if you don’t pick up. Turning it off restores whatever your number did with calls before. To get told about each missed call, open Alert another number too and add your mobile (or a teammate’s): it gets a text like “Missed call from +15551234567 at Sep 29, 3:42 PM on +15550001111. We texted them back.” You can change the wording.

Recording calls

On Calls, use Record calls (owners and admins). It’s off until you turn it on. When it’s on, Twilio or SignalWire records the call from the moment the other person answers. It works for browser calls and ring-my-phone calls.

The notice. By default the other person hears “This call may be recorded.” (you can change the words) as they answer, before you’re connected. Many places, including several US states and the EU, require everyone on a call to know it’s recorded. You can switch the notice off, but only after ticking a box to confirm you’ve checked the rules where you and your contacts are. You’re responsible for following the rules that apply to you.

Where recordings go. While RingSparrow is open, each recording is copied into a RingSparrow recordings folder in your own Google Drive, named with the date, the contact and the length, and then removed from Twilio or SignalWire so you don’t pay to store it. The call in the conversation gets a Play recording link to the file. If Google Drive isn’t connected, recordings wait safely in your provider account (a banner on Calls lets you connect), and nothing is deleted until the copy in Drive is complete. Recordings up to about 20 MB (roughly an hour) can be copied; longer ones stay in your provider’s console. Twilio charges a small per-minute fee for recording.

9. Sign-ups: text keywords, web forms and the chat button

The Sign-ups page holds every way new customers join your list. Press New sign-up and pick one:

Each sign-up has a Share tab:

The People tab lists everyone who joined through it.

10. Calendar, appointments and your booking page

Let customers book a time themselves. They pick a service and a free time, get a confirmation text and reminders, and the appointment lands on your Calendar (under More on a phone).

  1. Open Calendar → Booking page. Add your services (name and length), your opening hours, your time zone and a place if you have one.
  2. Press Save and get my link. Copy the link, or the website code under Show on your website.
  3. Put the link on your website and Google profile, or put {{booking_link}} in any text, template, campaign or workflow step.

No double-booking. A time that’s taken, or overlaps a taken one, isn’t offered. You can add a gap after each appointment, an earliest booking time and how far ahead people can book. Appointments you add by hand (Add appointment) hold their time too.

Texts. Customers tick a box agreeing to texts about their appointment. They get a confirmation straight away and reminders (24 and 2 hours before, by default; you can change the wording and timing). Reminders are sent by RingSparrow’s server, so they go out even while RingSparrow is closed, between 8am and 9pm, and never to a number that texted STOP. Every text includes a private link where the customer can cancel, or add the appointment to Google, Apple or Outlook calendar. To change the time they book a new one and cancel the old one.

After the appointment. Mark it Came or No-show. That adds the tag appt-completed or no-show (booking adds booked), which can start a workflow. Add ready-made follow-up workflows creates a thank-you and review request, and a “let’s rebook” text; they start switched Off so you can check the wording.

Good to know. Bookings and reminders need a licence and connected texting. Google Calendar sync. On the Calendar screen press Connect Google Calendar at the top and allow access. Your Google events then show as busy time and can’t be booked over, every booking is added to your calendar, and deleting or moving a booking in Google shows up here (while RingSparrow is open). Only start and end times are read, never titles or guests. Settings and Disconnect are on the same bar.

11. Creating campaigns, scheduling them and reading results

A campaign is made in two steps. Press New campaign, write the message and choose how it goes out; it is saved as a draft. Then add the contacts who should get it: search for a person, use Add a group for everyone with a tag or stage, or select contacts on the Contacts screen and press Add to campaign. Nothing is sent until you press Start. Set When to Pick a date and time to schedule it instead. With a licence it starts on time even if RingSparrow is closed. Each campaign card shows its delivered rate (confirmed by the carrier), reply rate and opt-out rate (replies and STOPs within 7 days of the message).

Saved segments

On Contacts, filter by stage, tag or a search, then press Save as segment and give it a name (for example “Quotes sent, no reply”). Pick it from the list above the contacts any time. A segment stays up to date as contacts change, and shows how many people are in it now. When you add people to a campaign or a workflow, choose Segment: … under Add a group. Update, Rename and Delete are next to the list; deleting a segment never deletes contacts.

Send one message later

In any conversation, write the message and press Send later next to Send. Pick a time (or In an hour, Tomorrow 9 AM, Monday 9 AM). It shows in the conversation as Scheduled with Change and Cancel; Scheduled (n) at the top of the Inbox lists all of them. With the Lifetime licence and texting connected, RingSparrow’s server sends it at that time even when RingSparrow is closed. Without the licence it goes out only if RingSparrow is open at that time. If RingSparrow was closed for more than an hour past the time, it isn’t sent and the conversation says so, so a late text never surprises anyone. A scheduled text is not held back for quiet hours, so the box warns you if you pick one inside them.

When a campaign text has a link (starting with https://), Track who taps the link turns it into a short link with a personal ending for each person. The campaign card then shows how many people tapped, and each contact gets a note. Link previews made by chat apps aren’t counted. Short links need the Lifetime licence.

The pre-send check on campaigns

Every campaign draft has a Pre-send check under the message and contacts. It flags what could get a campaign blocked or reported, and most items have a one-click fix: the number isn’t registered with carriers, the message gives no way to opt out, it doesn’t say who it’s from, it uses a public link shortener (carriers filter those), some people have no recorded consent to be texted, or batches would go out during quiet hours. When you press Start with a warning left, RingSparrow asks first; you can still send anyway.

Consent is recorded when someone joins through a form or keyword, when a contact is added by hand with “They agreed to receive messages” ticked, or when you confirm it for a group of people in the check. Imported contacts have no consent record until you confirm it.

12. Workflows with if / else

Add an If / else step to send different messages depending on whether the contact replied, has a tag, or is in a stage. “They replied” is decided on the server, so it works with RingSparrow closed. Tag and stage checks use the tags and stage the person had when they joined the workflow, plus anything the workflow itself changed.

Workflows with RingSparrow closed

With a licence and live sending on, workflows keep going when RingSparrow is closed. When someone joins through a web form, a text keyword or a Zapier/Make webhook, or when you add them to a workflow, RingSparrow hands them to the server, which sends the texts and emails, waits, adds tags, moves stages, sends webhook steps and follows if / else paths on time. A reply or a STOP ends their workflow, and quiet hours apply. The next time you open RingSparrow it files everything in the contact’s conversation, tags and history. Edits to a workflow reach the server within a second or two of saving.

Two cases still wait for the app: workflows that use {{review_link}}, and “they replied” or keyword workflows that use a name tag for someone RingSparrow has not met before (the app starts those when it opens). Messages sent by the server count toward your monthly “while closed” allowance.

13. Webhooks, Zapier and Make

Send events out (for example, add every new lead to a Google Sheet or your other CRM):

  1. Zapier: create a Zap with Webhooks by Zapier → Catch Hook and copy its URL. Make: add a Webhooks → Custom webhook module and copy its address.
  2. In RingSparrow, Settings → Webhooks, Zapier and Make → Add a webhook URL, paste it, tick the events you want, and save. Press Send a test so Zapier or Make can see a sample.

Events: new contact, incoming text, lead form submitted, missed call, review rating, texted STOP. Each is a JSON POST {"event", "workspace", "at", "data"} signed with the X-Relay-Signature header (HMAC-SHA256 of the body with your signing secret). Contacts you import from a CSV don’t send “new contact” events.

Send data from a workflow. Add a + Webhook step to any workflow (or to an if/else path), pick one of your saved webhooks, and optionally add extra fields, one per line, like offer: spring-sale or city: {{city}}. When a contact reaches that step, RingSparrow sends that one contact’s name, phone, email, company, stage, source and tags (plus your extra fields) as a signed workflow.step event. It’s a good way to add someone to a Google Sheet after a tag, or ping your other system when a customer replies. Your webhook URLs stay on RingSparrow’s server; the rest of your contact list never leaves your computer or Drive.

Webhook steps run on the server along with the rest of the workflow, so they fire on time with RingSparrow closed. In test mode nothing is sent. If your webhook is down, the workflow carries on (texts aren’t held up) and the contact’s history says it wasn’t accepted. Every send carries a unique key, so a receiver can ignore repeats.

Start a workflow from another system. In a workflow, set Starts when to Data arrives from Zapier, Make or another system. RingSparrow shows a private URL for that workflow; point a Zapier or Make POST at it and every contact it sends joins the workflow, even when RingSparrow is closed. Turn the workflow On first (while it’s Off, nothing happens). You need to press Save webhooks once in Settings so your workspace has its URL.

Receive from Zapier or Make (for example, text a customer when a Shopify order ships): use Webhooks by Zapier → POST or Make’s HTTP → Make a request to your RingSparrow incoming URL, with JSON:

Only send sms_consent: true when the person really agreed to texts. RingSparrow never texts a number that has replied STOP. Keep the incoming URL private; you can replace it at any time.

14. Google Drive and your team

By default a workspace lives in this browser only. Save it to Google Drive to open it on any computer, keep Google’s version history, and work with your team. Team members are unlimited on every licence.

  1. Settings → Workspace & team → Save to Google Drive. Sign in with the Google account that should own the file. For a business, a shared business Google account is safest: if one person leaves, the workspace stays.
  2. Add people: type their email, pick a role and press Add. RingSparrow shares the Drive file with them for you and Google emails them. It must be the email of their Google account (RingSparrow signs everyone in with Google).
  3. They sign in to RingSparrow with Google, using that Google account. The workspace is already in their list. The first time, Google asks them to allow RingSparrow to open the file: one click on Allow access, then pick the file.

Several people can work at once: RingSparrow saves each person’s changes to the Drive file in the background and merges them contact by contact and message by message. One open copy of RingSparrow (whoever opened it first) picks up new texts and runs workflows for the team; if it closes, another open copy takes over within a few minutes. When a colleague has a newer version, you see it within about 30 seconds, sooner when a text arrives.

Changing someone’s role or removing them takes effect immediately for sending and settings. A removed person’s copy on their own computer is deleted the next time they open RingSparrow while online. Roles are enforced by RingSparrow’s server for sending and settings; on the data itself, Google Drive only knows “can edit” and “view only”.

15. Add your licence

Paste your code in Settings → Licence. Codes stack: 1 code is the Lifetime licence, 2 the Agency licence, 3 the Agency Pro licence.

16. Your data and backups

Contacts and conversations live in this browser on this device. That’s what keeps them private, and it means:

17. Questions

Do scheduled messages go out if I close RingSparrow?

Yes, with a licence and live sending on. Campaign batches go out on time, and workflows carry on by themselves: texts, emails, waits, tags, stages, webhook steps and if / else. RingSparrow files the results the next time you open it.

Why didn’t a contact get my text?

Open the conversation: failed messages show the reason. Common causes: the number texted STOP, carrier registration is missing, or a Twilio trial account texting an unverified number.

Can two people use the same account?

Yes. Save the workspace to Google Drive and add them as a team member (see Google Drive and your team); team members are unlimited. Each person signs in with their own Google account. RingSparrow runs in one browser tab at a time per person.