SMS messages and email

[linda147]

( moved from Click4holiday homes thread)

Yes thanks Steve - I look forward to those facilities being available soon - although unfortunately not in time for my summer holiday. Still working on how to get notification of enquiries from non-SMS sites! Running out of time as I leave early Tuesday morning - can't wait to get some sunshine in Spain.

[Hells Bells]

LInda, I have a link in my bookmarks that might be useful, but I've never tried it myself.

http://www.24x.com/new-email_sms.asp

[linda147]

thanks Helen - I will give that a go.
I'll let you know how I get on.
Better teach my year 7's now! Roll on end of term tomorrow - the kids are all hyper!

[Big Sis..]

can't wait to get some sunshine in Spain.

Me too Linda..
Have you a gmail account..I get emails sent to me there...

[linda147]

well it works!
Set up the account (cost me £5 for 50 texts, but worth it)
Sent myself a test enquiry through my website - get e-mail which immediately forwards to my mobile phone via a text message - brilliant. I can then either get on the internet or phone a potential customer.
I have several web-based e-mail accounts and can access my main e-mail address through webmail when I am away but it is a nuisance keep checking the e-mail if there are no enquiries. Now I can relax knowing that I will get a text message (never go anywhere without my mobile phone!)
Thanks Helen.

[Hells Bells]

LInda, I may try it myself if it is that easy. It should save me a fortune in browsing charges on my phone.

[Big Sis..]

Hi Helen and Linda
this looks really useful[and easy to set up]
..Think it deserves to have a mention somewhere else as well to make sure people see it.

[mon269]

I had been looking for something like this for a while. It sounds like an easy and efficient way to have immediate notification of any incomming emails.

Thanks for the link Helen.

[Hells Bells]

I tried to sign up this morning, and got an error message.

[linda147]

you have to persevere a bit with it - I got an error the first time and then worked fine. You get quite a complicated address for your e-mails to the phone via SMS but once you set up forwarding in your e-mail software it works fine. You just need to know either the sender or the subject line you get from rental sites to set this up. Some sites the e-mail is from the listing site and others from the enquirer but has your booking reference in the subject line.
I am not going to bother with some of the free sites I am on that have never given me an enquiry as this would be too time consuming - if they haven't given me an enquiry in the last 6 months they are unlikely to in the next few weeks!
I can go away now and not worry about missed opportunities!
Where else in the forum should this be mentioned so other people are aware you can do this?

[mon269]

How about "handling rental enquiries"? I wanted to integrate this into my own website, so I would have looked into "Personal websites", but I think the first one makes more sense.

[Hells Bells]

I have discovered that my 1and1 webmail accounts actually offer this service anyway, at 9p per text

[Normandy Cow]

I get loads of spam emails though, I'm not sure that I'd want all my emails to be texted to me!
Is there some way to filter them out?

[Big Sis..]

OH Im soo glad you asked that NC I was thinking exactly the same

Could this go in the techy bit or whatever as it is useful,,but hasnt got much to do with click4

[Hells Bells]

I have set up my webmail with three or four email addresses, my normal one gets spam, but I have set up a brand new address that now directs all booking enquiries to it which don't give me an sms message, mainly my own enquiry form All the sites I already get sms from are left on my normal email. The rest are set up with a new email address. I can set my webmail to only send sms notification between certain times, and also set a maximum no of sms messages per day. Most of the spam I receive is during the night. If it doesn't work it will be easy enough to just turn off.