Run a small CRM in Airtable that texts

Set up the table

Make a table called Clients (or add these to yours). Names matter, because the steps below refer to them.

Text only clients who agreed to hear from you by text. A column such as OK to text (checkbox) that the automation checks is a good habit.

Make the Text Hook

In the BlueBot dashboard, open Text Hooks, press New hook, name it “Airtable clients” and leave the preset empty. Copy the hook’s address, https://usebluebot.com/h/ followed by a long token. Anyone with it can make your hook text somebody, so keep it as you would a password.

Set the mapping (the next step sends a sample post so you can pick fields, or type the paths now):

The text is the row’s own Text to send, so each client can get different words. Save the hook.

Add the automation that sends

In Airtable, open Automations and press Create automation. Name it “Text the client”.

1. Trigger: When a record matches conditions, table Clients, conditions: Send text is checked, Mobile is not empty, and Status is not Stopped.
2. Action: Run a script. Add four input variables from the trigger’s record: recordId (the record’s ID), phone (Mobile), firstName (First name) and text (Text to send). Paste this script and put your hook’s address in HOOK_URL:

// Posts this row to BlueBot's Text Hook, which texts it from your own number.
const HOOK_URL = 'https://usebluebot.com/h/YOUR_HOOK_TOKEN'; // anyone who can edit automations can read this

const { recordId, phone, firstName, text } = input.config();
if (!phone || !text) {
  throw new Error('This row has no Mobile or no Text to send.');
}

const response = await fetch(HOOK_URL, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({ record_id: recordId, phone, first_name: firstName, text }),
});

if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`BlueBot answered ${response.status}. Open the hook in BlueBot to see why.`);
}

3. Action: Update record, table Clients, record ID from the trigger. Set Send text to unticked and Status to Texted.

Unticking Send text takes the row out of the condition, so ticking it again later sends again. A failed run leaves the box ticked, which tells you which rows didn’t go.

To text on a status change instead, make a second automation with the condition Status is Reminder due and the same two actions.

Turn the automation on.

Write replies, stops and states back with Make

In Make, make a scenario called “BlueBot replies to Airtable”:

1. BlueBot’s Watch Incoming Texts module, connected with a BlueBot API key that has messages:read and webhooks:manage (the module makes its own BlueBot webhook).
2. Airtable’s Search Records on Clients, with this formula, putting BlueBot’s From where the quotes are: {Mobile digits} = RIGHT("From", 10). Set Limit to 1.
3. Airtable’s Update a Record with the Record ID from the search. Set Last reply to BlueBot’s Text, Last reply at to Received At, and Status to Replied.

Make a second scenario, “BlueBot states to Airtable”:

1. BlueBot’s Watch Text Status Changes module.
2. A filter that passes only texts whose Metadata has record_id, so texts from elsewhere are left alone.
3. Airtable’s Update a Record with Record ID set to Metadata: record_id. Set Last text status to State and Message ID to ID.

And a third, “BlueBot stops to Airtable”:

1. BlueBot’s Watch Contact Stops module.
2. Airtable’s Search Records with {Mobile digits} = RIGHT("Handle", 10), putting the contact’s Handle where the quotes are.
3. Airtable’s Update a Record, setting Status to Stopped.

Turn all three scenarios on. They run when BlueBot tells them something happened, not on a timer.

Test it with your own number

Add a row for yourself: your own first name, your own mobile number, and a short Text to send (“Test from Airtable”). Tick Send text.