SMS Opt-Out

Overview

Welkin does not have a built-in SMS opt-out toggle. Instead, you build an SMS opt-out workflow in Designer using Automations, a custom CDT field, and conditional logic added to outbound SMS automations.

What You'll Need Before Building

Prepare the following in Designer before creating the workflow:

Opt-out keyword — the keyword patients will text to opt out (e.g., "STOP")
SMS confirmation template — a message template to confirm the opt-out to the patient
CDT field — a list or boolean field to store opt-out status (e.g., values: "SMS – Yes" / "SMS – No")
Data View — a view for the CDT field with permissions and layout placement configured
Task template — a task for the care team to process the opt-out

Building the Opt-Out Automation

Navigate to Automations in Designer and click +New
Name the automation and set:
- Trigger Type: Event
- Event: SMS Received
Add a Condition: Event Type = Message, Contains = your opt-out keyword (e.g., "STOP")
Add an Action: Task — assigned to the care team member who will process opt-outs, using the task template you created
Optionally add a second action to auto-send a confirmation SMS to the patient when the opt-out is received or processed

Preventing SMS to Opted-Out Patients

In every automation that sends an outbound SMS, add a Condition that checks the opt-out CDT field:

Condition: [your CDT field] Not equal to your opt-out value (e.g., "SMS – No")

This ensures Welkin checks the opt-out status before sending any SMS. If the patient has opted out, the SMS will not be sent.

Notes

This same pattern can be used for other keywords like "HELP" — trigger a task or alert the care team when received
As an alternative, the care team can remove the SMS capability from the patient's phone number directly, which blocks all SMS including manual sends
For A2P registration requirements, see Twilio A2P