How to setup Amazon Connect SMS Channel for existing Amazon Connect-Service Cloud Voice integration

To set up the SMS channel for your existing Amazon Connect-Service Cloud Voice (SCV) integration, you'll need to follow these steps:

1. Enable SMS capabilities in Amazon Connect:

   • Request an SMS-enabled phone number through AWS End User Messaging SMS.
   • Import the number into Amazon Connect and assign it to your flows.
   • Enable two-way SMS messaging on the phone number in the AWS SMS console.

2. Update your Amazon Connect flows:

   • Add a Check contact attributes block to your flow to identify SMS contacts.
   • Set it to check the "Subtype" key with the value "connect:SMS".
   • Create appropriate branches for handling SMS contacts.

3. Integrate with Salesforce Service Cloud Voice:

   • Ensure your Lambda function is set up to handle inbound SMS messages.
   • Configure the Lambda to create cases in SCV automatically.
   • Use the phone number attribute from Connect to link SMS to existing cases in SCV.

4. Set up outbound SMS:

   • Enable outbound capabilities in your Amazon Connect instance.
   • Ensure agents have the necessary permissions to send SMS messages.
   • Configure the Contact Control Panel (CCP) in SCV to allow agents to send SMS messages directly.

5. Test the setup:

   • Send an SMS to your Amazon Connect number to verify inbound handling.
   • Use the CCP to send outbound messages and confirm they're received.

Some best practices and considerations:

• Ensure proper error handling in your Lambda function.
• Implement security measures to protect sensitive customer information.
• Set up appropriate monitoring and logging for your SMS channel.
• Train your agents on how to effectively use the new SMS capabilities within SCV.

Challenges you might encounter:

• Ensuring seamless integration between Amazon Connect, Lambda, and Salesforce.
• Managing message threading and conversation context across channels.
• Handling potential delays or delivery issues with SMS messages.

Remember that Amazon Connect SMS uses the same automation, routing, configuration, and analytics as calls and chats, which should help in delivering a consistent omnichannel experience. Agents will have access to the full conversation history, allowing for personalized responses across all channels.
Sources
The chat/SMS channel in Amazon Connect - Amazon Connect
Amazon Connect now supports integration with Salesforce Service Cloud Voice
Amazon Connect now supports two-way SMS