# Twilio
The [SMS](/tools/sms.md) tool is a great way to quickly send SMS messages. However, if you need to send international messages or send a high volume of messages, we recommend using the Twilio app to send messages from a dedicated phone number you control. Twilio charges a monthly fee to purchase the phone number (typically $1 per month) and a [per-SMS fee](https://www.twilio.com/sms/pricing/) (typically around a cent per message).
* [Connect Twilio with MESA](#connect)
* [Configuration](#configuring)
## Connection
Before you get started, you will need to [create a Twilio account](https://www.twilio.com/try-twilio), add your billing information, and [purchase a phone number](https://support.twilio.com/hc/en-us/articles/223135247-How-to-Search-for-and-Buy-a-Twilio-Phone-Number-from-Console) in the Twilio console.
When you're setting up your first workflow with Twilio, you'll need to add your **Key** and **Secret** so that Twilio is a connected app within MESA.
You can [click here to locate your Account SID and Auth Token](https://www.twilio.com/console/project/settings). Within the Twilio Settings, click on the Keys & Connections: API keys & tokens section.
In the **Live Connections** section:
* Copy the Account SID and paste that as the Key within MESA.
* Copy the Auth Token and paste that as the Secret within MESA.
Then, click on Add Connection.
### Configure
In order to send a SMS, you will need to add a phone number into the From phone number field. Make sure that the phone number that you enter **does not** contain dashes or parenthesis but **do** contain a country code. An example: +15017122661
In the To phone number field, you can [utilize variables](/workflow-builder/fields/variables.md) to make the SMS action specific to your needs. The screenshot below is from the [Send an SMS via Twilio to your customers when their order arrives template](https://www.getmesa.com/connect/tracktor/integrate/twilio/send-a-twilio-sms-to-your-customer-when-their-order-arrives).
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