Last month, we were contacted by a company that wanted to improve their communication with the truck drivers waiting on their premises to facilitate the logistics around loading and unloading. They needed an easy way to communicate which loading point they wanted the driver to head to.
The client explained that they were currently using an SAP solution to register all trucks that entered the premises and that the system could send API calls. They wanted to use Bosbec to send SMS to the truck drivers using these API calls.Our standard setup for using the SMS gateway is based on our REST-API so we sent the instructions for this API to the client and scheduled a meeting to discuss any questions they had a few days later.During the meeting, the client tells us that they are using an older interface for setting up the API calls and that the level of customization of the requests was limited. There were limitations on what could be added to the request body and the headers could not be changed. This meant that the REST-API could not be used.
Luckily, we have another alternative; the HTTP-in API. HTTP-in is a more open API to which you can send data in any format. You can then build a workflow that can parse the request based on the requirements set by the originating system. As we have covered this in a previous post, which you can find here, we will not go into detail on exactly how this works in this post.We built such a workflow on their account and could quickly conclude that the HTTP-in API would fit their needs and requirements. The workflow that was built was a simple one that received and interpreted the request, created a recipient with a phone number specified in the request, and sent an SMS with the message text from the system. We also configured the response to include a batch ID that can be used for troubleshooting, should it be needed.
An example of an HTTP-in workflow
With the help of Bosbec WE and HTTP-in, we could provide an adaptable solution that fits their already existing system, save the client from having to initiate a complex and expensive implementation project, and still get their trucks to where they need to be.Companies and their processes are constantly evolving and for an IT solution to support them effectively it needs to be able to evolve with them. The messaging solution that we built together is now available on their account and can easily be modified to suit any potential changes in their processes in the future without the need to change their underlying systems.If you are interested in learning more about the HTTP-in API and Bosbec WE, and perhaps build your own solution, you might want to check out the blog post below where we take a closer look at how to configure the workflow and the API!Use Bosbec to convert API requests to suit your systemTo learn about more the features that are available in the Workflow Builder, look through our documentation. If you ever need help in your development or have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to our support team at support@bosbec.com!
