Overview
In this guide, you’ll create your first GoBlue form for automated iMessage follow-ups. We’ll walk through the entire process from form creation to sending your first automated message.This tutorial assumes you’ve already installed the GoBlue app via TestFlight and signed in to your account. If you haven’t, start with our Quickstart Guide.
What You’ll Build
By the end of this guide, you’ll have:- A functional GoBlue form with custom fields
- A personalized message template
- A working webhook URL for external integrations
- The ability to send automated iMessages
Step 1: Create Your Form
1
Open Forms Tab
Launch the GoBlue app and tap the “Forms” tab at the bottom of the screen.
2
Add New Form
Tap the ”+” button in the top-right corner to create a new form.
3
Name Your Form
Enter a descriptive name for your form. For this example, use:
4
Create Form
Tap “Create Form” to save your new form. You’ll be redirected to the form configuration screen.
Step 2: Configure Form Fields
Your form needs to collect the right data to personalize messages. Let’s add some essential fields:1
Review Default Fields
GoBlue automatically creates a
phoneNumber field (required for sending messages). You’ll see this in the “Form fields” section.2
Add First Name Field
In the “Form fields” section, tap “Add Field” and enter:Tap “Add” to save.
3
Add Last Name Field
Tap “Add Field” again and enter:Tap “Add” to save.
4
Add Service Interest Field
Add one more field for the type of service they’re interested in:Tap “Add” to save.
phoneNumber(required, auto-created)firstNamelastNameserviceType
Step 3: Create Message Template
Now let’s create a personalized message template that uses the data from your form:1
Enable Auto Follow-up
Toggle “Auto Follow-up” to ON. This enables automatic message sending when data is received.
2
Configure Message
Tap “Configure Message” to open the message template editor.
3
Write Your Template
In the text editor, enter this personalized message template:
Variables in double curly braces
{{fieldName}} will be automatically replaced with data from your webhook submissions.4
Test Quick Fields
Use the “Quick Fields” section to easily insert field variables by tapping on them. This helps avoid typos in variable names.
Step 4: Enable Form Capturing
1
Go Back to Form Settings
Tap the back button to return to the main form configuration screen.
2
Enable Capturing
Toggle “Enable capturing” to ON. This allows your form to receive and process webhook data.
3
Copy Webhook URL
Tap “Copy Capture URL” to copy your form’s webhook URL to the clipboard. You’ll need this for integrations.The URL format will be:
Step 5: Test Your Form
Let’s test your form with sample data to make sure everything works:1
Send Test Data
Open Terminal or a tool like Postman and send a test webhook request:Replace
{your-form-id} with your actual form ID from the webhook URL.2
Check for Success
You should receive a response like:
3
Verify Message Queue
In the GoBlue app, go to the “Messages” tab. You should see your test message queued for sending with the personalized content:
4
Check Contacts
Go to the “Contacts” tab. You should see “John Doe” added as a new contact with the phone number and associated form information.
Step 6: Setup iOS Shortcuts (Optional)
To actually send the queued messages, you’ll need to set up and run the GoBlue iOS Shortcut:1
Get API Key
Go to Settings tab in GoBlue and copy your API key.
2
3
Test Message Sending
Run the shortcut to send your test message. The shortcut will:
- Retrieve queued messages from GoBlue
- Open Messages app
- Send the personalized message to the test phone number
Step 7: Integrate with Your Website
Now let’s connect your form to your website contact form:HTML Form Integration
Update your website’s contact form to send data to GoBlue:WordPress Integration
For WordPress sites, you can use a plugin or add custom code:Step 8: Monitor and Optimize
1
Track Performance
Monitor your form’s performance in the GoBlue app:
- Check the Messages tab for sent messages
- Review the Contacts tab for new submissions
- Note any failed deliveries or errors
2
Refine Your Template
Based on responses (or lack thereof), consider:
- Adjusting message tone
- Shortening or lengthening content
- Adding more personalization
- Testing different call-to-action approaches
3
Add More Forms
Create additional forms for different scenarios:
- Different service types
- Various traffic sources
- Different message timing needs
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Messages Not Appearing in Queue
Messages Not Appearing in Queue
Check:
- Form capturing is enabled
- Webhook URL is correct
- JSON payload includes required
phoneNumberfield - Content-Type header is set to
application/json
Variables Not Replacing in Messages
Variables Not Replacing in Messages
Verify:
- Variable names in template match form field names exactly
- Using correct syntax:
{{fieldName}}not{fieldName} - Webhook data includes the referenced fields
Phone Numbers Not Working
Phone Numbers Not Working
Ensure:
- Phone numbers include country code (e.g., +1 for US)
- Numbers are valid mobile numbers capable of receiving iMessages
- No spaces or special characters that might cause parsing issues
Next Steps
Congratulations! You’ve created your first GoBlue automation form. Here’s what to explore next:Zapier Integration
Connect hundreds of apps to your GoBlue forms automatically
Message Templating
Learn advanced techniques for creating dynamic, personalized messages
Contact Management
Organize and track your automated message recipients
Bulk Messaging
Scale your messaging for high-volume scenarios
Form Configuration Checklist
Use this checklist to ensure your forms are properly configured:- Form has a descriptive name
- Required
phoneNumberfield exists - Additional fields match your data source
- Message template uses correct variable syntax
- Auto Follow-up is enabled
- Form capturing is enabled
- Webhook URL has been copied and integrated
- Test data has been sent successfully
- iOS Shortcut is configured and tested
- Message template has been refined based on testing