Most Kenyan businesses already keep their customers in Excel: parents and fee balances, members and loan dates, customers and orders. You don't need to retype any of it to send bulk SMS. This guide shows how to send bulk SMS from Excel in Kenya: how to prepare your sheet, upload it, and send every person a personalised message with their own name, balance or due date, in one go.
Short answer: save your list as Excel (.xlsx or .xls) or CSV with the phone numbers in a column named
msisdnand one column for each detail you want in the message. Upload it in the Brilio portal, write your message using column names in square brackets, for exampleDear [name], your balance is KES [balance], and send. Each person receives their own values.
Step 1: prepare your Excel sheet
Put one row per person and one header row at the top. A school fee reminder list might look like this:
| msisdn | name | student | balance | due_date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0712345678 | Mary | Brian K. | 4,500 | 15 Nov |
| 0733123456 | John | Faith W. | 12,000 | 15 Nov |
| 254722987654 | Grace | Kevin O. | 0 | 15 Nov |
Get the sheet right before you upload:
- Phone numbers in a column named
msisdn, written as0712345678or254712345678. Format the column as Text in Excel so leading zeros aren't removed. - Simple column names with no spaces, such as
name,balanceanddue_date, because you'll type them into your message. - No blank rows or merged cells, and nothing above the header row.
- Remove duplicates so nobody receives the message twice.
Step 2: write a personalised message
Use any column name in square brackets and it is replaced with that person's value:
Dear [name], [student]'s fee balance is KES [balance], due on [due_date]. Pay via Paybill 123456. Thank you, KAMAUSCHOOL.
Mary receives: Dear Mary, Brian K.'s fee balance is KES 4,500, due on 15 Nov... and John receives his own figures in the same send.
Check the length after merging. A long name or amount can push a 150-character message over 160 characters, and longer messages are billed as two SMS. Keep templates short.
Step 3: upload and send
- Log in to the bulk SMS portal and start a new message.
- Choose file upload and select your Excel or CSV file. Excel files are converted automatically, column for column.
- Choose your Sender ID and whether the message is transactional (receipts, reminders) or promotional (offers).
- Paste your message with the
[column]placeholders. - Send now, or for promotional messages schedule it for a later date and time, then follow the delivery report for every number.
Save contacts you message every month
If you message the same people regularly, upload them once as a contact group instead of uploading a file each time. Groups store each contact's first name and up to five custom fields, so you can still personalise with placeholders such as [first_name]. When uploading contacts, the phone column can be called msisdn, phone, phone_number or mobile. Then just pick the group when you send.
Personalised SMS ideas by sector
| Sector | Columns | Example message |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | name, student, balance | Dear [name], [student]'s balance is KES [balance]. |
| SACCOs | name, savings, loan_due | Dear [name], savings KES [savings]. Next repayment due [loan_due]. |
| Landlords | name, unit, rent | Dear [name], rent of KES [rent] for [unit] is due on 5th. |
| Clinics | name, date, time | Dear [name], your appointment is on [date] at [time]. |
| Shops | name, points | Hi [name], you have [points] loyalty points. Redeem in store. |
More templates: bulk SMS for schools and bulk SMS for SACCOs.
Sending from your own system instead
If your list lives in a database or school or SACCO system rather than Excel, your developers can send the same personalised messages through the bulk SMS API: either one message per person, or a CSV file through the API's file-upload option.
What it costs
Each SMS costs KES 0.40 to KES 0.80 at Brilio depending on the network and your top-up, with no monthly fee. A 1,000-row sheet sends 1,000 messages, or more if any merged message runs past 160 characters. See bulk SMS prices in Kenya.
Related guides: How to send bulk SMS in Kenya · Sender ID registration · Bulk SMS provider in Kenya
Frequently asked questions
Can I send bulk SMS directly from Excel?
Yes. Upload your Excel (.xlsx or .xls) or CSV file in the Brilio portal with the phone numbers in a column named msisdn; it is converted automatically, and every row becomes one recipient.
How do I personalise bulk SMS with names?
Add a column such as name to your sheet and write [name] in your message. Each person receives the message with their own name, and the same works for any other column, such as balances or dates.
What phone number format should I use?
Use 0712345678 or 254712345678. Format the phone column as Text in Excel so the leading zero isn't dropped.
Why did some personalised messages cost two SMS?
A merged message is billed by its final length. If a long name or amount pushes a message past 160 characters, it is sent and billed as two parts. Keep templates short to leave room.
Can I schedule an Excel bulk SMS for later?
Promotional messages can be scheduled: after uploading your file and writing your message, choose a date and time instead of sending immediately. Transactional messages such as receipts and reminders are sent straight away.
Ready to turn your spreadsheet into a campaign? Create a free account and send your first personalised bulk SMS.
