How to send Survey SMS messages using the Fuel API

Question

I've used the MobileConnect postMessageList method to send transactional outbound SMS messages to subscribers for numerous projects.

I'd like to initiate a Survey SMS using the API, however, it appears that MobileConnect messages are limited to to sending Outbound messages as there is no 'API Trigger' Send Method available in other SMS templates:

Send Method option in MobileConnect Outbound templates

Please can someone clarify:

1. Can you send a Survey SMS using the Fuel REST or SOAP API?
2. If not, can you check SMS responses to SMS messages initiated through the API?

If you can't send Survey messages using the API, I'm thinking of:

1. Send an SMS message (using an API method) that subscribers can reply to.
2. Use the getMessageContactHistory method to return tracking history of messages to and from (MO) the mobile subscriber.
3. Check MO (mobile-originated) responses and send conditional replies based on their response.

Answer 1

The API method you are looking for is QueueMO. It is a very useful method because it basically simulated a user sending in a MO message so it can end up being used to accomplish many scenarios where a majority of the setup is done in the MobileConnect interface in the MC.

http://code.exacttarget.com/apis-sdks/rest-api/v1/sms/postQueueMO.html

There is an example of a survey setup in documentation. http://help.exacttarget.com/en/documentation/mobileconnect/mobileconnect_use_cases/creating_a_survey_with_multiple_questions/

If a survey was setup using that example, QueueMO could be used to simulate the first message of "Survey" so the first message that the mobile handset would receive would be "Would you return to this store for future purchases?" without having to text in anything first.