Please help us help you and fill where relevant:
Your LimeSurvey version: LimeSurvey Community Edition  Version 6.17.13+260728
Own server or LimeSurvey hosting:
Survey theme/template: Research project
==================
Hello!

I am wondering if it is possible to receive text message notifications depending on specific response to a survey?

We are conducting a research project on a sensitive topic and would need quicker alerts than email. 
I appreciate your help!!

Depending on the email server you are using, email can be quite as well. SMS might win, but I think we are talking about seconds here.

Limesurvey does not have SMS alerts "built in", but just like with Email and SMPT you can use the API or the exit link to trigger a CPaaS / SMS Gateway Provider / SMS API Provider (Twilio, Messagebird, Clicksend, AWS SNS) to send an SMS.

What are these notifications for? Maybe there are even better solutions...

sybelle1 wrote:

We are conducting a research project on a sensitive topic and would need quicker alerts than email.
 

If you control your mailserver you will have the alert instantly. If the topic is sensitive these emails are transport-encrypted.
Textmessages like SMS are not encrypted and move through cell networks as a digital postcard.

What kind of message system do you have in mind. You could use web hooks, which could be triggered via EndURL.
But it all depends on what message system you want to use instead of email.
 

sybelle1 wrote:

I am wondering if it is possible to receive text message notifications depending on specific response to a survey?

We are conducting a research project on a sensitive topic and would need quicker alerts than email.

 

My understanding is that you are not looking to send a notification only at the end of the survey when the participant clicks “Submit”. Instead, you would like to trigger an action immediately after a particular answer is given, for example when the participant clicks “Next”?!

Technically, this is possible. LimeSurvey provides plugin events that can be used to evaluate the submitted answers during the survey and trigger an email or SMS notification when predefined conditions are met.Sending an SMS requires some additional work because LimeSurvey needs to be connected to an external SMS gateway. However, several providers offer suitable APIs, so this can be implemented reliably.

The exact implementation depends on your workflow, the conditions that should trigger the notification, the information that may be included, and the messaging channel you want to use. Particular care should be taken not to include sensitive survey data in an unencrypted SMS.

In general, though, the requested workflow should be feasible. If you have further questions or need help implementing it, please do not hesitate to contact us.