Extensive Guide to SMS Marketing for Indian Businesses

by Jul 6, 2022Bulk SMS

SMS marketing is progressively becoming an important aspect of successful multi-channel marketing.  More brands are aiming at customers on the go. Businesses often think that SMS marketing needs heavy investment. They also think that SMS marketing prohibits personalized, targeted communication and does not offer strong analysis to support ROI.

Businesses often mistake mobile marketing to need heavy investment in apps. They also think that mobile marketing prohibits personalized, targeted communication and does not offer strong analysis to support ROI.

However, the ground reality is that mobile communications are way too easy than perceived. It is very easy to send a personalized, targeted text message to mobile consumers. These beenfits have been realized and reaped by many businesses.

It is very simple to send a personalized, targeted text message to mobile consumers. Many businesses have realized and reaped the many benefits offered by SMS marketing in improving business communication.

However, very few businesses have made use of its true potential. Till date, the use of SMS marketing was predominantly for personal conversations. Businesses realized the scope and importance of SMS in their marketing strategy only when they witnessed a steep rise in smartphone usage.

On the other hand, a lot of time and resources are needed for marketing your business. Moreover, gaining traction through your marketing efforts is difficult. This is because of the social media algorithm updates and the sheer volume of emails that a majority of people receive daily.

SMS marketing also known as text message marketing, when employed by your business, is an easy way to reach your customers and get a much higher ROI. Your customers would also like it.

So what is SMS marketing and how is it beneficial for Indian businesses?

what are the benefits offered by it for Indian businesses? This blog post will provide answers to these and will guide you on SMS marketing for Indian businesses.

Table of Contents

  • What is SMS Marketing?
  • Types of SMS
  • Why Bulk SMS?
  • Why SMS Striker?
  • Use of Bulk SMS Services in Various Industries
  • How to Send Bulk SMS?
  • TRAI New Rules for Bulk SMS
  • Error Codes in Bulk SMS
  • Benefits of Using SMS Marketing
  • Conclusion

 

What is SMS Marketing?

SMS marketing is used by businesses to send promotions, offers and transactional information to customers through text messages. This is a type of marketing that businesses use for sending promotions, offers, and transactional information to customers through text messages.  It is a form of one-to-one communication between the business member and customers.

The text message being automated can be targeted to many hundreds and thousands of customers at once. 

The text message can be an automated one that is targeted to many hundreds and thousands of customers at once.  Hence SMS marketing is also known as mass text messaging.

It is as effective as social media marketing and allows a business to communicate with its potential customers in real-time. Further, it is more robust than email marketing.

SMS marketing uses a database that has customer details and information like name, phone numbers, location, and other details that will help a business convey its message appropriately. An important aspect of this kind of marketing is that a specific audience is targeted. Being similar to Facebook ads, the audience targeted is segmented by the the location, the age, interests, etc and are met where they spend their most of time, i.e., on smartphones

It is as similar to Facebook ads in such a way that the audience is targeted are segmented by the location, the age, interests, etc and are met where they spend their most of time, i.e., on smartphones This way, many important and meaningful communications can be marketed to the audience who are qualified leads.  

For every business that decides to market its products or services through SMS, the most crucial factor that is worth remembering that needs to be remembered is that it should be a part of an overall marketing campaign. Also, no business should start using SMS marketing campaigns without a proper plan in mind as to how to reach new customers, etc.

SMS marketing is very useful in sending a delivery status; a supporting message after one has downloaded a particular app, or a transactional message after a certain amount of money has been debited on the purchase of products or services or it could be as simple as sending information about exclusive discounts and offers.  It should be remembered that unless and until a customer has recognized or is familiar with a brand, the SMS campaign can be said to be useful.  the text message so sent to them is considered to be useful or efficient. Otherwise, the messages are treated as spam by the customers.

 

Types of SMS

The most fruitful and affordable way to increase your company’s profit and to be available in the market is bulk SMS marketing. It is the circulation of bulk SMS to many mobile customers. It is the circulation of SMS in bulk for delivery to mobile terminals. SMS marketing is the most trending marketing tool and there are different types of bulk SMS as per their use cases and categories. Following is a brief description of them.

1. Promotional

The purpose of this type of message is to promote or sell a product, good, or service (to non-customers). Customers will receive these messages after the preferences and consent scrubbing function is performed. As approved for your business by DLT, promotional SMS generally contain a six-digit numeric header. Here are a few examples of how promotional SMS can be used:

  1. Promotion of brand awareness
  2. Launch of a new brand
  3. Marketing of products
  4. Events
  5. Offers and discounts for sales
  6. Sales follow-up
  7. Features of Office24by7 SMS Marketing: (what features are these? )
  8. Multilingual SMS capabilities
  9. Create customized SMS
  10. Send SMS according to schedule
  11. Reports on delivery
  12. Management of contacts
  13. Set up groups
  14. Send messages to groups
  15. Files can be uploaded in CSV, Excel, or TXT format
  16. DND Filtering automatically
  17. SMS API integration with existing applications, websites, or software
  18. The SMS can be sent from 10AM to 9PM
  19. SMS gateways are robust and dynamic

2. Transactional

Transactional messages include any message containing OTP that is required to complete a banking transaction initiated by a bank or financial institution. It applies to all banks (national, scheduled, private, government, and multinationals).

A transactional SMS is used for SMS marketing to send the information needed for the use of a product or service. You can use transactional SMS in the following situations:

  • Notifications regarding credit card purchases or account status
  • e-commerce alerts, such as order status, shipment status, and delivery details
  • Status of the PNR
  • Alerts/notifications from educational institutions to parents and guardians
  • Employer notifications/alerts to employees
  • Validation codes and registration codes
  • Information about OTPs and tracking

Features of Office24by7 SMS Marketing:

  • Sender ID
  • Multilingual SMS service
  • Message templates for SMS
  • Text messages can be scheduled
  • Text messages can be customized
  • Reports about deliveries can be sent
  • Creation of Groups can be created
  • Contact management
  • Files may be uploaded in the following formats: CSV, Excel, TXT
  • DND filtering is not applied
  • Application, website, or software integration with SMS API
  • 24-hour SMS service is available
  • Dynamic and robust SMS gateways

3. Service Implicit

You can use this type of SMS to send your registered customers any kind of information they need, such as OTPs or booking and order alerts. Regardless of the recipient’s consent preference, service implicit SMSes are sent to all recipients (including those on the DND list).

You can send these SMS round the clock (24×7). There are six alphabetic characters in service implicit SMS (Header is DLT approved). Here are a few examples of service implicit SMS:

  • Net-banking confirmations and credit/debit card transactions.
  • E-commerce website confirmation of purchase, delivery status, etc.
  • To complete a payment, customers make a payment through a mobile app or website using payment wallet. A one-time password is sent to complete the transaction.
  • Authentication requirements for e-commerce website, app and social networking logins, Demat account operations, KYC, eWallet registration, etc.
  • TSP/ISP messages.
  • Contains periodic informatiSMSon regarding balance, bill generation, bill dispatch, reminders about due dates, and confirmation of recharges (DTH, cable, prepaid electricity, etc.)
  • Periodic upgrades, notifications, and updates.
  • Retail stores may send you messages about your bill, warranty, and school attendance.
  • Registration, appointment, discharge, and reports from hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, radiologists, and pathologists.
  • App-based confirmation messages.
  • Mandatory messages from the government, DOT, and TRAI.
  •  Up-to-date information about car workshops, repair shops and gadget repair centers.
  • Yellow pages, Just dial, and other directory services.
  • Securities and Demat account holders are alerted about day-end and month-end settlements.

4. Service Explicit

Customers are sent service explicit SMS to inform them of new offers, discounts, or updates regarding their services. Service explicit messages are SMS that are sent to you as the customer after consent has been received. The messages will only be sent to you after a thorough verification process checks that you have consented to receive them. Future similar communications will be recorded in the message. In the body of the message, the brand name of the registered principal entity must be present. A six-character alpha header can be used to send service explicit SMS via DLT platforms.

Read our latest blog on A Buyers Guide to Call Center Software here.

5. Unicode

It is not unusual for customers to want to see and feel things in their own language. Messages can be sent in any language other than English using Unicode.

The unicode standard must be used with non-standard languages such as Chinese, Cyrillic, Arabic, Thai, and similarly regional languages such as Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, etc. In this type of SMS, every character is assigned a number, including non-Latin alphabetic characters.

SMS typically allows 160 characters. Unicode, however, can handle every known character, but the length of the character is reduced to 70. The message will be segmented if it exceeds the set limit.

This type of SMS also allows emojis to be sent. Emojis, which were previously unrecognized by GSM 7, can now be recognized easily. There is no need for encoding different protocols in different languages. There is no longer a need to encode different protocols in various languages. It has become simpler.

6. Two Way SMS

This type of SMS uses a dedicated virtual SMS number, where you can receive SMS messages from customers and respond based on their content. The replies received can be stored in inboxes or APIs.

With this type of SMS, by using a dedicated virtual SMS number, you can receive SMS messages from customers and respond based on their content. Inboxes or APIs may be used to store replies, or emails may be forwarded.

Two-way SMS service for SMS marketing ensures clients can receive real-time responses to their SMS requests. Inboxes and APIs can store replies, and/or they can be forwarded to a designated email address. Short codes and long codes should be used to receive real-time SMS responses.  

7. Long Code SMS

A long code is a ten-digit virtual mobile number used for two-way communication. The only cost is a nominal SMS charge since these services are globally accessible. Long codes fall into two categories.

  • Dedicated Long Code – Each client is assigned a unique long code, which is only used for their applications. It is possible to include unlimited keywords and applications with Office24by7.
  • Shared Long Code – Customers share their long codes with other companies. A particular keyword is assigned to each business, and the responses are then mapped to the keyword.
Features of Office24by7 SMS Marketing again what features are you talking about here? Why haven’t you added features for Two Way SMS, Unicode, Service Explicit
  • Auto-reply for free
  • Unlimited keyword options for dedicated long codes
  • Web-based tracking and reporting
  • Integrate our APIs with long code
  • Compatible with all telecoms
  • 24-hour technical support
  • A 99.9% uptime guarantee
Uses
  • Promotions abroad
  • Management of sales forces
  • Polls and Voting
  • Promotional and survey activities
  • Multiplayer and single player game aggregators
  • Communication within the organization
  • Chat services via SMS
  • Advertising agencies and media

8. Short Code

The short code is a shared number with 5 or 6 digits that is used to communicate between companies and customers, and that is shared across all telecom providers.

Keywords are accompanied by short codes. Each short code number is assigned a keyword. An automatic preset response will be sent to customers who send SMS messages with that keyword. Custom responses are also sent by URL forwarding.

You can obtain information regarding the keywords and sub words you use, customers’ mobile numbers, and the time and location of messages sent using your particular short code. Short Codes are of two types– Dedicated and Shared.

Dedicated Short Codes – A short code is assigned that only works for the business of the client.

Shared Short Codes – Businesses share the same short code. Responses are mapped according to the keyword that each business is assigned.

Features of Office24by7 SMS Marketing

– Auto-reply for free

– Dedicated short codes with unlimited keywords

– Sub keywords are unlimited

 – Web-based tracking and reporting

– Integrate APIs with short cod

– Compatible with all telecom operators

– 24×7 technical support

 – 99% uptime

Uses

These are the most common uses of short codes.

– Polling

– Surveys

– Giveaways

– Feedback from customers

– Results of exams/tests

– Online draw

– Lead generation

9. Enterprise SMS Services

This type of SMS is now one of the most common and effective forms of communication for enterprises. Using Office24by7’s unrivalled global reach, you can offer customers innovative services, including 2-way SMS, anywhere in the world.

The enterprise SMS gateway is designed for easy integration into existing applications and provides a global, high availability network for the delivery of banking, financial, and other services to mobile phones, such as:

1. Updates to account balances

2. Alerts based on thresholds

3. Delivery of mini statements

4. Notification of account credits and debits

5. Alerts regarding suspicious account activity

6. Internet banking one-time password delivery

7. Stock quotes in real-time

8. Security price alerts and notifications customized to your needs

9. Credit requests, mortgage approvals, and insurance coverage

Benefits of Enterprise SMS

  • Over 700 mobile operators in over 200 countries enable us to reach more people and more businesses.
  • 99% of traffic is routed through a highly robust distribution network, giving you the best performance possible.
  • To meet regulatory and compliance needs, SMS audit trails are provided as well as SMS tracking
  • Delivers content as and when it’s needed
  • Mobile banking reduces customers’ updates by 97% over call center updates
  • It extends the boundaries of SMS at work beyond 160 characters
  • Enhances the customer journey and increases customer satisfaction significantly
  • Significant reduction in credit/debit card fraud losses through SMS alerts

10. Two Way Enterprise SMS

Office24by7 enterprise SMS gateway simplifies the process of sending two-way SMS messages. In addition to being a communication tool, 2-way SMS can also be used to improve customer interaction.

Benefits

  • You can send SMS messages directly from your email address or back office system – inbound SMS messages will be delivered to your inbox or back office system.
  • We convert SMS responses into emails and deliver them to you. VMN works in over 100 countries.
  • You can manage your responses automatically by identifying keywords
  • The complexity of international short-code messaging is bypassed

11. Voice SMS / Outbound Dialer

Outbound dialer is a platform that allows enterprises to send hundreds of voice messages to a predetermined list of customers simultaneously and immediately. A two-way communication tool can also be configured so that the customer’s voice input directs further action.

Features

– Text-to-speech (TTS)

– Make a call, record your message, and send it to selected recipients

– Capture user input using touch-tones

– Allows for retrying

– Filtering of NDNCs

– Forwarding of calls

– Plan voice campaigns and messages

– Reports in real-time

– API integration with an existing website, application or ERP system

– Only billed when a call is answered

– Services for voice artists

 Benefits

– You can send messages in a language understood by the recipients, so the messages are highly personalized.

– It can be accessed by any device, allowing the enterprise to reach a wider audience.

– Receive an immediate response.

12. Missed Call SMS

Customers call a given number and receive a voice message, SMS, or phone call in response to a missed call. The software can be used to generate leads, vote, poll, get customer feedback, verify mobile numbers, provide customer support, register subscribers, etc.

Features

– Text/voice message/call back auto-reply

– Disconnecting calls automatically

– Call recording

– Comprehensive and detailed reports

– Extremely scalable and customizable

– Multi-network and multi-operator compatible

– URL forwarding

 Benefits– Improved response rate

– Providing better customer service

– Simpler and faster

– Improves operational efficiency

13. IVR Surveys

An IVR survey is an automated, pre-recorded survey in which the customer responds either by voice or touch-tone to the questions. Outbound or inbound IVR surveys are available. Customers are generally surveyed in these surveys for market research.

Features

– Text to speech

– Multilingual support

– Recordings of calls and responses

 – Live reports with detailed information

– Integration of APIs with existing technologies

Advantages:

– More cost-effective than other modes

– Immediate feedback

– Increased response rates

 

Why Bulk SMS?

Bulk SMS is a simple, powerful, and easy-to-use service. Anyone can compose and send customized SMS messages.

In the present day, more and more medium and small firms are using bulk SMS marketing to communicate with their customers and to reach new prospects. But why should a business opt for bulk SMS? 

 

WhyOffice24by7?

Sending bulk SMS is very helpful in marketing your brand around the globe. Our SMS marketing services allow you to reach out to new customers and people who are unfamiliar with you.

Key Features

  • Internet-based SMS text messaging to individuals and groups
  • Schedule SMS messages based on date and time
  • Different languages available for SMS
  • Send personalized outgoing messages
  • Files with Tab delimiters can be uploaded
  • Reports of message delivery
  • Send a message and view its history
  • Send messages using draft templates

Group SMS

Users can be added as groups with a group name and recipient name, and messages can be sent to using those groups. You can also manage groups, edit groups, and change groups. Finally, you can upload a csv file to import users.

Your Own Sender ID

Your brand can be promoted with a six-digit name or any number. Within minutes of receiving a sender ID request, the sender ID is activated so that you can send an SMS with your company name or number.

API for your Website

Our APIs work with all types of applications and environments. Our flexible APIs can be used to integrate your application with ours. Our bulk SMS API is popularly used in several applications for the transactional route. We will provide you with a sample code for all applications.

Schedule SMS

Our servers will send SMS on time as per the date and time you define, via schedule SMS. It is alsol possible to change your schedule time and date at any time.

Dynamic SMS

You can send bulk SMS to different numbers, with different content. Dynamic SMS can be widely used in schools, colleges, hospitals, and many organizations. Upload a file to the server with as many columns as you want. Easily send dynamic SMS messages with a bulk SMS gateway.

Delivery Reports

We provide detailed reports after you have completed your SMS campaign. Search by the date or month and you will get detailed reports. They are all 100% accurate and can be downloaded immediately.

SMS Gateway

We offer SMS gateway APIs that businesses can use to send short messages to target customers. With the SMS gateway API, you can easily send messages instantly without having to go through any hassle.

Check out our latest blog on 10 Reasons Why Voice Broadcasting is the Best Tool to Reach Customers here

Bulk SMS marketing is used by many industrial sectors for providing better customer service. It enables companies to grow and cope with consumer demands so they can provide better services and products to consumers. Below is a brief list of industries in which it is used.

Bulk SMS Services for Retail Industry

To balance many factors to achieve perfect marketing, SMS is vital in communicating with vendors, customers, dealers, associates, and even employees about upcoming events.

Your business or industry can benefit from bulk SMS marketing. When you introduce a new brand, inform customers about your products and services, or update them about discounts, SMS plays an essential role in reaching out to maximum customers. Over 20, 000 clients in the retail industry across India use bulk SMS gateway.

Bulk SMS Services for Education

There is a dramatic change in the face of education in India. The  holistic development of child parent-teacher interaction is as essential.. Bulk SMS marketing allows you to communicate massively with parents, teachers, administrators, and alumni by sending SMS to a large number of recipients.

Bulk SMS for Advertisement and Event Management

Your products and services will flourish if you advertise them. Bulk SMS is crucial to communicating with customers in bulk. You can not only brand your business but also keep your customers posted on events.

Bulk SMS for Insurance

The insurance industry in India is growing rapidly. Insurance companies can use bulk SMS to convey information or communicate about insurance premiums, insurance policies, and services to their agents as well.

Bulk SMS for the Automobile industry

Automobile dealers deal with a variety of brands, making it one of the most trendsetting industries. Bulk SMS allows your company to communicate, announce, remind, and spread social awareness between manufacturer and dealer, as well as between the dealer and the customer.

Bulk SMS for Stock Brokers

Since the stock market is an impulsive industry, customers should be updated with stock market analysis, latest news, and other information about the stock market. Bulk SMS  not only send information about specific stock markets but also keep its customers informed about them.

Bulk SMS for Real Estate

Among the fastest growing industries in infrastructure development, real estate is redefining the state of India. There are many more services you can provide through bulk SMS that enable you to grow further. Availability of projects or houses, lease or rent, and informing newly launched projects are just a few highlighted services.

Bulk SMS for Hotel and Resorts

A multi-billion-dollar industry in India is hotels, resorts, and amusement parks, all of which are part of the hospitality industry. Hotels and resorts are the perfect locations for celebrating holidays, meetings, conferences, weddings, birthdays and many other events. The mantra of a successful business is to keep in touch with the customer immediately. As a business expands from individuals to cooperatives, every customer is important.

Bulk SMS marketing plays a crucial role in introducing new services, food festivals, and other amenities.

Bulk SMS for Placement and Overseas Education Consultant

It is difficult in itself to find the right person for the right job. As a bridge between providers and seekers, Bulk SMS facilitates the perfect online process. It informs people about job or education opportunities,. In addition, bulk SMS also helps companies brand themselves.

Bulk SMS for Tours and Tourism

The tourism industry helps the country gain revenue by showcasing Indian culture and attracting foreign tourists.. It is possible to communicate with dealers, hotels, direct customers, airlines, and other companies involved in the whole chain using bulk SMS . Customers are also informed of latest offers, packages, etc. through it.

Bulk SMS for Courier and Logistics

Courier and logistics are a common service for letters, official or personal documents, gifts, house moves due to job transfers, and online orders. Bulk SMS marketing assist both in tracking the courier and in communicating with its direct suppliers in a way that maintains security for the user.

Dealers or suppliers in the e-commerce era are all dependent on courier services, and courier services also depend on SMS services to provide the information about the right product to their customers. Bulk SMS is a fast method of communication..

Bulk SMS for Online Portals and E-commerce

With the boom of e-commerce or online shopping in India, it is not only offering different offers and discounts, but selling them for a lower price than shopping malls. Customers can receive bulk SMSs about the latest discounts and offers. The service helps manufacturers, dealers, and couriers stay in touch. Bulk SMS can link more customers with the fastest service provider.

Bulk SMS for Airlines

India is home to many aviation companies. The long-distance, short-distance, business class, and the lower rate for certain days are all services that airlines provide to attract not just business class customers but also an average person. By using bulk SMS you can easily update customers about new bidding, advance booking, and online bookings.

Bulk SMS for Web Development, ERP, and CRM companies

India became a super icon in the IT industry because of revolutionary and endless information and communication technology. As part of the new age communications technology, bulk SMS can be used in key areas such as messaging, customer care, human resources, vendor management, sales, or promotions.

Bulk SMS for Banking

Banking services are also made easier with one click. The banking industry has transformed with more secure and safe methods of providing fast and secure services.

With the help of IT, thousands of online and offline banking services, including ATMs, net banking, verification, authentication, online payments, can be offered. The use of Bulk SMS can improve the popularity, authenticity, and security of these services.

Bulk SMS for Media and Entertainment

Media dominates mass communication in India, but entertainment is also growing rapidly. Bulk SMS can be used to notify customers about upcoming events, bulletin news, new movie releases, online movie ticket booking, and watching the missed episodes of daily soaps.

 

How to Send Bulk SMS?

To suit the needs of anyone wanting to send bulk SMS, there are many platforms available. Known as application-to-person SMS message solutions, these platforms include mobile phone applications, web interfaces, software programs, or SMS API integration with systems.

The process of sending bulk SMS is very simple and with Striker SMS you can very conveniently send a huge amount of SMS. All you have to do is add the text of the message to be sent and select a list of recipients. Striker SMS allows you to send SMSes that are highly segmented to a huge subscriber base at wholesale prices. Below are the steps involved in sending bulk SMS.

Step 1: Register with Office24by7

Create an account and fill up all the fields. Click sign up

Step 2: Select the Pricing Plan

Select the pricing plan, and price per SMS for the country you wish to send bulk SMS.

Step 3: Upload Contacts (File Upload)

The phone numbers can be uploaded, copied, pasted, or imported.

Step 4: Create an SMS Campaign with Custom Message

Set up an SMS campaign with a keyword that aligns with your brand name. Make the most of 160 characters. Write the body of the message with your brand name. Use your CRM to understand your customer demographics.

You can also create a custom-made text message by using customer’s data like name, age, country, gender, etc that can provide your subscribers with more relevant offers and news at the right time.

Step 5: Fill in All the Fields and Hit Send

You can enter up to 11 characters or digits for the sender’s name in Latin. Type the text of the SMS. Determine the time you want to send it. It is possible to schedule an SMS to be sent automatically or to send it immediately. Verify that the message appears as you want it to. Submit!

 

TRAI New Rules for Bulk SMS

Register as an Entity and Telemarketer.

All businesses (principal entities) and bulk SMS service providers (telemarketers) must now register with the telecom operators to send messages to their customers. Business firms were not required to register with TRAI prior to the registration. However, with the new rules, both the service providers and companies that want to send SMS to their clients will need to register with their respective telecom operators.

Registration of Headers and Templates

Sender ID is now known as headers, and each header must be approved and registered with the Telecom Operators. The telecom operators must also approve each SMS or template directly. Sender ID and template approval will no longer be controlled by bulk SMS service providers, and all header and template details will be available to view on a panel.

Type of SMS

Previously, there were two ways to send SMS – transactional and promotional. However, TRAI has introduced 3 new routes in the latest update: Transactional, Promotional, and Service (implicit and explicit).

Under the new regulations, banks will be able to send only OTPs via the transactional route, while service-related informative messages shall fall into the implicit category. It will fall under the explicit category if a customer has agreed to receive promotional SMS from a given company. Only DND numbers will receive promotional SMS messages, such as offers and discounts.

Consent from Customers

The new regulation grants mobile subscribers (customers) to have their consent to receive messages and it also gives them the ability to opt-out of this in the future. On a single dashboard they will be able to see the consents they have given and manage them as well as withdraw them at any time.

Preferences of the Customer

Customers previously had only the option of DND or non-DND. As part of the new rules, mobile subscribers have been provided with a time window in which to manage their preferences based on a specific time or day, and they are allowed to receive certain kinds of promotional messages regardless of their preferences. 

The customer can still receive messages even if he has activated DND on his number promotional text from a company if he wishes to. The customer can also choose when to receive promotional texts.

Message Scrubbing

With scrubbing, it is now possible to ensure that messages are sent according to the customer’s specifications. It will filter the number of messages based on the customer’s criteria in real-time. Real-time filtering of customer preferences results in immediate feedback.

Customer Complaints Management

Customers who believe their preferences or consent have been violated can register complaints via various channels such as phone calls or SMS to increase the level of safety and authenticity in the system.

Telecom Interoperability

Telecom service providers will be able to view various details related to entities, telemarketers, headers, templates, etc. on the platform. Businesses and bulk SMS service providers can share their data with the network. This information can be viewed at any time.

Totally Traceable

All transactions are traceable using distributed ledger technology (DLT). The result is that all data is recorded and shared on the network, and it can be tracked at any time.

 

Error Codes in Bulk SMS

Any time there is an error in sending SMS, a number will be sent out. Sending a message is not always successful due to SMS error codes. When a message fails to arrive, senders receive different error codes.  

SMS errors due to DLT scrubbing are delineated in detail for our customers in every outbound SMS. It will help you to understand the root cause of failure and troubleshoot issues with outbound SMS delivery right away with these detailed error codes. They relate only to DLT scrubbing issues.

Sr. No. Error Code Status Description
1. 600 ENTITY_NOT_FOUND There are no records with entity ID as the primary key
2. 601 ENTITY_NOT_REGISTERED Entity not entered on the platform
3. 602 ENTITY_INACTIVE Platform is inactive for this entity
4. 603 ENTITY_BLACKLISTED All platforms have blacklisted the entity
5. 604 INVALID_ENTITY_ID The entity ID format is incorrect or there is no entity ID tag available
6. 605-609 ENTITY_RESERVED Dedicated to Entity
7. 610 TELEMARKETER_NOT_REGISTERED Telemarketer ID does not appear on the platform
8. 611 TELEMARKETER_INACTIVE Inactive Telemarketer
9. 612 TELEMARKETER_BLACKLISTED All platforms blacklist Telemarketers
10. 613-619 TELEMARKETER_RESERVED This number is reserved for telemarketers
11. 620 HEADER_NOT_FOUND Header (case sensitive) is not a primary key for any records
12. 621 HEADER_INACTIVE Platform entity is inactive
13. 622 HEADER_BLACKLISTED Header is blocked on all platforms
14. 623 PEID_NOT_MATCHED_WITH_HEADER Header ID does not match principle entity ID
15. 624-629 HEADER_RESERVED Marked as reserved for header
16. 630 TEMPLATE_NOT_FOUND The template ID was not found as a primary key/no template was found
17. 631 TEMPLATE_INACTIVE Platform does not support this template
18. 632 TEMPLATE_BLACKLISTED All platforms have blacklisted the template
19. 633 TEMPLATE_NOT_MATCHED This Template ID has not been matched
20. 634 HEADER_NOT_REGISTERED_FOR_TEMPLATE This template does not have a header
21. 635 TEMPLATE_VARIABLE_EXCEEDED_MAX_LENGTH Variable length exceeded configuration limit
22. 636 ERROR_IDENTIFYING_TEMPLATE The template could not be identified
23. 637 INVALID_TEMPLATE_ID Template ID was formatted incorrectly or did not have a tag
24. 638-649 TEMPLATE_RESERVED Template reserved
25. 650 PREFERENCE_NOT_MATCHED Blocked in preferences with MSISDN as PK
26. 651-659 PREFERENCE_RESERVED Reserved for Priority
27. 660 CONSENT_FAILED Consent error general code
28. 661_669 CONSENT_RESERVED Subject to consent
29. 670 SCRUBBING_FAILED In case of any exception, the error code is general
30. 671-699 SCRUBBING_RESERVED Reserved for Scrubbing
31. 4106/5101/5102/5103/5104/5105/5106/5107/5108 BLOCKED_BY_DLT DLT Scrubbing blocks messages
32. 4107/4001/5000/5001 DLT_SCRUBBING_TIMEOUT Timeout during  DLT scrubbing
33. 4108/5201/5202/5203/5204/5205 SENDER_BLOCKED_BY_DLT Sender did not pass DLT’s Scrubbing
34. 5301/5302/5303/5304/5305/5306/5307/5401/5402/5403/5404/5405/5406/5407 TEMPLATE_ERROR The content template does not match/register
35. 7001/7002/7003 ENTITY_ID_ERROR There is no match for this entity

 

 

Benefits of Using SMS Marketing

Bulk SMS marketing has been around for a while and the  ease of use has made it very popular these days. It offers many useful benefits to businesses in increasing their potential success, sales, and gaining more loyal customers. Below are the many benefits of it in detail. Have a closer look at them now.

No Need for Internet

SMS marketing does not require the internet. Even if you do not have an internet connection, there would be no problem using it. It is adaptable with every mobile phone in the world. It allows you to engage the customers who are offline, those who do not use a desktop or laptop or even those who do not use smartphones.   

Amongst the high percentage of customers who use mobile phones and smartphones in both developed and developing countries, it is very successful. This means you can reach a wide audience with SMS easily.

As a result of this benefit offered, it increases the chances of you gaining more loyal customers or gaining people who would be keen on knowing about your products or services.

Mobile Friendly

These days it is very important to have a mobile friendly business as more and more customers have become mobile savvy. You can easily target this audience with SMS marketing that is not only mobile-friendly and but also a strong asset to your marketing strategy.

Gone are the days when businesses give mobile friendliness a last priority. Since mobiles are here to stay, its potential is huge and can be tapped fruitfully. This kind of marketing is possible for every kind of mobile phone. When appropriate links are shared through SMSs, you can generate the right traffic to your business. Make sure these links are kept short. For example, if you offer a discount on a certain product or service, your SMS message should contain the link to this product or service.   

High Delivery Rate

An important aspect of SMS marketing is sending the text message to the right audience. Ideally, the higher the rates of connection, the higher is the level of profitability for a business.

The rate at which messages are delivered to recipients, known as SMS deliverability is high for it (which is almost 98%). This signifies that a very high number of text messages are reached to the customers. Thus it can be said that it is the most reliable method of communication.

Further, it should be remembered that the success of an SMS campaign depends on the delivery rate. Successful SMS campaigns also mean non-spammy and valuable texts. Apart from the high delivery rate provided by SMS marketing, 90% of the SMSs are opened and read within three minutes of receiving them. Compared to all other channels, the click-through and engagement levels are more effective with SMSes.

Time Efficient and Easy Scheduling

With SMS marketing, you can save a lot of time. It allows you to send SMS campaigns instantly. Very little time is required to create a text message that you want to send to people. Text messages can be sent to your customers as soon as your business offers discounts or deals about products and services. Also, text messaging hardly takes a few seconds compared to phone calls and emails that take more than a few minutes.

As it is time-efficient, the entire process of SMS campaigning is highly cost-effective.  Moreover, since a lot of time and money is saved through it your ROI is also increased. This holds true even if there is low customer response.

It also allows the scheduling of text messages. You can also use the most successful SMS campaigns as templates for future purposes which also help save your precious time.

Pocket Friendly

SMS marketing is very affordable and even small businesses can benefit from using it.  When compared to other forms of advertising like billboards, advertisements, etc, it is more than ten times cheaper.

Regardless of the number of messages you wish to send to customers, it is affordable and pocket friendly. This proves that it is very attractive for those businesses especially those who do not have huge budgets. It yields positive results even if your budget is very low and makes your brand presence felt by many customers.  

 

Conclusion

As you can see from all of this, texting is great for businesses. Despite its not so trendy status, it gets results. You can’t afford not to try SMS marketing when it offers so many benefits and is so inexpensive. It is especially advantageous for businesses when it gives them an edge over the competition.

Why not try SMS Striker? We are the best bulk SMS service provider in the market for your business. Call us at 91 7097171717 or email us at sales@office24by7.com if you would like to learn how we can assist you.

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