Looking into Business SMS? Ask Your Provider These Questions
SMS business adoption is set to explode — after all, text-capable phone subscriptions are at an all-time high, surpassing 5.1 billion.
A few more data points to take into consideration:
- B2B SMS grew 197% between 2015 and 2017.
- B2C SMS grew 92% between 2015 and 2017.
- A2P (Application to Person) SMS messages generated 75% of total SMS market revenue.
Ready to take the plunge? You might have a few questions before choosing the right business SMS provider.
Does the provider own their own network or are they relying on third parties to deliver carrier services? The latter not only adds costs, it also introduces latency and potential points of failure into the process. For the highest deliverability and reliability, look for a provider that operates their own private network.
Is the provider a carrier with their own network, or are they a network reseller? By skipping the middlemen and working directly with a carrier, you could save up to 70% on your messaging bill.
Can the provider offer global coverage? This would be an important question to ask if your organization offers your products or services internationally. Also ask the provider if they would be able to easily scale to handle thousands of messages simultaneously if the need does arise.
How easy is it to implement the provider’s system? Depending on your needs, you may want something that’s out of the box. For some, control is integral, especially if the service is going to be directly integrated into your service. Are the provider’s APIs developer-friendly? Do they provide SDKs in your preferred programming language? Do they provide support 24/7 at no extra cost?
Does the provider have a large inventory of numbers and area codes for you to choose from? Especially for organizations with an international footprint, you need to be certain that the provider you choose can easily scale with your global number needs.
Does the provider offer robust reporting and analytics? Do they provide delivery reports with transparency when messages haven’t gone through and why?
Does the provider offer features to help you manage numbers at scale? Do you need the ability to send communications from multiple numbers? What about sending campaigns from local numbers? Or one consistent number? If so, you’ll need to look for a provider that offers a layer of intelligence over and above core messaging services.
How can the provider help you be GDPR, TCPA and PIPEDA compliant?
Texting may just be the next frontier of customer engagement and support, but it’s crucial that you ask the right questions before deciding on your business SMS provider.
