How to Choose SMS Gateway

As the numbers of people using mobile devices are increasing with every passing day, companies are making use of SMSs to promote their services and products and increase their sales. To make the most of any SMS marketing campaign, it is necessary to make use of an effective SMS gateway solution that allows in dispersing bulk SMSs within a short time. While there are plenty of SMS gateway providers in the market, the right solution expert can make a major difference in your business by providing you with the most effective solutions.

There are a number of factors that you should consider while choosing the Best SMS Gateway Provider for your business.

Firstly, you will need to ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the cost for every SMS?
• Are there any monthly usage or minimum purchase requirements?
• Are there any kinds of hidden costs involved?
• How good and efficient is the network coverage of the SMS provider?
• What is the network quality of the service provider?
• What is the expiry date for the SMS packs?
• What are the payment options that the SMS Gateway Provider accepts? 
• Is the API of the SMS gateway provider easy to use and well documented? Will the service provider offer any sample code?
• Does the SMS application require a 2-way SMS messaging service?
• Does the provider of SMS Gateway Solutions offer any free SMSs for testing?
• How reliable is the customer support service of the SMS gateway provider? 

The next thing that you will need to evaluate is the account management system of the SMS gateway provider. Most companies will provide you with a web-based system for managing your account. You can log in to your account and check the SMSs that are left for a current period and even buy new SMS messages or credits online. It is also necessary that the user interface of the account management system is intuitive, easy to use and fast. It should also provide users with these following important features.

Access via HTTPS protocol:

It is always good if your account management system is accessible through a HTTPS protocol. The HTTPS connection helps to make sure that all data transmitted between the computer and web server are encrypted and therefore secured.

Detailed reports:

The Mobile VAS Solution provider should also provide you with detailed reports of all the SMS messages that have been sent and received. Sometimes some programs do not immediately offer such reports but they are still available on request. You can ask for reports for any date or specific period ranges. The reports cover fields like the number of messages received or sent, the time and date of all the individual SMS messages, as well as the mobile phone number in which the SMS was sent to or received from. The reports can be downloaded in the form of CSV or MS Excel files. These reports eventually help the management to take important business decisions. 

SMS Gateway Basics

SMS marketing campaigns have become a major trend among both startup companies and established business brands due to their affordability and the quick results they deliver. However, it is necessary to select a reliable SMS Gateway Software that can provide with the technical support required by a company to achieve success with its SMS marketing campaigns. Plenty of marketing attempts have failed to bear the positive results due to the failure of a company’s management team to select a software system that aptly matches their needs. So let’s have a look at some of the basic features of these Bulk SMS Server programs and see how they can aid in improving the business prospects of a company.

An SMS Gateway Server can serve as a specially designed converged delivery platform that can be used for sending all types of messages to target consumers in order to promote a business. These bulk SMS programs can be easily integrated to various platforms by using standard modules, protocols and an interface for control management that is central to the program. It helps in effectively managing all technological and business needs for a service provider. These programs come with a cohesive messaging suite that offers different types of technological solutions such as messaging router, messaging gateway, messaging controller, messaging hub, a two-way communication platform and a consent gateway. Such platforms are designed with the aim of offering corporate firms with the technological services that they need to carry out their promotional campaigns.

It is necessary that new tools and features be implemented within a platform so that they can work quickly and lead to the development of new revenue streams. The enterprise-grade SMS Gateway Solution systems offer robust and scalable features that can be easily integrated with the existing hardware of the company. These programs offer complete support for different types of communication protocols needed for various modes like SMS, USSD, MMS, e-mail and IVR over HTTP, HTTPs, SMTP, SMPP, XML, RTP, SIP, SIGTRAN, SS7 and SSL interfaces. The latest USSD GatewayProviders can come up with fast and secure messaging tools that can be used by aggregators and service providers for managing bulk messaging traffic requirements.

These programs come with an easy to use interface that can be further customized according to the individual needs of the business firms. Moreover, these programs also come at a cost effective price and allows a company to manage all of its resources and revenues in the most effective manner. Apart from making it easier for companies to manage all types of messaging operations, these programs can also offer services like routing and a dashboard for live traffic monitoring along with added benefits like exhaustive traffic analysis. The ability of these programs to work with multiple messaging channels like SMS, USSD, MMS, e-mail, IVR and eFax makes them extremely practical and beneficial for large scale business promotional campaigns. The rich features of these convergent platforms can allow business firms to enjoy greater ROI while saving on initial costs.