We would go a bit technical today to give the Building blocks of Bulk SMS.
The bulk SMS business is a product of modern technology. It is a business that is more dependent on technology than on human input. It is possible to send bulk SMS from a server, or from a desktop interface. The forms in which an interface may appear are: Application Programming Interface (API) and Web SMS.
What’s the Difference Between the Two Interfaces?
The Application Programming Interface (API) provides a single point of connection over the Internet, from a web site or application, to an SMS gateway.
- The APIs may be available as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or HTTPS (HTTP secure). These transfer hypertext requests and information to and from web browsers and servers. HTTPS provides a layer of security over standard HTTP. Hypertext refers to the text in an electronic document that is connected to other electronic documents or binaries such as image files.
- SMS gateways are telecommunications network facilities that are used for sending or receiving Short Message Service (SMS) transmissions. SMS gateways may be capable of media conversion support, such as in email to SMS.
The Web SMS Interface may be made available through web browsers. Web SMS can receive messages from what are known as “long numbers” instead of short codes.
- Consumers prefer to use long numbers which are standard mobile phone numbers, rather than short codes, because short codes charge a premium rate.
Simply put, what all of these means for a bulk SMS business is that there is an option of sending the bulk SMS through a Web browser (Web SMS) or through an application that is self-contained.
High Value Delivery Features
A bulk SMS business owner may be more able to entice clients into signing up with him, when he is able to explain the high value delivery features that the client will be entitled to, as part of the sign-up deal.
These include:
- Standard delivery status reports – these are useful for tracking the status of the bulk SMS sent, to know if they have already been submitted, and also to find out if the SMS has already been delivered to the intended recipient.
- Dynamic Sender Identification – this identifies from who the message (bulk SMS) came from. It may be in the form of alpha characters, numeric characters, or a combination of both (alphanumeric).
- Ported Number Support – this is useful for sending bulk SMS to mobile numbers that may have moved from one network to another.
- Concatenated Message Sending – this feature allows very long messages to be delivered in one long message format, instead of being cut into separate messages.
- Binary Sending – this means that bulk SMS sent is not limited to text messages. Non-text or graphic images may also be sent as bulk SMS
Do you really need to know and understand all these technical information if you’re simply interested in having your own bulk SMS business? No, not really. But it’s a good idea to get a grasp of the details of your business. In that way, you will not be easy to fool.
No Comments