What is an SMS gateway?

An SMS system or SMS gateway is for those who want to send text messages via a computer. An SMS gateway is the connection between the internet and the telecom network. Your computer is connected to the internet and via an SMS gateway you can connect to the telecom network. This is smart if, for example, you want to send SMS messages to your customers, members, young people or colleagues using a computer.

Below you can read all about SMS systems, what to look out for, what's important and how much they cost.

 

Is an SMS Gateway right for me?

Before you start considering whether an SMS system is right for you, it's a good idea to look at the number of SMS messages you need to send and the number of different recipients. For example, if it's text messages to the same 10 people twice a month, it can be an advantage to just create a group text message on the phone. It's easy and free to do (as long as you have a phone) and there are instructions on how to do it at iPhone here and Android here. Be aware that iPhone is not as good as Android in this context, so if you are choosing a phone from the start, it is an advantage to choose an Android.

If the need is a little bigger than that, for example, if you need to send many 100 messages, if it's to new recipients every time or if you want to send from a membership system or accounting system. Then it might be a good idea to look at an SMS system. It may also be that the list of recipients is in another system and it is therefore smart to be able to send from the computer - in this case you need a so-called SMS API (application programming interface). Most SMS gateways have this. If you have many groups and many contacts, it may also be a good idea to start by using a professional SMS gateway.

So the key factors that determine whether you can get the most out of an SMS gateway are the number of SMS messages, the number of recipients, how often you send and whether you are sending to the same people.

The last thing to mention in this context is that with an SMS gateway you can decide who should be the sender of your message. When you send a text message from your phone, your number is the sender and the recipient can reply to the message. For example, if it's a reminder or a marketing SMS, you may want your brand/company name to be the sender. With an SMS gateway, you can decide what the sender should be (within the limits of the law)

Who should receive my SMS?

If you've read this far and have decided to try a professional SMS gateway instead of sending SMS via your phone, the next step is to "figure out" who you want to send to.

It seems like an easy question - you probably already have the answer since you found this page. But what we mean by that is that you need to have found and created these numbers in a system. If you want to use a computer to send SMS messages, it needs to know the numbers. Most SMS gateways have three options for processing phone numbers:

1. Enter the number via a website when you need to send messages
2. Import the numbers from a file (Excel, CSV or similar)
3. Send via a so-called API

Which way is best depends on your needs. For example, if you send to many different people during the day and you only have their phone number on a yellow slip, then number 1) is a very good solution. In our SMS gateway, you can also insert via cut-and-paste from other systems. If you have a member list, a customer list or an employee list that doesn't change that often, then 2) can be a good idea. Here you can create your own address book with people and groups and then it's easy to send to a group. The last option is to send via an integration. This means that your financial system, membership database or CRM system automatically sends SMS messages.

 

Can I receive SMS on my computer?

When you have sent an SMS message to all your recipients, you may want to write some information to them. But you might also want to ask them a question. Are you coming to the general meeting? Were you satisfied with the service? or something else entirely. With a two-way SMS gateway, you can receive SMS messages on your computer. Usually this feature is an optional extra. In SureSMS it costs 99,- per month. The response you receive can either be read in your online SMS inbox, delivered by email or even sent to a phone 🙂 .

What should the message say?

Depending on who you're sending to, there may be some requirements for both the message itself and the way it's delivered. When you send an SMS from your phone, you don't think about it, but the SMS system is over 25 years old and when it was invented, the inventors thought 160 characters was enough. (https://www.smsglobal.com/blog/why-is-an-sms-160-characters-or-less/). The system was invented so that telecom masters could send messages to telecom technicians if something is wrong, but of course it's not used for that anymore. In 1999, a system was invented so that a long SMS could be sent in several SMS messages and be reassembled on the recipient's phone into one message.

Since the price of an SMS gateway is per SMS (i.e. per 160 characters), it's a good idea to pay attention to how much you write in the message. Every time you cross the 160 character limit, it costs an extra SMS.

If you're sending out to a customer list and it's marketing, say marketing law that the message should state how to unsubscribe from the list. (). There are no rules on how to unsubscribe - only that it should be as easy to unsubscribe as it is to subscribe. Most people end the message with "Unsubscribe: reply SMS with "Unsubscribe list" or similar. In SureSMS, you can send a link with "Unsubscribe : https://a-l.ink/2423fd". This makes it easier for the recipient to unsubscribe.

 

Can I add characters and images to messages?

In some SMS gateways, such as SureSMS, you can also send pictures in the SMS message. Telecom companies offer an extension of the SMS system called MMS (Multimedia Message System). However, there are often problems with receiving these, as the phones must be set up correctly in order to receive MMS. It may therefore be a good idea to send a regular SMS and insert a link to a video, image or PDF file in the SMS message. As mentioned above, you can select a file from the SureSMS transmitter to attach to the message itself. It will then be inserted as a link.

If your target audience is younger people, it might be a good idea to insert so-called emojis. These are also commonly referred to as smilies. There are 1,000s of emojis from hearts and champagne glasses to fire trucks and pizzas. All of which can be used to make communication more personal.

 

International SMS

Few SMS gateway users send to foreign numbers, but if you need to, it can be very relevant to use an SMS gateway. When you send SMS from your phone, you typically pay 60 øre for SMS to foreign numbers. With an SMS gateway, the SMS message is sent over the internet to the foreign telecom operator, who then delivers it to your phone. This means that the SMS message does not go from your telecom operator over the closed operator network to the foreign operator.

Whether you are sending from your own phone or from an SMS gateway, it is VERY important that you comply with the laws of the country you are sending to. There are different rules in different countries and, if you are sending within the EU, there are also a number of common rules. You can see specific SMS rules in the different countries here: