Frequently Asked Questions

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SMS

How many characters can I have in my message?

1 SMS is 160 characters in length. You can send longer messages using a process called concatenation. We use special characters to join the SMS together and deliver them as one message. Due to the use of characters to join the messages there are inconsistencies in the length of following SMS. This is the break down.

Do I pay for each SMS in my message?

Yes, we charge for each SMS sent, not each message sent.

• If you send 10 messages that are 160 characters and under (1 SMS) in length, you will be charged for 10 message

• If you send 10 messages that are 306 characters and under (2 SMS) in length, you will be charged for 20 messages

Do spaces and line breaks add to my character count?

Yes, each line break, space and carriage return adds to your character count.

• 1 space = 1 character

• 1 line break = 2 characters

If I use a <firstname> variable in my message can that make my message too long?

We count every character in a variable. If you have a message that is 152 characters in length and the name that is inserted into the variable is 9 characters in length you will be charged for 2 SMS (152 + 9 = 161). We suggest that you find the longest name in your list and keep enough spare characters in your message to allow for it.

Contact Lists

How many contacts can I have in a list?

You can have as many as you like from 1 to 100,000.

Can I upload contacts in a file?

Yes, you can upload a CSV file with all your contacts.

What is the best way to format the CSV file?

"Mobile", "Firstname", "Lastname"
"61403456789", "John", "Smith"
"61409876543", "Peter", "Jones"
"61406789123", "Charles", "Anderson"

Does it take a long time to upload a lot of contacts?

No, it takes just a few minutes to load 100,000 or more contacts.

My list is pretty messy, a lot of the numbers aren't formatted properly, will this matter?

No, as long as all your contacts are for the same destination country, our system will format them all correctly with the correct country code. It will also eliminate duplicates and remove invalid numbers.

I have numbers from different countries in my list, will they send OK?

As long as we support the country and you have formatted all the numbers correctly with the country code eg. +61429705882 then we can deliver the messages.

Can user be opted out of my lists?

Yes, you can opt them out manually by clicking the Opt-Out link next to a contact in a list. This will ensure that even if you upload them again they will remain opted out. You can also add an opt-out instruction to outgoing messages to allow rcipients to opt-out directly. They just need to reply STOP and the list ID. eg STOP 123 and they will be opted-out. Opt-out instructions are added automatically when you use our free opt-out code.

CallerID and Response Numbers

Can I customise the CallerID so that people can respond to my phone?

Yes, just select 'I will define the CallerID' in the drop down menu. Add your number in international format eg. +61429705882 and the messages will look like they came from your phone and people will be able to reply directly to you. These replies cannot however not be reported in our system.

Can I use a name as the CallerID?

Yes, you can have up to 11 alphanumeric characters for the CallerID, be aware though that people cannot reply to this type of CallerID.

Can people opt-out of my list when I define a name as the CallerID?

They cannot opt-out by replying but they can SMS STOP and the list ID to our shared long code (+61429705882) or your own dedicated response number. eg at the bottom of your message add 'Opt-out SMS STOP XXXX to 0429705882' You will not see the opt-outs processed on your report when you use this method but they will be opted out from your list.

How can I get replies back to my reporting?

To receive replies back to the reporting panel you must use our shared response number (+61429705882) or your own dedicated response number as the CallerID. When people reply to your campaign the messages are delivered directly into the responses tab of the reporting panel where they can be analysed and exported as a CSV file.

How can I find my list ID?

To find your list ID select 'Use Shared Number' in the preview on the right you will see the list ID.

Sending Messages

I sent a message and the person didn't get it, what happened?

We do our very best to make sure that messages get delivered, however the complexities of delivering messages to carriers can mean that some messages get lost on the way. You can check your delivery report to see the status of your message. You will see the following statuses.

Do I have to pay for messages that are bounced?

Yes, with our current policies we charge for delivery to the network. Due to the time sensitive nature of SMS we stop attempting to deliver messages after 72hrs. We encourage our users to keep there lists as clean and up-to-date as possible to eliminate paying for undeliverable messages.

Can I delete bounced messages?

Yes, you can delete hard bounces at anytime from your reporting page under the Bounces tab. Soft bounces are not removed as they are potentially not a pemanent failure.

Do you deliver messages directly to local carriers?

No, to offer you the lowest possible pricing we use what is called international routing. There are varying degrees of quality when choosing international routes and we use only the premium carrier approved suppliers. Our mission is to offer direct connection delivery quality at half the price.

How long does it take to deliver messages?

Our SMS queue can deliver messages to the networks at between 180-300 SMS per minute. If a list is very large (10,000 plus), it will send slower in the beginning and speed up as it completes. As a guideline it is good to allow 30-40 minutes for every 10,000 SMS that you send.

Once the message leaves our queue it will take on average 5-10 seconds to reach the handset, some may tale a little longer, especially if it is a ported number (Number moved from another network)

I am delivering my campaign but all my messages are marked as 'Pending' what is going on?

When sending large campaigns we prioritise the delivery before processing the reports. While your account is still delivering you will only see a small number of deliveries and the majority will say 'Pending'. Once the campaign has completed sending we will the prioritise the report processes and you will see deliveries coming in.

Your Account

I forgot my password and can't login. How can I get my details?

If you have forgotten your password you will need to reset it. Click here to do it now. You will receive an email with a link that you will need to click on in order to complete the password reset process. If you do not receive the email within a few minutes, its possible that its caught in a spam filter or company firewall. Contact us and we can reset it for you manually. Also contact us if you have forgotten your login email address.

My account has been removed, can it be reactivated?

There are a number of reasons that your account can become inactive. If this has happened contact us and we will look at your situation.

International Sending

Do you deliver to the USA or Canada?

Not currently but we are working on it, we hope to be in that market within the next 6 months.

What countries do you currently deliver to?

We are capable of delivering messages to almost anywhere in the world. See our pricing page for a full list of live destinations, if your country is not listed contact us.

Are there any countries you won't allow to use the site?

We currently ban any users coming onto the system from African countries, India or Indonesia due to high SPAM rates on accounts registered there. If you are in one of these countries and have a legitimate business case for using our system you will need to contact us.