Knowledgebase

SMS has an advantage no other channel has here: it reaches everybody, without depending on internet access, an installed app or a modern phone. And it is read within minutes. In exchange, it is the most regulated of the three channels — and the rules are local.

The Sender ID: the name that appears on the phone

It is the first thing to sort out and what most distinguishes a company from an anonymous number. Instead of the message arriving from +258 84..., it arrives with your brand name in the sender's place.

The rules change with the destination country

There is no global rule. Each national regulator defines what may be sent, to whom and from which sender — and the operator blocks whatever does not comply, without warning.

Writing an SMS that works

SMS does not forgive padding: it is 160 characters per message, and going over splits it in two — and charges for two. Accented characters drop the limit to 70, which catches many people out in a Portuguese message.

Bad  (2 messages):
  Dear customer, it is with great satisfaction that our company hereby
  informs you that a special promotion is currently taking place

Good (1 message):
  [BRAND] Sale until Saturday: 20% off all phones.
  Downtown store. Stop: reply STOP

When SMS beats the other channels

Need to send SMS?

We can handle it for you, with your own Sender ID, in Mozambique and in Angola. We handle the request and registration of the sender name with whoever has to approve it, the sending itself, and the delivery reporting — which is the part that consumes most time for anyone trying it alone for the first time.

It is not an off-the-shelf product with a price tag: it depends on volume, destination country and message type. Open a ticket telling us how many contacts you have, for which countries, how often, and what name you want as the sender, and we will come back with a concrete proposal and what is needed for the registration.

The legal part, in three lines