Delivery and courier SMS: out for delivery, pickup codes and failed delivery attempts

The short answer: for a delivery company, the SMS tells the recipient that the parcel is on its way, when it will arrive, where to collect it and what to do if delivery failed. Each message carries the tracking number and, where needed, a collection code. Fewer wasted trips, fewer calls to your dispatch desk.

The messages of one delivery

Moment	Example
Collected	We have your parcel no. ME-50231 from Comercial Paulo. We will text you again on delivery day.
On the way	Parcel ME-50231 is out for delivery today between 2pm and 5pm. Please keep your phone on.
Failed attempt	We could not deliver ME-50231. To rebook, call [PHONE] by 12 noon tomorrow.
At the pickup point	ME-50231 is waiting at our downtown counter. Code: 7731. Collect by 30/11.
Delivered	Parcel ME-50231 was delivered today at 15:12. Thank you.

Whose name shows as the sender

When you deliver for other businesses, the recipient may not know your name. Two rules help: say in the message whose parcel it is (like «from Comercial Paulo» above) and always send from the same sender, ideally your Sender ID. Messages from changing senders look suspicious. See when NETMSG is enough.

Collection codes

1	One code per parcel, generated by your system and checked at the counter or by the driver.

2	The code goes only in the SMS to the recipient's number, not in other messages or on printed lists left in view.

3	Once used, it stops working. A delivered parcel cannot be collected again with the same code.

Recipients cannot reply to the SMS. After a failed attempt, the message itself must say how to rebook: a phone number or the tracking page on your website.

Connecting your tracking system

Each status change in your system calls POST /v1/sms/messages. Use an Idempotency-Key made of the tracking number and the moment, such as ME-50231-ontheway: if the driver taps the button twice, the customer still gets one SMS. For the morning notices to dozens of recipients, your system can send several at once and the messages go through the queue: see why an answer says queued.

Writing in Portuguese? Leave out letters such as «ã» or «ç». A single one drops the one-part limit from 160 to 70 characters, and each notice can cost twice the credits. See how many credits an SMS uses.

Want every delivery to keep the recipient posted on its own? See Transactional SMS.

See Transactional SMS

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