Well-managed SMS gateway software is needed for effective and reliable distribution of SMS at any given time.
The comparison site will assist you in determining the best-valued SMS gateway provider to meet your needs.
The type of software that is important for any text message services gateway needs to come from the SMS provider rather than from you. All you need to be able to have, in terms of technology for your information to be sent out via a text message is accessibility to the web from a computer, whether it be a MAC or a PC or a mobile phone or iPad or a Tablet. The gateway software that the SMS provider possesses will be able to process easily your instruction with the infrastructure and platforms available to be able to convert your message into an SMS format that can be easily interpreted and sent at any one time.
The gateway software developed by SMS gateway providers will cater for the distribution of small, medium and large numbers of text messages at any one time. Most software will allow you to add or subtract mobile phone numbers and these can be managed by the provider. They can upload a list or a group of numbers using a text file or a CSV file. Some of the systems can automatically delete numbers that have been duplicated or can validate the numbers before distribution.
Having the right software features and systems in place, SMS can be allocated specific times and dates for distribution, whether on a national or international basis. This is carried out by either the use of a direct or premium telecommunication carrier or using a hybrid or grey carrier which usually uses a variety of less reliable national and international carrier systems.
There are numerous types of standard application program interfaces, known in short as APIs, which will allow developers to add text messaging functionality into their programs. Some of the common ones are File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Short Message Peer to Peer (SMPP), HTTP or Email.
The business that has its own CRM software will make the provider’s API the best way to proceed. What it does easily is that it integrates into their system allowing businesses to automatically send text messages using their present software. Text messaging APIs are used in translating at the website language into SDK in PHP.
What has been found is that reliable and good SMS gateway software will allow text messages to directly or indirectly drive sales and revenues, interact with customers and employees quickly as well as assist in recruiting new customers. It will ensure that your message, whether it is used as a marketing or communication tool can be read quickly. In general, it is stated that over 90% of SMS sent to a mobile phone will be read within 2 minutes of receiving the message.
In summary, some of the advantages of services that use an SMS gateway platform effectively cover:
There is always the issue and concern of security, confidentiality and privacy of the gateway software system from the perspective of the client sending out information to private mobile phones. Reviewing several reputable SMS providers in the UK, they have emphasized that they follow strict data protection policies and comply with confidentiality and privacy requirements. The Data Protection Act 2018 controls how your personal information is used by organisations, businesses or the government. The Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Also, most providers have an anti-SPAM policy.
When reviewing many reputable SMS gateway software providers, the reliability of the software was considered to be extremely important. It is one thing to say their software is reliable, it is another matter to prove such gateway reliability.
The SMS comparison review indicated that some of the providers presented an uptime SLA or a 100% money-back guarantee. Most providers claim at least 99% reliability with most around 99.95% uptime reliability, and that’s still a very good measure. This means that the business can have a good assurance that whether it sends few, medium or large numbers of text messages at any one time, most if not all, will be sent when required with the end-users receiving the message within a period of a few seconds or the latest few minutes from the time the business approved the content of the SMS.
With sophisticated and well-managed SMS gateway software developed by providers, it makes business sense to use this type of prompt communication for either a small or large part of the mobile phone population.
As can be observed from the graph below, the range of reliability factors provides an overview of which SMS gateway companies offer a good service.
From a reputation and customer service perspective, SMS Global and ClickSend were regarded as the one with the most reputable SMS gateway software providers as demonstrated below. It was able to offer reliable distribution of text messages from a PC or web browser through its gateway IT platforms which included Outlook Mobile Service., Email to SMS, Bulk SMS, and Online SMS. It can offer a competitive price per SMS and can match other providers’ fee structures as well as guarantee supportive customer service.
This graph shows that other SMS gateway providers also have state-of-the-art gateway platform technology that is well supported by qualified technical support services. The advantage of having a 24/7 or business hours call centre or a British centre means accessibility to the client who may need assistance or advice at any time.
When reviewing to select the best valued and most reliable gateway provider, it initially became a daunting task. There are so many features, so many platforms and different pricing structures that it was difficult to compare. That’s why this site and the associated SMS comparison table were developed to make your life easier in assessing the value offered by different SMS gateway providers in the UK. The Table and site are available free of charge to help you better understand and compare what each provider has to offer.
The information presented is as current as it can be at this point. With SMS providers changing their fee and service structure, you must visit their site to make sure you have the most current details available from the SMS provider. If you notice any difference between what is presented on this site and the provider’s site, please let the authors know so that changes can be made as soon as possible.
It is hoped that both the comparison tables and sites will assist you in determining the best-valued SMS gateway provider to meet your needs.
Updated on 23 March 2024