Author: Shmuel

What are communication APIs?

Communication APIs assist developers in integrating different communication platforms into their applications or software solutions.

They link multiple systems simultaneously to transfer data in real-time.

Consider communication APIs to be a universal language that the different software applications use to converse with each other seamlessly.

APIs use precise standards or protocols (such as HTTP or HTTPS) that define how data should be sent and received to make this connection consistent.

These tools are extremely adaptable, allowing you to add text, audio, or video conversations to your app or website. They can also send notifications, manage chatbots, and offer customer assistance.

How do they work?

For example, when a mobile app needs to get information or carry out certain actions on a web-based service (like sending a message or fetching data), it sends this request over a Communication API, which handles the request and sends back the necessary information or instructions to the app.

These are the essential functions of communication APIs:

• Enabling connectivity: Communication APIs allow various software components, such as messaging applications or customer support tools, to communicate and function in tandem. These systems, for example, how the weather app gets data or how you apply for a passport, require communication to carry out these processes.
• Standardized communication: APIs set communication rules and protocols, specifying what information must be transferred, how to deliver it, and what replies to expect.
• Efficiency and time savings: Using communication APIs saves developers a lot of time and effort, so instead of creating interfaces from scratch, companies can use the pre-existing APIs to simplify and speed up production.
• Versatile functions: Communication APIs offer various functions such as voice-related options like call routing and recording conversations and messaging services like SMS and MMS that can help developers design their products to satisfy all requirements.
• Integration of various software systems: APIs allow easy integration of numerous software systems.A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool can connect to a messaging platform through API, ensuring customer interactions are recorded and managed accurately.
• API documentation: To use an API, developers rely on documentation given by the API provider.
• Security: To access the system, APIs often require an API key, a unique identification for the application, and guarantees that only authorized apps can communicate with the API, protecting sensitive data and resources.

Types of communication APIs

Text Message API

A Text Message API is a general name for various protocols responsible for the interchange of text messages, like SMS, MMS, instant messaging (such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Slack), and email messages.

SMS API

This tool assists developers in integrating SMS features into their applications, giving companies direct and quick access to the SMS gateway, resulting in greater message reliability and speed., allowing them to send hundreds of messages to their target recipients in seconds, guaranteeing fast and trustworthy delivery.

Bulk SMS marketing is extremely valuable for businesses due to its cost-effectiveness and high open rates.

MMS API

Similarly to SMS, the MMS API allows applications, websites, CRMs, and apps to send texts and multimedia content like images, videos, GIFs, audio, and other formats.

MMS API’s features are frequently used by developers that want to add visual elements to their apps; people use it if they want to express themselves in a more visually attractive way, and organizations that want to connect with their clients through innovative marketing for new product launches, quizzes, etc.

Email API

An email API connects multiple apps to an email platform’s features and capabilities by generating and sending transactional emails, updating email templates, and giving access to email performance data.

While many apps rely on the basic SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) for email delivery, email APIs offer developers a more reliable and programmable approach to email-related functions beyond standard email protocols’ restrictions.

Voice APIs

A voice API allows robots to read human spoken commands and create replicated human speech, improving communication between computers and people.

It can be used for various purposes like automated customer service, reading content for customers with visual impairments, and other types of interactive help.

Social Media APIs

A Social Media API is used to connect social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to other software, tools, or mobile apps for monitoring comments, mentions, and conversations; schedule posts; allow customers to sign in to their social media platforms, etc.

Businesses can use them to find potential influencers who might be interested in teaming up for marketing campaigns, check the performance of their marketing strategies, and gather content from different social media platforms to keep their audience engaged.

API integration examples and case studies

Restaurant ordering system

A restaurant that wants to set up an online ordering system that can safely accept online payments using a third-party payment gateway API.

They may also include a messaging API to send customers SMS or email order confirmations and updates.

Social media login integration

Users can sign in to websites and applications using their Google or Facebook account credentials.

When a user logs in using their Google or Facebook account, the website or app uses the relevant social network APIs to authenticate the user and access their basic profile information, making the registration and login process easier.

Apple iOS API for touchscreen interactions

The iOS API from Apple offers developers tools for creating touch-sensitive interactions in mobile apps.

Touch controls for a game can be created using iOS APIs so that players can interact with the game world through gestures and taps.

Google Maps integration

A mobile app must include maps and location-based services by using features like showing maps, receiving directions, and accessing the user’s current location to give area-specific information and services by integrating Google Maps APIs.

Label conversion API for shipping labels

An e-commerce website generates shipping labels in ZPL format but has to display them to clients as PNG pictures.

The website can use a label conversion API to convert ZPL-format labels into PNG images, making it easier to display shipping labels within a web browser and improving the overall user experience.

Stock price API for financial data

A financial analysis application needs up-to-date stock price data.

The app can retrieve real-time or historical stock price information for specified companies using a stock price API. This information can also be used to create charts and graphs for analysis.

Inventory management and online sales integration

An e-commerce company manages physical and online sales channels through APIs to automate inventory management.

The associated point-of-sale systems use APIs to update inventory information when a product is sold online or in-store. APIs can also be used to synchronize product availability across many online marketplaces.

How businesses can benefit from communication APIs

Improved customer relationships

Businesses can engage with customers in real-time through communication APIs like WhatsApp Business API and strengthen their relationships by sending personalized messages, providing automated support, and maintaining secure and private conversations.

Streamlined operations

Businesses can reduce human labor by automating operations like message sending and media sharing, improving productivity, and ensuring communication works with current systems, resulting in a more cohesive process.

Enhanced productivity

API automation features, like WhatsApp API, boost productivity by managing tasks so businesses can instantly interact with customers, saving resources and time.

Scalability

APIs can handle the load so companies can expand without worrying about infrastructure limitations, helping them manage a rise in client contacts, whether a few messages or millions.

Data Analytics

These APIs offer valuable data analytics for strategy refinement, helping companies track customer interactions and responses, including other essential metrics while making choices to improve their communication strategies.

Customization

APIs come with various customization options so businesses can modify their messages to the target audience, allowing their communication strategies to adapt to diverse contexts.

Competitive edge

In 2023, implementing APIs is critical for succeeding in the competitive market. Adding communication APIs, like the WhatsApp Business API, into a business’s strategy offers an edge over competitors so companies can contact customers through their preferred channels.

Innovation and speed

Ultimately, APIs are about innovation, helping businesses use external resources, speeding development, and cutting expenses to deliver new features and services faster.

Cost savings

Saving money by avoiding the costs of developing and maintaining in-house functionality helps businesses take advantage of the skills and infrastructure of API providers, paying only for the used services.

Tracking and reporting

These solutions include tracking and reporting features so businesses can monitor the status and message delivery, helping them analyze the performance of their marketing campaigns when making adjustments.

Communication API Challenges: What you need to know:

Using and implementing APIs can get quite complex for several reasons, mainly because you need to adjust your internal systems, procedures, how you manage data, your security protocols, and even the structures you have in place for governing your processes.

To deal with this complexity, your business must plan thoroughly and carefully analyze how the API implementation will influence each department.

Security concerns

APIs hosted in cloud environments can be susceptible to security breaches. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency discusses the best practices for securing APIs in cloud environments.

Preventing these risks requires prioritizing data security immediately and remaining vigilant as your project expands.

It’s recommended to employ a specialized security team that can work on improving your security.

Financial and time considerations

Integrating communication APIs can be costly, especially in the early stages, and you might not immediately see the benefits.

Also, you must consider ongoing maintenance and management as they come with additional costs.

Dealing with these financial concerns demands choosing an API model that aligns with your business needs and collaborating with experienced providers that effectively manage expenses.

Employee hesitance

Employees may be hesitant to use APIs if they don’t understand how it affects their daily work. Some might prefer sticking to what they already know instead of learning something new, which is why you’ll need a team of experts who understand APIs when starting a project.

This demands the recruiting of experts and developers who can teach API basics through various modules.

Challenges with compatibility

A mobile app must include maps and location-based services by using features like showing maps, receiving directions, and accessing the user’s current location to give area-specific information and services by integrating Google Maps APIs.

Version control and updates

API changes over time, like upgrades and version adjustments, can cause compatibility difficulties, so version control must always be managed timely.

Authentication and security

One challenging component of APIs is ensuring a safe entry via advanced and time-consuming authentication and authorization processes.

Documentation and support

One of the biggest problems when connecting different computer systems using APIs is unclear instructions.

When we don’t have these instructions, figuring out how the system works, what information it gives us, and how to use it correctly is hard. This can lead to confusion and mistakes when trying to make everything work together.

To ensure everything connects smoothly with your product, it’s also vital to create easy-to-follow instructions and a user-friendly page showing how to use your product’s API. This helps other developers understand how they can connect their systems with your product.

Error handling and monitoring

When integrating several APIs, you’ll need to manage errors and timeouts smartly to keep up the reliability of your system, which requires robust error-handling systems and monitoring processes, especially when it comes to massive integrations.

Performance and scalability

Integrating APIs from many sources might influence your system’s speed and scalability, so careful planning, load testing, and optimization efforts are crucial to maintaining ideal performance levels.

Dependency management

Integrating third-party APIs can increase external service requirements, so changes or unavailability of linked APIs might lead to system disruption, forcing system upgrades and other modifications.

What is SMS toll fraud?

Toll or telecommunications fraud is when unauthorized individuals access a company’s phone system and exploit it to make long-distance calls, often to premium international numbers that suffer high costs. This scammy activity can leave devastating financial consequences for businesses.

Simply suppose someone hacks into your office’s phone system and uses it to make many expensive calls to overseas lines, resulting in a huge phone bill for the company while the fraudsters take a share of the money earned.

Attackers generally target systems with network connectivity that are frequently used for two-factor authentication (2FA).

Toll fraud can be undetected until it becomes financially significant, at which point the harm is done.

Businesses must take preventative measures and set security standards to secure their phone systems from unauthorized access and malicious activities.

How does it work?

Toll fraud is a cybercrime involving unauthorized access to phone systems, leading to costly international calls.

This activity has been on the rise lately, increasing by about 15% annually and resulting in approximately $30 billion in global telephone call charges.

Here’s how toll fraud works:

• Unauthorized Access: Hackers break into your phone system, gaining control over it, usually during weekends or holidays when monitoring and security measures may be reduced.
• Costly international calls: Once inside your phone system, the hackers initiate international calls to destinations such as Cuba or Somalia with high call charges per minute.
• Accumulating charges: These fake calls can quickly rack up large expenses and may continue for a lengthy period, possibly costing your business thousands of dollars.The primary motivation behind toll fraud is financial gain. Hackers use your compromised phone system to make calls and profit from the charges caused by these calls.Toll fraud attacks are sometimes carried out simply for the thrill or to prove a point, with automated processes handling the fraudulent calls.The following are the specific tactics used by toll fraudsters:
• SMS verification code spamming: Similar to voice spamming, fraudsters create many fake verification texts using SMS.While this activity is typically less profitable, they may direct the fake traffic to high-cost SMS destinations to generate revenue.Check out this post on What is SMS vs. MMS for more information about SMS and how it differs from MMS.
• Account abuse: Fraudsters often target companies that provide services with free trials and create numerous fake accounts to make calls to premium rate numbers, generating fraudulent traffic and costs.
• Voice verification code spamming: Some businesses offer two-factor authentication (2FA) via phone calls as an option for users without SMS access or on landlines.Fraudsters exploit this by launching scripted attacks to generate large calls through the voice verification feature, often making calls worldwide.

What is SMS pumping?

In SMS pumping, cybercriminals, often working in coordinated groups, target online forms or web applications that send SMS messages automatically in response to specific requests, such as one-time passwords or authentication codes, flooding these forms with a high volume of requests.

To carry out this scheme, the cybercriminals need extremely diligent planning and the cooperation of a mobile service provider.

They approach a provider with a proposal to send a massive amount of SMS messages using numbers owned by that provider. These messages are often sent to high-cost destinations, sometimes in distant countries, further inflating the attack’s cost.

When the targeted business pays the inflated SMS bill to the provider, the provider shares some of the profits with the cybercriminals. Because they respect their reputation and network integrity, reputable providers usually avoid such operations.

One problematic aspect is that companies sometimes gain traffic from various providers, resulting in a complex network of message delivery channels. While this improves connection, it can mask unscrupulous participants working with fraudsters.

Assume you own a retail store that sells high-end haircare products and offers customers a discount in return for their phone numbers. Customers expect to get a text message with a discount code, making this scenario vulnerable to SMS pumping.

A fraudster could use automated bots to submit thousands of mobile numbers, causing each message to be routed to high-cost SMS destinations. Your business would accumulate an inflated bill even though you thought you were gaining legitimate customers.

Legal and fraudulent messages may be routed across many networks before reaching their intended receivers. Some of these networks may pay kickbacks to fraudsters, but determining the specific source of the fraud can be difficult because only a few people inside a network organization may be aware of it.

Preventing Toll Fraud: Choosing the Best Defense with Secure Equipment

Criminals have long targeted the mobile communications business, and their schemes have evolved in tandem with the industry’s achievements.

Mobile texting has played an important role in improving security and efficiency in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic.

These improvements led to new weaknesses that are extensively exploited, so implementing some of the following practices can help prevent and safeguard against toll fraud:

• Firewalls and Security Appliance
• Call Detail Records (CDRs)
• Access Controls
• Password Policies
• Vendor Support
• Monitoring and Anomaly Detection
• Call Routing Rules
• Third-Party Fraud Detection
• Education and Training
• Encryption
• Regular Audits
• VoIP Security

Why Toll Fraud Prevention is necessary

The main point here is that it is necessary to prevent toll fraud before it happens since once you become a victim, you can’t undo the harm. Simply said, prevention is the priority.

Financial impact

Toll fraud is a severe problem that costs an enormous amount of money. According to the CFCA, it’s estimated that this issue causes about $27 billion in phone bills every year worldwide.

Increasing trend

With a 15% increase yearly, it’s clear that toll fraud is becoming a more severe problem, and businesses are becoming increasingly vulnerable to these attacks without appropriate security measures.

Lack of awareness

Many firms are either ignorant of the problem of toll fraud or lack the necessary safety measures. 84% of US companies are vulnerable to cybercrime in 2023, including various types of fraud, noting the importance of training and prevention actions.

Advanced attacks

Toll fraud attacks are well-organized and automated, making them somewhat impossible to detect. They frequently happen outside normal business hours, making identification considerably more difficult.

This highlights the significance of effective security systems monitoring and responding to suspicious behavior.

More on how to prevent it

Toll fraud prevention and detection are vital since this practice can impact a company’s finances, reputation, and relationships with workers, customers, and the general public.

In today’s world, it’s quite challenging to stop it since hackers are always trying to develop more advanced methods, making it paramount to stay informed and vigilant about potential business vulnerabilities.

Here are the most important toll fraud protection measures you can implement:

1. Restrict international calling: If your company doesn’t need international calls, limit international calling on your phone system and through your phone carrier to avoid unwanted foreign calls.
2. Block Caribbean countries: Some Caribbean countries don’t use the 011 international dialing code but follow the North American dialing plan. To prevent toll fraud, block calls to these Caribbean countries.There are 18 area codes to consider, including 242, 649, 345, 876, 809, 787, 340, 264, 284, 869, 268, 664, 767, 758, 784, 473, 246, and 868. Block these area codes unless your business genuinely needs to call them
3. Network segmentation: Ensure your company telephone system is hosted on a separate white network from your data network. This isolation makes it harder for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities.
4. Limit information sharing: Never give technical details about your PDX (Private Branch Exchange) system to anybody outside the company, as this information is often used maliciously.
5. Password management: Use strong and unique passwords instead of using factory or default passwords on your system. Verify your system frequently to check for no unauthorized or extra passwords.
6. International call blocking: To prevent fraudulent international calls, set international call blocking on your system if it isn’t necessary for your business operations.
7. Mailbox security: Regularly lock or disable unused mailboxes in your system to reduce potential entry points for hackers.
8. Avoid predictable PINs: Instruct employees not to use predictable PINs for voicemail access, such as the final digits of their direct dial numbers, sequential numbers like “111,” or incremental numbers like “1234”.
9. Privacy practices: Never publish employees’ names and phone numbers online since attackers can exploit this information to target your system.
10. Voicemail lockout: To add extra protection, set your system to lock a voicemail box after three failed login attempts.

In addition to the previously stated safety measures, companies can improve communication security by using SMS API providers such as Textgrid, recognized for their strict security features based on HIPAA.

This helps protect your company’s communications, such as SMS and messaging services and guarantees that only authorized individuals may access their systems.

SMS toll fraud examples

Freecall Number Fraud – Attackers can make illegal calls using freecall numbers connected to the telephone system.

Unsecured Remote Access Fraud – Hackers can access the telephone system if remote access, whether via modems or the internet, is not well protected.

Voice Mail System Fraud – Toll fraud can be performed via voice mail systems, especially if they allow for dialing.

Large Number of Trunks Fraud – Telephone systems include many trunks, such as ISDN or SIP trunks.

Direct Inward System Access (DISA) Fraud – Hackers may exploit Direct Inward System Access features if not properly secured with PINs or other measures.

Default Passwords Fraud – Systems, voicemail, or management portals with default passwords.

Call Forwarding Fraud – Attackers that can route phones to external numbers may use this feature for toll fraud.

Wide Access to Long-Distance and International Dialing Fraud – Systems having wide access to long-distance and international dialing can be used to make fraudulent calls, especially if they are not fully monitored and secured.

Premium Telephone Number Fraud – Businesses that use premium phone numbers, especially for services such as adult chat lines, tech help, voting, weather forecasts, or emergency calls, are vulnerable to toll theft.

Legacy Phone System Fraud – Legacy phone systems can be prone to toll fraud if complex features such as Direct Inward Dial (DID) numbers are used without safety measures such as PINs.

VoIP-Related Toll Fraud – Fraudsters can target vulnerabilities in VoIP systems via port scanning, exploiting password weaknesses, or getting unauthorized access to SIP servers.

The purpose of 10DLC Registration and how do these campaigns work!?

A2p 10DLC messaging campaigns are a type of SMS messaging that businesses use to send out text messages to their customers.

Carriers in the United States launched the 10DLC initiative on March 1, 2022, to prevent spam and improve message sender monitoring.

Companies can send messages using standard 10-digit phone lines to increase the credibility and reliability of their messages.

The purpose of 10DLC

Implementing 10DLC(10-digit long code) aims to protect consumers against spam and increase their reputation while allowing companies to use ordinary phone lines for texting.

Rules and regulations

Mobile carriers have established rules for sending text messages enforced by The Campaign Registry (TCR), designed to prevent spam texts and ensure that all SMS users, including businesses, follow the same guidelines when reaching out.

Compliance and registration

If your company uses text messages to interact with customers and employees, you must follow these standards based on regulatory requirements, industry recommendations, and carrier policy.

These include guidelines for message content, timing, and sending methods.

To send text messages through 10DLC, you must register your phone number with a verified brand and an approved campaign.

Campaign registration

The Campaign Registry is the central platform for businesses to register their 10DLC initiatives.

Registering your brand and campaign data with the Campaign Registry automatically shares this information with cell carriers.

Potential challenges

While 10DLC helps avoid spam, the registration procedure can be confusing, expensive, and time-consuming, especially for smaller companies.

The issue comes from their requirements to register their phone lines and run campaigns to verify their legitimacy.

10DLC vs shortcodes

10DLC vs toll-free number

Do I need to register my campaigns?

If your company wants to send text messages to US customers using a 10DLC, it is highly recommended that you register your brand and campaigns with the carriers to guarantee delivery and meet industry standards.

The goal of A2P 10DLC registration is to prevent spam while improving the delivery of real text messages by verifying businesses that send texts to ten-digit phone numbers in the United States so your messages are not screened as spam and that they are distributed.

What are the primary benefits of a 10DLC campaign?

Higher throughput

You can send messages faster with 10DLC SMS, making it helpful when communicating with customers on a wide scale.

These numbers deal with SMS volumes ranging from shortcodes to toll-free long codes, delivering messages at rates ranging from 1 to 60 per second.

The actual throughput depends on the trust score of your brand.

Compliance with regulations

10DLC helps companies follow industry norms, offering detailed instructions for delivering A2P communications. This ensures integrity and promotes excellent business practices, lowering the risk of noncompliance.

Better deliverability

Messages from 10DLC numbers are more likely to pass through the carrier spam screening than standard local long codes and to reach their intended recipients.

Localized experience

10DCL allows you to retail a local area code with 10DLC, providing a more tailored client experience. Customers have confidence in local numbers, leading to greater open rates than toll-free numbers.

Streamlined marketing campaigns

Using 10-digit long codes on the same number for voice, SMS, and MMS ensures good consumer experience across communication channels, helping users identify the sender and adding to the personal touch of the letter.

Lower costs

10DLC numbers are considerably less expensive than short codes. Because of its cost-effectiveness, companies can implement 10DLC without overspending.

Existing landline numbers can be just as simply converted to 10DLC.

Enhanced customer engagement

Businesses can implement 10DLC to keep clients updated about upcoming products, services, and promotions, increasing client loyalty and engagement as messages from local phones are considered more reliable.

Reduced spam

10DLC uses anti-spam techniques to check whether the messages are sent only to customers who have agreed to receive them, preventing unwanted communications and improving the overall customer experience.

What is the difference between brands and campaigns?

Brand:

• Longevity: Brands are long-term and enduring, so they want to build visibility and recognition over time.
• Consistency: Brands rely on a cohesive and consistent look, including logos, fonts, messaging, colors, and a defined identity.
• Messaging framework: Brands have a messaging structure that develops taglines and a consistent brand voice.
• Purpose: Brands help establish why a company or product exists and why it matters. They provide a foundation for all marketing efforts.

Campaign:

• Temporary and ever-changing: Campaigns are short-term advertising initiatives designed to promote a particular service, product, or message. They have a defined start and end date.
• Variability: Campaigns can incorporate brand elements but have the flexibility to push creative boundaries and experiment with different styles to draw attention.
• Duration: Campaigns are executed over a period of time, and their creative elements may change from one campaign to another.
• Specific message: Campaigns aim to deliver a particular message or achieve an outcome within a specific time frame.

How does brand registration work?

Step 1: Gather Your Business Information

To begin the process of registering your business for 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) texting, you’ll need to provide some essential details, including:

• Your company’s official legal name.
• The country where your company is registered.
• Your organization type (private, publicly traded, nonprofit).
• Your company’s tax number, ID, or EIN (Employer Identification Number).
• Your business website.
• Descriptions of each purpose for which you intend to send text messages.
• Sample messages for each of these intended purposes.

Step 2: Submit Registration for Your “Brand”

In 10DLC, a “brand” represents the business that sends text messages. A single brand can manage multiple “campaigns” under its account.

Step 3: Submit Registration for Your Texting “Campaign(s)”

A 10DLC campaign defines a specific use case for sending text messages.

If you plan to send texts for various purposes, there is an option for a “mixed” use case that covers a range of scenarios.

Each campaign can be associated with up to 50 different 10DLC phone numbers.

Step 4: Await Approval or Rejection from The Campaign Registry

The good news is that you’ll receive a response almost immediately after submitting your registration. However, there’s one more step before you can start texting.

Step 5: Submit Your Registration for DCA Vetting

Every campaign registration must undergo a DCA (Direct Connect Administrator) verification process.

You must verify that the contacts you intend to message have legitimately agreed to receive messages from your company.

What is a Trust Score, and how does it affect me?

A Trust Score, or a Brand Score or Reputation Score, is a numerical rating given to a business during the brand registration with a third-party corporation that manages a system used by US cellular carriers.

This score serves to evaluate the brand’s credibility and messaging tactics. The Trust Score is generally between 0 and 100, with higher scores indicating greater trustworthiness.

This is how the trust code can affect your business:

Messaging throughput (MPS): The Trust Score is important in calculating messaging throughput or message-sending capacity for your brand’s A2P (Application-to-Person) 10DLC (10-digit long code) campaigns.

A higher Trust Score often supports more throughput, which means you can send more text messages per second and have higher daily messaging limits for your campaigns.

Campaign performance: A higher Trust Score might result in faster message distribution and lower costs for your campaigns, leading to better performance and more effective communication with your audience.

Campaign eligibility: Trust Scores may assist you in deciding whether your brand is acceptable for different ad kinds or messaging limitations set by carriers.

Lower-scoring brands may have fewer options or lower tiers on some carriers.

Vetting process: To get a Trust Score, businesses may be submitted to a verification procedure that evaluates certain brand factors such as reputation, business practices, and industry standards.

This procedure helps carriers identify trustworthy brands and prevent spam or unwanted messaging.

Appeals: If you feel your Trust Score is inaccurate or wish to improve it, you might be able to file an appeal or request help from the support staff of the third-party business in charge of assigning Trust Scores.

Score stability: Trust scores are often stagnant and do not change automatically over time, so they stay constant unless the business requests a review or appeal.

How do Trust Scores influence message throughput?

Trust Scores are crucial in determining message delivery speed when using A2P 10DLC for business text messaging software.

These scores categorize behavior, compliance, and sender reputation from Lowest to Highest.

Your Trust Score and your campaign type influence message delivery speed, measured in message segments per second (MPS)—a high Trust Score and successful campaign grant higher message throughput, enabling faster message sending.

Once approved for A2P 10DLC and registered, your Trust Score and campaign type decide on message delivery.

Trust Scores impact throughput for AT&T and Verizon users. Message throughput is no longer solely tied to MPS but also considers Trust Scores and campaign types.

When should I consider getting started with 10DLC?

If you’re a business and want to send text messages to customers in the United States for marketing, transactions, appointment reminders, or customer service, you should consider using 10DLC.

Since 10DLC is supported by US phone carriers, messages received by this method are less likely to be censored as long as they meet the conditions set upon registration.

How long is the registration process?

It is important to plan for a potentially longer approval process, which can take up to 30 business days.

Having the required documents and information ready can help speed up the process.

If you want a quicker solution, you may use a toll-free number and have your traffic verified within 7 working days. This option, however, may not be suitable for many companies.

What pricing and fees are associated with the A2P 10DLC service?

Brand registration fee

The fee is a one-time fee of $4. This fee applies when registering your U.S. A2P brand and is charged immediately when the brand is approved. This is a standard registration fee for the 10DLC service in the U.S.

Campaign registration fee

The campaign registration fee differs based on the campaign. These prices may vary depending on the number of messages you want to deliver and the length of your campaign.

Vetting Fee (Optional)

Vetting is an optional service, and it comes with a fee of $40. This fee applies if you undergo vetting for your A2P brand.

Per-Message Carrier Fees

Carriers charge fees for A2P 10DLC messages sent to network users. These fees are added to the standard U.S. Messaging rates and frequently apply for each outbound SMS segment or MMS message.

Is SMS/MMS messaging affected by A2P 10DLC?

A2P 10DLC can have an impact on SMS and MMS messaging.

MMS messaging using long codes could lead to carrier costs due to A2P 10DLC, and messaging speed may be reduced because of carrier capacity limits.

If you need to send many MMS messages in the United States, a short code is suggested for the most excellent performance.

10DLC use cases

• 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) – Sending one-time passcodes (OTP) for account verification:Example: A banking app sends a verification code to a user’s mobile number for login.
• Account notifications – Notifications about account status or account-related updates:Example: An online shopping platform notifying users about a successful payment transaction.
• Customer care – Providing customer support, account management, and assistance:Example: An airline responding to passenger inquiries and providing flight updates via SMS.
• Delivery notifications – Sharing information about the status of a delivery:Example: An e-commerce store notifies customers that their order has been shipped and provides a tracking link.
• Fraud alert messaging – Sending alerts about potential fraudulent activity:Example: A credit card company sends a message to alert a customer of suspicious transactions on their account.
• Marketing – Sending promotional content, such as sales and limited-time offers:Example: A retail store promoting a weekend sale with discounts on various products.

What is bulk SMS marketing?

Bulk SMS Marketing involves businesses sending promotional messages via text messages to a vast database of individuals.

Opt-in advertisements are distributed through text using an online dashboard and an SMS gateway, allowing for the efficient and widespread delivery of messages to a targeted audience.

It allows businesses to send campaigns to clients, notifying them about important information, sending updates, recommendations for customer experience improvements, and exclusive deals.

According to the SMS Global stats, SMS messages are opened (98% open rate), read (90% within the first 3 minutes), and are one of the least expensive methods of marketing communication (cheaper than social advertising and cheaper than email marketing in terms of open rates).

There are two types of Bulk SMS messages, namely: Marketing SMS and Transactional SMS.

Each type works best when used for a specific purpose.

Marketing SMS vs Transactional SMS

Marketing SMS

Marketing SMS is used to distribute promotional offers to new and existing clients.

This strategy ensures that customers stay up to date on the latest store promotions, sending exclusive information within minutes.

Marketing SMS is used for sending promotional offers and exclusive information about the latest sale offers to new and existing clients, ensuring timely updates.

Examples of marketing SMS include:

• Promoting products or services
• Boosting sales
• Creating brand recognition
• Generating customer interest
• Encouraging customer involvement
• Introducing new products
• Extending event invitations
• Providing discounts, coupons, and special offers
• Requesting fundraising contributions
• Conducting polls and surveys
• Organizing sweepstakes

The ultimate goal of marketing SMS is to enhance customer engagement, purchase rates, and customer loyalty.

Transactional SMS

Transactional SMS messages are used by businesses to provide individuals with the information they need to access certain services or goods.

These messages typically include information that the consumer has specifically requested, and they agree to receive such notifications by submitting their mobile number, usually during the checkout process.

Examples of transactional SMS include:

• Password resets
• Two-factor authentication
• Order confirmations
• Order statuses
• Delivery statuses and tracking numbers
• Payment reminders
• Receipts
• Reservation or appointment confirmations
• Recurring billing notifications

Examples of SMS Marketing:

• A restaurant advertising a 50% discount on main meals on a specific night
• A fashion store inviting customers to a VIP night
• A gym is informing them about a new class

How to do bulk SMS marketing?

• • Pick a bulk SMS marketing provider: When picking a text messaging service provider, you want to find one you can trust. So, take some time to do your research and choose a reputable company that suits your requirements.
    Look for a platform that will give you valuable and up-to-date analytics and offers convenient features like personalized messages and scheduling options.

Our SMS API solution offers a powerful and innovative toolset designed to seamlessly integrate into any business model.

• Adjust bulk SMS tone of voice to specific customer categories: When sending out bulk SMS messages, you must consider the tone of voice you use for different groups.
  If you’re reaching out to an older audience, avoiding trendy buzzwords that might confuse or alienate them is a good idea. Depending on who you are talking to, use more casual language.
  
• Conduct loyalty campaigns: You can use bulk SMS to encourage repeat purchases and increase customer engagement like offering exclusive deals to special customers, sharing gift vouchers with VIP members, or providing extra discounts to the most loyal ones.
• Follow up with customers: Keeping in touch with regular clients and rewarding them can attract more attention and increase brand visibility. Asking for their feedback and opinions about their purchases can also enhance their shopping experience.

Benefits of mass texting marketing

Bulk SMS Service is becoming increasingly popular, as it allows you to reach your target audience quickly and effortlessly.

Whether you hold a high-level position in corporate communications or run a small enterprise, it can benefit you big time.

Fast and simple integration

Implementing bulk SMS in your marketing strategy is fairly simple.

The first step is researching SMS Marketing Platforms and finding one that fits your business needs.

These integrations also come with personalization options based on your preferences to ensure your messages are delivered just the way you want.

Boost conversions

Even though we have so many instant messaging apps these days, SMS still offers many advantages for businesses.

One of them is that SMS texts still have a higher conversion rate than trending concurrents.

Sending promotions or deals via SMS increases the possibility of people noticing your business and taking action, leading to higher sales and business growth than other advertising methods.

Reliability

The vast majority of individuals nowadays spend a great deal of time on their smartphones – so it’s easily the most reliable communication tool.

Sending SMS marketing has proven to be a more effective approach compared to emails, as emails often end up in spam folders, which means the recipient may never even see them.

On the other hand, SMS notifies the recipient instantly about new offers and has a much higher open rate.

Cost-Effective

Cloud telephone service providers offer options through text API or their platform, enabling businesses to connect with a multitude of customers effortlessly.

Compared to other advertising methods such as billboards, TV commercials, mobile ads, or magazines, SMS is a more cost-effective choice, making it the ideal digital marketing solution for small businesses wanting to attract new clients.

When you shoot them a notification, there’s a really good chance they’ll be instantly interested in what you’re offering, especially when you include a link to your product or service. It works much better compared to other marketing methods.

What businesses can benefit from SMS marketing:

Best practices for SMS marketing

There are a few things you should know if you’re thinking about implementing SMS marketing.

These SMS marketing strategy tips usually produce the best results:

Get customers’ permission and follow the guidelines

Before you start bombarding people with SMS messages, make sure you’ve received clear permission from them.

Add a personal touch to your messages

Imagine the impact of addressing your customers by their names in your messages. It’s as simple as starting with a warm “Hi, Mr. X.”

Everyone appreciates special treatment, and you can make your customers feel valued by customizing their messages and offering exclusive discounts.

Personalize your messages by tailoring the content to each customer’s preferences, using their names to demonstrate genuine care and strengthen connections with your most loyal clientele.

Boost your database by using keywords

If you want to expand your customer list and engage with more people through SMS notifications, you can text specific keywords like “OFFERS” to 56263XXXXXXXXX, and in return, receive discount coupons for your favorite local shopping mall.

Spread the word about this keyword promotion everywhere, and watch as your follower count grows.

To avoid disruptions, it’s important to be mindful of the recipients and their consent when marketing through SMS.

Protect your brand’s reputation and make sure you only communicate with those who have given permission

Frequently update your customer database

Don’t waste time and money dialing outdated phone numbers.

It’s absolutely necessary to review your contact list regularly and remove unreachable numbers.

A good rule of thumb is the “three strikes, and you’re out” policy.

Include a call to action

Keep your message purpose clear and straightforward so the recipient can act based on your shared information.

To encourage them to be more proactive, explain the steps they should take to access the information you’ve provided.

You can even use Voice API to explain the process, making it more effortless for customers who prefer listening over reading.

They can follow specific voice commands to complete the CTA.

Follow when your customers are engaged the most

Understand when your customers will respond and choose the optimal time to send bulk SMS messages. If you expect a specific action or response, provide your clients ample time to reply.

How to get started with bulk SMS marketing?

Growing a new business can be challenging as the market is highly competitive, but if you apply the correct promotion and marketing tactics, you can succeed quickly.

According to market data, Bulk SMS remains a popular choice for years due to its high success rates, given that over 95% of smartphone owners carry their devices at all times.

Thus improving your chances of reaching your target demographic.

Understand your target audience

It’s crucial to capture the interest of the person receiving your message and excite them about your products or services.

Tailoring your emails or offers to specific customer base segments is vital.

Take into account factors such as location, gender, age, and past purchases when sending out emails.

Sending free lipstick offers to male customers might result in a low response rate most of the time; moreover, it can lead to losing some of your loyal customers.

For this purpose, you must understand your customer’s purchase history and collect demographic information to successfully target your efforts and make the most of your marketing campaigns.

Monitor your campaigns

It’s important to keep track of how your SMS marketing campaigns are doing so you can get a more precise idea of where you should improve in the future.

How many responses did you receive?

How much profit did you generate from your investments?

Try sending different types of offers at different times of the day or during specific hours to see what works best.

You can also target specific customer groups to find out which ones bring the most positive results.

Keep your messages brief and to the point

Since SMS texts can only contain 160 words, make sure the message you send is concise and direct.

Keep your messages short, and emphasize the value or reward the recipient will receive.

Or you can use the TextGrid MMS API to send exciting short videos of your latest products and services to grab their attention and spark their curiosity.

Keep your recipient list organized and ensure your messages are constantly updated.

It’s important to avoid bombarding your audience with the same old content.

Create a feeling of urgency

It’s important to give your coupons and vouchers an expiration date.

Setting a limited-time validity allows you to create a sense of urgency among your customers, ultimately boosting conversion rates.

Set a frequency and stick to it

Bombarding your users with messages can easily become annoying and lead to declining service usage, while delayed messages might cause users to lose interest and forget why they signed up in the first place.

Maintaining a successful marketing campaign requires consistency, at least each month or week.

The frequency of your messages should be tailored to your target audience and align with the objectives you wish to accomplish with your content.

Bulk SMS marketing – The key to lasting business success

The era of relying solely on one marketing channel is long gone, as we have already discussed one exciting tool in the marketing sphere: texting services for businesses with bulk SMS.

Bulk SMS marketing, when done correctly, may be a successful approach to reaching out to clients and advertising your products or services; however, it is essential to respect their time and preferences.

So, if you’re considering implementing this strategy into your business, consider hiring a professional Bulk SMS service provider.

Making the appropriate decisions can help you stay on track and efficiently reach your business goals.