Text broadcasting without SMS modem

Starting from release 10, it is possible to use BroadcastBySMS without a SMS modem. However, this feature is still in early beta as of today (07/01/2015) and may not be easy to setup. In addition, incoming text message is not supported yet and thus no interactive feature is supported. If you have small text message volume or require incoming and interactive text message processing, we strongly recommend using the software with SMS modems.

What is required

  • A text messaging plan from AT&T
  • Voicent BroadcastBySMS software
  • An AT&T developer account ($99 per year)

1. Getting a developer account from ATT

For details please see AT&T Developer. You need Premium account in order to use SMS and MMS messaging.

2. Create an IN-APP messaging App

Login to your ATT developer account, create a new In-app application. Once create, you should be able to get your credentials (app key, app secret, and merchant id).

3. Authorize your mobile phone/account

Take a look at Oauth via cURL section. These are the information for authenticate a mobile account to use the newly created app. If you have more than one account, go through this process for each phone. For each phone, you should get a token and a refresh token.

4. Make a ATTSMS.txt file

Create a file named ATTSMS.txt, and enter the following info:

1
app=your_app_name
id=your_app_key
passwd=your_app_secret
account=your_mobile_phone_number_from_previous_step
token=token_from_previous_step
refresh=refresh_token_from_previous_step

Save the file and put it under C:/Program Files (x86)/Voicent/Gateway/bin

Restart your gateway. Now you should be able to use Voicent BroadcastBySMS with that mobile account.

Add more mobile account

To add more mobile phone account, simply repeat step 3 and 4. Please note the first number in ATTSMS.txt file is the number of mobile account. So if you have total of 3 mobile accounts to use, make sure to set it to 3, like the following:

3
[first account info...]
[second account info...]
[third account info...]

Also, you must have multi-line BroadcastBySMS software licenses.

About refresh token

With ATT’s oauth method, you must get a new set of token and refresh token every 3 months. This is a requirement from ATT, not from Voicent software. Getting new tokens (step 3) is a manual process, and there is no way around it.

Every two days you must get a new token using the refresh token. You can manually get a new token using the refresh token and then update the ATTSMS.txt file. To refresh a token can be automated by utilizing Voicentlive’s service. However, this service is only available for approved customers.

If this is all too complicated, we agree. The best solution is simply use Voicent’s hosted service, where you can sign up and start your text message campaign in a few minutes – no setup, effortless.

Posted in Developer, SMS Usage |

Sending an SMS Text Message Through The Voicent API

To use Voicent’s SMS Broadcasting software’s API, you will need to send an HTTP POST to your Voicent Gatewy & Port.

URL: http://localhost:8155/ocall/callreqHandler.jsp
PARAMS:

  • info = send text to 1234567
  • phoneno = 1234657
  • txt = here is a text i am sending you

The name and value pairs will look like:

info=send text to 1234567&phoneno=1234567&txt=here is a text i am sending you

Posted in SMS Usage |

Send SMS Easier and Faster with Bulk Texting Software

Sending SMS with your client base at regular intervals is very important to keep your company top of mind. If you don’t, they can easily forget about you and head to another service provider or supplier. By using a bulk texting software, it can help you in get the best communication for your clients, at cheaper rates. With our bulk texting software it has never been easier to communicate with your clients.

So now, do you want to send bulk SMS to your costumers without adding their numbers one by one to the address bar every time? Here we introduce you Voicent’s BroadcastBySMS for your PC. Unfortunately there are no bulk texting software which were specifically made for this purpose.

BroadcastBySMS for marketing purpose

This is viable, still because of the personal nature of cell phones, limited allotment of text messages and the fact that many people need to pay for to increase it; marketers should use this technology the same way they use fax and email technology–through opt-in programs in which recipients specifically ask to receive messages in that format.

Innovative feature and functions

Voicent’s products can be customized to meet your exact needs. That means our products can be scaled to the size you need, and then easily expanded to grow just as fast as you do. If you have equipment or software that you can’t part with, Voicent has built-in integration features that will allow you to keep what you need, while benefiting from the efficiencies and effectiveness of Voicent’s new technology. If the needs of your business or organization change, Voicent’s solutions can be quickly adapted to your new needs.

The key feature of this bulk texting software is interactive text messaging. This capability, along with the message customization feature, permits the software to process text responses automatically.

In addition, by using Voicent IVR Studio, you can set up inbound text message applications. For example, you can setup the system to send text information about product A when receiving incoming text ’123′ and send text information about product B for incoming text ’345′.

Another special feature is that Voicent text software does not require you to sign up with a SMS center. The software can use your own text plan from a cell phone company. It is the same as you sending out text messages from your cell phone.

 

Posted in SMS Usage |

The Use of Text Marketing

For text marketing users, one thing hasn’t changed in the digital age: you need to handle your brand with utmost importance. In today’s world of budget cuts and scrutiny, the best way to ensure your own success is to have an air-tight business case like text marketing. And thus you need to be willing to stand behind it.

This brings us to common short codes (CSCs), the five to six digit numbers that power SMS marketing campaigns. When purchasing a CSC, either get a dedicated code, one absolutely for your use, or share a code with  anyone else who wants it. In comparing the two, it’s easy to see the paybacks of having total governance, especially if you’re running between regional and national campaigns.

Best method to use for text marketing campaigns

Your code is part of your brand in SMS messaging. CSCs help you sustain a two-way customer dialogue as part of text marketing campaigns.  Your code symbolizes your brand; in fact it is your brand. In the long run, loyal customers will associate the number with your company, just as they do your logo, your corporate colors and so on.

You don’t gain the same exposure when using a shared code. Typically, a text marketing provider leases a common short code and then sub-leases it to numerous organizations. A pet shop or car wash shop might share your CSC, tempering both your exposure and brand value.

You alone control how the code is used with a dedicated code. Competitions, discount offers and coupons or to disseminate information about your products and brand, it’s all yours to promote. You also have the ability to ensure regulatory compliance is implemented.

That’s not the case when you share a code. If carriers have disputes with anyone using the code – if they have issues with offers or text marketing practices – they may shut it down entirely and poof, there goes your campaign.

When you send notifications, alerts or account information, consumers need to know the information is coming from you, this MUST BE CONSIDERED ALL THE TIME. A dedicated code eliminates any misperception. No one else can use it to reach your customer base.

Featuring Voicent’s BroadcastBySMS

BroadcastBySMS is automated text marketing sending software with two way interactive communications between the computer software and the person who receive the text message. It can also be used to send customized messages to small or large groups. Just as few as 3 easy steps in sending text marketing message then, spontaneously collect and process individual responses.

Text marketing messages are immediate and personal, less intrusive than a call to a cell phone. That’s why texting has become the planet’s single most popular way to interconnect—surpassing even telephone calls!

Posted in SMS Usage |

Text Marketing Practices that Needs to be Avoided

Overall, the best practice for text marketing is that all businessmen and organizations are encouraged to put their consumers first.  It is all about transparency. No businessmen should be dishonest with their costumers and never to cut corners.

Keeping these in mind, here are some text marketing practices you need to evade immediately. Text marketing has started t going to be completely mainstream and not that so relatively new concept.  Make sure to check this list!

1. Texting your subscribers at any time you feel like it

Text your subscribers at the right time, when these people know when to expect messages from you or your company, they have a better chance of engaging to business.  As much as personalized message is involve in messages and campaigns, you still need to keep your poise professional and somewhat predictable.

Voicent BroadcastBySMS has a calendar that you may use to schedule your messages.

2. Never personalizing your campaigns

Don’t be afraid to get personal in your business. Send greetings to them in any events or occasions to show subscribers you really do care about them on an individual level.

3. Keeping all your subscribers under one generic list

This idea is good for your business, and could also offer your subscribers a better experience. When you section your list, you make sure that all messages sent out are completely qualified, and will potentially encourage the receiver to interact.

With Voicent BroadcastBySMS software, you can import list from an excel sheet.

4. Only using text marketing messages to sell

You should know this of all, but the obvious in your face peddling technique is gone. Subscribers will disregard your texts if they’re only centered on what their money can do for you.

5. The more texts, the better

Never overdo and bomb your subscribers with needless messages. Make sure to believe in quality over quantity. Switching around this concept and bombarding your subscribers with horrible messages will only cause them to do the one thing you are trying to avoid – unsubscribe.

Although Voicent BroadcastBySMS software has a feature that allows you to send bulk messages directly from your computer, we don’t recommend you use this as a crutch. Still it could be helpful if used at the right time.

If you’re interested in getting the world rolling with your own text marketing campaign, get in touch with Voicent.  Contact Voicent today at 1.800.948.1198! Money Back Guarantee!

 

Posted in SMS Usage |

Text Message Software That Might Be Just What You Need.

From the most basic hand held cellular phones to the most extravagant feature-full smartphones and those 160-character messages exchanged on mobile phones makes text messaging the least common denominator for information distribution and for sending out mobile promos and other incentives driving consumers to bricks-and-mortar retail stores.

Now consumers do not need smartphones or exclusive data plans to sign up for alerts or receive an offer. Underserved sections of the population can also be reached by just using SMS, especially in terms of Internet access and other information delivery mechanisms.

Put simply, the key benefit of text to retailers is the ubiquity of SMS — which nearly 100 percent of mobile phones can support — and the high likelihood of text messages being read soon after receipt.

Since most consumers keep their mobile phone always on and have their mobile phone within reach, this would make them easily respond to retailers’ discount offers, new product announcements and other calls-to-action anytime and anywhere, merely by sending a text message. One good benefit of text messages is the two-way communication that is achieved with the general population.

Certainly, text messages nowadays offers a simple and effective way to interconnect with consumers when they are in the progression of making a buying decision, keeping them up-to-date on sales and new products or driving them to the point of sale with mobile coupons. This opens the door for retailers to re-market to opted-in consumers by sending them targeted and relevant messaging that adds value by providing incentives for participation

Voicent’s BroadcastBySMS – a good text message software

With the help of this text message software you can customize messages you want to send from small to large groups.  BroadcastBySMS is an automated text message software with two way interactive communications between the computer software and the person who receive the text message. No other bulk text message software enables you to automatically and interactively collect and process responses from receipients.

The following below are the main key feature of the said text message software:

  • It is very easy to download and setup in 10 minutes
  • It works on any Windows desktop or laptop
  • It also works well with your own text messaging plan, though it required a GSM based service provide (in U.S., AT&T or T-Mobile)
  • You can send bulk text messages with a single click
  • It has easy-to-use spreadsheet user interface
  • Also have call list import and export
  • You can report real-time call status with time stamp
  • It allows recipient to send response back and displayed in the status column

With and enterprise edition of this text message software you get the following feature:

  • Remote access, works on the server computer or remote computer
  • Contact list database sharing among computers
  • Developer feature: Command line interface

 

Posted in SMS Usage |

Text Marketing One Step at a Time

Companies of all sizes are quickly adopting text marketing systems. Yet small businesses have been lagging their larger brethren. This is puzzling: saving labor and getting better results are probably more important in small business than anywhere else. So what’s holding them back?

It’s not a fear of technology. Nearly all small businesses use mobile phones and have a Web site, the two major channels supported by such automation. They’re rapidly adding social media as well. If anything, small businesses have too many technologies to coordinate. This makes it especially attractive.

Nor is cost the issue. It’s true that money is tight at most small businesses, but they’re already paying for email, Web hosting, and other services. The cost of a marketing automation system may not be much more than they’re already paying for the separate systems. If you factor in savings on design fees, custom programming, and internal labor, the net cost is nearly always less. Again, this is the sort of improvement a small business should crave. Another problem that also arise is fear – fear that implementing such technology will not improve their business.

Let’s be clear, this is a mistake. The most effective text marketing deployments include careful planning, process change, and program redesign. But companies who can’t make that commitment can still gain value from an incremental approach.

The incremental approach will take longer to yield full marketing automation benefits and may ultimately take more work than an all-at-once conversion. But that work will be spread over a longer period of time, with changes made when the marketing department finds them convenient. The slower deployment also lets marketers learn new skills and develop new programs as they need them. The result is a less demanding transition that is less disruptive and has a higher probability of success. It’s climbing a sequence of steps rather than trying to clear the wall in one impossibly high leap.

Incremental deployment has its own risks. The chief is that you’ll stop before you finish the journey – in which case, you’ll never gain the full benefit from text marketing. If there’s one critical moment that determines whether your deployment will stall, it’s right at the start. In other words, many companies install a system, start using some features, and never add anything else. Marketers who add new features soon after their initial deployment are likely to keep adding features in the future.

So what should be the features that you need to add first? It’s simple. Choose the one that is easy to deploy, easy to measure, one with high potential and has a gateway to change. By choosing those, it will guarantee that it will help your company and also it will make your company future-proof as well.

The benefits of text marketing are too important for small business to ignore. Incremental deployment makes them more accessible than a massive reengineering project, just as climbing steps is easier than leaping a high wall. But climbing stairs is still work and you can still fall down if you’re not careful. Marketers who follow a systematic, disciplined process have the best chance to reach the marketing automation pot of gold.

 

 

Posted in SMS Usage |

Text Message Software Guide

 

What is text message software? Good thing that you asked that. This article will define text message software.  Read onward and in just few minutes you will know everything that is necessary to know about text message software.  Say for instance, when a business deicded to launch a text message marketing campaign they use text message software to run that campaign.  Using your very own mobile phone to run your business’ text message campaign is tedious and will take you time to send all those messages. What a headache!

A text marketing solutions provider offers their solutions through software – which is almost and always web-based. Now there are two types of text message software, one is desktop and the other is web-based. Not so long ago – about a decade – there was at least few commercial texts messaging software available. At the time the concept of Software as a Service (SaaS) was in the early stages. Thus, most text message software products were downloadable things that you ran from your desktop. Moving it forward to a few years ago and the idea of desktop based software for a task that requires an Internet connection has become somewhat a rare one. Instead, most the application runs through the browser – and this is the way nearly all popular SMS Marketing services work.

So how does it work? In order to use web based text message marketing software you typically visit a service provider’s website.  You now send your text marketing campaigns after you login to their application.  The software runs on the service provider’s server, is accessed through your browser – and the software application connects to the wireless carriers’ mobile networks in order to deliver your messages.

Voicent offers a software called BroadcastBySMS which is an automatic text message software having a two way interactive communication between the user computer software and the recipient who will receive the text.

So how do you set it up? First you need to download the BroadcastBySMS software and install it with your computer.  It works with all windows based computer above Windows XP.  It also has a free trial version so you can try it before you even buy it.  The next step would be you take out your mobile phone’s SIM card and insert it into the GSM modem.  Afterwards plug the modem into your computer’s USB port.  Specify the COM port used by the modem for Voicent Gateway. You only need to do this once. Load you phone list and click the send button. All done!

 

Posted in SMS Usage |

A Text Message Software for Your Business

As mobile phones overtake landline service in many homes, permission-based mobile communications becomes even more critical for businessmen.

In this article, we will consider how text message software can help businessmen distribute calls-to-action fast and to a wider base of population, motivating traffic and accumulating revenue.

Since most consumers have their mobile phone within reach and keep the device always on, they can respond to retailers’ discount offers, new product announcements and other calls-to-action anytime and anywhere, simply by sending a text message. Another benefit of SMS is the two-way communication that is achieved with the general population.

Indeed, SMS offers an easy and real way to connect with consumers when they are in the state of mind to make a purchase decision, keeping them informed on sales and new merchandises or directing them to the point of sale with mobile coupons.

Voicent BroadcastBySMS

BroadcastBySMS is text message sending software created by Voicent with two way interactive communications between the computer (can be a laptop or a desktop) software to a person using mobile phones, cell phones and other wireless devices who will receive the text message. It can be used to send customized messages to small or large groups. You can send group text messages in with just three simple steps. After which you can spontaneously accumulate and take note distinct responses.

How BroadcastBySMS works?

BroadcastBySMS is a very simple to use text message software;

First, you create a phone list or import a phone list from an excel file, next enter your text message; it could be a string that may contain hyperlinks.  Lastly, press send or you can schedule it from its built in calender when you want to send the message.

Main features of BroadCastBySMS

Text messages are quick and private, less pushy than making a call to person with a cell phone. That’s why texting has become the planet’s single most sensational way to communicate — beating even telephone calls!

  • Sending bulk text messages are easily done with just one button.
  • One common feature is its interactive text messaging that has automatic response processing.
  • Very user friendly spreadsheet in its user interfaces. You can customize it all according to what you think. As stated on “How BroadcastBySMS works?” you can import a call list from an excel file or simply copy-paste the phone list.
  • Another good user interface is its good built-in message designer.  This suits best for your businessmen for creating an appealing personalized text messages.  A calendar is also included for scheduling text messages.

 

Posted in SMS Usage |

SMS Software, Send your Message to the Right People

 

If you are preparing to unveil a successful email or SMS marketing promotion the best place to start is by fitting and using the correct SMS software to move forward to a successful promotion.

Sending your SMS messages to the right people at the right time is commanding.  This is very important; get your messages across to those consumers that want the information immediately – that is the key ingredient of successful SMS marketing.  With mobile devices being sold worldwide, a lot of people are using it every day.  Thus, making it possible for your messages to find their target each and every time you send SMS.

It is a known fact that by making use of a mobile medium the average person usually responds to a text message in the first couple of minutes.

Even promotional SMS’s are normally answered to quickly – even sooner at times than emails. It is essential that you and your business take full benefit of SMS software to reach the target spot-on every time. SMS is already a cheap option to market your goods or services and the benefits are massive. Most of all, text messaging is really very easy – to become a pro you can be one in no time at all. Your marketing can now be one that is pro-active and no longer one that is passive.

Set up your mobile marketing campaign quite simply from your PC which is really convenient. Prospects can choose (or not) to opt-in to your marketing campaign by typing in a couple of short and simple keywords into their mobile devices – this is a code to accept your message which is then delivered directly to them.

Especially, if you are targeting an age group between the ages of 18 and 29 – few individuals in this group respond to emails – it is far more effective to reach them by texting.

If you would like to reach your market instantly, the fastest and most effective way is by installing Voicent BroadcastBySMS – an SMS software.

Voicent BroadcastBySMS

Because people tend to keep their mobile phones on hand, text messages are typically retrieved much more regularly than email or voice messages.

Voicent BroadcastBySMS is interactive SMS broadcasting software. It does not require you to sign-up with a bulk SMS service center that charges monthly or per-message fees. You can use your own text plan to send out messages. The key feature is its Message Designer and automatic processing of replies. For example, the software can understand specific replies to messages, and then act accordingly, automatically sending out additional info, making entries in a database or whatever actions you specify.

 

Posted in SMS Usage |