Factors To Consider When Choosing An SMS Gateway Provider
An SMS gateway provider (also called SMS service provider, SMS reseller, or SMS brokers) provides SMS messaging services. This business entity is not a mobile network operator; they enter into a contract with mobile network operators to be authorized to exchange their network’s SMS messages. They act as middlemen between SMS service users and the mobile network operators. They offer users an easy to use interface so they are able to send and receive SMS messages.
There are a lot of SMS gateway providers that you can use, however, there are also a lot of factors to consider if you are to choose one. And the first and most important factor is the cost of service. You can choose between the credit-based and SMS based category, but determining the better of the 2 depends on the country where your message is intended to be sent. There may also be hidden costs that the SMS service providers do not clearly show, in an attempt to attract users by their “cheap” costs, and you find out later that there are additional fees that you need to pay, like set up fees.
Another factor that you should consider when choosing an SMS gateway provider is whether or not they have a minimum purchase or usage requirement. If you are just starting to use SMS service, it will be wise to choose a provider who does not require that you have a minimum purchase. With regards to minimum usage, most providers do not have this requirement. Minimum usage is more common with the mobile network operators. If your SMS application has a very low traffic amount, just to be on the safe side, check first if the provider has requirement for a monthly minimum usage.
The credits or SMS messages that can be purchased from some SMS gateway providers are good only for a certain period of time, and when they expire, you cannot use them anymore. If such restriction is imposed by your chosen provider, be modest and conservative when you are making an estimate of your application’s SMS traffic amount.
You must also try to determine how good is the network coverage and the network quality of the SMS service provider that you are about to choose. This is very important because the provider may not be able to deliver your SMS messages to your targeted mobile operators or countries. If you are a new user, some providers may give you a few messages for free. Use these to test their network coverage and also the quality. Usually, the more expensive providers are the more reliable, and the cheaper ones are certainly less reliable.
Don’t forget the support services of these providers. If you want to know how good their support team is, try sending them a question by email and see whether they will reply or not. If they reply, see how long did it take them, and were they able to answer your question well. When you send them a follow up question, see if they are patient enough to make another reply.
SMS gateway helps you to market your business through SMS service, which is an economical way of getting more business but beware of fraud.
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