4 Things to consider when choosing an international SMS product

Best international SMS product for business

If you want to have global SMS conversations, international SMS is the perfect communication tool. SMS is easy for anyone to use, and it’s relatively straightforward for a development team to integrate it into your existing app or site.

Here are four key things to consider when choosing an international SMS product for your business.

1. Where are your customers located?

All territories have specific rules when it comes to sending business SMS messages. It's important to bear in mind that you have to abide by the laws of the country in which your customers reside. For example, there may be volume restrictions on messaging, or regulations may dictate that text messages must have a reply function. There might be no limit to the number of SMS messages you can send, but a restriction on the type of messages allowed.

Need to know: A reputable international SMS service provider like Clickatell will recommend the right product based on the country of your choice.

2. How many messages do you need to send per month?

The number of SMS messages you want to send may depend on your business needs or budget, but may also be restricted in different countries.

Need to know: Here you would look at the size of your database and the frequency of messaging. For example, if you have 10 000 customers and you want to send one marketing message per week, you would be looking at 40 000 SMS messages per month.

3. Do you need to receive replies?

Two-way messaging is a feature that allows your customers to reply to your text messages. It could be time specific – i.e. reply with a convenient time for a home delivery. It could be a feedback or survey, or a way to confirm or cancel an appointment at a doctor or salon. It could even be an offer, for example, an offer of a loan: “Reply to this SMS with your name and ‘Yes’”, which initiates a loan application process. A reply function might be a nice-to-have or may be a legal requirement in certain countries.

Need to know: When speaking to an SMS sales consultant, always be clear about which territories you are planning to run communication campaigns in and your two-way messaging needs.

4. What is the objective of your message? What type of message is it?

Finally, consider what you need your international SMS messaging to achieve. Do you need a real-time notification or system alert to simplify processes? Do you want to keep your customer transactions secure and up to date with one-time PINs (OTPs) – e.g. when they log into their accounts or make payments online? Are you expanding your CRM program, or looking for an easily memorable number to use in a marketing campaign?

Need to know: Certain products are pricier to set up than others, or are intended for use in smaller or larger volumes. Our sales agents will recommend a one-way or two-way option that’s right for your business needs.

Clickatell’s simple pricing estimator

The considerations above are covered by Clickatell’s pricing estimator tool. Try it now to see the estimated pricing for any country, and sign up for a Clickatell Platform account today - you'll be able to immediately start sending free unlimited test messages in our sandbox environment and setting up your first integration is a breeze.