The easy ways to send bulk SMS
Increasingly, businesses of all sizes are reaping the benefits of instant, low-cost communication through bulk SMS messages for clients and colleagues alike. And while a large corporation will have access to an IT department to provide this communication tool, what are smaller companies supposed to do? The good news is that you don’t need to be a computer whiz kid or have an in-house IT department to take advantage of SMS technology. Instead, businesses can turn to a bulk SMS gateway provider to find easy ways to send their text messages. An SMS gateway provider will give you one point of contact, an A-Z price list, and a user-friendly interface to send your bulk SMS messages.
However, if you are new to bulk SMS messaging, you may still be wondering if there are different ways to send SMS messages and how easy it is to use this technology. With that in mind, here’s a quick breakdown of three different ways businesses can send text messages through a bulk SMS gateway provider. All of these methods can be sent from a standard computer and require no specialized knowledge… essentially, they’re as easy as sending an email.
Sending text messages online
This is by far the most popular way to send text messages as users just need to log into the website from a computer and that’s it. Once they’re in, texting online is much like sending an email. With online SMS, users are not tied to any computer; they should be able to use any computer and any browser (be it Explorer, Safari for Mac, Firefox or Chrome) to access their account and send their messages. This gives the user greater flexibility as they can send text messages online from their home or office, wherever is most convenient for them. Good gateway providers will offer a feature-rich online SMS service, such as allowing the sender to receive replies, message scheduling, real-time delivery reports, and even managing your contacts.
Sending text messages from a desktop application
Another common way businesses send SMS messages is through an application downloaded to your Mac, PC workstation, or Linux computer. This system is as simple to use as online SMS messaging, allowing you to write your message just like you do with email or instant messaging. This method is often preferred by users for sending bulk SMS, as the application can be accessed via an icon on the desktop. Some desktop apps are actually web apps. Keep an eye on two-way SMS messages, message delivery receipts, plus being able to schedule when your messages were sent. Using a desktop SMS application can also allow the user to reduce the costs of sending bulk SMS messages by optimizing their routing.
Sending messages from a spreadsheet
Perhaps the easiest way to send bulk SMS messages is through a plugin for a spreadsheet application. Although only a few gateway providers offer this service, it makes sending text messages a breeze. It allows businesses to make use of the information contained in their spreadsheet application (be it names, phone numbers or message templates) to send their text messages. With this method, you don’t have to exit the spreadsheet app to switch to the SMS app; The plugin allows users to send text messages directly from the spreadsheet. All you have to do is highlight the contact details, type or highlight the message from your templates and click “send”. You can customize your messages and recipients from the information stored in your spreadsheet. This approach usually also provides useful features such as SMS delivery reports and job scheduling.
Of course, texting online, using a desktop app, or a spreadsheet plugin are just the easiest methods to send bulk SMS. If you have access to a bit of technical expertise (or can hire a freelancer to provide it), then the world is at your fingertips when it comes to messaging. You can then set up a system to send text messages dynamically, such as automatically sending a business card every time a potential client contacts you or sending appointment reminders, bringing a whole new level of mass messaging to your company.