Inbound SMS – Receive SMS from your Customers

Inbound SMS services can be used to:

• Run mobile marketing campaigns listing a single contact number each time you send an SMS broadcast
• Build your customer database by asking clients to SMS your inbound number with their contact details and their service/product preferences
• Run customer service or employee outreach programs. The classic feedback line
• Implement keyword based marketing campaigns. Here you can segment your database or build a new one and add some interactivity into the mix
• Ensure you are 100% compliant with Australia’s anti-spam legislation by providing automatic opt-out processing. Any time a STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE message is received, the system will add the sending number to your blacklist

How Does It Work?

Inbound SMS numbers are Virtual Mobile Numbers. They enable your SMS account to receive SMS as well as send them. It works just like a normal mobile number, however instead of replies going to a hand-set, they are routed to our platform.

You lease one or more mobile numbers from directSMS. Choose from standard numbers or a range of ‘reserved numbers’, which are the easiest to remember.

Use your phone or tablet to send bulk messages through directSMS

When an SMS message is received on your Inbound SMS number, you can choose to:

• View the message online
• Receive the message as an email in real time
• Forwarded to a URL via a HTTP GET call. Great for building apps or automation around SMS interactions
• Retrieved by one of our APIs.
• Processed by our system to do Keyword based campaigns, auto repsonse or opt-in/opt-out marketing

Can You Do MMS?

Yes, but you need an MMS enabled inbound number. You can have a look at our Inbound MMS service to see what you can do with MMS.

How Do Keywords Work?

We can configure your dedicated inbound SMS number to automatically respond to various messages sent by your customers. Here are some examples for a motor dealership.

If the customer sends the words “TEST DRIVE” to your dedicated number, the system can be configured to:

1. Add the customer to a specific group in your directSMS address book
2. Send an email containing the message content to a specific email address
3. Reply back to the customer with a predefined message. E.g. “Thanks for booking your test drive at XYZ Motors. One of our consultants will contact you shortly. You can reach us on ….”

If the customer sends the words “INFO GSR” to your dedicated number, the system can be configured to:

1. Add the customer to another group in your directSMS address book
2. Send an email containing the message content to another email address
3. Reply back to the customer with a predefined message. E.g. “Thanks for your interest in our new GSR model. One of our consultants will contact you shortly. You can reach us on ….”

With the high penetration of Smart Phones, you can include links back to your mobile optimised website and keep clients engaged that way.

The options are only limited by your imagination.

Do I Really Need My Own Dedicated Number?

If you just want customers to be able to reply back to the messages you send them, then NO. You don’t need a dedicated number. You don’t need your own inbound number. This is what our 2-way SMS system is great at doing.

Our 2-way system will let you send messages and then will correlate all the replies back to their original messages and notify you when a reply has been received. This is great for confirming appointments and similar applications.

If you want customers to be able to message you without you first without you contacting them, then YES. You will need your own number.

Benefits Of Inbound SMS

• Receive any volume of Incoming SMS messages quickly and efficiently
• Messages can be received reliably, then routed and shared easily (as opposed to receiving messages on a regular mobile)
• No need to install any software or have a dedicated handset to receive SMS
• Use your existing web browser or email application to read the messages and interact with your customers or staff
• Makes it easy for customers to interact with you any time, any place
• Far more cost effective than other methods of inbound communication, such as a call centre
• Full compliance with anti-spam legislation by providing opt-in and opt-out for all your marketing campaigns

How Does Pricing Work?

We offer very competitive rates and do not charge for the incoming SMS messages. You pay the same low fee whether you receive 100 or 100,000 messages a month.

Answers To Common Questions:

For more information and answers to other frequently asked questions, please see the FAQ page.