Bulk SMS API: The call for today’s tech-savvy world

The world dwellers of the 21^st century are highly tech-savvy and prefer information on the go. The information might be about the latest news, new inventions, upgradations or the bank balance/transactions. The end-user demands each of this information from the business units at the rim of his fingers. With such easy access to information, the customers are featured to perform countless interactions with the concerned institutions and keep themselves updated 24*7.

Taken into account the communication trends of current day world and the affirmation of mobile phone technology by the general audience, the business units must emerge out with a marketing technique that satisfies customer demands of easy information flow and business marketing economics. Today, maximum individuals can be spotted with a mobile phone bestowed with active short messaging service feature onto it. Therefore, mobile users can easily send and receive short messages or SMS to and from mobile phones. Adding to the same, widespread telecommunication network nourishes the convenience for easy communication around the globe without facing any of hurdles caused due to geographical distances. Bulk SMS communication is the emerging business marketing technique that uses the potential of SMS communication to feature uninterrupted interaction between the business units and their objective business audiences.

Business Bulk SMS API

In simple linguistics, API is an abbreviation used for an application programming interface. This interface acts as the mid-ware between two applications and assists in proper communication between them. In the case of bulk SMS API, the application interface acts as a mid-ware between business application and the bulk SMS gateway. While the former id the business end system, the latter entity comprises of a network of mobile operating networks connected with the SMS gateway.

In today’s digital marketing world, SMS marketing holds great potential and is massively harnessed by business institutions across the globe. To cater such great potential, various bulk SMS API providers have emerged with a wide range of SMS APIs, each uniquely finding its significance. Let us explore various sects of SMS APIs based on its usage by the busines units.

1.Promotional bulk SMS API

Every business, regardless of the domain specifications need to interact with its target audience and market their products and/ or services. Marketing enables the business audience to get acquainted with the updates and new upcoming in business industries. SMS service providers help the business units with a designated bulk SMS API that is solely developed with the intent to send and receive promotional bulk SMS messages.

Speaking in general terms, these messages contain content indicating discounts or promotions on brand commodities and services, and/or offers for new and existing customers; depending upon the requirement of the business. The major objective of these messages is to reach the maximum audience within a given time frame. Thus, promotional bulk SMS APIs is programmed to send and receive tens of dozens of promotional messages to and from the SMS gateway. The key factor that makes such API mastered in promotions is their ability to communicate with the gateway using the HTTP protocol. The HTTP protocol allows the API to pass on and receive information from the gateway in the form of structured URLs. These URLs consist of crucial information and parameters which are used to indicate the information associated with every messaging packet in the given set of promotional bulk SMSs.

Adding further, these API also ensure that the messages are reached to the given set of target audiences within time so that the end-user is informed about business word well in time. Here, one must note that the promotional messages are bound to be sent only in a given time duration of the day. As per the TRAI regulations, the promotional bulk messages can be delivered to the recipients only between 9 am to 9 pm. The intended API provides the business units with an enticing option to schedule the promotional messages. This helps the businesses in sending the customers bulk messages without worrying about the time frames and restrictions. Therefore, once the API senses the scheduled time for the given set of messages (between 9 am to 9 pm), it triggers the process automatically and the recipients receive the messages.

The APIs are also bestowed to receive SMS delivery reports from the bulk SMS gateway and simultaneously deliver the same to the business units or applications. Needless to say, the reception of delivery reports and the consequent submission is smoothly performed using the algorithm of HTTP requests and responses.

2.Transactional bulk SMS API

As the name indicates, transactional bulk SMS APIs are concerned with sending and receiving bulk SMS that lies under the family if transactional messages. Transactional messages are defined as the messages that deem to provide business audiences information. These messages are used to pass on the required information and details to the special set of customers as per their activities. The activities may include purchasing goods/products from a specific company, withdrawal/ deposit alerts, early notifications, and account information.

Therefore, it will not be wrong to comment that any bulk SMS that intimates the recipient with a given set of information is termed as a transactional bulk SMS. Understanding the nature of these messages, it is worth saying that transactional messages are general audience triggered. Thus, these messages are received by the recipients based o their recent activity or interaction with the business.

Transactional bulk SMS API is featured to send and receive bulk messages on one to one basis to the audiences. Since each interaction of a given user and business is unique and different, the communication is performed in one to one mechanism. Adding further, business units can utilize this API to Trans-receive messages round the clock. Since the user interaction and activities are not bound to time transactional messages can be sent/received any time .i.e. 24*7.

Depending upon the business needs, one can choose either or both of the bulk SMS API and employ them successfully within the business marketing architecture. It is also advisable to wisely choose a bulk SMS API provider that perfectly understands the business marketing specifications and business needs.