How to Choose an SMS API Provider

SMS has got unprecedented success in the world of mobile and wireless as billions of text messages are delivered every single day, and SMS is now a big revenue generating source for wireless carriers. Many innovative applications are now being developed on top of SMS technology and more are being developed each day. As businesses look to refurbish their marketing techniques and try to reach new and prospective customers, they are taking on SMS, but selecting an SMS API gateway provider has turned out to be somewhat difficult as various companies who want to use their services just don't know what to search for.

The below questions can help businesses or companies choose an SMS API gateway provider:

1. Is the protocol you will be using safe? HTTP + SSL encryption means the data sent over HTTP protocols cannot be perceived by others. With HTTPS, data is encoded before being sent over the Internet protocol, thus it is safe from eavesdropping or hacking.

2. How good is your gateway provider’s network value? Bulk SMS service providers are now providing test service to prospective users, so you can test their network quality.

3. Is the gateway provider's documentation simple to read and comprehend? A well-recognized API and sample code should be provided to developers. This will save lots of precious technical development time. One good method to test the documentation is to use it to integrate a specific feature needed by your SMS application. For instance, you might verify by evaluating the command parameters for delivering concatenated messages to find out if your team can understand the API without extra support from the SMS provider.

4. After that, ask what payment alternatives the gateway provider offers to new clients. Generally, SMS credits can be bought from their websites and various providers support online credit card payments. You will also want to evaluate their web-based account management attributes to see if it is simple to manage your account. Can you identify the user interface? Are the menu items well-planned? Does it have complete reporting to notice messages sent or received?

5. At last, you will want to find out whether the gateway provider offers free messaging for testing purposes or not? You would not integrate any software solution without undertaking it first. In fact, it is more essential because you will be interacting with your customers openly and you want that interaction to go very smoothly to defend your relationship and your status.

There are various transactional SMS gateway providers available if you want to send a transactional SMS campaign to your customers.

Overall, choosing an SMS API provider is very easy if you follow the above methods. So, make a wise choice for the improvement of your business.