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Getting started with SMS

Step 1: Before you get started

Before delving into SMS messaging, it’s crucial to acquaint yourself with industry rules and regulations. We strongly advise reviewing our best practices to ensure smooth message delivery and avoid potential issues.

For detailed insights, refer to our article on Best Practices for SMS.

Step 2: Explore elfoA2P Features
When sending your SMS, we offer several features that can make the process easier or more personal. Discover the features that make SMS messaging seamless on elfoA2P, so you can set up your SMS the way you want.

  • Personalization:
    Customize SMS content for each contact, incorporating specific details like names, order numbers, or appointment dates. Select the custom fields and dive into the details of personalization.


  • Scheduling:
    We offer the option to schedule your SMS by scheduling SMS for a later date and time. Explore scheduling options in our guide on Scheduling a Campaign. 


  • Templates:
    You can save templates of SMS in your elfoA2P SMS Campaign. This can be useful if you send out the same or similar messages often. Read here how you can manage your templates.


Step 3: Choosing a Brand Name

When using the elfoA2P SMS platform’s campaign builder, it is important to note that the brand name is a crucial element of your SMS campaign. For businesses operating within Malaysia, adding a brand name is mandatory and must be included in the designated tab. However, for enterprises outside of Malaysia, this step is optional. The brand name helps in identifying your campaign and ensures that your messages are recognized by your recipients. Please ensure that you adhere to this guideline to maintain compliance with local regulations and to enhance the effectiveness of your SMS marketing efforts.  


Step 4: Sending SMS with elfoA2P
elfoA2P provides versatile options for sending SMS, offering flexibility and convenience. You can initiate SMS directly from your Dashboard or choose alternative methods such as email API connections. Explore the various ways to send SMS and maximize your messaging experience:

  • SMS Campaign Builder:
    Craft personalized messages, utilize templates, and schedule campaigns effortlessly with elfoA2P’s Campaign Builder.


  • Quick SMS:
    For swift communication, use Quick Send to dispatch SMS to individual recipient directly from your elfoA2P Dashboard.


  • Bulk Messaging (Campaign):
    Effortlessly send SMS to one or more recipients with distinct content by selecting contact/ segment or uploading an Excel or CSV file of Bulk contacts in your elfoA2P contacts’ page.


  • Email to SMS:
    Streamline your messaging process by sending SMS directly from email automation using elfoA2P. Request your elfoA2P account manager to set up Email to SMS seamlessly.

  • API Integration:
    Integrate SMS seamlessly into your operations by sending messages directly from your API with elfoA2P. Refer to our comprehensive Developers Documentation for details on API integration.


  • SMS Rate, SMS Count and SMS Campaign Price:
     
    The Campaign Builder on the elfoA2P SMS platform provides a transparent overview of your campaign costs directly on the dashboard. Here’s how it works: 
     
    SMS Count: This is determined by the number of SMS messages within your message content box. 



    SMS Price: This reflects the rate per SMS for the destination country of your campaign. 



    The Campaign Price is calculated using the formula: 

    Campaign Price= SMS Count X SMS Price 

    Rest assured, there are no additional costs added to the campaign price. This ensures that you can budget effectively, with full visibility on the expenditure for your SMS campaign. 



Having issues?

If you are having issues with our SMS product or its setup, we recommend checking our Troubleshooting guides on this page:

Best Practices for SMS with elfoA2P

SMS is an incredibly powerful channel for global instant communication, but navigating the landscape involves understanding various rules and constraints. Below, we’ll delve into essential considerations when setting up SMS through elfoA2P.

  • Opt-in & Opt-out Practices
    Ensure your recipients agree to receive SMS from your company to avoid potential spam classification. Incorporate opt-in options within your Terms & Conditions or include a separate checkbox for consent to store contact details. Additionally, provide a seamless opt-out mechanism for recipients who no longer wish to receive your SMS.
  • SMS Character Limit
    Be mindful of character limits when sending an SMS. Each SMS can contain up to 160 GSM characters or 70 Unicode characters. If your message exceeds the limit, it will be sent as multiple SMS, incurring additional charges. Familiarize yourself with character limits to avoid unexpected costs.
  • Number Formatting
    Properly format phone numbers by adding the respective country prefix. Remove any leading ‘+’ signs or ‘0’s and ensure the inclusion of a country code at the beginning of the phone number. Incorrect formatting may result in message delivery issues.
  • Choosing Your Originator
    Selecting an originator, whether a name or number, requires careful consideration. Review guidelines and restrictions to ensure proper usage.
  • Local Restrictions
    Various countries enforce local restrictions on SMS, often related to the originator or content. It’s crucial to be aware of these restrictions before sending messages to avoid complications. Check the Country Restrictions and Regulations guide for detailed information.
  • SMS Billing
    Remember that you are billed for every SMS submitted, regardless of delivery status.

By adhering to these best practices, you can leverage elfoA2P’s SMS capabilities effectively while maintaining compliance with industry regulations and ensuring cost-efficient communication.

SMS Length Guidelines for elfoA2P
Understanding the rules governing SMS length is crucial for effective messaging. We’ll explore the considerations related to the character sets, the length of an SMS, and how to determine the number of SMS you’ll be sending.

Character Sets
The maximum length of an SMS or message depends on the character set used, typically determined by the presence of special characters. elfoA2P employs GSM-7 and Unicode character sets, each with its own character limits. To identify the applicable character set for your SMS, refer to our guide on Using special characters & non-native languages to send SMS.

Length of an SMS/SMS Message
Once you know your character set, you can examine the length of your SMS and message. With GSM-7, an SMS can contain 160 characters, while Unicode allows for 70 characters per SMS. If your message surpasses these limits, it can still be sent as one SMS message, unless local restrictions dictate otherwise. This is referred to as a concatenated SMS.

An SMS message can have a total of 1377 characters in GSM-7 and 603 characters in Unicode. It’s important to note that you are billed per SMS, not per message. For example, a message with 264 characters in GSM-7 constitutes 2 SMS, and you will be billed accordingly.

Determining the Number of SMS
Refer to the table below to understand the number of SMS based on your character count:

Number of SMSMaximum GSM charactersMaximum Unicode characters
116070
2306134
3459201
4612268
5765335
6918402
71071469
81224536
91377603

If you’re using the elfoA2P Dashboard to compose your message, a counter in the bottom right-hand corner of the text box indicates the character and SMS count.

Restrictions
Not all countries support concatenated SMS, and handling of multi-part SMS may vary. Check the support for concatenated SMS in the country you intend to message using our country info & restrictions guide.

At elfoA2P, we strive to provide comprehensive guidelines to enhance your SMS messaging experience.

Sending SMS with Campaign Builder

Sending SMS with elfoA2P
Sending SMS through elfoA2P provides a variety of options to suit your preferences. Whether it’s through the Dashboard, email, or API integration, we’ve got you covered. Explore the diverse ways you can send SMS and the step-by-step procedures below.

Campaign Builder:

  • Personalize messages, utilize templates, and schedule campaigns for multiple recipients simultaneously.
  • To get started, navigate to SMS → SMS Campaign Builder on the left-hand side of your Dashboard.
  • Follow the relevant guide for Campaign Builder or Campaign Builder Beta for detailed instructions.




SMS Campaign Builder:

Step 1: Set Your Recipients

  • Add contacts using various options like .csv file upload, .txt file upload, segments, contacts to run bulk SMS campaign (A2P) 
  • Or manual number input for SMS to single contact (P2P) 

Step 2: Set a Campaign Name

  • Add contacts using various options like .csv file upload, .txt file upload, segments, contacts, or manual input.

Step 3: Add a Brand Name (Optional for Non Malaysian Numbers)

  • Sending a campaign to recipients may require a brand name. Add brand name before sending SMS campaign. Adding brand name is optional for SMS campaign countries of destination. 
  • Due to regulations in Malaysia and Indonesia, “RM0 Brand Name” or “Brand Name” will be added to the content of your message. 

Step 4: Select pre-saved template (Optional) 

  • The campaign builder feature on the elfoA2P SMS platform offers a convenient option to select from pre-saved templates tailored for various SMS use-cases, streamlining the process of creating your campaign. Additionally, it provides the flexibility to save your custom SMS templates, allowing for quick access and reuse in future campaigns. This feature is designed to save time and enhance efficiency, ensuring that you can easily manage and deploy your SMS marketing strategies. 

Step 5: Write Your Message

  • Each SMS message can contain a maximum of 160 characters including spaces. Your Campaign message can contain up to 480 characters total (generating approximately 3 SMS). 
  • If your message contains any special characters (such as emojis), 1 SMS can only contain up to 70 characters, instead of 160 characters. 
  • You can use Templates to pre-populate your campaign message. All your saved templates will be displayed in a drop-down menu by clicking on it. 

Step 6: Adding Variable or Custom fields in the SMS content (Optional)

  • The campaign builder on the elfoA2P SMS platform enhances personalization by allowing users to add variables or custom fields in the SMS content. These variables correspond to the custom fields assigned to contacts or segments within the contacts dashboard. When creating a message, you can select the appropriate variables from a dropdown list for the chosen contact list or segment. This feature is instrumental in personalizing each SMS, ensuring that custom details are included for every contact, thereby making your communication more engaging and relevant to the recipients.

Step 7: Scheduling (Optional)

  • Toggle Schedule Campaign and Send Later. 
  • Set a date and time for sending and scheduling your campaign for later. 
  • Select time-zone for destination country of your SMS campaign.
  • User can click schedule for later or save the message in the draft (accessible from campaign overview dashboard to enable editing)

Step 8: Send Now (Optional) 

  • If user prefer to send campaign immediately then keep the “Schedule Campaign and Send Later” off. 
  • Click the “Send Now” Button to send SMS campaign. 

Step 9: Preview Before Launching 

  • Preview your campaign, check cost estimation, and confirm the number of SMS to be sent from campaign overview. 
  • Click Send or Schedule to launch your campaign. 

Sending Quick SMS

Quick Send:

  • For a quick SMS to one recipient, navigate to SMS → Quick SMS on your Campaign Builder Dashboard.
  • Fill in recipient details and SMS content.
  • Click ‘Send Now’ to dispatch your message.

Note: Quick Send does not offer personalization, scheduling, templates, or confirmation options. Explore SMS Campaign Builder for these advanced features.

Scheduling your SMS

Why opt for Scheduling with elfoA2P?

There are instances when you want your SMS to land at a precise time or on a specific date, and planning this in advance can be crucial. Our scheduling tool is designed to assist in such scenarios, enabling you to set a predetermined time and date for your SMS dispatch without the need to manually press a button.

Furthermore, the timing of your SMS messages can significantly impact the success of your campaign. Experimenting with our planning tool can be beneficial. For instance, a renowned food delivery service increased its conversion rate by sending promotional messages through elfoA2P during the hours before lunch, as opposed to early morning. They enhanced this strategy by employing more realistic timings, such as 11:09 rather than precisely 11:00. Here are three straightforward tips:

  • Understand your target audience.
  • Experiment with different delivery times.
  • Make your delivery times appear realistic.

When scheduling messages, they will adhere to the time zone your account is ‘based’ in. Confirm or modify your time zone by navigating to your profile in account settings in  → ‘Account Settings’ → ‘Profile’→ ‘Time zone’.

Scheduling Your Campaign in Campaign Builder

In elfoA2P’s Dashboard, you can easily schedule your campaign using Campaign Builder. Follow these simple steps in the third and final stage of sending a message:

  • Select ‘Schedule for later’ → ‘Send’.
  • Specify the year, month, day, and time for sending the message.
  • Set the frequency to send the same message at regular intervals.

The campaign amount will be deducted from your balance provisionally when scheduling your SMS. If you decide to delete or edit your group SMS, the balance will be adjusted accordingly.

To cancel or modify a scheduled campaign later, click here or go to ‘SMS’ → ‘SMS Campaign Overview’ → ‘Scheduled’ tab. You can edit or delete your scheduled SMS by clicking on the icons on the right.

Using Character Sets for SMS in Multiple Languages with elfoA2P

Sending out SMS messages involves the use of various charsets or character sets. For elfoA2P, we utilize the charsets GSM-7 and Unicode. Let’s delve into each charset to understand its implications for your SMS.

  • GSM-7
  • Unicode
  • Using GSM-7 vs. Unicode
  • Local restrictions

GSM-7 SMS messages are commonly transmitted using the GSM-7 charset, encompassing a broad range of characters. In GSM-7, each character is treated as a single character in an SMS message.

The table below displays standard characters under the GSM-7 charset. While all characters in the table are considered standard, their display on the recipient’s phone depends on the handset’s capabilities.

@ΔSPK0¡P¿
p£_!Ä1AQa
q$Φ“krbRB
R  C  æ   –=MÑmñ
2¥Γ#ä3CSc
sèΛ¤ø4DTd
téΩ%Æ5EuU
eùΠ&,6FVf
vìΨ‘< 7GWg
wòΣ(L8HXh
xÇΘ)Ö9IYi
yLFΞl*:JZ
jzØEöSC+;
Åß.> NÜnüå
É/?O§oà\n\r

Some characters, denoted below, are part of the GSM-7 charset but equate to two characters in a text message: \ ^ ~ [ ] { } | ~ €

Unicode In the Unicode charset, each character is regarded as two characters, reducing the allowable characters in your SMS from 160 to 70.

Using GSM-7 vs. Unicode When sending a text message via the elfoA2P Dashboard and entering a Unicode character, you have two options:

  • Automatically adjust the Unicode character to a related basic character or omit the character. This option sends the SMS in GSM-7, maintaining a maximum of 160 characters per SMS.
  • Display the Unicode character. Opting for this sends the SMS in Unicode, reducing the maximum characters per SMS from 160 to 70.


Local Restrictions Due to limitations in certain countries, sending messages in a language other than English or the selected country’s primary language may not always be feasible. If your content undergoes alterations, ensure that it aligns with country restrictions.

Troubleshooting Undelivered SMS with elfoA2P

Facing issues with undelivered SMS? elfoA2P is here to guide you through the common reasons behind non-delivery. Explore the potential causes and find solutions to ensure seamless message delivery.

Number Formatting: Ensure accurate number formatting by entering all numbers in international format. Add the country prefix, omitting the + and the first 0. For example:

  • Dutch number: 0612345678 (formatted as 31612345678)
  • UK number: 0712345678 (formatted as 44712345678)
  • Learn more about number formatting here.

Number Unable to Receive SMS:

  • Phone Switched Off: If a phone is switched off, the SMS delivery is hindered. Switch on the phone and ensure a stable network connection.
  • Validity Period: Each SMS has a validity period; Each operator has a standard validity period, which on average is 2 to 3 days.

Network/Carrier Restrictions: Under specific circumstances, network restrictions may block SMS reception. This includes:

  • Do-Not-Disturb (DND) list inclusion.
  • Network blocks due to unpaid bills.

Landlines: Sending SMS to landlines may have varied outcomes. While some can play a spoken version, others may not be capable.

Application-to-Application (A2A) Messaging: elfoA2P is optimized for end-user messaging; troubleshooting A2A issues is not supported.

Connection Issues:

  • Number Out of Network Coverage: SMS cannot be delivered if the phone is out of network coverage. Restarting the phone often resolves connection issues.
  • Roaming Numbers: Delivery for roaming numbers is subject to agreements between home and roaming networks.

Local Restrictions: Adhere to country-specific SMS content and sender restrictions. Non-compliance may lead to delivery issues. Check here for more information.

API Issues:

  • Using Test Keys: Test keys only check the connection and do not send SMS. For actual SMS transmission, utilize a live key.
  • API Errors: Review API Errors if your SMS did not arrive after a successful API request.

Contacting elfoA2P Support: If issues persist, contact our support team with the following details:

  • Your account email ID
  • At least 3 affected recipient numbers.
  • A detailed description of the encountered issue.
  • Date and timestamps (including time zone) of the sent messages.

Troubleshooting FAQs

How many contacts can I send the same SMS message to with elfoA2P?
You can efficiently send messages to a large audience using our ‘SMS Campaign Builder’ tool. Note that elfoA2P allows you to send a campaign to a unlimited contacts. For API users, each API call permits sending to xx contacts, as detailed in our API documentation.

Can I send a text message with a picture attachment using elfoA2P?
Regrettably, the SMS format does not support picture attachments. For such multimedia capabilities, consider using WhatsApp Business API.

Who covers the cost of failed messages with elfoA2P?
The balance is deducted for all SMS sent (successful submission) from your account, regardless of whether the message is sent to an absent or invalid number. It’s crucial to submit numbers accurately, considering country and operator restrictions.

Can I enable a third-party application with SMS using elfoA2P?

Certainly! elfoA2P supports the SMS enablement of various CRM and communication platforms. API integration typically involves a username/API password combination or the use of an access key, both of which can be generated in the ‘Developers’ section on the top-left side of the Dashboard.

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