International SMS FAQs

International SMS FAQs

Q: What are the components of an international SMS?

A: The components of an international SMS include:

• i.Sender Information: Also known as Sender ID/SID/OA. This can be alphabetic, numeric, or alphanumeric, typically ranging from 3 to 11 characters in length. If you wish to display your brand's sender information, you need a channel that supports customized senders, or else you must provide documentation for SID registration for other channels.
• ii.Message Content: The main body of the SMS, which often includes a signature at the beginning. There are three common types of SMS based on the content: Verification SMS: Contains alphanumeric verification codes, sometimes with an expiry period. Notification SMS: System-triggered messages related to orders/bills. Marketing SMS: Includes website links, contact information, or promotional content.
• iii.Delivery Report/DR: Includes SMSC DR (Short Message Service Center Delivery Report) and Handset DR (Handset Delivery Report). The reliability of delivery reports can depend on the nature of the channel, with direct channels being more reliable than reseller channels.

Q: How to improve the success rate of delivery reports and verification code fill rates?

A:

• i. Filter out numbers with obviously incorrect formats.
• ii. Limit the daily application frequency for the same number and offer multiple authentication methods (e.g., voice, email, social media messages).
• iii. Set a reasonable verification code validity period (e.g., 5 or 10 minutes), and ensure that resending within this period provides the same code.
• iv. Avoid including links, contact details, or other content in verification messages to prevent them from being flagged as spam or containing sensitive words that may trigger carrier filters.
• v. Register your own SID and content template, including the brand signature.
• vi. Use higher-quality, direct channels for sending messages.

Q: How to register a company or brand sender?

A: Contact the relevant business or NOC personnel to obtain the list of required materials. Submit the collected materials to initiate the registration process, which can take from one week to three months. The application materials usually include a registration application form, an authorization letter, and other proof documents required by different countries and channels.

Q: What are international channels and local channels?

A: International Channels: Used by international brands/enterprises, especially in most Asian and African countries, as well as some other regions. These channels incur higher communication fees and are tailored for multinational companies. Local Channels: Offered to local enterprises at lower rates. These require local business qualifications and a dedicated sender ID.

**Q: What are the differences amongst the DR/HQ/MKT routes and pricing. **

A: DR (Direct Route): High price, high quality, usually supports custom content (except where content template registration is required). Suitable for high fill-rate verification scenarios and important notifications, e.g., order notifications, bank statements. HQ (High Quality routes): Cost-effective, medium verification code fill rate, may include other delivery methods (e.g., voice, social media). Suitable for verification codes. Custom content for notifications requires additional configuration, please contact NXCLOUD personnel. MKT (Marketing routes): May experience sending delays because of routing strategies, not recommended for verification codes. Suitable for marketing and large-volume non-urgent notifications.

Q: What are the key points to consider regarding SMS sending costs?

A:

• i. Content Length: Exceeding the character limit of a single message results in multiple message charges. For details, refer to https://www.nxcloud.com/document-en/sms/charging-standard
• ii. Special Countries: Some countries, like Malaysia, add an extra 7 characters to the length calculation.
• iii. Special Characters: a. Full-width characters like 【】 reduce the single message character limit from 160 to 140 and count each character as 2. b. Half-width characters like [ ] maintain the 160-character limit but count as 2 characters each. c. Similar characters like <> do not affect the character count.

Summary:

• i. Perform initial tests with different content lengths to verify billing.
• ii. Use <> for signature symbols.
• iii. For large-scale marketing SMS, first submit a small batch and verify the billing cycle in the receipt report or the SMS records on the NXCLOUD console, https://www.nxcloud.com/client/login