What are "Shared 5 digit Shortcodes"
Shared 5 digit shortcodes
(also known as 5 digit text numbers) are
numbers that function like normal
telephone numbers but are designed
specifically for interactive services
using MMS and SMS.
Shortcodes are country specific and we
currently provide UK shortcodes only. |
What do we offer?
Textvertising can provide your company with one
or more keywords on one of our
shared 5 digit shortcode
numbers.
Once set up, you can invite end users to text
any of your keywords to the shortcode number and
receive the users message and number as an email
or directly into your account in real time.
Alternatively we can activate premium services
allowing you to operate text competitions, text
voting, text chat services and other interactive
text services.
Is a dedicated shortcode different than a
shared shortcode?
No
is the short answer, but the costs and how your
system functions with the code is.
With a shared shortcode you simply rent keywords
on one of our dedicated codes. With the
shared option, only SMS messages that begin with
your keyword are received by your admin system
or application. For 95% of businesses this is
the simplest route and prices start from £20 per
month per keyword.
Unless you plan to generate a large revenue
share, are a commercial entity that wishes to
provide large scale marketing, branding or
competitions, then a shared shortcode will
normally be the preferred option.
With a dedicated code, all SMS traffic
that comes in to that code is received by your
admin system or application. However, leasing a
dedicated code is the most expensive option at
around £750 per month and requires a minimum 12
month commitment to the code.
(Read more about
dedicated 5 digit
shortcodes)
The
benefits of a shared 5 digit shortcode.
The
main reason companies choose a 5 digit shortcode
is because they are short and easy to remember.
The other primary reason is because they are
mandatory for premium rate services which allow
end users to be charged for content or services
provided using WAP, SMS or Multimedia.
Textvertising offer one type of shared 5
digit shortcode:
-
MO STANDARD / MT BILLED / MT FREE
The end user texts the shortcode at a cost
of standard network rate (appx 10p).
You
have the option of sending back a premium or
free message to the user.
This is the most
popular choice since it
offers flexibility across all our services
Unlike a
dedicated 5 digit
shortcode end users must start their
message with a KEYWORD. You can choose the
keyword, and can have more than one keyword if
you like all pointing at the same account.
Multiple keywords are a great way of learning
where your enquiries are coming from. Having a
different keyword for each advert can really
help you maximise your spend on marketing that
works for you.
Any SMS received from the end user is
automatically directed at your account with
Textvertising for processing or forwarded by
HTTP post to your own application. An automated
reply can be sent back if you wish. This is
detailed on our
SMS Campaigns
page with utilises a shared 5 digit shortcode as
part of the service.
What services can Textvertising offer?
We can provide a wide range of services hosted
on our platform. These are grouped as follows
and can be connected to your shortcode
seamlessly:
Alternatively we offer an SMS API which
allows you to easily integrate SMS services into
your own application. Our Gateway can forward
all received messages directly to your
application and can receive messages from your
application to send to handsets. Our API also
provides connectivity to our Premium and MMS
Platforms.
This solution gives businesses unlimited
opportunity to create SMS services of their own.
How does it work?
The flow chart below shows how messages are
routed to each account for processing depending
on the keyword used. In the example, two people
have text PARIS and these have been routed to an
account which has the keyword PARIS associated
with it.
As discussed earlier, your account can be
configured to reply to the client with a dynamic
message, database the number and email you
details of the message received and the senders
number.
Costs
Our shared 5 digit shortcode numbers are much
cheaper than the dedicated option and start from
just £19.99 per month.
Where can a shortcode be used?
5 digit shortcodes are country specific. This means that
UK 5 digit shortcodes can only receive content
from a mobile handset on the UK network.
Currently Textvertising do not offer shared
shortcodes outside of the UK but will from later
in 2010. Our expansion will start with Spain and
shortly after offer our services on the networks
in France, Germany and Australia. If you are
interested in these zones, do not hesitate to
contact us.
Related Pages
We also offer dedicated 5 digit shortcodes.
Click here for more
information
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