Text message delivery
It’s not as simple as hitting “send”
You’ll be shocked to learn how many of your messages might be getting lost along the way. Take a peek behind the curtain to understand the complexities of message delivery and give your SMS the best chance of reaching your audience.
A five video series on SMS delivery
Growing carrier complexities and changing industry rules can result in more undelivered messages than ever before—and every message lost is a cost to your business. Watch the videos below to learn the ins and outs of message deliverability.
“Wait… not all of my messages are getting delivered?! Why not?”
– YOU, BEFORE WATCHING THESE VIDEOS (WE’LL HELP YOU FIGURE OUT WHY NOT)
How does a message get delivered?
Every message travels across an elaborate web of interconnected carrier networks encountering a number of checkpoints. Carriers like Bandwidth use these checkpoints to check for SPAM and protect consumers from unwanted text messages.
The Criteria affecting message delivery
There are a lot of criteria that determine whether or not your message will be delivered. Different carriers may evaluate your message differently, and the rules they use can be subject to change at any time. But, in general, they look at a common set of criteria when deciding whether or not to allow your messages on their network.
The Sender
- Who is the sender?
- What number are they using?
- Have either been flagged for SPAM in the past?
How they are sending
- What type of number are they sending from?
- Is it a short code, toll-free, or a local number?
- Are they sending person-to-person or high-volume, application-to-person (A2P) messages?
The volume of messages being sent
- The volume of messages being sent
- How many total messages are being sent?
- How many messages are being sent per second?
Message Content
- Does the message include links?
- Are known link shortening services like bit.ly used?
- Does it contain suspicious phrases or illicit content?
Toll-free, short codes, local numbers… oh my!
With so many numbering options available today, how do you know which one’s right for you?
How to know when, where, and why messaging failures happen
Status and error codes help you understand which messages didn’t reach their final destination, where they were stopped, and why. But not all error codes are created equal. Make sure you’re getting confirmation that your message actually made it to your recipient’s phone— not just the end carrier.
