FAQ about SMS

What integrations are required for the SMS product?

To send SMS messages, you do not have to make any integrations. However, you should have the Insider Tag integration if you want to collect clicks and purchases from SMS campaigns and collect leads from your website. If you want to collect leads directly from your website, you should implement Insider Object integration to pass the opt-in information to Insider.

Can I test the Cart Reminder SMS Message?

Yes, you can. You can use the Test Link on the campaign listing page to test it. You can add a product to your cart and leave the website without purchasing it to receive the message. However, remember that as tester, your number should also be opted-in and the number should also be in Insider's database. Refer here for further information.

Can I see the unsubscribe analytics for the SMS?

Yes, you can check SMS subscriber analytics and each campaign has its own unsubscribe rate in the SMS Campaign Analytics page.

Can I send SMS to specific contacts? For example, can I send an SMS to a lead that I collected with Insider's Lead Collection campaign? 

You can segment your leads by using events, attributes, predictive segments, purchase history, visit history, and saved segments. Insider’s segmenting capacity enables you to create an infinite number of segment clusters. For further information, read Segments. For that specific use case, we can use events in the Segments tab.

What are the problems that might cause to have the status of the SMS as "Failed"?

You can see the detailed SMS analytics and their reasons here.

What happens if I exceed the 160 character limit? Will my message be delivered in two separated SMS messages or in one single SMS? If the latter, how is the SMS cost calculated?

If you exceed the 160 character limit, your message will be sent as one block SMS, but the price is charged as two SMS messages. The character limit can be exceeded with various reasons (e.g. dynamic attributes, links, etc.). Refer here for further information.

Can I send SMS to more than one country at the same time through one panel (e.g. Australia & New Zealand)?

Yes, you can. You can create multi-country SMS by segmenting users according to country code and sending localized messages to users from different countries within the same panel. 

Can I upload contacts only through Saved Segments - Static Segments? Can I use Dynamic Segments as well?

You can upload contacts only through Static Saved Segments. You can use Dynamic Saved Segments to pre-create segments for your campaigns. For instance, you can create a dynamic segment with the Likelihood to Purchase segment and High operator.

How can I get the SMS opt-in for our old contacts? What's the best practice? 

If you already have the consent for your old contacts, you can upload them to Insider via a CSV file or upserting user data. If not, then you need to collect it. To do so, if you have those users’ email opt-in, you can reach them via email. You can either put a link in the email and redirect users to a lead collection template on your website, or you can manually ask it in the email content and upload the users who reply positively to Insider.

Do I need a GDPR opt-in column on the sheet that I'm uploading or on any lead collection template?

You do not need a GDPR opt-in column in your CSV file. It should include phone number, language code, and SMS opt-in information. However, if the GDPR value is false for a user, Insider is not able to send SMS to them.

If your company obtains your users' consent in compliance with the local regulations, make sure to pass the GDPR opt-in field to Insider. If you want to stop collecting and processing the data of an identified user, GDPR opt-in field should have the false value. Insider cannot be held liable if these obligations are not fulfilled and reserves the right to seek compensation from your company.

Can I use the contact lists that I uploaded for an email campaign to send SMS messages if the lists also have phone numbers? 

You can use these phone numbers to send SMS directly, but the CSV file should also include SMS opt-in and language columns. In addition, the SMS opt-in values should be true.

Can I add a temporary keyword for opt-out and change it later?

You can change the keyword. However, it might create a confusion for users; if they use your old keyword to opt-out, they cannot opt-out from the SMS channel.

Can I see the overall analytics of all the SMS campaigns on one page?

Yes, you can check the SMS Analytics under Reports > SMS Analytics.

Can I add the uploaded contacts in Contacts Management the same way as Email?

No, you should use saved segments to upload CSV files. 

Will the user see any profile picture in their SMS?

No, we do not provide any profile pictures in SMS.

Can I use a clickable URL as an opt-out? 

Yes, you can use clickable URLs in your SMS content instead of an opt-out code and keyword. Refer here for further information.

Where can I define the language of the subscriber?

When uploading your CSV files, you should define it as a language column. In the lead collection templates, it is automatically attributed from the language of your website.

How can I decide the subscriber language if I have a multi-language website?

You can have multiple languages. For example, if you have a language option on your website, you will collect the users based on its language and segment them accordingly. In terms of your CSV files, you should add a language column to decide the language you want to reach the users on. You can select this language on the Segments step later on.

What is the Alphanumeric Sender ID character limitation?

Alphanumeric Sender IDs can be up to 11 characters long.

Can I use the same Alphanumeric Sender ID if it is still in use with another provider?

If the Alphanumeric Sender ID requires registration in a specific country, then the same Alphanumeric Sender ID can be used.

If I add an email address in the SMS content, will be the clicks of the link counted and displayed in the analytics?

No, email addresses are not considered as links and they will not affect the analytics.

Can I collect leads with the Shopify website via native forms and sign-up pages? 

If you have Shopify plus account, you can collect opt-ins via native forms and sign-up pages. 

Does Insider SMS support any tracking parameters so I can properly measure the sales that this channel is driving and calculate our ROI accordingly?

Yes, Insider uses its own parameters to collect Purchases and Clicks. It is also possible to use UTM parameters. In order to have a better UX (and because of 160 character limit) URL’s are shortened. Refer here for more information.

Is Insider able to track open rate for SMS?

Insider can track delivery rates, click rates (number of clicks on links in the SMS), post-click conversion rates (e.g. the number of purchases after clicking on SMS, or whichever conversion goals you set). If it is about open rates out of all the SMS messages delivered and how many of them were opened, it is not possible to track it since it is an action that happens directly on the device without any possible tracking mechanism.

Does Insider support Transactional SMS?

Yes, Insider provides Transactional SMS.

I have been collecting phone number not as part of registration or account info but as shipping details. However, in the shipping details, there's no opt-in box to collect user consent. Considering these, how can I collect user consent from these old users, so I can send promotional SMS using Insider?

You can reach these users through email and ask for their consent (This is only possible if you have the email consent from these users). Then, you can share the list of these users with Insider through uploading CSV or Upsert API.

Or, to handle this internally, and redirect the users to a page, where you can collect their consent regarding receiving SMS, if you want to use Insider to collect user consent, you need to integrate Insider Object.

If the user replies STOP to a SMS message and unsubscribes, will Insider be able to collect/understand this data?

Yes, Insider can understand opt-out reply and save user as opted out to Insider databases. Then, you should sync your DB with Insider DB to get aligned.

Can I use "&" character in the Sender ID, and will it be counted only as 1 character?

Yes, you can use "&" in Sender ID as 1 character.

How will be the characters get counted when using Dynamic Content?

Characters are counted by the end message. So for example, if last_product_name is Running Shoes, it will be counted as 13 characters. If customer_firstname is Gabriel, it will be counted as 7 characters.

For Dynamic Content, the final count is considered but the real count cannot be provided before sending the message.

Can I exclude Invalid & Blacklisted phone numbers from the new campaigns?

You can exclude these numbers from your upcoming campaigns automatically by separating Invalid & Blacklisted phone numbers. With this method, you can achieve better deliverability rates by avoiding unnecessary sends to Invalid & Blacklisted users. Refer here for further information.

Is it possible to collect opt-outs from the same number that we send SMS messages?

It is possible to collect opt-outs from short codes and long codes. If you are using a dedicated short code or long code as senderID, you can collect opt-outs from it.