What Is SMS?
A Short Message Service (SMS) is a component of most, if not all, telephone, internet, and mobile phone systems. The service makes use of standard communication systems that allows mobile phones to send and receive short text messages.
There are applications that have text-to-voice facilities where text messages can be sent to landlines as automated voice calls. By 2010, it was reported that there were 3.5 billion users, making up about 80% of mobile phone subscribers.
SMS, as it is used today was developed based on radio telegraphy technology in radio memo pagers, which made use of standardized telephone protocols.
Short Message Services (SMS) has become a very reliable tool in mobile advertising, which has become a major tool in direct sales marketing. Based on marketing research from 2014, it was revealed that the global Short Message Service is thriving and was estimated to be worth about $100 billion. This figure only accounts for about 50% of total revenue generated by mobile phone messaging.
SMS was originally developed for GSM networks, but with advancement in telecommunication technology, the service is now available over a wide range of networks across the globe. SMS is now available on 3G and 4G networks.
It is important to note that not all text messaging systems make use of SMS. There are alternative methods of sending text messages as current communication technologies has made it possible with innovations like iMessage by Apple on their iPhone and iPad, RIM’s BBM on their Blackberry devices and email messaging platforms. All of which uses standard mail protocols like SMTP over TCP/IP.
What is SMS Forwarding?
SMS has become the world’s primary means of communication. This is because it is fast and very affordable. Receiving inconvenient phone calls, for example, if you happen to be at a busy train station or at a club, is completely unnecessary. All you need to do is send an SMS.
SMS forwarding is a feature for DIDs which allows you to receive messages from a single or multiple sources on one number. For many, SMS forwarding is a great way of keeping personal details or contact info private and free from intrusion.
SMS forwarding services is a new feature that usually comes with call forwarding services. You can forward incoming messages to a predetermined email address via a SMS forwarding number that is enabled to receive texts.
SMS Forwarding For Personal Use
SMS forwarding is also great for individuals who have multiple numbers and need to keep things in one place. Instead of having to access all of your numbers to receive messages, you can have them forwarded to a single number which will indicate which of your numbers the message originated from.
SMS forwarding is a very useful communication tool. People who have lost their number, or have recently changed their mobile numbers can have incoming SMS forwarded to their new numbers. This ensures that they do not lose communication with important contacts.
SMS forwarding is also great for receiving confirmation codes after signing up for a service. There are many people who do not like to exchange personal information publicly – especially on the internet. Therefore, a SMS forwarding service comes in handy.
SMS Forwarding For Business Use
Apart from call forwarding, businesses also make use of SMS forwarding as a means of keeping the communication lines open and more accessible to their customers. Businesses are able to receive incoming texts from their customers in email format.
For many customers, texting is their preferred means of communication. It would make great business sense to have SMS forwarding as an alternative to call forwarding. By providing an SMS forwarding number to your customers, you have given them a great opportunity to easily make reservations, inquiries, and provide product and service feedback.
Global Call Forwarding provides SMS forwarding for businesses that can be customized via their online platform where changes can be made, as well as allowing customers to view account records and activities for total convenience.
What is An SMS Forwarding Number?
An SMS forwarding number is a number that is activated and used to forward text messages to a mobile number or an email address. SMS forwarding numbers are similar to regular virtual phone numbers. Having an SMS forwarding number can allow you to receive incoming text messages and forward them to a landline as a voice call.
SMS forwarding numbers are usually offered as an add-on when you subscribe to Global Call Forwarding. They can also be assigned as a stand-alone service for personal and business use.
How SMS Forwarding Works
SMS forwarding works by simply sending incoming messages to a mobile phone number or email address that is predetermined by the subscriber. For instance, a subscriber can choose to get an SMS enabled number for the sake of receiving text messages from selected countries.
When a text message is sent to an SMS forwarding number, the text message is automatically forwarded to a receiving email or mobile phone number with the sender’s ID. This way, subscribers can track where text messages originated from.
Subscribers can access analytics and other details of incoming text messages via their online control panel. Details such as time, location of where texts originate from, and content can be viewed. Having access to the details of incoming texts can be useful to the growth of your business. This can also be used to increase the efficiency of customer services and feedback.
Customers can also take advantage of email to SMS gateway services to forward messages to mobile phones. SMS gateways vary from one service provider to another, so do not expect the same offerings from all.
SMS Forwarding Plans
Global Call Forwarding stands at the forefront by offering different SMS forwarding plans. These plans come with different levels of usage, so there is something for every type of use; from basic individual plans to business enterprise plans.
Subscribers can be billed on a per-text basis or based on the number of texts that are included in plan. A virtual SMS forwarding number can also be provided as an add-on to other services that are offered.
