Burst SMS

This article is a quick guide to assist with message delivery in the USA and Canada.

Objective

To send content successfully, maximize the delivery and adhere to Best Practices.

Common problem(s)

• Recipients not opting out of campaigns properly
• Messages marked as Hard bounce
  100% of messages that are marked as hard bounce have not arrived at the handset. 
• Messages marked as Soft bounce
  Each message that is sent out is meant to be with a paired message on the return - this is called a DLR (Delivery Receipt). When a message is marked as soft bounce, it means we have not received the DLR from the carrier advising on a confirmed delivery - however, 99% of the time they have delivered successfully. 

Solutions

1. Confirm number is a valid cell phone, at times customers will provide details of their landline. When reviewing a contact list, both landlines and cell phone numbers look very similar.
   
   
2. When sending via the API, ensure the FROM parameter contains a value of the Dedicated number attached to your account.  
   
   
3. Sending marketing content should always start with the Business Name at the start of the message.
   
   
4. Marketing style messages should always contain an opt out mechanism at the tail end of the message - ie Opt-out reply STOP. By default, this will be included when typing a new message in the campaign window and will use 18 characters.
   
5. Message segmentation is a way to split your contact list on an outbound campaign from a single number. For best results it's ideal to use 250-300 contacts per split every 5minutes. When you have a contact list of 3,000, you would want to split this into at least 10 segments. For sustained delivery and repeat usage, the split sending function is super important.
   
   
6. Once a campaign has been delivered, you should be checking the responses received. Sometimes, a contact will mistype 'STOP' and not opt out properly. Anyone who is trying to opt out but hasn't done so successfully should be manually opt'd out. This is important because if someone is not interested in the material you are sending them, it's valuable to retain that expense.
   
7. Do not use free link shorteners such as:
   bit.ly
   tiny.url
   short.io
   
   The use of shortened URL's to save space in the character count inevitably results in messages being eventually rejected.
   
   
8. When using a direct URL in the SMS content, it is advised to shorten it using the Burst track link feature. This will then provide a shortened URL so it saves on character count but also offer tracking so you will be able to identify who is clicking on your links from your SMS.
9. Custom domain-tracked links can be configured as the carriers are notorious for restricting messages from generic link shorteners such as the ones listed above. To deploy a custom domain link shortener, you will need access to your website's DNS records.
   
   This process is recommended to be completed by a:
   Web developer - someone who manages your website
   IT Manager - someone that manages your network
   
   - Navigate to Settings in your Burst SMS account and scroll down to the bottom of the screen.
   
   
   - Update the DNS records for your domain to include an A record that points your desired domain to the IP address displayed on the page. This should be a subdomain apart from your website, not the home page URL.
   
   
   
   - Once the DNS change has been made, enter your domain in the Custom Domain field and click connect. The platform will then check to see whether the connection to the domain can be established. If successful, a "Domain is connected" message will be displayed. If not, "Invalid domain or domain not connected" will be displayed.
   
   - After verifying that the domain has been successfully connected, and while the domain is still in the Custom Domain field, click the blue Update Profile button at the bottom of the page to save your settings.
   Once saved, you are able to begin using the Tracked Link feature as normal and your custom domain will replace the default getinfo.at tracked link domain. The Burst SMS system will automatically adjust the placeholder character count of your tracked links on the character counter in the Send SMS screen to your new domain length.
   
   
10. If you believe the hard bounce is in error and the device should be receiving messages, we suggest you advise the recipient(s) to follow the procedure below to fix any of the potential handset-related problems that caused messages to be delivered with delay or undelivered:  
    
    Ask the recipient to: 
    - Restart the handset by removing the SIM card and inserting it back again and then retest. 
    - Free up some phone memory in case the inbox is full and then retest. 
    - Try a different handset and then retest. Make sure that the device is in full network coverage and then retest. 
    - To be in-home network (not in roaming network) and check if there is the full network coverage. 
    - Check if the sender id is blocked by any application or device. 
    - Check to see if the phone has credit (pre-paid services with no credit cannot receive A2P messaging)
    
    
11. When it comes to testing, sending messages that contain the word 'test' or 'hello' - will be restricted by the carrier.
    To test successfully, message content needs to be similar to the content that will be delivered on the number complete with opt out at the tail end of the message.
    When inserting a generic tapth.is tracked link into the message and sending, testing without this link can prove that the link shortener is the issue.
    A custom domain for tracked links is highly recommended.

Optional considerations

1. 10 Digit Longcode Number
   10DLC, or 10-digit long code, is a new industry-led long code for A2P messaging. 10DLC is the recommended solution for marketing. AT&T and T-Mobile assign throughputs per brand based on the risk profile of campaigns. The registration process requires content examples that will be used as a foundation for delivery.
   
   
2. Region specific Toll Free Number
   When delivering to Canada from USA or visa versa, it is recommended to send from a number associated with that region.
   
   
3. Shortcode Number
   The 5 or 6 digit long number is the enterprise level for sending and it is designed for the highest throughput and send within the same region.
   

TFN Mandatory registration

Since September 2022, registration has become mandatory for customers wanting to send more than 1,000 SMS in a day.

While unregistered traffic can still deliver when below this level, the recommendation would still be to register content against your TFN to help maximize delivery into the US region.

Please fill in the following and let us know once completed.

https://bit.ly/burst-tfn-verification