This bulk SMS comparison site will assist you in easily comparing SMS distributors’ prices, reliability, compliance as well and customer service.
Updated on 28 September 2024.
In Australia, we are fortunate to have some good and reliable bulk SMS companies that provide a range of features and services for small, medium and large businesses and organisations.
These providers will make your life easier by servicing your needs by offering a seamless platform system that makes the distribution of text messages (SMS) efficient and effective. In most cases, the only requirement is to provide the bulk provider with the database of customers, consumers, clients or employees you wish to communicate with.
The whole process from start to distribution to your target audience can be done in seconds, or the longest would be minutes. It doesn’t matter whether the volume of SMS is low, under 10,000 SMS per month, or large, 250,000+ over a month. Communicating in a friendly and efficient way through the use of mobile phones, the web, or any other mobile communication system available is the way of the future.
Note that this is not an exhaustive list; other bulk text messaging companies may be available in Australia. It’s important to research and compare the services and pricing offered by different providers to determine which one best fits your specific needs.
The list of bulk SMS companies is long, so the authors, experts in the SMS field, narrowed it down to those companies that could offer a range of features, reasonable charges, and a track record of reliability. The list ended with the following bulk SMS providers: CellCast, Notifyre, WholesaleSMS, SMSTech, SMS Central, TextIt BurstSMS, SMS Broadcast, and DirectSMS.
A Bulk SMS Provider Comparison Table and site were prepared so that you can compare providers before deciding to engage one of these companies.
Finding the right bulk SMS company to meet all your needs takes time, research, and, of course, experience.
Here are some factors to consider when choosing a bulk text messaging company:
It’s essential to weigh the various factors and choose a bulk text messaging company that meets your needs and requirements.
Price is a major factor but not the sole reason. Features that will allow hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of SMS to be distributed at one time, customer service and assistance, gateway accessibility, reliability, and security must be considered.
Over recent years, many Australian companies have realised the great benefits SMS has for their marketing or communication campaigns, whether they be special deals, alerts, reminders, or just plain updates.
The first factor is to find a bulk SMS company that does not require additional software to be downloaded or installed. Bulk providers should be totally web-based and, therefore, rely on you having a web browser and access to the Internet. That’s all!
By providing the selected bulk provider with the database of customers, clients, or specific target audiences, they will be able to form groups of contacts so that when you want to send a text message, all that is required is to specify which target audiences you wish to deliver the message to. The provider has the platform and infrastructure to send mass text messages in minutes if not seconds.
In summary, you need to research, understand and be fully aware of the company’s features, like delivery service, price, web product, developer API customer service, reporting, emails to SMS and Spam compliance, to name the most important ones.
Here are some key features to look for in a bulk SMS provider:
Considering these features, you can find a bulk SMS provider that meets your specific needs and helps you effectively reach your target audience.
Take delivery as a feature. Although it will depend on your needs to distribute within Australia or not, it will be a factor as to whether the distributor has an onshore or Australian delivery service and the ability to distribute SMS offshore to places other than Australia. This can be supported by a global coverage dependent on the gateway systems available to the provider. In the Bulk SMS Comparison Table, it can be seen that some companies have onshore and offshore delivery while some providers have provided optional delivery of such a service.
Another important feature is the ability of the bulk SMS provider to offer a two-way service process. As an organisation wishing to send out messages, you need to know that the engaged provider can efficiently distribute mass text messages to specific groups of people and, on your request, receive replies back through your email address. This means that you can view the efficiency of the service and gauge the types of responses that result from the distribution of these text messages via mobile phones. Such analysis recording on an Excel spreadsheet allows the provider and you to track delivery for ongoing review. This delivery reporting system will also show any messages that bounce.
The next important feature is the requirement that bulk SMS providers have a developer Application Programming Interface (API). This ensures they have a set of protocols and tools for building software and applications. A good API makes it easier to formulate the software and associated programs, assisting the programmer. An API is usually a web-based system. These bulk SMS companies need to be able to offer and manage high-speed connections, which will allow them to ensure high-volume text messages are delivered within a short time frame.
Taking into account the range of features for mass SMS distribution, it was assessed by the authors of this comparison site, who are experts in the SMS field (but no longer work in that area) that Bulk SMS Providers such as ClickSend, Cellcast and Notifyre present a good range of quality and practical features for use in mass distribution. The other competitors rate lower but should not be excluded as potentially good bulk providers. Other qualities need to be considered, as this site will outline further.
The pricing factor is a major factor in the decision-making process for a company or organisation wishing to engage the right bulk SMS provider. The charges incurred are based on the number of SMS distributed monthly. A review of all major bulk distributors in Australia evaluated that CellCast provided the cheapest pricing schedule. It was noted that SMS Central does not disclose any of its SMS distribution prices.
Price matching was one aspect only covered by several SMS providers. The other competitors did not match competitive prices, putting this company ahead of others. Payment by the monthly plan was a feature either not available or optional when companies engaged bulk SMS providers.
Since prices may change occasionally, discussing the pricing and terms and conditions for mass distribution with each company is advised.
One critical feature in ensuring a reliable and efficient bulk SMS provider is to rate their set time of SMS transmission from when it was decided that an SMS was required to when it was distributed to the specific audience required. The uptime decides such value, whether less than 99% or between 99% and 99.99% or 100% with a service level agreement, to ensure an overall distribution assurance.
All provide a web-based SMS platform that does not require any new or different software, leading to ease and reliable knowledge and experience from a client perspective.
These bulk companies cover an anti-SPAM policy, compliance requirements, and privacy policy. Such details are easily seen on their website in a friendly, easy-to-read and follow version.
With any online service, it is important to have a bulk SMS provider who can provide support when needed. Therefore, the authors considered customer service an important selection criterion when reviewing bulk SMS offers.
The quality of customer service can vary greatly among bulk text messaging companies. When choosing a provider, it’s essential to consider the following factors:
By evaluating these factors, you can determine the quality of customer service offered by different bulk text messaging companies and choose one that meets your needs.
It was seen that all the major bulk SMS providers reviewed provided a phone support service, other than WholesaleSMS, during business hours. There is a dedicated contact number to discuss issues and matters related to text messaging. As stated above, all the providers investigated offer delivery reports to show the effectiveness of penetration.
They all provide an email address for correspondence and a promotional free trial to test the benefits of using SMS. Free trials vary, ranging from 5 free SMS to a maximum of 50 free SMS.
Some Australian and international organisations’ clients are displayed on the providers’ websites to show their satisfaction with the customer service provided. This can be viewed on the providers’ websites.
A Bulk SMS Provider Australia comparison site and the table were developed due to the details required to be analysed by companies and people wishing to engage a good and reliable bulk SMS company. It is not easy to decipher a range of information from different websites. Therefore, this site has been developed for your benefit at no cost.
The authors of this site and table are experts in text messaging but no longer work in this field. Therefore, they are independent and unbiased and offer a neutral position over all the SMS providers discussed on this site. These authors wanted to make your life easier in the selection process. If you decide to use the site and engage a bulk SMS provider from their link, the authors may ask the engaged company to pay a commission.
Please note that SMS providers may change their features and pricing without notice. If this is the case, please let the authors of this site know so that changes can be made as soon as possible.
Latest update on 28 September 2024