TraiTel SMS Call Back
As a pioneering and innovative company, TraiTel is proud to offer a new service that will take the sending of SMS to a whole new level.
For several years TraiTel has been listening to our customers express concern about the ability for their customers to simply "call back" the number shown in their mobile phone after an SMS was received, but to provide such a service, the cost was either going to be too high, limited in scope or simply unreliable.
Not anymore! After a year in development, TraiTel can now boast and claim to be the first company in the world to offer such a service. Please read on to find out more.
What is TraiTel offering and what exactly is SMS Call Back?
SMS Call Back gives your customers the ability to simply call from their mobile phone the number shown in their mobile after an SMS sent through TraiTel was received by them. If you are sending a marketing message, an appointment reminder or anything else, the SMS Call Back service gives you and (as a result) your customers the following options when they call the number:
- To play a 60 second audio message and then end the call.
- To play a 60 second audio message and then end the call. Then immediately after, that person is called back and you are called as well. Both calls are connected together to create one seamless call.
- Have the call directly connect to your main telephone number, no call back.
- Lastly, the only option offered by all other SMS providers is to simply reject the call. Yes, this is an easy one and we can offer it also.
What makes the Call Back service stand out?
This is where things get interesting.
Option 1 as shown above (To play a 60 second audio message and then end the call) is a FREE call to your customers. Even though they are calling a number with their mobile phone and they get to hear up to a full 60 second audio message that you have created, the cost to your customer's call is absolutely free!
This means that you can create any message of your choice and at the end add "this was a free call!". Here are some sample messages:
Now take a moment, time yourself and read the messages above again, you will find that all of them can be said in less than 30 seconds - yet you have DOUBLE that as an allowance to say what you want. In these messages you have full control of what you want to say to your customers and in such a way, that it also gives you control on how you communicate with your customers. The choice on whether to talk to them or not is absolutely yours.
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Option 2 as shown above (To play a 60 second audio message and then end the call. Then immediately after, that person is called back and you are called as well. Both calls are connected together to create one seamless call) is also a FREE call to your customers. Here are some sample messages: With this option, you can clearly see from the examples given, that it is exactly what the "call back" service is about. Your customer calls the number attached to the SMS message you sent them, they listen to a brief message and TraiTel calls them and you immediately after the message has ended or when they hang up which ever happens first. This process is swift and it provides a higher level of perceived customer service. |
Option 3 (Have the call directly connect to your main telephone number, no call back) is fairly self explanatory. Your customer calls the number shown in the SMS message you sent them and they are directly and immediately connected to your number. Your phone will ring as if it was a normal call.
Why did TraiTel develop the Call Back service?
The response to this is simple actually; out of necessity. If you send a single SMS or a broadcast SMS to your clients, the absolute best route to use is an Australian one. When you send SMS through an Australian gateway like Telstra, Optus and Vodafone they all insist that the message be sent with a return path so that customers can reply. However, when a message sent has a normal mobile phone number attached to it, customers in many instances wish to call that number back instead of just sending an SMS.
The reason for the call back could be to simply "talk" to somebody because its more convenient or comfortable. Perhaps the customer wishes to "alter" an appointment reminder or simply "change" the order quantity shown in the text message. The reasons are endless and its easy to imagine why people may wish to call a number instead of being forced to reply with an SMS because this is the only option available. Now, through TraiTel, they can.
What makes the service so "special"?
Its special because it addresses an important missing link, its special because after a year in development and due to TraiTel's advanced technology and the close relationships we have with Australian's incumbent operators, we are able to offer something that is very unique.
What if I was to simply send the SMS with my mobile number instead?
There are various things to consider here. Sending an SMS with an alphanumeric ID (your own phone number showing) is very expensive when sent through the local incumbents. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone all charge excessive wholesale fees per SMS for sending these type of messages and the only alternative is to use international providers which are unfortunately unreliable. In fact, if you are being offered the ability to send an SMS that can have a custom sender ID for less than $0.10 by an Australian company, then they are with out a doubt routing it themselves through a dodgy international company that is here today and gone tomorrow. Want to find out for yourself? Simply call any of the incumbents (their wholesale departments), then promise them that you will be sending millions of SMS and see what they will sell you the messages for.
The SMS market is a very competitive one, don't just take our word for it or that of our competitor's, simply go to the source and find out directly. However, if your primary concern is cost and and you don't mind having ½ of your SMS never delivered, shop for price.
If you find a company that promises a high level of delivery at less than $0.10 for an SMS with custom sender ID, make sure to keep a constant watchful eye. A standard practice is to provide a high quality route during the testing phase (and maybe for a month or so) at a loss absorbed by the SMS provider and then when you think everything is ok they switch you to a cheap international route for obvious reasons.
Are there any advantages to using my own mobile number?
Yes, just one. Initial cost per message would have to be it. But even if you are paying as low as $0.05 per SMS, when you find that ½ of your messages are not being delivered the cost ends up being double that.
However, the disadvantages to using your own number are:
- No privacy. You are giving your own mobile number to your customers.
- A mobile phone can only handle 1 active call, TraiTel's call back service can deliver any number of calls to your business phone system.
- If you send out an SMS with your own business number (land line) you will be subject to reliability issues discussed above and as a consequence let's remember that you will not be able to receive SMS replies.
The Call Back service sounds amazing, but is it expensive?
Well, here we arrive to the best part. The answer is; no its not expensive, in fact for most customers using our normal 2-way reply service at a cost of $11.95 a month, the call back service is included for free!
When you are subscribed to our standard 2-way SMS reply service which allows your customers to respond to your SMS, the call back service is free and includes 150 audio call back's every month! (see above option 1). Extra audio call back's are charged at $0.05 each.
For option 2 (as shown above) you get unlimited play back of audio messages to your customers, but the cost of each "call back" is calculated based on the termination point. We know that one of the calls will be to your customer's mobile phone and this we charge at $0.16 per minute, the only variable is the number you want to receive the call on. If it is a land line, the cost will be $0.03 per minute.
How can I TEST and see how the SMS Call Back service WORKS:
Below you will be able to test the call back service. Simply enter your mobile number, choose the type of call back option you want and finally the type of message you wish to hear. An email address is only necessary to prevent abuse.
Once you receive the SMS, you will either be able to simply "reply" to the text message or actually initiate a full call back. When you call that number, the call back service will act depending on the option you chose in this form. You will hear either the message chosen or the message chosen + a call back or a straight through connection to the phone number entered in this form. For best results and experience, you should enter a phone number other than your mobile in the call back section. During the call back demonstration, the system will place a call to your mobile and the other number entered to create one seamless call.
You may return to this form a few times to test the various options.
