You’ve probably wondered, “Is SMS a text message?”. In short, it is a standardized form of text message that’s part of most telephone systems, Internet systems, and mobile devices. SMS is an extension of the Internet protocol, and is used to send and receive short messages on mobile devices. Text-to-voice conversion services allow text messages to be sent to landlines, as well.
While a text message has many uses, the term SMS is often used in a non-technical sense to refer to any type of text message. SMS is popular in countries where English is not the first language. In Europe, the GSM system is well-established. In the US, it is used mainly for text messaging. In the United States, it is used by businesses to advertise. SMS is a popular way to stay connected with friends and family.
The majority of text messages are read within a few minutes of receipt. In contrast, email inboxes are flooded with spam and unwanted advertising. Most consumers rarely check their email inbox more than twice a day, so SMS is reserved for messages that they truly need to receive. But this also leaves you vulnerable to scammers and other unscrupulous people. To make SMS messages safe, follow these steps.
MMS stands for multimedia message service. MMS allows users to send pictures, videos, and audio clips to other devices. The maximum length of an MMS message is 1,600 characters. The majority of modern cell networks break messages longer than 160 characters into multiple SMS messages, which are then reassembled on the recipient’s end. In this way, they can be sent in two ways. With the first option, the recipient can view the text message and decide how to read it.
Another option is using an alternative mobile messaging service. These systems use internet servers as middlemen, which allows them to send and receive messages far exceeding the 160-character limit. Alternatives like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger offer much larger messages. These services allow messages of up to 2,000 characters, while Telegram Messenger only supports a message length of 4,096 characters. Unlike SMS, MMS allows more information to be sent over text messaging channels.
The competition for a small business is fierce and customers shoulder part of the load. It’s unlikely that a customer will ever be the only company to contact them. However, there are many ways to stop the endless cycle of marketing texts. Customers can also opt out of receiving marketing texts, which most SMS marketing tools make easy for you to do. If they don’t want to receive them, you should make it clear to them that they can opt out of the list altogether.
If you have an Android phone, you can disable SMS in Hangouts. On an iPhone, you can set the default SMS app to be another option. For businesses, text messages are much more personalized than email, and some services have even enabled text-to-pay. This feature can be a big help in getting paid faster and reducing accounts receivable. In fact, many small businesses are already using text-to-pay services.
