Enterprise SMS Gateway: Texting that You Can Scale in 2024

When you’re an enterprise-level business, everything is bigger.

Bigger budgets. Bigger expenses. Bigger goals.

And you may have heard that SMS is a good way to reach people more effectively.

But how can you send text messages on that broad of a scale? What SMS gateways can handle the volume of messages you need?

For example, imagine a high-stakes scenario where a major e-commerce company needs to send out time-sensitive promotional offers to millions of customers during a flash sale event.

Since it’s a “flash sale,” time is of the essence.

Will you run into any issues blasting out a text message to those millions of customers?

Well, the answer is… yes, perhaps.

If you don’t have an enterprise SMS gateway built to support high-volume traffic, you may run into issues with messages getting counted as spam and/or messages delivering slowly.

With that in mind, we’ll walk you through why an enterprise SMS gateway is important, and how to take full advantage of it to scale your business.

What Is an Enterprise SMS Gateway?

So what exactly is an enterprise SMS gateway?

An SMS gateway is the back end mechanism that connects text messages to their intended destination.

When it comes to an enterprise business, you need an SMS gateway that can manage and process your volume of traffic—a gateway that’s scalable.

Closely connected to the concept of a gateway is the concept of an SMS API. An SMS API is how developers can connect to the SMS gateway so that you can send messages.

But beyond just sending messages, you’re able to use the API to integrate SMS with your tech stack, so that you can scale activities such as…

1. Adding prospects to your text message list automatically when they sign up for your newsletter on your website OR…
2. Syncing your CRM to your SMS database so that the contacts stay up to date.

How an Enterprise SMS Gateway Can Help Big Businesses

With an enterprise SMS gateway, you’re able to send texts to your customers at scale.

1. You can send thousands or millions of text messages—so that you can actually reach your audience

If you’re an enterprise-level business, you may have hundreds of thousands or even millions of prospects and customers.

If you don’t have the right kind of SMS service, you won’t be able to reach all of these people—not every SMS service is built to accommodate that level of volume.

2. You can automate processes—so that this level of messaging is actually feasible

An enterprise-level business like yours simply does not have the capacity to manually handle all of your processes.

For example, it’s not feasible to deal with an SMS gateway that requires you to manually load in your contacts and manually send out your text messages.

You need something that’s able to be automated and customized to your specific situation.

3. You can make sure you have the right compliance pre-reqs—so that your messages can actually be delivered

There are different types of phone numbers businesses can use to send text messages.

And the SMS industry is not homogenous.

The different types of phone numbers and different types of use cases will have different prerequisites and setup processes.

In other words, there’s not a “one size fits all” solution for the approach every business should take. If you don’t get set up correctly in the beginning, you’ll run into issues with messages not getting delivered—or with messages getting delivered with huge delays.

An enterprise SMS gateway service will be able to walk you through the process that is best for your situation so that you can avoid those issues.

4. You can integrate with your tech stack—so that you can enjoy optimal efficiency

Similar to the “automate processes” point above, an enterprise SMS gateway will provide you with what you need to integrate your text messaging processes into your tech stack.

And this kind of integration helps you enjoy optimal efficiency which can really make your SMS efforts effective.

What might that look like?

Here are some examples:

• Prospects start receiving an SMS drip campaign when they submit a form on your website
• Customers are added to your SMS subscription list automatically upon being added to your CRM
• Customers are sent an abandoned cart text message 10 minutes after they click away from your website

How an Enterprise SMS Gateway Works

There are at least 3 ways an enterprise-level SMS gateway can work:

• Via API (most common way for enterprise businesses)
• Via online platform
• Via mobile app

Via API

An API is the programming capability to connect different pieces of software together.

Most enterprise businesses have the manpower to program and automate processes via an API, so you’ll just need an SMS gateway service that comes with API access.

With Mobile Text Alerts, you’ll get a free API key that you can use to automate processes as needed per the API documentation.

Via Online Platform

If you prefer not to invest the manpower in setting up your own processes, you can use an out-of-the-box platform that requires minimal setup.

Then you’ll be able to manage your SMS processes via an online dashboard.

The upside to this is that everything is already built for you, ready-made and user-friendly.

The downside to this if you’re not also using an API is that you can’t customize things to work exactly the way that you want them to work. (However, you can use the API in conjunction with the online platform if you want the benefits of both.)

Via Mobile App

Lastly, in addition to using API and/or an online platform, you can go about your SMS efforts via the convenience of a mobile app.

A mobile app will have fewer capabilities than a full online platform and API, but it affords the convenience of being able to access and manage your SMS efforts on the go.

What an Enterprise SMS Gateway Can Do

An enterprise SMS gateway opens the door for you to manage your scaled texting efforts with at least 3 groups of people:

• Prospects
• Customers
• Employees

Here are a few of the functions of being able to manage those texting efforts…

Send / Schedule Messages

Using an enterprise SMS gateway, you’re able to send text messages at scale.

There are several different options for doing that…

1. Send text blasts
2. Chat individually with recipients
3. Create automated drip campaigns
4. Set up automated reply messages

Segment Subscribers

You’re able to segment your SMS subscribers into different groups.

You can either create these groups manually or set up “adaptive” groups that automatically populate based on your subscribers’ data.

Set Up Opt-In Methods

There are several ways you can allow would-be subscribers to opt in to your text messages - all of which can be managed via your enterprise SMS gateway.

This includes…

• Automated integrations with your current tech stack (CRM, website builder, etc.)
• Designated “opt-in keywords” which allow people to send a text into your system’s phone number in order to be automatically subscribed to your text alerts
• A customizable web sign-up form
• Automatically-generated QR codes

View Reporting

Your enterprise SMS gateway will also allow you to view reporting on your messages and overall account data.

You’re able to see delivery statuses, link clicks, and opt-out information.

Examples

Here are some examples of ways you could use an enterprise SMS gateway…

Marketing and Promotions

“

Exclusive offer! Get 25% off sitewide with code SUMMER25. Ends tonight at midnight. Shop now: [URL]

Appointment Reminders

“

Reminder: You have an appointment with Dr. Smith at 3:00 PM tomorrow. Please arrive 15 minutes early. Reply with 'C' to confirm or 'R' to reschedule.

Order and Delivery Updates

“

Your order #ABC123 has been shipped! Estimated delivery: June 5th. Track your package at [URL].

Account Notifications

“

Your credit card ending in 4567 has been charged $99.99 for this month's subscription. View statement: [URL]

Employee Communication

“

IMPORTANT: Due to severe weather, the office will be closed today. All employees should work remotely. Check email for details.

Customer Support

“

Thanks for contacting support! An agent will be with you shortly. For a faster response, reply with a brief description of your issue.

Two-Factor Authentication

“

Your verification code is 845293. Enter this code to complete the login process. Never share this code with anyone.

Surveys and Feedback

“

Hi [Customer Name], how would you rate your recent experience with us on a scale of 1-10? Reply with your rating.

Event Management

“

Your e-ticket for [Event Name] is attached. Please have it ready for entry. Doors open at 6 PM. See you there!

Emergency Alerts

“

EMERGENCY ALERT: A tornado warning has been issued for your area. Seek shelter immediately. Stay tuned for further updates.

Enterprise SMS Gateway Documentation

To take advantage of SMS API, you need to review the API documentation.

The API documentation should be robust enough that you can accomplish the basic things you’re wanting to accomplish.

If there’s something you want to be able to do that the API documentation doesn’t allow for, you can always check with company support and ask about working out a customized solution.

Enterprise SMS Gateway Pricing

Pricing will vary depending on the solution and depending on the level of your traffic.

With Mobile Text Alerts, plans start at $20/month and high-volume pricing is available.

FAQ

What is enterprise text messaging?

Enterprise text messaging refers to texting at scale to a large database.

This texting could be done via bulk SMS blasts, via 1-on-1 conversations, or via automated campaigns.

Is the SMS gateway free?

Most quality SMS services will require a fee for using their SMS gateway to send text messages.

With Mobile Text Alerts, pricing can be as little as $20/month, and special pricing is available for high-volume messaging.

Try an Enterprise SMS Gateway

An enterprise SMS gateway opens the door for so many opportunities for enterprise-level businesses to really connect with their audience base.

Now that you’ve got the basics, you’re ready to try out an enterprise SMS gateway for yourself.

Get a free SMS trial now to get a feel for how it works.