Best Practices for Reducing the message error rate

Carriers are strict about error rates to reduce malicious activity. Are you suffering? Know these best practices to reduce the message error rate.

The error rate is the ratio of failed messages over the total sent messages. Different message status codes are considered a failed attempt by the telecom carrier. You can check out the exact message error code list that we get from the telecom carrier. 

Telecom regulations are getting strict to stop malicious activities over the networks and strengthen good & genuine players. Therefore, there is a push to maintain the message error rate below the permissible limit of 10%.

The following best practices will help you to reduce the message error rate:

Prefer the usage of different 10-digit numbers over a single long code

Sending a high number of messages per Sender ID within a short period may lead to the number getting blocked or filtered by the carrier. Telecom carriers always check mass texting via a single long code. Therefore, it increases the chances of message filtering. 

You may create blocks of your contact list and use different 10-digit numbers as Sender ID[s]. The outreach rate of 10-digit numbers is one segment /per second [3600 per hour].

Use your domain-specific URLs over common ones.

The carriers use machine learning and other algorithms to read all messages sent over the network. They do this to identify and reduce SPAM messages. Since bit.ly and TinyURL are exploited by marketing SMSs and these are more likely to get filtered. If you can use some other service or a URL of your domain, then it is less likely to be detected by the carriers. 

Personalize Your Message

Sending a high number of identical messages is most likely to be filtered by the carrier. The carrier treats repeated identical messages as suspicious activity. The Telecom carriers may block the Sender ID that is used in delivering the messages. 

In CallHub, you can customize your messages to send unique messages by adding Tags to your message. For example: {first_name}, {last_name}, and {poll_location}. You may get more information on Merge tags here.

Refine Your Phonebook

When sending many messages using a long phone number, splitting contacts into different phonebooks and running different campaigns may be a good idea. Sending messages using a different phone book reduces the number of messages that are sent in a certain amount of time. It is advisable to run different campaigns for each phonebook after getting a few replies, as much as 20% before running the next campaign. This practice helps control and manage the number of messages sent out to avoid getting filtered.

Use Adaptive Texting Block For Peer to Peer Texting

Adaptive Texting Block allows having high outreach with campaigns with local presence and effective management of rented sender IDs. The USA telecom regulations allow an outreach rate of 3600 messages per hour per sender ID. Users can rent multiple numbers based on the area code to add to the Adaptive Texting Block. 
This feature helps to detect filtered Sender ID and will automatically rent a new number from the same area code.

Prefer dedicated Shortcode

A shortcode is typically a 5-6 digit number like a telephone number but designed to send and receive text messages. It allows sending messages in high volume. It is used by businesses for OPT-IN users, SMS marketing, SMS broadcast, or to send promotional messages to already OPT-IN users. 

CallHub offers Vanity and Regular shortcodes. Vanity short code costs $4,500 per 3 months, and regular shortcode costs $3000 per 3 months.