Introduction
Short Message Service or SMS communication is one of the best avenues that businesses can use to keep in contact with their customers and suppliers. SMS text messages routinely outperform email for purposes like order confirmations, booking reminders, special offers, and updates – because people actually read them.
Using SMS apps, businesses can message contacts directly, or automate the entire process. What’s more, those same contacts can communicate straight back. However, not all business text apps were created equal. So how can you make the right choice?
Criteria for Selecting a Business SMS Application
There are a number of factors to consider, when choosing a business SMS application for your particular enterprise. They include the following:
Ease of Use
You shouldn’t need to hire a specialist, to set up your business text messaging application. So the business SMS app you choose should at least have an intuitive and user-friendly interface, with clear Help resources and up to date documentation.
The Kind of Messaging Your Actually Want
If your business needs to engage customers in a dialogue, you’ll need a business SMS app with two-way messaging capability. You may also need a platform that enables you to automate responses, collect survey data, and schedule texts.
Contact Management
A contact management feature is a must, for keeping your contact list organized and up to date, and for managing your subscriber lists.
Analytics and Reporting
Analytics and reporting tools are essential in providing information as to which campaigns were successful and which were not – and giving insight into why they performed in this manner.
Customization Options
Business SMS solutions that capture customer data (names, birthdays, zip codes, etc.) can empower your marketing teams to personalize your text communications and increase customer engagement.
Cost-Effective Pricing
Consider the volume and type of messaging you need to send, and the implications of the pricing structure of the business text application. Note that the best business SMS services will offer complimentary incoming text messages – so you don’t have to pay when your customers reply to you.
SMS Integration
Look at the business systems you habitually use, and how the business SMS solution integrates with other platforms, such as email marketing programs and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.
Multimedia Messaging (MMS)
Some business text services allow you to send pictures, videos and audio clips, to make your messages more engaging.
Ability to Scale
The business SMS solution you choose should be able to grow alongside your business, and cater for changes in seasonal activity – without having to bump you up to a much more expensive pricing tier.
Top Choices for Business Text Messaging
Here are seven of the top business text messaging applications currently on the market. This selection includes solutions for a range of business types and use cases.
1. EZ Texting
General Description: EZ Texting is a bulk SMS service built specially for business users with limited technical knowledge. Once you sign up, its user-friendly interface asks whether you want to use EZ Texting to “Delight Customers,” “Market & Engage,” or “Simplify Operations,” so that it can walk you through the relevant features. Each time you select a new tab or feature, there are clear instructions on how to use it, with working examples for templates.
For businesses looking to use multimedia messages (MMS) in their marketing,.EZ Texting has a native integration with Shutterstock, granting access to more than 20 million high-resolution, royalty-free images. EZ Texting also provides SMS integration with Hubspot, Constant Contact, Mailchimp, and Zapier.
Who It’s For: Business users with limited technical expertise, and organizations looking to use Multimedia Message Service (MMS) elements in their marketing.
Pros:
- Very user-friendly.
- Ability to send out mass texts to subscribers based on specific keyword groups.
- Customer service is responsive and helpful.
Cons:
- Difficult to send videos in text messages.
- No analytics in the lowest-cost version.
- You have to buy a membership plan in order to use it.
Pricing: As of June 2023, pricing plans start at $24 a month, with a 16% Discount on Yearly Payment. The basic package of $24/month gives you 200 text messages, one textable number, and one signup keyword. There’s a 14 day Free Trial (no credit card required), and a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) option is also available.
2. Salesmsg
General Description: Salesmsg is a business text solution designed for small business SMS using local numbers in the US and Canada. It offers Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system SMS integration with HubSpot, Pipedrive, and other CRM platforms. Note however, that Salesmsg does not yet integrate natively with Salesforce.
Salesmsg includes voice calling at no extra cost, alongside standard text message marketing features. Its cloud-based platform enables you to manage messages and calls from both a web interface and a mobile app. The text messaging function now includes multimedia components. Specifically, you can record and send audio messages for one-time or multi-purpose use, while customers can send videos directly to your message timeline. When customers communicate with you via text, you can reply using email or a shared inbox, to further streamline your communications.
Who It’s For: USA and Canada-based small businesses with a local clientele.
Pros:
- SMS features can be shared across multiple agents in a contact center.
- Software is highly responsive and quick to work with.
- Competitive pricing.
Cons:
- Mobile-first businesses may have problems carrying on conversations via a desktop app.
- Documentation for the Schedule Later feature is unclear.
- Some complaints about customer service.
Pricing: Prices start from $25/month for 500 text messages and a single phone number. Each additional message costs $0.04, while additional numbers are $10/month. A free trial is available, after which you can use a stripped-down pay-as-you-go plan.
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3. SimpleTexting
General Description: SimpleTexting is a cost-effective bulk SMS messaging service which allows you to send and receive text messages to customers or among a team. It has a web-based interface and mobile app that offer features such as group messaging, contact management, and analytics. You can use keywords to create SMS marketing campaigns, and SMS shortcodes are included in each plan. Users get unlimited incoming SMS messages and a free dedicated phone number.
SimpleTexting primarily focuses on creating easy-to-run marketing campaigns, where you text the same message to everyone on a list. It includes a set of built-in apps that enable you to conduct more technical marketing activities such as running surveys, polls, and sweepstakes. SimpleTexting Analytics provides data on metrics like the number of new subscribers, and what keyword they’re using to join your campaign.
SimpleTexting offers SMS integration with Salesforce, Zapier, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Slack, Shopify, Instagram, Infusionsoft, Podio, WordPress, Facebook Lead Ads, and Zoho CRM. Higher plans feature advanced integration capabilities with over 400 apps.
Who It’s For: Anyone looking to conduct bulk SMS marketing campaigns based on a targeted list.
Pros:
- Easy to set up and use.
- Good tracking features for messages sent and received.
- Clear and simple opt-in and sign-up options.
Cons:
- No notifications concerning product updates, unless you visit the website.
- Some claims of difficulty in estimating carrier charges.
- No pricing plan for organizations that send between 7500 and 8500 texts a month.
Pricing: Prices start at $29 a month, with a 20% Discount on Yearly Payment. There’s a 14 day free trial (no credit card required) – however, there are no free plans.
4. Textedly
General Description: Used by the likes of Walmart and Godaddy, Textedly is a bulk SMS platform that has a web interface, and an AI component that intuitively creates conversations as customers reply to text messages. The platform also offers custom keywords, free incoming text messages, contact management tools and a reporting suite. Textedly apps include Instagram texting, drip campaigns and autoresponders.
Textedly offers a dedicated toll-free phone number, and SMS integration with Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier, Intercom, Pipedrive, Shopify, Mailchimp, Facebook Lead Ads, and Google Sheets.
Who It’s For: Enterprise SMS marketers who prefer a web-based SMS portal to conduct their bulk SMS campaigns.
Pros:
- Easy to set up and use.
- Good for personalized, in-house communication with employees.
- Good message scheduling features.
Cons:
- Recent price increases may put this out of the affordability range for small businesses.
- Customer service is unresponsive and slow.
- Analytics lack features for monitoring responses from message recipients.
Pricing: Pricing plans start at $24 per month, in 12 cost-effective tiers spanning 1,200 to 240,000 monthly messages. This makes the Textedly platform highly scalable, so that it can easily grow along with your business. A 14 day free trial is available, with no credit card requirement.
5. TextMagic
General Description: If you’re looking to get up and running quickly with your business SMS platform, then TextMagic is an ideal choice. Its web app is highly intuitive and easy to use. The TextMagic dashboard is straightforward to interact with, meaning anyone can effectively use the service with little training. In this way,TextMagic makes it simple for businesses of all sizes to reach their audiences. With Zapier integration, you can also connect TextMagic to thousands of organizational tools.
Who It’s For: Businesses of all sizes who prefer a web-based SMS portal app.
Pros:
- Easy to import contact lists and create message templates.
- Emails can be converted to text messages and sent as SMS.
- Low balance notifications when running out of message credits.
Cons:
- Unable to incorporate images into text messages.
- Contact management feature is somewhat confusing.
- Some complaints about customer service.
Pricing: Pricing starts at $0.04 per text sent, with dedicated virtual numbers from $4.00/month. Text credits are entirely pay-as-you-go, so users aren’t locked into an expensive ongoing contract.
6. Twilio
General Description: Rather than being a dedicated business SMS app or service, Twilio is an SMS API or Short Message Service Application Programming Interface — a set of protocols and tools that enables software applications to send and receive text messages programmatically. This makes Twilio ideal for web developers who want seamless integration with their existing website, or enterprise developers who wish to integrate SMS functionality into their own applications, websites, or systems, facilitating the automation of SMS communication.
Using Twilio, developers can build one or two-way messaging campaigns, and create shortcodes for customers. Twilio offers a range of APIs, so companies can build SMS messaging, phone number redirection, and dozens of similar features into their own apps and services. Its no-code features and integration with Zapier make it accessible to non-developers. Twilio also provides automated marketing features such as SMS marketing, Omnichannel contact center, Call tracking, Web chat, Push notifications, Alerts, and phone verification. This makes Twilio highly flexible and customizable for any use case.
Who It’s For: Web developers seeking SMS integration capabilities, or enterprise developers seeking SMS integration with line of business systems.
Pros:
- Fast message delivery and reliable network connections.
- Good for SMS integration at scale.
- Easy to program.
Cons:
- Real-time monitoring and advanced tracking tools are lacking.
- Does not have a programmable alert system.
- No analytical data on how the target audience interacts with SMS content.
Pricing: Pricing is negotiable, and there’s a 45 day free trial available.
7. Zingle
General Description: Though initially designed for the travel and hospitality industry, Zingle is an ideal enterprise SMS marketing platform for consumer-facing industries, offering powerful two-way messaging. Zingle (also known as Medallia Concierge) provides an all-in-one service that includes appointment scheduling, automated campaign workflows, messaging analytics, and segmentation.
The Zingle platform offers support for 90 languages, so businesses can stay in touch with customers from around the world. There’s also an option to connect it with your CRM, which makes importing contacts simple.
Zingle’s AI technology can understand message intent, which helps its two-way messaging feature offer the proper responses and give customers what they want, when they want it. Zingle also integrates with leading third-party apps such as WeChat, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp.
Who It’s For: Organizations in the travel and hospitality sector, or enterprise users with a very large customer base.
Pros:
- Color coded tags make it easy to share important information and use it as reminders.
- Helpful and responsive local account managers.
- Provides an open API (Application Programming Interface).
Cons:
- Glitchy and unreliable customer support software.
- Inefficient contact management system.
- Subscribers must pay for the full year up front.
Pricing: Zingle is very much an enterprise SMS solution, with a price tag to match. Prices start at $179 per month, and are determined on the basis of what Zingle calls its Experience Data Record pricing model.
Features at a Glance
The comparison table below summarizes the key features and distinctions between the products outlined above:
| Product Name | Ease of Use | Bulk SMS Capabilities | Contact Management System | SMS Analytics | Multimedia Messaging | SMS Integration with API |
| EZ Texting | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not in lowest cost version | Poor video support | |
| Salesmsg | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes – but no native Salesforce integration |
| SimpleTexting | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Textedly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes – but not for monitoring responses | Yes | Yes |
| TextMagic | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Twilio | Case-dependent | Yes | Yes | Yes – but no real-time or advanced tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Zingle | Yes | Yes | Yes – but somewhat inefficient | Yes | Yes | Yes – and includes its own open API |
Here’s a New One for You to Try
IDT Express SMS API is a new arrival on the business SMS messaging scene, that’s dedicated to empowering enterprises to craft unbeatable SMS experiences for their customers globally. Using the IDT Express SMS API, you can seamlessly build customer journeys by fostering interactive conversations, all within the framework of your app.
With IDT’S reliable and scalable Notifications API, you can create highly personalized SMS notifications that cater to any use case with unmatched flexibility. Our SMS OTP APl provides the swiftest, highly secure, and cost-effective solution for user verification and authentication.
Using IDT Express SMS API, you can quickly send SMS polls, surveys and request customer feedback with two way messaging. For events and meetings, you can send timely reminders to customers about upcoming appointments, allowing them to confirm or reschedule through their preferred communication channels.
To find out more about the IDT Express SMS API, just book a demo.
