SMS integration to Customer Support Systems / Helpdesk

For some companies, it may make sense to offer their customers, members, clients, etc. to contact the company via SMS. Below you can read how to implement SMS in a helpdesk/customer support system. What the do's and dont's are and what we recommend when doing so.

The first thing to consider is how accessible you want to be to your customers. You've probably already done this, and if you're reading these pages, you've probably also considered being available via SMS. You should be aware that customer expectations for SMS response time are much lower than their expectations for email response time. Perhaps you already have chat on your website and can learn from this experience.

Once you've decided to offer SMS in your helpdesk/customer support, it's all about implementing it in a way that is as easy as possible for your customers to use and gives you the least amount of extra work.

What number

You need to decide which phone number your customers should contact you on. Generally, you have three options:

1. Same number as the company's main number or support phone number.
2. A dedicated SMS support number
3. A four-digit number with a so-called keyword

Which number is right for you depends on your situation. Below is a summary of the pros and cons of the different ones.

For example, if you have a number that your customers call for support, it would make sense to let them send SMS messages to this number as well. They may already be doing this today and you are answering support SMSes via a physical phone. The advantage is that the customer has one number and you answer it - regardless of whether they call or text.

You can also choose a special support-by-SMS number. This will be a number in our number series. This is a good solution if, for example, you don't have phone support at all but only email, chat and SMS support. Then you still need to get a number and our two-way VLN is a good solution.

The last one is a four-digit number with a keyword. For example, 1414 and the keyword SUPPORT. This means that your customers need to send an SMS to 1414, start the message with Support and then type the message. This solution can be good if your customers are in a situation where their memory is strained and you need to make it easy.

Same number for voice and SMS

If you think that the solution with the same number for both calls and SMS is the best, this can be explained a little further. Technically, the solution is that you

1. Get a new SIM card from your provider (often called a shadow SIM)
2. Puts the phone from your support number through to your shadow SIM card
3. Send your Support SIM card to us
4. Ask your telecom provider to change the a-number on outgoing calls on your shadow SIM card to your support number

Now we install your support SIM card in our GSM rack. When an SMS arrives on the number, we forward it to your customer support/helpdesk system. You receive incoming SMS messages just like emails in your system. You can use bots, automation, templates and everything you know from your customer support system for SMS. When you want to reply to an SMS you have received, simply reply in your CSC and we will forward the reply as an SMS.