Process for Onboarding New Customers in India for SMS
1. What steps need to be followed to set up SMS services in India?
You can send 2 types of messages in India depending on your use case and message content: Promotional and Transactional SMS.
- Transactional Messages: These are not intended for marketing purposes. Their main motive is to convey the required information to your registered users (e.g., ‘Thanks for signing up with SMS-Magic. Your OTP for Login is 1A3sde. It’s valid for upto 20 minutes only.’). In Transactional SMS you can configure sender IDs (which you need to get approved from the Carrier end) & these can be sent to DND (Do Not Disturb) numbers as well.
- Promotional Messages: Includes marketing messages which may or may not be desired by the recipient customer. Promotional SMS messages may only be sent between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM IST. This means your messages could be blocked or delayed if you send outside of these times, depending on the operator.
- Trans-promo Route: If you would like to send promotional messages but still want to use a sender ID referring to your company name, then you can go ahead with the Trans-promo route setup where you can register a sender ID like the transactional route, but restrictions on messages will be similar to promotional messaging.
Below is a summarized feature-wise difference between these 3 types of messaging:
2. Details of Documents Required for Setup
If you decide to go ahead with promotional messages, you can sign up with SMS-Magic and start using Services instantly. Entity Registration under the New Regulation of TRAI (DLT registration) is needed.
If you decide to go ahead with transactional messages, you need to get the transactional route set up specifically for your company. Below is the list of documents required to create a transactional account:
- Organization registration document.
- NDNC Document: Confirmation from the organization that the messages are sent to their client base and they have maintained proofs for the same.
- Indemnity declaration document on Company Letterhead.
- “Section 6 Clause iii Agents Included” document on Rs.200 stamp paper.
- All SMS templates that will be used for sending messages for registration purposes.
- 6-character alphabetical mask (sender ID).
- Opt-in proof: A screenshot of your organization’s CRM which shows a sample of the customer’s details (Customer Name, Mobile Number, Creation/Registration Date) containing your company’s logo at the top-left corner.
3. Setup Timelines
Best Practices
- Customers should provide all the documents mentioned above based upon the messaging they are planning to do so that the process can be smooth and faster.
- Generic sender IDs are not allowed while sending transactional messages. Make sure your sender ID is not generic (e.g.
ALERT) as it will be rejected by the carrier. - While registering templates, make sure you have the exact same template format which is being used while sending out messages. If the position of a full-stop, comma, or new line in the message is changed, your messages will be rejected with the error
"Message does not match with specified template"resulting in a deduction of SMS credits. - If you send promotional messages to DND registered numbers, it will fail at the operator level resulting in deduction of sms credits.
- Make sure you send promotional messages during working hours (9 AM to 9 PM IST). You can set up Business hours from the SMS-Magic Customer Portal to schedule messages sent after working hours. If you do not set Business hours, your message will be rejected.
4. Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of messages can I send when I sign up or during a trial?
By default, your account will have the Promotional route enabled. You need to reach out to your point of contact with SMS-Magic Support with the required documents if you are willing to send transactional messages.
How much time does it take to set up a transactional Route?
It takes around 3-5 business days to set up a transactional route for your SMS-Magic account, provided we have received all the necessary documents. Make sure you have completed DLT registration with at least 3 operators in India.
Can I send both Transactional and Promotional messages using the same account?
Yes. We need to define sender Id routing for your account and you need to use different sender Ids while sending messages based upon the kind of message you want to send. Please get in touch with the SMS-Magic Support Team to get it enabled.
Can we add more than one sender Id for a Transactional Account?
Yes, you can have more than one sender ID for a Transactional account but it should be approved from the carrier as well as from DLT.
Can I have a sender ID of more than 6 Characters?
No, you cannot have a sender Id more than or less than 6 characters. It has to be exactly 6 characters (e.g. SMAGIC).
How to register SMS Templates with carriers?
You can get the template registered/approved with the Operator directly while doing DLT registration. Then you can send those SMS templates to the SMS-Magic Support Team to get them registered with our carrier.
5. Tracking Delivery Issues
You can track the delivery of messages and issues from the Analytics section of your SMS-Magic Customer Portal: SMS-Magic Analytics Dashboard.
6. Flowchart of Full Setup Activity
