A McKinsey report suggests that 60% of global consumers consider convenience a key factor when choosing where to shop. Thus, businesses that fail to offer convenience risk losing customers to competitors who do. 

But what happens when your customer support inquiries outgrow your support team’s capacity? Or when customers reach out for help on holidays or outside office hours? 

Providing consistent, top-notch customer support becomes more challenging as your business grows. Customer dissatisfaction skyrockets by 262% when wait times exceed what customers anticipate​. 

In this scenario, customer service automation comes to the rescue. 

If you’re looking to discover its potential and implement automated customer service for maximum client satisfaction, this detailed guide is for you.

What is Customer Service Automation?

Customer service automation involves integrating an assortment of automation technologies, including self-service chatbots, IVRs, automated notifications, and more, into your customer support operations. The goal is to elevate the customer experience, offering a level of service that surpasses what human agents alone can provide.

A McKinsey report points out that one of the remarkable shifts in post-COVID consumer behavior is shifting notions of brand loyalty. With more options open and available than ever before, customers aren’t shying away from trying out (or switching) to a competitor. 

Therefore, working proactively to build brand loyalty is crucial. And what’s one of the essential ingredients for building brand loyalty? 

An enhanced, empathetic and prompt customer service. 

Automated customer service lets you achieve this. It blends with traditional support methods, such as one-on-one customer calls, to handle large customer queries without running out of resources. 

Some other notable benefits of customer service automation are as follows:

• 24/7 availability
• Quick redressal of common queries and FAQs
• Intelligent ticket routing
• Improved overall customer satisfaction

The difference between traditional customer support and automated customer support

Traditional and automated customer support are not opposing forces but complementary elements in modern customer service. The optimal strategy blends the strengths of human interaction with the efficiency of automation to create the best possible customer experience.

Here are some fundamental differences between traditional and automated customer service:

How Do You Implement Automated Customer Support? 

Customer service automation takes place through various software channels, such as:

1. Self-service AI chatbots

Powered by the latest generative AI technology, AI chatbots quickly respond to customers’ queries, direct them to knowledge bases, and create tickets. Advanced chatbots even hold a full-fledged conversation with your customers and completely resolve their queries. When unable to assist, they hand off queries to the right support agent.

Ideal for: Resolving repetitive customer issues and queries. AI-powered chatbots can be trained to tackle complex problems using your product’s knowledge base and take action on connected business systems like order management, CRM, payment systems, and helpdesks to resolve requests. Chatbots can also transfer conversations to a human representative for more complex or sensitive issues that require a personal touch.

2. Automated ticketing systems

Automated ticketing systems classify and route complex customer queries to the most appropriate POCs. They collect the relevant customer data, such as images, issue descriptions, and other details, before transferring it to the right touchpoints. 

For instance, a transaction issue would be automatically directed to the finance team, while a product quality concern would involve the most suitable point of contact. This streamlined process ensures that each query receives prompt attention from the most qualified personnel.

Advanced ticketing systems also: 

• Nudge agents to take action when tickets are open too long
• Keep customers informed about their ticket status
• Assign tickets based on agent workload and availability
• Suggest self-help resources 

Ideal for: Handling transaction-related or product-quality issues that require human intervention but are not urgent. These systems streamline the process, addressing customer concerns promptly while freeing up your support team.

3. Knowledge base

A knowledge base includes product guides, FAQs, video resources, and glossaries that help users with the most common concerns.

A lot goes into creating a worthwhile knowledge base—looking at your support ticket data, analyzing your products, services, or policies, reviewing specific use cases, compiling inputs from cross-functional teams, and organizing it all neatly in a format customers can engage with.

An effective knowledge base fosters self-help and integrates well with your AI chatbot. Once your customer faces an issue you covered in your knowledge base, chatbots redirect your customer there for detailed step-by-step assistance.

For instance, take a look at the omnichannel customer service platform Plivo CX’s knowledge base:

In addition to video guides, this knowledge base provides articles and resources to help users fully understand and utilize the platform's many features.

Ideal for: Covering product demos and tutorials, use cases, or informing customers about your product’s return or refund policies.

4. Canned responses

Canned responses are pre-written text messages that your customer service agents can use to chat with customers quickly. They help improve agent response times and reduce agent fatigue. They also help incorporate brand voice and tone in customer communication across channels.

For instance, an agent named John can have a canned response that says, “Hi, I am John. I will assist you with your issue today.”

Ideal for: If your website doesn’t have a live chat feature or your customers prefer reaching out to you over email, implement canned responses for FAQs related to products, services, returns and exchanges, and pricing to decrease the response time. 

5. Voicebots  

Leveraging the advanced capabilities of conversational AI, natural language processing (NLP), and speech recognition technologies, interactive voice-based assistants add a layer of superior and personalized customer service to your business while lowering operational costs. They understand customer sentiments and optimize call routing by sending high-priority issues to the right team. Moreover, AI-driven bots can provide round-the-clock service to customers in the language of their choice.

Ideal for: Handling tier-1 support queries and routine inquiries. In healthcare, voice bots can schedule appointments and provide information on treatment options. In banking, a voice bot can verify a customer’s identity and perform tasks like checking the account balance and blocking a stolen card.

The Advantages of Automated Customer Support 

1. Allows for seamless scalability 

Your mid-sized business may be managing customer support with a small team today, but as your business grows and customer inquiries increase, your team will soon reach its limit.

Customer service automation handles thousands of customer interactions simultaneously. Plivo CX integrates with your existing tech stack as you grow—ticketing, order management, CRMs, and more. 

Additionally, you get to build customizable no-code workflows that are automatically triggered with any inbound call or text. For example, you can set a workflow to route high-priority and usual customers to different queues. 

2. Provides 24/7 support availability

24/7 availability simply means allowing customers to reach out for support anytime. You also risk customer churn if you are slow to respond or hang up on them. Plus, hiring night shifts is not just expensive, but night-time workers are also at a higher risk of anxiety and mental health concerns. 

To avoid this, AI-powered chatbots ensure customer queries are answered round the clock, whether your support team is online or not. To elevate the customer experience further, Plivo CX partners with OpenAI to offer intelligent chatbots you can easily train and connect with your existing knowledge base.

Also, the platform’s drag-and-drop workflow builder allows businesses to create custom customer journeys across all their communication channels. Not only that, the platform seamlessly integrates with various systems, including homegrown solutions.

3. Improves agent efficiency 

Apart from handling customer concerns, your customer service automation tool empowers agents to focus on value-driven activities such as attending to complicated questions, upskilling, analyzing and improving performance. 

For this, Plivo CX offers a Unified Agent Desktop that offers a clutter-free agent interface. On the left pane, agents can toggle seamlessly between incoming customer calls or messages. 

They can also use and switch between every channel—voice, chat, text/SMS, and WhatsApp—all in one place. Furthermore, agents have real-time access to complete customer information, ensuring contextually relevant and personalized interactions.

4. Enables omnichannel communication 

Omnichannel communication involves addressing customer issues and communicating with them on the channel of their choice, be it voice, email, WhatsApp, call, or SMS. This is slightly different from multichannel customer communication and can deliver a seamless customer experience more effectively.  

As an omnichannel customer service platform, Plivo CX lets you seamlessly switch between voice, OpenAI-powered live chat, SMS, MMS, email and WhatsApp, or use multiple channels simultaneously from one screen. 

It also offers out-of-the-box integrations with Salesforce, Zendesk, and Shopify to centralize your customer information in a single source of truth. Moreover, you can configure omnichannel customer journeys that help with better CSAT via intelligent routing and better problem resolution.

5. Helps you gain valuable customer insights 

The right customer service automation tools help you monitor what’s going on at your call center up close. They come with features like live dashboards that help you see agent productivity in real time, along with powerful reports to make your call center processes better. 

‍

The Service module of Plivo CX offers access to powerful live metrics with features like Call Barge or Whisper to let supervisors take over when agents feel stuck while talking to customers. 

Top Customer Support Automation Tools 

1. Plivo CX 

Plivo CX is web-based customer service automation software that enhances agent productivity and elevates customer satisfaction. The platform supports multiple communication channels, enabling businesses to engage with customers via AI bots on messaging channels, voice, SMS, email, and WhatsApp to offer a seamless experience for both customers and agents. 

It also leverages Plivo’s award-winning global messaging and calling network to provide customers with fast, faultless communication. So, there is no dependence on third-party services. 

Plivo CX is a perfect fit for midmarket B2C and eCommerce businesses because it seamlessly integrates with CRM systems, help desk software, marketing automation platforms, homegrown systems, and so on. 

Key features

• Leverage OpenAI-powered chatbots, IVRs, and knowledge base integration to automate a large portion of your inbound customer queries
• No-code drag-and-drop workflow builder lets you decide how you exactly interact with customers across channels
• Make contextual and historical customer data available in a Unified Agent Desktop from your CRM or other systems so that your agents can seamlessly switch between voice, chat, text/SMS and WhatsApp
• Measure your agents’ performance using historical reports and live dashboards, along with comprehensive support for coaching

Limitations

• It is not ideal for transactional ticket-based support
• Lacks quality assurance and workforce management features
• No mobile version for support agents

2. Aircall

Aircall empowers customer service with features like intelligent call routing, missed call tracking, call context and analytics, the ability to blocklist numbers, and more.

It also supports collaboration via shared contacts, enabling your team to follow customer conversations. Aircall’s customer service automation software offers analytics to gain granular details of your customer service center performance. 

Key features

• Get customer context on every inbound call with Insight Cards
• Smartflows Call Routing lets you build inbound call flows to redirect calls to the right agents
• Get insights into analytics like total inbound or unanswered calls or talk-to-listen ratios

Limitations

• Rudimentary workflow designer lacks flexibility for custom journeys needed by larger businesses (Source)  
• Offers only voice-based customer support, lacks helpdesk and knowledge base features
• Has robust features for voice support but does not support other channels

3. Zendesk

Zendesk is an all-in-one customer service automation tool that supports omnichannel communication. It offers services such as call support, chatbots, ticketing, and knowledge base creation and integrates with 1,200+ pre-built apps and business sources. 

Key features

• Zendesk works predominantly on a ticket-based approach where complex customer queries are routed as tickets
• Its AI-powered chatbots, called AI agents, offer personalized support and provide human agents with necessary context when needed
• Integrates well with most of the popular software and apps in your tech stack, including CRM systems, and offers immense potential for customization

Limitations

• Live monitoring and coaching capabilities are missing (Source) 
• Has limited calling capabilities (Source)
• Lacks customizable workflows
• Relies on a transactional ticket-based system for all interactions
  

4. Talkdesk

As an AI-powered contact center solution, Talkdesk offers self-service AI, omnichannel support, and a customizable customer journey builder. It also offers support for training, coaching, and managing your customer service agents and analytics to measure customer satisfaction.

Key features

• Provides a user-friendly interface that allows easy navigation for agents to access customer information and handle calls efficiently
• ACD intelligently routes incoming calls to the most appropriate agent based on skill set, availability, or customer history
• Supervisors can monitor live calls or review recordings to provide feedback and improve agent performance

Limitations

• Offers a voice-only base pack, which is pretty expensive
• Requires separate helpdesk software for comprehensive interaction management
• Relies on a third-party service for voice calling functionality
• Lacks native omnichannel capabilities, limiting seamless customer interaction

How Plivo CX Helps With Customer Service Automation

Deliver exceptional customer service anytime and anywhere with Plivo CX’s tailored solutions. Proactively meet your customers' needs on all fronts and exceed their expectations. 

As a cloud-based omnichannel platform, Plivo CX empowers businesses to automate customer service through AI-powered chatbots that provide instant support, intelligent ticket routing to ensure inquiries are handed over to the right agent and a Unified Agent Desktop for seamless access to customer information. 

Additionally, the platform offers self-service options like knowledge bases and FAQs, reducing agent workload and empowering customers to find answers on their own. 

This comprehensive automation streamlines customer service operations, improves efficiency, and enhances customer satisfaction.

To learn more, book a demo today! 

SMS verification codes can significantly enhance your security measures, providing a quick and effective way to verify a user’s identity. Integrating text message verification codes into your authentication process can save time, streamline workflows, and strengthen user trust.

Plivo’s Verify API makes it easy to start sending one-time passcodes (OTPs) in one second or less. In this guide, we’ll explain why SMS verification is so effective and show you how to set it up in just 5 minutes. Our API allows you to send your first OTP in 90% less implementation time than a legacy verification solution. We'll also provide step-by-step instructions to ensure you can quickly and easily incorporate one-time passcodes (OTPs) into your applications.

Why should I use SMS verification codes?

While SMS verification isn't foolproof, it's a widely used and convenient security measure. One-time passcodes delivered via SMS or voice add an extra layer of security to online accounts, making them more difficult to break into. Accounts with one-time passcodes enabled as part of two-factor or multi-factor authentication make it much harder for hackers to break in, even if they steal your password. 

Financial institutions, e-commerce sites, streaming platforms, and delivery apps. For instance, SMS verification can confirm that the person logging into a peer-to-peer payment platform is the account owner. This can help prevent unauthorized purchases or account takeovers. 

Prerequisites to send one-time passcodes

Before we dive in, make sure you complete the following requirements:

1. Plivo account: Sign up for a Plivo account if you still need to do so.
2. API key and token: Obtain your Plivo API key and token from the Plivo console.
3. Phone numbers: Ensure you can access the phone numbers to which you intend to send verification codes.
4. Programming environment: Set up your programming environment with the necessary libraries to interact with the Plivo API. Install the Plivo SDK for your programming language: Plivo supports Python, JavaScript, Ruby, and many more languages.

In summary, make sure you have a Plivo account with an application created. While creating the application, define the right session expiry, attempt, OTP length, etc. You will also need to get a library/module/SDK for making HTTP requests to Plivo's API (this is available in various programming languages) or directing HTTP requests to Plivo’s API.

With these prerequisites in place, here’s how to start sending OTPs. 

Create a session

Plivo’s Verify API can be used with Python, Ruby, Node, GO, PHP, .Net, Java. This article will focus on Python.

Step 1: Install Plivo SDK

First, you need to install the Plivo SDK for your programming language. For Python, you can use pip:

pip install plivo

Step 2: Configure Plivo Client

Initialize the Plivo client using your Auth ID and Auth Token:

import plivo

auth_id = 'YOUR_AUTH_ID'
auth_token = 'YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN'

client = plivo.RestClient(auth_id, auth_token)

Step 3: Send the OTP

Create a Verify session for sending OTP:

response = client.verify_session.create(
    app_uuid='xxxxx-1215-422e-222-xxxx',
    recipient='+xxxxxxxxxxx',  # dst number
    otp=code,
    channel='sms',
    method='POST',
    locale='pt_BR'
)
print(response)

Arguments:

• recipient (string): The phone number to which the message is to be delivered. It's a mandatory parameter.
• app_uuid (string): The UUID of the application you want to use for this session. Defaults to the UUID of the default application for your account.
• otp: You can specify the OTP in the request if you want to send a custom one instead of a system-generated one.
• channel (string): The channel you want to send the code. Allowed values: sms, voice. Defaults to sms.
• locale: The locale parameter allows you to customize the language of the OTP message. This is useful if your users are in different regions and prefer different languages.
• url: To receive a callback on the final state of OTP delivery.
• method: The HTTP method to be used when calling the URL defined above.

If you created multiple applications, you can send the app_uuid in the request parameter:

response = client.verify_session.create(
    app_uuid='xxxxx-1215-4qq2e-222-xxxx',
    recipient='+xxxxxxxxxxx'  # dst number
)
print(response)

If you are sending a custom OTP:

response = client.verify_session.create(
    recipient='+xxxxxxxxxxx',  # dst number
    otp=code,
)
print(response)

If you want to send the locale parameter:

response = client.verify_session.create(
    app_uuid='sss-1c15-4ww3e-ssss-ssss',
    recipient='+xxxxxxxxxxx',  # dst number
    otp=code,
    channel='sms',
    method='POST',
    url='https://www.requestbin.com',
    locale='pt_BR'
)
print(response)

Validate the session

Once the user receives the OTP, they must provide it to your application. You can then verify the OTP using the validate request:

response = client.verify_session.validate(
    session_uuid='sss-1c15-4d3e-ssss-ssss',
    otp=code
)
print(response)

You can request the Plivo support team to configure the hashmap so that the OTP will be automatically read from the message, eliminating the need to enter the received OTP on the handset.

Arguments:

• otp (string): The OTP that you want to validate against a particular session.
• session_uuid: The session UUID of the Verify session request.

Get and list Verify sessions

You can retrieve details of a specific Verify session or list all Verify sessions. This can be useful for auditing and tracking purposes.

response = client.verify_session.get(
    session_uuid='sss-1c15-4d3e-ssss-ssss'
)
print(response)```



```
response = client.verify_session.list()
print(response)

Start sending SMS verification codes with Plivo

While there are plenty of ways to improve the security of your application and protect customers from fraud, a lot depends on your service provider.

If you’re looking for a reliable and trusted partner, Plivo is the right solution for you. We send messages to audiences in 220+ countries and offer a full suite of products including SMS API, Verify API, WhatsApp Business API, Voice API, and more. 

Interested in reading more about how Plivo can help you strengthen your application’s security? Check out some of our top picks: 

• How to Add Two-Factor Authentication to a Python Flask Application with Plivo: A step-by-step guide for Python developers.
• Adding Two-Factor Authentication to a .NET Application: Learn how to integrate OTP verification in .NET.
• Implementing Two-Factor Authentication in Ruby: Ruby developers can follow this detailed tutorial.
• Verify API Reference Documentation: Comprehensive documentation for developers looking to dive deep into Plivo's Verify API.

Preventing SMS Fraud with Plivo: Learn how Plivo’s Verify API protects against SMS fraud.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can easily integrate Plivo’s Verify API into your application to manage OTPs for user verification. This process ensures a higher level of security and helps authenticate users effectively.

That’s it! You should be ready to start sending OTPs for account verification. For full details regarding setting up OTPs with Verify, check our developer resources.

The Global Fraud Loss Survey 2023 found that robocall scams in North America now account for more than 50% of global losses. Yet, many businesses are unprepared to deal with robocall scams and their implications for customers. 

As businesses increasingly rely on automated systems and digital communication, the opportunities for fraudsters to exploit vulnerabilities also rise. 

Toll fraud not only affects customer trust but can lead to significant financial losses and damage to a company's reputation. It is crucial for businesses to understand the mechanisms of such frauds and implement robust prevention strategies to safeguard their operations and maintain customer confidence.

In this guide, we’ll dive deeper into toll fraud and explain how to take steps to protect your business.

What is toll fraud?

Toll fraud, otherwise called international revenue sharing fraud (IRSF), occurs when an unauthorized individual gains control of a company’s phone system to transfer long-distance, international, or even premium-rate calls at the owner's expense. 

Usually, fraudsters gain access to voice mail systems or private branch exchanges (PBXs) that are not adequately secured. They use this access to make call-through calls, which rack up expenses by using unreasonable foreign or premium services. 

How does toll fraud work?

Toll fraud affects landline and mobile numbers in more than 200 countries. The profitable nature of toll fraud is reflected in the emergence and re-selling of the number range, as many as 10,000 new IRSF-related areas are promoted weekly.

Here’s a step-by-step example of how toll fraud works to the detriment of a business. 

Finding weaknesses: Fraudsters scour telecommunication systems for vulnerabilities. These weaknesses could involve poorly secured account registration processes or weak security settings.

1. Fake account factory: Once a weakness is identified, the fraudster creates many fake accounts using automated bots or scripts. These fake accounts can appear quite legitimate at first glance.
2. Premium number power: Fraudsters leverage premium-rate or premium-service numbers provided by telecom carriers. These numbers charge significantly higher rates per call or text message compared to regular numbers.
3. Exploiting the system: Fraudsters use the fake accounts and premium numbers to steal money using two different methods:
   
   • The 2FA trap: If a service uses SMS or voice verification codes for two-factor authentication (2FA), fraudsters can exploit this. They trigger a massive number of verification code requests to be sent to their fake accounts, all routed to the premium numbers. This results in a surge of expensive texts or calls being billed.
   • Account activity abuse: Services with free trials or account creation are vulnerable. Fraudsters exploit weak registration processes to create a multitude of fake accounts. These accounts might then be used to trigger actions that generate SMS or voice traffic to premium numbers, racking up charges for the service provider.
4. Profit sharing scheme: In some cases, the fraudsters might collude with a complicit telecom carrier. The carrier might share a portion of the inflated revenue generated from the premium number usage.

By generating a massive amount of fake traffic to premium numbers, fraudsters steal money, often leaving the service provider or unsuspecting user with a hefty bill.

Who is at risk of toll fraud?

Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) users, firms using premium rate numbers, and people dealing with international communications are most vulnerable to the threat of toll fraud.

Industries and businesses at risk

1. VoIP Users

Volume: High

Fraudsters frequently target VoIP users. Because of its digital nature, VoIP software is more prone to manipulation than other telecommunication methods.

2. Users of premium-rate numbers

Volume: Very high

Businesses using premium-rate phone numbers are vulnerable to toll fraud. Fake helpline numbers are designed to charge callers more than they would pay if they directly called any other number. Fraudsters redirect callers to these helplines and collect the revenue.

Examples: adult chat lines, tech support lines, interactive voting systems

3. Companies with international call facilities

Volume: Medium to high

Remote or international businesses, as well as those who are in the habit of making calls overseas, fall under the high-risk category as well. Fraudsters divert these calls to the high-cost destinations of their choice to pocket a maximum of the bogus billing payments.

For example, a U.S. tech company discovers that its phone system has been hacked, with all calls being redirected to premium-rate numbers in Latvia and the Maldives. Overnight, the sudden surge in international calls reveals significant financial misuse. This anomaly allowed the breach to be detected quickly.

4. High-risk geographic locations

Volume: High

Fraudsters direct calls mainly to countries that are known for their comparatively expensive rates. Cuba, Estonia, Lithuania, Somalia, and Zimbabwe are a few popular options for toll fraud.

How to prevent toll fraud

Plivo offers robust fraud control through Verify API for businesses to shield their operations. With built-in Fraud Shield, Plivo’s tools for limiting the risk of toll fraud can significantly help your business at no additional cost. Here’s how Fraud Shield works. 

Usage triggers

Statistically, large volumes of calls or SMS messages are strong indicators of fraudulent activity. Tracking these usage triggers is the first step to detecting and preventing toll fraud.

Plivo’s console has tools for users to review voice and SMS usage, react to unusual patterns, and initiate investigations.

Best Practices:

• Define usage allocations based on your business needs. For instance, if your application sends a one-time password (OTP) to a user account for two-factor authentication, you might limit the number of OTPs to one within a specific period (such as one OTP per user per 15 minutes).
• Track outgoing and incoming calls and text messaging activities for any sudden or unusual increases or changes in patterns.

Geographic Permissions

Toll fraud can be reduced by restricting call destinations. Through the Plivo console, geographic permissions can be managed and users can specify the countries that can process their outgoing calls. 

Best Practices:

• To manage location permissions, click on Voice > Geo Permissions from the Plivo console. Find the countries you’re looking for on this list. You can narrow the list of options by checking certain geo-spatial regions or countries as needed.
• Clarify permissions that align with your business and limit direct calls to risky countries unless only when necessary. 

Custom Prefix Blacklist

A blacklist of prefixes related to high percentages and fraud helps detect attempts at unrecognized use. Plivo follows an evolving list of risky prefixes that include the rate of calls, trends detected by third-party entities, and more. These characteristics can be used to make your phone system more secure.

Best Practices:

• From the Plivo high-risk screen (pictured below), follow the prompts to export the latest risky prefix list. 
• Include these prefixes in the system’s blacklist feature to automatically stop the number of calls when it reaches a certain threshold. 

High-Risk Permissions

By tweaking permissions in the Plivo console, you can limit access to phone calls and messages that pose a high risk. These controls include banning outbound calls to numbers for revenue sharing.

Best Practices:

• Publish and regularly update a list of high-risk areas from Plivo's Voice > Geo Permissions > High-Risk Permissions screen. The SIP filter blacklist provided by Plivo details more than a thousand of these expensive rates and higher-risk prefixes.
• Formulate rate limits to check the volume of outgoing calls and messages and avoid traffic from formidable amounts to high-risk destinations.
• Create voice verification functions and two-factor authentication to better identify real customers and block undue service use.

Prevent toll fraud with Plivo’s Fraud Shield

Plivo's Fraud Shield protects businesses against the negative impacts of toll fraud. Multiple security layers and continuous monitoring reduce the chances of unintended use of communication services that cause losses.

Key features of Plivo's Fraud Shield

• Real-time traffic monitoring: Plivo sends notifications in real time, allowing the detection of anomalous patterns that could indicate fraud. This feature is a decisive parameter for detecting and handling possible threats.

• Customizable thresholds: Call management systems allow businesses to set definite durations, intervals, and destinations for calls. Users can specify the parameters of normal activity for their particular operations. If all of the thresholds are exceeded, Plivo sends an alert.

• Geographic and prefix restrictions: Users can restrict calls to high-risk countries or with high-cost prefixes and edit them individually from the Plivo console.

• Automated blocks and alerts: Plivo can generate real-time alerts on suspicious activities and automatically take appropriate action to block an identified threat. This method effectively blocks unauthorized use while preventing overall losses.

• Detailed reporting: Plivo generates rich reports for businesses to study call patterns and examine whether the existing strategies to curb fraudulent activity are effective. With this detailed analysis, it may be possible to adjust settings and develop more robust security measures for the future.

Begin your free trial today to experience how our range of tools can safeguard your business from toll fraud.

WhatsApp’s Business Platform is one of the most powerful channels for businesses to connect with customers. 

Whether you need to notify customers about order confirmations, delivery, and tracking status or answer inquiries and resolve issues promptly, the WhatsApp Business Platform is an affordable way to reach your audience. 

In this guide, we’ll cover the WhatsApp Business Platform's many powerful features, benefits, total cost, and best practices for successfully using it. We’ll also provide details on how to find a WhatsApp business solution partner to make it easy to optimize your use of this channel.

What is the WhatsApp Business Platform?

WhatsApp Business Platform is a suite of communication tools designed for businesses to connect and engage with their customers on their preferred texting app. With over 2 billion active users worldwide, WhatsApp is the most popular mobile messenger app globally, making it a crucial platform for businesses to reach a vast audience. 

​You can integrate WhatsApp into your existing tech setup using a WhatsApp Business API solution like Plivo. 

There are two primary ways to use WhatsApp Business Platform: customer-initiated conversations or outreach after opt-in consent. In addition, WhatsApp supports text, media-based, and interactive messaging. Businesses can send images and video content or engage customers through rapid responses to their needs with the right call to action.

WhatsApp’s flexibility makes it the ideal channel for sending everything from order confirmations to product updates to promotions, not to mention responding to customer service inquiries in a familiar, easy messaging environment. 

What’s the difference between the WhatsApp Business Platform and WhatsApp Business App? 

WhatsApp Business Platform is a different product than WhatsApp Business App (WABA). 

The WhatsApp Business App is designed for small businesses to help them manage customer interactions from a single device.

The WhatsApp Business Platform provides programmatic access to WhatsApp at scale to medium to large businesses. The Platform offers rich messaging features to send media and add quick reply buttons.

Built for developers, the platform has a friendly user interface. It offers enterprise resources such as free access to test numbers, detailed documentation, and support for automating and integrating communication workflows. Whether you're building interactive customer experiences or automating routine communications, the WhatsApp Business Platform equips you to create high-quality, engaging messages quickly. 

WhatsApp Business Platform features

The WhatsApp Business Platform offers features such as rich messaging, automated responses, analytics, and improved security. 

1. Rich Messaging:

‍Send not just text but also images, videos, and documents. This makes the messaging experience richer and more engaging. With such extensive versatility, the WhatsApp Business Platform can be used to showcase a new product through a video, share a brochure as a PDF, or simply update customers on their latest transactions.    

2. Templates:

WhatsApp mandates using pre-approved templates to communicate with your customers. You can create predefined message templates for different use cases, such as shipping notifications, appointment reminders, or even purchase order confirmations. You can further personalize these templates for every customer based on their details for greater engagement and faster response times. 

3. Automated messages:

Schedule automated messages and responses for common customer inquiries. Automate and schedule messages to acknowledge when a customer has reached out to support or to welcome a new customer.

4. Security

WhatsApp ensures end-to-end encryption, maintaining the privacy of business and customer conversations. 

Get started with the WhatsApp Business Platform

Any business that wants to leverage WhatsApp for customer communication can benefit from a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP).

A WhatsApp BSP is essentially a middleman between your business and the WhatsApp Business Platform. They are approved by Meta to help businesses leverage the power of WhatsApp for customer communication. 

Here are some ways in which working with a BSP can help your business:

• Expert integration: BSPs provide expert assistance in integrating WhatsApp into your existing systems, ensuring smooth and efficient setup.
• Enhanced support: BSPs offer dedicated customer support and troubleshooting, helping to resolve any issues that may arise quickly.
• Advanced features: BSPs often provide additional tools and features, such as analytics, automation, and customization options, which are unavailable through direct sign-up​.

What to look for in a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)

Choosing the right WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)  directly impacts your ability to communicate and engage with customers on WhatsApp. The features that your BSP offers will determine the level of automation, efficiency, and reliability of your messaging operations. 

For instance, if the BSP offers robust automation capabilities, you can streamline customer interactions, respond promptly to inquiries, and provide round-the-clock support. This improves user experience by ensuring quick and relevant responses to queries, ultimately leading to higher customer satisfaction and retention. 

Here are some key features to look for when selecting a BSP.

• Embedded onboarding

Choose a BSP that offers an easy and quick onboarding experience. Detailed documentation, a knowledge base, and developer support can help you integrate their services into your applications efficiently. The platform's API should also allow for easy messaging and voice functionality integration, ensuring you can get started with minimal hassle.

• Robust and reliable platform

Choose a BSP that comes with an enterprise-grade communication platform. For instance, Plivo offers connectivity in over 190 countries, serving thousands of businesses globally. Additionally, ensure the platform you choose can handle a wide range of API requests per month, thus guaranteeing reliable communication for your business. 

• Integrated WhatsApp signup and registration

Find a BSP that enables quick sign-up and easy registration for the WhatsApp Business API on its website. The registration process should be straightforward and provide options to describe your primary use case and expected monthly volume so you can start sending messages to your customers in just a couple of minutes. 

• No-code, WhatsApp AI chatbot

A good platform will allow you to create or integrate an AI chatbot for WhatsApp. It should also help you automate engagements and use features like SMS and voice messaging to enhance your customer service and interactions.  

• Marketing automation

Consider BSPs offering marketing automation features, such as SMS marketing and automated messaging on WhatsApp. These features can help you send alerts and notifications and effectively engage with customers throughout their journey.

• Simplified pricing model

Opt for a BSP with a transparent and simplified pricing model. Avoid providers that charge per-message fees and look for one that offers a single rate for all types of conversations. Additionally, consider BSPs that offer volume-based discounts as your business grows.

How much does a WhatsApp Business API solution cost?

The costs for WhatsApp Business API solutions vary considerably by provider. With Plivo’s WhatsApp Business API, a simplified pricing model combines Meta's fee per conversation with a flat fee of Rs. 0.066/conversation, eliminating per-message charges. 

This unified flat fee rate by Plivo applies to any conversation type, making budgeting more predictable. Plivo also supports multimedia messages at no additional cost, and you can get volume discounts based on your needs and scale. 

Check out the WhatsApp Business API pricing in detail. 

Prerequisites for using Plivo’s WhatsApp Business API

To integrate WhatsApp with Plivo for using the Messaging API, there are a few prerequisites:

• Meta Business Suite:  Make sure you have a Meta Business Suite account to access Meta's products, including WhatsApp. If you don’t have one yet, you can either set it up via Meta Business Suite or use the embedded signup in the Plivo console. 
• Admin Rights: Ensure you have admin access to the Meta account linked to your business.
• WhatsApp Business Account (WABA): To start messaging, you need an active WABA mapped to Plivo. As part of the signup flow, you’ll need to register a business phone number under this WABA. 
• Business Phone Number: Make sure the business phone number you’re registering for WABA during the signup flow in Plivo’s console can receive one-time passwords (OTPs) sent via text message or a voice call. If you have an existing number with a different WhatsApp solution provider, you can migrate it under the new WABA with Plivo here. 
• Templates: To send outbound Application-to-peer (A2P) messages, make sure you only use approved templates. Refer to our guide to draft templates and ensure you adhere to WhatsApp’s messaging guidelines. 
• Compliance: Before launching your messaging efforts with Plivo's WhatsApp API, review the terms and conditions of WhatsApp’s Business Messaging Policy, Commercial Policy, Plivo’s acceptable use policy (AUP), and other relevant guidelines. 

How to get started with WhatsApp Business Platform using Plivo

1. Create a WABA in the Plivo console 

When setting up your WABA in the Plivo Console, register a business phone number that can get a one-time password (OTP) by text or call. This number will be used for messaging customers and will appear on WhatsApp. 

You can either rent a number from Plivo or use your own. If you're switching from another provider, you can transfer your number to Plivo. Check Meta’s guidelines and Plivo's requirements for phone number registration and migration.

2. Customize your WhatsApp profile 

Choose a display name for your WhatsApp and follow the guidelines for setting it up. Then, allow Plivo the permissions needed to serve as your WhatsApp solution provider.

3. Verify successful onboarding 

To confirm successful onboarding, check your Meta Business Account. Select your Meta account, then go to Business Settings and choose WhatsApp Accounts. Under the Partners tab, Plivo should be listed among your partners. 

Then, navigate to the Settings tab, where you should find 'PLIVO INC' listed as a payment method.

When you select "WhatsApp Manager," the number you've added should show up as connected.

4. Register WhatsApp templates

Businesses must use templates approved by Meta for WhatsApp messages. You can create new templates in WhatsApp Manager. Meta segments templates into utility, marketing, or authentication categories, based on the message content. The category impacts both the conversation type and the cost. 

In the Plivo console, you can find template information. Navigate to Messaging > WhatsApp Business Account > Templates to sync and view details from Meta. 

Note: Approval for new templates could take up to 24 hours. Adhering to Meta's guidelines ensures quicker approval times.

5. Manage your business phone number

To manage business phone numbers in Plivo, go to WhatsApp > WhatsApp Business Account. Select your account and click 'Configurations.' Under account details, use the ‘+Add Phone Number’ button to add numbers. 

You'll see the option to 'Unlink Number' once added. In the console, under the same section, you can view all linked numbers, their connection status, name status, and quality rating. Statuses include connected, pending, or disconnected. The name status shows Meta's verification feedback, and the quality rating reflects recipient feedback.

Get started with the WhatsApp Business Platform

As a registered Meta Business Solution Provider (BSP), Plivo offers an easy WhatsApp Business Accounts (WABA) onboarding process. Our integrated signup and registration system, embedded into the Plivo console, allows you to quickly verify your WhatsApp numbers and start sending messages without delay. 

Additionally, to simplify billing, we provide a postpaid option, handling invoicing for you and alleviating the complexity of billing from Meta.

Plivo provides a strong and dependable API platform, granting access to all your channels with the convenience of a single bill, contract, and point of contact. We offer competitive pricing, and our support, rated 99/100 for satisfaction on G2, is consistently top-notch.

Using the WhatsApp Business Platform through Plivo means effortlessly managing customer interactions on a larger scale. With features like rich messaging and advanced automation tools, you'll enhance customer satisfaction and engagement while streamlining your communication processes.

Ready to get started? Sign up for a free trial. 

Short codes and long code numbers can be used to send text messages and directly engage and educate your customers about your products or services. Deciding whether to use a long code or short-code number isn’t always obvious. While short code text messages are more suitable for sending bulk messages, long codes appear more personal to customers. However, long codes have limited use. 

So, which one should you use: short codes vs long codes? 

In this article, we’ll explain what each type of SMS is, their key benefits, and which type of campaigns each option is most suitable for. 

Short code vs long code: A quick comparison 

SMS long codes 

SMS long codes are 10-digit numbers used for business text messaging. In the US, the long code includes a three-digit area code. They’re used for corporate phone numbers, chat applications, and automated phone systems. These numbers also support voice and multimedia marketing.  

Types of long codes 

There are two types of long codes: 10-digit long codes and toll-free numbers. 

1. 10-digit long codes (10DLC): 10DLC preferentially allows A2P SMS traffic for use cases like sending alerts, marketing messages, and notifications. They offer enhanced deliverability and support voice and multimedia messaging service (MMS) marketing. 10DLC offers higher messaging throughput compared to unregistered long codes—up to 4,500 transactions per minute per operator. However, they do not support read receipts.
   
   
2. Toll-free numbers: Incoming calls are billed to the receiver and are free for the entity making the call. In the US, area codes 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833 indicate toll-free numbers. Most countries have their own set of dialing prefixes that indicate toll-free numbers. They’re mostly used for voice calls but can also support two-way messaging. Toll-free numbers offer a throughput of up to 10 messages per second without any extra carrier surcharges.

Benefits of long codes for your business

Long codes offer your business the following advantages.

1. Personalized experience: Long codes include an area code and a two-way texting feature, enabling businesses to send targeted alerts and reminders to relevant audiences.
   
   
2. International reach: Long codes support text messages for global businesses. You can send and receive SMS using your extended code virtual number.
   
   
3. Set-up advantages: They are easy and quick to set up. Even a landline number can be converted into a 10DLC code. 

SMS short codes

Short codes are five—or six-digit numbers used to send SMS and MMS to customers at scale and cost-efficiently. Customers can recall short codes easily, making them a great way to reach a large audience. 

Businesses utilize short codes for SMS marketing, two-factor authentication (2FA), customer surveys, and more. Short codes can handle massive messaging traffic. They’re an excellent choice for businesses with large customer bases.

Types of short codes 

There are three types of short codes:

1. Dedicated short codes: Businesses own and use these codes exclusively to send unlimited text messages for a specific keyword. Since the brand owns the code, it also owns the available keywords for it. Thus, brands can customize the opt-in keywords for their SMS marketing campaigns.

2. Shared short codes: They are codes shared among several distinct businesses. They are not allowed in the US, Canada, and a majority of countries across the world. 

3. Vanity short codes: These codes are specifically picked by brands due to their aesthetic appeal. They may have repeating numbers or consequent numbers. For example, Chipotle uses the short code 888-222.

Benefits of short codes for your business

Short codes have the following benefits.

1. Easy to remember: Short codes have more recall value, which increases if your business opts for a vanity number.

2. Faster deliverability: Short codes offer the best deliverability across the US and Canada. 

3. Allows bulk messaging: SMS short code lets you send up to 400 messages per second. Default throughput starts at 50 messages per second.  

Scalable messaging with Plivo’s SMS API platform

You can interact with your customers in 220+ countries all over the world using Plivo. 

Plivo’s global reach is just one reason why enterprises choose our platform for their SMS campaigns. Here are a few more. 

1. Enterprise-grade platform: Plivo is engineered for high availability, reliability, and 99.95% uptime SLA.
   
2. Proven quality and scale: Plivo’s direct to carrier network and intelligent routing ensure the highest SMS deliverability in the US and Canada.

3. Premium customer support: Plivo’s 24/7 customer support ensures you receive technical guidance and industry expertise whenever you need it.

4. Lower cost of ownership: Plivo offers usage-based pricing where you pay only for what you use. You also get additional discounts with committed use as you scale your campaigns.

Request a trial today to learn more about how Plivo can help your business. 

Customer service representatives face a constant barrage of inquiries across many channels. A Forbes report reveals that 86% of consumers would pay more for a great customer experience. Hence, businesses are turning to customer interaction management platforms to streamline processes and boost customer satisfaction as the need for seamless interactions rises. 

Gartner even predicts that 80% of interactions will involve AI by 2025 to improve agent efficiency and enhance the customer experience.

To help you get started with customer interaction management tools, this guide covers the following concerns:

• What customer interaction management is and its benefits for customer service
• Key features to consider when choosing customer interaction management software
• Top customer interaction management solutions compared to find your perfect fit

We also discuss why PlivoCX stands out as a cloud-based omnichannel contact center solution.

Let’s begin!

What is Customer Interaction Management?

Customer interaction management refers to the process and technology used by businesses to manage and analyze customer interactions across various channels.

Customer interaction management systems typically integrate multiple communication channels, such as phone, email, chat, social media, and in-person interactions, into a single platform.

The primary goals are to enhance customer satisfaction, improve customer service efficiency, and increase customer loyalty and retention rates.

How to Choose the Right Customer Interaction Management Software to Improve the Customer Experience

Selecting the perfect customer interaction management software is like finding your customer service dream team. Consider the following aspects to find the appropriate customer interaction management platform:

• Omnichannel integration: Choose a solution that ensures seamless communication across all channels your customers use, such as email, phone calls, social media platforms, and live chat.
  
• Customer data management: Look for software that gathers and stores all customer interactions and data, such as past purchases, support tickets, etc., in one place. This will help your agents personalize interactions and close help tickets faster.
  
• Interaction tracking and analytics: Analyzing response times for different channels or tracking customer satisfaction scores over time will give you data-driven insights, which will, in turn, guide your strategic decision-making for your customer service operations.
  
• Workflow automation: Having software that automates routine tasks like ticket routing, sending follow-up emails, or generating canned responses to FAQs will allow your agents to focus on more complex issues and provide hyper-personalized service.
  
• Chatbots and AI assistants: Consider customer interaction management software that offers OpenAI-powered chatbot functionality. These bots can handle everything from simple inquiries to providing self-service options and deflecting basic questions, thus reducing the load on your agents and offering 24/7 customer support.
  
• Customer segmentation: By segmenting your customer base based on demographics, purchase history, and support needs, you can target them with relevant communication.
  
• Integrations with CRMs and other tools: Choose customer interaction management software that provides the benefits of CRM integrations with widely used tools such as Salesforce and HubSpot and other customer support tools like Zendesk. This will facilitate your agents’ work, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks while automating repetitive ones.
  

• Real-time transcriptions: Real-time transcriptions enhance agent training and development and can improve the customer experience by providing real-time assistance, ensuring customers’ needs are met promptly and efficiently. Accurate transcriptions of conversations enable agents to identify areas for improvement and strengthen their communication skills.

Top Customer Interaction Management Software: Quick Comparison

Let’s look at each software in detail: 

1. Plivo CX (Service module)

Key features: 

• Allows you to view every conversation on a single screen and eliminate tool switching with a fully integrated unified agent desktop
• Helps you gain real-time insights into customer emotions during interactions with conversation analytics scores
• Workflow builder creates personalized experiences for customers by crafting unique user journeys that seamlessly connect across all your channels
• All communication channels are presented in a straightforward interface, allowing agents to view the customer’s conversation timeline and interaction history easily
• Integrates with various systems, including home-grown systems and popular CRM, ERP, and helpdesk systems, such as Salesforce, Salesforce Service Cloud, Zendesk, etc., to provide businesses with a unified view of customer interactions
• Enhances agent productivity and enables real-time coaching opportunities
• Enables you to build automated workflows with just a click using the drag-and-drop feature

Pros: 

• Integrating all business systems with the unified agent desktop reduces handling time and agent errors
• Real-time live dashboards display current metrics and allow users to drill down into specific data
• The reporting dashboard shows detailed historical data and is ideal for analyzing trends and performance over time

Limitations: 

• Plivo CX lacks features for workforce management and quality assurance
• Does not have a mobile version for the support agent
• It may not be the ideal tool for transactional ticket-based customer support interactions

Pricing: 

• Offers a free trial 
• Chat only: $228/user
• Growth: $348/user
• Business: $828/user
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Best suited for: 

Businesses seeking a fully customized omnichannel contact center platform with a user-friendly interface. It is ideal for mid-market e-commerce, fintech, healthcare, and B2C brands.

Ratings: 

• G2: 4.5/5 (700+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (85 reviews)

2. Zendesk 

Key features: 

• Track, organize, and route tickets and use CSAT ratings, time tracking, and service-level agreements (SLAs) for quick resolution
• Prioritize urgent tickets using the ticket handling feature and ensure prompt resolution of critical issues
• Use AI-led insights to optimize operations with personalized intent

Pros: 

• You can access professional CX guidance and a supportive community through the Zendesk platform
• The platform seamlessly integrates with a wide range of existing tools

Limitations: 

• The calling functionality is limited
• Customizable workflows are not supported 
• The support platform is incapable of providing businesses with the ability to offer a conversational support experience at present
• All tasks require the creation of tickets, leading to a transactional experience

Pricing:

• Suite Team: $55/agent/month
• Suite Growth: $89/agent/month
• Suite Professional: $115/agent/month
• Suite Enterprise: Custom pricing
• Suite Enterprise Plus: Custom pricing

Best suited for: 

Mid-sized and enterprise-level telecommunications, FinTech, retail, software businesses, etc.

Ratings: 

• G2: 4.3/5 (5800+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5 (3800+ reviews)

3. Gladly

Key features: 

• Ensure prompt resolution of customer inquiries by the appropriate agent through advanced routing and queuing features
• Match customers with your best agent for optimal support using People Match
• Gain insights into agent productivity in real time, thanks to SLAs and response times used by Gladly

Pros:

• Simplifies data migration, reducing downtime and disruptions
• Offers 360^o real-time customer view across all communication platforms

Limitations: 

• Users have expressed frustration with Gladly as it times out every hour when you are in long meetings or training sessions. (Source)
• You may require adapters for accessing data as it lacks native storage solutions, thereby slowing down the process (Source)

Pricing: 

• No self-service free trial
• Hero package: Starts at $180 per user/month 
• Superhero package: Starts at $210 per user/month 

Best suited for: 

Small to medium-sized businesses with customer-centric teams

Ratings: 

• G2: 4.7/5 (900+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.8/5 (100+ reviews)

4. Kustomer 

Key features: 

• Optimize productivity with Kustomer's omnichannel approach that facilitates real-time communication between agents and customers and eliminates duplication of tickets by providing a consolidated panel for each customer
• Automate everyday tasks and provide round-the-clock customer support using AI. This helps reduce response time and streamline operations
• Create personalized IVR journeys before reaching an agent
• Track customer sentiment to guide agent interaction and measure their effectiveness
• Unify agent workspace for seamless access to all customer information

Pros: 

• Kustomer offers customizable workflows, insight cards, and business rules
• It supports seamless social messaging channels and allows internal notes for Q/A purposes

Limitations: 

• The self-service option lacks crucial features like knowledge management publishing and approval workflows, resulting in higher support costs (source)
• Does not offer native voice and SMS functionality
• Has limited reporting customization features

Pricing: 

• No free trial
• Enterprise: $89/user per month
• Ultimate: $139/user per month 

Best suited for: 

Medium-sized and enterprise-level businesses, especially retail, restaurant, and healthcare industries 

Ratings: 

• G2: 4.4/5 (400+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 (50+ reviews)

5. Aircall 

Key features: 

• Visually map call flows, auto-routing customers to the right agents
• Hold your call and seamlessly launch a separate one to do parallel calling
• Design a smart IVR that guides callers to the correct team on the first try

Pros: 

• Aircall offers an intuitive and user-friendly product experience
• It ensures consistent call quality through dynamic carrier switching
• In-house support and a knowledge base simplify onboarding

Limitations: 

• Aircall lacks a helpdesk and knowledge base support capabilities
• Workflow designer lacks the flexibility to design custom journeys
• You get limited omnichannel support as it provides only calling functionality

Pricing: 

• Offers a free trial
• Two tiers: Essentials starts at $30 per license, with three licenses for $1080, and Professional starts at $50 per license, with three licenses for $1800
• Minimum three licenses
• Provides add-on packs

Best suited for: 

FinTech, retail, e-commerce, and healthcare industries. It is ideal for sales and customer support teams managing high call volume with calling as the primary communication channel.

Ratings: 

• G2: 4.3/5 (1000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (400+ reviews)

Benefits of Using Customer Interaction Management Software

Customer interaction management software goes beyond managing interactions; it transforms customer connections in the following ways:

• Enhanced customer relationships: Agents aware of their customers’ histories can better personalize their interactions and form lasting relationships with them.
  
• Improved customer satisfaction: Streamlined communication produces faster responses and ensures more effective problem-solving, increasing customer satisfaction.
  
• Increased customer retention: Using automatic alerts to identify at-risk users and taking proactive steps enables agents to resolve issues before they lead to their churn.
  
• Data-driven insights: Evaluating your interaction data to learn more about your customers’ preferences, behavior, and problems will furnish insights to develop your product and marketing strategies and accelerate growth.

Why Plivo CX is Your Ideal Customer Interaction Management Software

Built on a proven, scalable platform, Plivo CX offers a unique blend of features designed for today’s mobile-first world.

• Effortless omnichannel management: Manage all your customer interactions—voice calls, live chats, social media messages, emails, and SMS/Text—within a unified agent desktop.
• IVR and AI chatbots: With its fully customizable IVR, you can self-select options that will route you to the right department and resolve your issue quickly. Say goodbye to long wait times and hello to faster solutions. Personalize workflows and automate tasks, ensuring a seamless experience for your team with no-code AI chatbots.
• Seamless integrations: Plivo CX boasts pre-built integrations with popular CRMs, helpdesks, and business tools, such as Salesforce, Zendesk, Shopify, Kustomer, and more.
• Drag-and-drop workflows: The Workflow builder helps build custom user journeys across channels through which the business interacts with customers.

Book a demo to explore how Plivo CX can transform your customer interactions.

Whether you run a food and grocery delivery service, a ride-hailing app, or a marketplace where you need to call your customers regularly creating a customer experience is a top priority. 

Phone number masking is a tool that allows these business types to design customer-centric communications that prioritize privacy and security, improving customer satisfaction and building trust in your business. 

But how do you implement phone number masking? What are the benefits of call masking? And, is it worth the effort and resources? 

In this guide, we’ll answer all of these questions and help you choose the right service provider for your call masking needs. 

What are masked phone numbers? 

Masked phone numbers, also known as anonymized, proxied, or cloaked phone numbers, conceal participants' personal phone numbers and anonymize communication between multiple parties. 

Instead of directly calling from one phone number to another, users communicate through a third-party "proxy" phone number that forwards the call to the desired destination. To build familiarity and affinity, you can even opt for a specific area code local to a particular state, territory, or region. 

How does call masking protect your number?

Phone number masking often includes features such as call routing, caller ID protection, call duration limits, and encryption, adding layers of security and privacy. This setup achieves several goals at once. 

Firstly, it prevents the parties' numbers from being exposed to one another by using a temporary virtual number as a bridge between the caller and the recipient. Vendors can automatically discontinue communication once a transaction or service is completed, ensuring that all parties involved are secure. 

Second, number masking allows companies to monitor and control communication for quality and security purposes. By routing calls through a controlled environment, you can monitor conversations for compliance with service standards like GDPR, resolve disputes by reviewing call records, and detect any fraudulent activities. 

With reliable masking providers like Plivo, you can also accelerate your go-to-market time with an off-the-shelf, packaged API solution and implement masking within a day. The feature-rich platform provides robust logic that facilitates two-way calling and phone number reuse. Additionally, the advanced infrastructure ensures high call quality and minimal call drops, ensuring your customer experience is on-point. 

6 benefits of using phone number masking API

Let’s take a look at six of the biggest problems call masking solutions solve for business: 

1. Ensure privacy and security of both customers and vendors

By masking phone numbers, you can build trust with your customers and vendors and ensure the safety of their personal information. Call masking keeps numbers private and secure from unauthorized access—spam calls, fraudulent websites, and others. 

2. Prevent platform leakage

Platform leakage occurs when buyers and sellers bypass the marketplace to avoid platform fees and obtain better deals by communicating directly to complete a transaction. 

Phone number masking adds a layer of protection that discourages users from taking their transactions off your platform. It anonymizes and conceals sensitive information to protect user privacy while preserving the data's functionality. 

3. Uphold the brand reputation

Call masking makes business representatives and customers feel secure knowing their personal information isn’t exposed to strangers. This reduces the risk of a privacy breach or unwanted contact post-transaction (i.e., contact once the cab ride is over). 

Call masking also reinforces the brand’s role as a trustworthy intermediary, making customers more likely to continue using the service. 

4. Get enhanced data insights for better decision-making

Plivo offers streamlined data analysis and reporting of your call masking operations. Simplifying key information allows Plivo users to set the stage for higher rates of adoption, impact customer loyalty, and increase revenue. 

5. Go global in a cost-effective way

Expanding to new markets is tough. It’s often resource-intensive and expensive to comply with local regulations and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) while building trust with local customers. 

Partnering with a trusted phone number masking provider like Plivo can also reduce the risk of unintentional violations that could be costly or damage your business’s reputation. 

6. Enhance your customer experience 

Call masking makes business interactions feel safer for customers by combining security and streamlining customer service. 

For instance, a food delivery service can use anonymized virtual numbers to facilitate communication between customers and delivery drivers without revealing personal phone numbers. 

This setup ensures customers can easily resolve any issues with their delivery, such as providing directions, without compromising their privacy. Such a seamless and secure communication management process enhances the overall customer experience, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Benefits of number masking for your business

Businesses across industries can benefit from number masking. This solution helps build trust with customers, improves security and compliance, and can help your company run more efficiently. 

From a consumer standpoint, number masking protects phone numbers from unauthorized access, minimizing unwanted calls and SMS in the process. These solutions demonstrate a commitment to data privacy, something that helps build brand loyalty. 

Number masking helps companies mitigate the risk of fraud while complying with data privacy regulations, including GDPR and CCPA. Number masking safeguards customer identities as well as employee contact information — especially useful in industries like real estate or sales, where professionals frequently use their personal devices for work purposes. 

It also helps companies work more efficiently. Number masking solutions optimize call distribution and management, reducing the need for multiple phone lines. These solutions can also provide insights into call performance and customer behavior.

How to mask your phone number with Plivo?

Plivo's Number Masking API makes it significantly easier and faster for companies to set up phone number masking, cutting out 80% of the in-house development steps required by non-packaged solutions. 

Plivo’s Voice API allows you to seamlessly manage call flow and assign virtual phone numbers. Simply send the real phone numbers of the parties involved in the call via an API request. Plivo will then respond with a virtual number from your account, which you can use to host the masked session.

Plivo’s API simplifies the process and adopts a straightforward pricing model flat per-session fee, with no variable components such as call rates or phone number rentals. 

You can implement phone number masking with Plivo in just two steps.

To begin, you'll need a Plivo account — register using your work email if you haven't already done so. 

You must have a voice-enabled Plivo phone number to create number masking sessions. You can lease numbers through the Numbers section on the Plivo console or the Numbers API.

Step 1: Get a phone number on the Plivo console 

Step 2: Complete a single API integration 

How different types of businesses use call masking?

Number masking benefits businesses in many different industries. Here are a few examples of enterprises that use number masking in their daily operations.

Ride-hailing apps

Apps like Uber rely extensively on phone number masking to keep both drivers and passengers' phone numbers private. 

When a driver and passenger need to communicate about a ride, such as confirming a pickup location or sharing arrival updates, the app provides a temporary number for their communication. 

Marketplaces that connect buyers and sellers

India’s e-commerce market is one of the fastest growing globally. E-commerce marketplaces are responsible to both buyers and sellers for ensuring the trust and safety of both parties’ communication.

Phone number masking helps do just that. When a buyer wants to inquire about an item, the marketplace can provide a temporary number for the buyer and seller to communicate. 

This maintains the anonymity of both parties' real contact details until they decide to share more information, reducing the risk of scams and unwanted contacts. 

E-commerce delivery and Logistics

The need for security in e-commerce doesn’t stop at the marketplace level. E-commerce brands need a way to ensure the delivery experience meets customer expectations; partly, this can be achieved by integrating security throughout the transaction including phone calls made during the time of delivery. 

Call masking allows customers to contact delivery agents without revealing their personal phone numbers, and vice versa. 

Healthcare service providers

Number masking can help healthcare organizations comply with HIPAA regulations by safeguarding patient information. Masking patient phone numbers prevents unauthorized access to personal data, minimizing the risk of patient identity theft. Likewise, masking numbers can contribute to better patient care: offering a way to mask a patient’s number can alleviate anxiety about receiving calls from healthcare providers, especially in sensitive cases.

Real estate businesses

Real estate agents often use their personal phone numbers to get in touch with clients. Number masking protects the health and safety of individual agents by keeping those numbers private. Number masking helps agents maintain a healthy boundary between work and personal life, shielding them from unwanted calls or harassment. 

Financial service providers

Banks, lenders, and creditors use highly sensitive personal information; number masking can be a valuable tool for protecting the identities of both customers and employees. Masked numbers can help prevent scammers from obtaining customer phone numbers, reducing the risk of fraudulent activities like SIM swapping or phishing attacks. Likewise, reducing the exposure of employee contact information helps safeguard sensitive internal data. Number masking can also help financial institutions be compliant with PCI DSS regulations.

Get started with Plivo’s number masking API

Lack of security and trust can be frustrating for business owners and consumers alike, but there are certain communications you can use to build affinity and reduce costs. 

At Plivo, our enterprise-ready premium communications network has a 99.99% uptime. With our global reach supporting communications to 190+ countries, we help our customers cast a wider net globally—minus the legwork and hefty costs associated with infrastructure setup. Sign up for a free trial with Plivo today and get started.

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EasyPark. 23andMe. Idaho National Laboratory. T-Mobile. What do these seemingly random organizations all have in common?

These five brands experienced significant data breaches in 2023 that exposed sensitive user data and business records. A lack of multifactor or two-factor authentication as part of the login process contributed to these data breaches.

Although data breaches are common—with more than 3,200 cases in the US exposing 353 million users in 2023—many can be avoided with simple security measures such as two-factor authentication (2FA). These added security measures ensure the login request comes from the same user who created the account. 

Multiple verification options, including email, voice, and other biometrics, are available. For most businesses, SMS verification with a one-time passcode is the easiest and most convenient way to authenticate a login request.

Here’s why: SMS (text subscription) is the ideal channel for user verification communication. 

• More than 97% of Americans and 7 billion people worldwide use a cell phone. 
• People look at 99% of text messages, usually within 15 minutes of receiving them, whereas other channels, such as email, lack that immediacy. 
• Over 75% of consumers are OK with receiving SMS messages from brands they’ve opted in.

Even if you’re already familiar with SMS verification, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and innovations SMS verification services offer. In this guide, we’ll dive deeper into SMS verification and how the latest APIs help authenticate users to keep your business and customer data safe. 

What is SMS verification?

SMS verification is a security technique that employs Short Message Service (SMS) to verify the identity of users during online activities such as transactions, account logins, or accessing sensitive information. It is widely adopted by websites, apps, banks, and social networks as a method to strengthen security and ensure that access is granted only to verified users.

The primary function of SMS verification is to introduce an additional security layer on top of the standard username and password. This extra security is crucial for businesses looking to protect themselves from unauthorized access, identity theft, and other cyber threats.

SMS verification is often referred to by several terms that, while similar, emphasize different aspects of this security feature:

• Two-factor authentication (2FA) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) highlight the addition of extra security layers.
• One-time passwords (OTPs) focus on the generation of single-use codes that enhance security by ensuring that access codes cannot be reused.
• SMS authentication refers to the broad application of text messages as a means to confirm a user’s identity.

Is SMS secure?

SMS verification is more secure than passwords alone. By adding a second factor, SMS authentication makes it more difficult for bad actors to steal credentials and hack accounts. 

What is SMS authentication?

SMS verification and SMS authentication are two phrases that are often used interchangeably. However, these are different terms worth understanding. 

SMS authentication happens during ongoing customer interactions and includes MFA (multi-factor authentication) or 2FA, such as at login or on high-value transactions, customer service calls, etc.

SMS verification when your business first associates details with a customer account: at signup or when the customer provides new contact information like an email address or phone number.  

How does SMS verification work?

SMS text verification lets apps, websites, banks, and other businesses double-check a user’s identity. Companies can verify if the person requesting to log in to an account is who they say they are by sending a one-time passcode via SMS to the number registered with the account. The recipient enters the code into the login page or app to complete the login process. 

Here’s what this process involves: 

• Step 1: A user logs into your remote server with their username and password. 
• Step 2: The server cross-checks the username and password. If they don’t match, the server denies access to the person. 
• Step 3: If the credentials match, the server generates an OTP (one-time password) and sends it to the user via SMS, which is valid for a few minutes. 
• Step 4: The user enters the password into the login screen, and if it’s correct, the server grants access.

SMS verification is more secure since a hacker needs (at least) two pieces of information instead of just a password. This extra step makes it difficult for hackers to steal credentials and hack accounts.

Users and businesses like the convenience of SMS-based verification. Additionally, best-in-class SMS authentication systems, like Plivo’s Verify API, can deliver passwords via voice call.

Advantages of SMS verification

There are several advantages of SMS verification. 

• Enhanced security: SMS verification makes it difficult for unauthorized individuals to access accounts.
• Improved user experience: SMS verification is a fast and convenient way for users to verify their identity. 
• Cost-effectiveness: SMS verification is generally more affordable than other verification methods.
• Scalability: SMS verification can easily scale to accommodate a growing user base.
• Global reach: SMS is a widely used communication channel suitable for businesses in different countries and regions.
• Reduced fraud: SMS verification helps prevent fraud by verifying the authenticity of user accounts.
• Compliance: SMS verification can help businesses comply with data protection and security regulations by providing a secure authentication method.

While these advantages make SMS verification the right choice for most organizations, there are some drawbacks to using this security measure. 

Challenges of SMS verification

SMS verification comes with a few disadvantages. For one thing, it’s possible for users to lose their phones or neglect to carry them with them, locking them out of systems and resources that they need.

A more significant disadvantage is the cost to an organization of sending text messages for each authentication transaction. Even if an outbound text message costs only half a cent, those costs can add up. Most organizations consider 2FA messaging a cost of doing business, since the cost of unauthorized access to systems and accounts can be far greater.

If a hacker has physical access to someone’s phone, the “something you have” factor is compromised. And hackers don’t necessarily need to hold the phone in their hands. Attacks such as SIM swapping or SIM jacking and social engineering of mobile network operators’ staff can gain hackers access to SMS messages sent to users’ phones. If a hacker gets both password credentials and the second authentication factor, there’s no keeping them out of targeted systems.

SMS verification also depends on having access to a wireless network. The one-time passcode SMS won’t be delivered if the phone is out of network coverage.

Finally, there’s a privacy issue — for SMS verification to work, an organization has to have access to someone’s phone number. While it’s reasonable for an employer to request its employees’ numbers for 2FA, consumers might balk at registering for an account and providing contact information before they can access resources. People aren’t always willing to share that information. Storage of user identification data should be governed by a published privacy policy.

Nevertheless, despite possible drawbacks, SMS verification in the form of OTPs for 2FA is an effective approach to enhancing authentication.

Overcome key business challenges with SMS verification

1. Avoid SMS traffic pumping fraud 

Also called artificially inflated traffic, SMS traffic pumping fraud occurs when fraudsters use the phone number input field to receive a one-time passcode (OTP), an app download link, or anything else via SMS. Fraudsters can then generate a large volume of SMS messages to premium-rate numbers controlled by them, resulting in significant financial losses for businesses.

Without adequate controls, mitigating the risk of SMS pumping fraud is a significant business challenge. Plivo’s Fraud Shield comes built into our Verify API to stop pumping fraud in its tracks. Plivo Fraud Shield is an AI-driven model that automatically detects and blocks fraudulent messages — and it’s ready with a simple one-click setup.

2. Stop SMS phishing attacks

SMS verification, when used correctly, can be a valuable tool in preventing phishing attacks, but it's not foolproof. SMS verification adds a second layer of security beyond just a password. It requires users to have access to their registered phone number, making it more difficult for attackers to gain access to accounts.

Likewise, if an attacker attempts to log in to an account from an unrecognized device, an SMS code will be sent to the registered phone number. This can alert the user to suspicious activity and prevent unauthorized access.

3. Protect user credentials from brute force attacks 

Unsurprisingly, brute force attacks that use trial and error to deduce login information and encryption keys are highly effective in data breaches. Organizations that simply rely on usernames and passwords are still vulnerable to brute-force attacks. 

SMS verification mitigates the risk of a successful brute-force attack. The account is locked if a user enters the wrong PIN or marks passwords invalid after a certain number of unsuccessful attempts, making it harder for hackers to tweak/identify the user credentials. 

How to choose an SMS verification service

When you’re ready to implement SMS verification, there are two options: You can either build a 2FA solution in-house or integrate an SMS API provider. 

There are a few reasons why some businesses build their own OTP solution. Building an in-house system allows for tailoring authentication methods to precisely fit the company’s unique workflows and data sensitivity. In some cases, regulations might mandate a specific level of control over user data that can only be configured with an in-house solution. 

However, building a custom SMS verification solution is too technical and expensive for most businesses. Instead, a reputable communications platform as a service (CPaaS) like Plivo offers robust 2FA APIs that are secure, cloud-based, and cost-effective. These APIs are simpler and more efficient than writing code from scratch, so an SMS API provider makes setting up OTP easier.

Plivo’s Verify API is an off-the-shelf solution designed to meet regulatory compliance across the countries where your users are based. 

Plivo Verify API: effortless, robust SMS verification

Plivo’s Verify API makes it simple to start offering SMS verification. Our 2FA technology helps protect your business, build trust with customers, and protect against SMS pumping attacks. Plus, unlike with other CPaaS providers, you pay no extra fee for successful verifications with Plivo’s Verify API.

Here’s why thousands of businesses use Plivo Verify API to integrate SMS verification and deliver a better customer experience. 

Fraud Shield

Plivo’s Fraud Shield is an AI-driven model that automatically detects and blocks fraudulent messages. Set up your SMS pumping fraud protection with a simple one-click setup. Fraud Shield allows you to choose how your system responds to signs of SMS pumping fraud. Customize your settings and automate alerts to quickly take action in case of a breach. 

The geo permissions setting allows you to control the countries to which your SMS traffic is sent by creating an approved countries list. We block any messages intended for countries not on your approved destination list free of charge. 

Go live in one sprint

Use Plivo’s pre-registered sender IDs and templates to slash implementation time by 90%. You could start sending SMS verification to users in 150+ countries in under five minutes.

Reduce OTP costs

Plivo’s Verify API delivers the lowest costs per verification. You only pay to verify real users, with zero authentication fees and zero additional costs for Fraud Shield. With Plivo, you save over 91% of costs compared to other platforms for every 100,000 SMS sent. 

Maximize OTP conversion rates

Plivo’s API delivers a 95% conversion rate across multiple authentication channels. Take advantage of specialized routes from carriers that are not available with the SMS and Voice APIs. Intelligent routing identifies the best routes and number types for conversions. Plus, get automatic load balancing and traffic routing to another carrier in the event of a carrier failure.

Alternatives to SMS verification

This year, Okta announced that it would sunset its SMS and voice verification service. Instead, Okta will focus on password-less options like FastPass or FIDO2 WebAuthn — two popular alternatives to SMS verification.

While FastPass and WebAuthn undeniably offer advanced security features, we believe SMS and voice authentication methods remain relevant in enterprise environments. There are compelling reasons enterprises should continue using Plivo with Okta for SMS and voice OTP authentication. Compared to passkey options, SMS verification is: 

• Universally accessible. SMS and voice authentication methods are not limited by the type of device a user has.
• Easy to integrate. Most enterprises already support SMS and voice OTPs, making these methods easy to maintain and expand.
• Familiar and convenient. The simplicity of receiving and entering a code into a system makes SMS and voice OTPs convenient for users of all ages and technical proficiency levels. 
• Affordable and scalable. Enterprises do not need to purchase and distribute hardware tokens or ensure all users have compatible devices. 
• Compliant. SMS and voice OTPs are recognized and accepted methods for multi-factor authentication.

Ultimately, passkeys and other forms of authentication are best used as complementary or additive ways to verify a user’s identity. 

Conclusion

‍Plivo's SMS Verification API offers a robust solution for businesses looking to integrate this technology seamlessly. With Plivo, organizations can leverage a scalable, reliable, and secure platform that simplifies the process of sending OTPs to users worldwide. Plivo's SMS API is designed to ensure high deliverability rates and rapid transmission, minimizing delays and enhancing user experience.

By choosing Plivo, businesses can not only fortify their security measures but also maintain a cost-effective approach to protecting their digital assets and user data. Implementing Plivo's SMS Verification API means choosing a partner committed to your security needs and to the smooth operation of your authentication processes.

This guide explains how 10DLC helps businesses reach US audiences, improve deliverability and throughput, and ensure compliance.

Many businesses struggle to send text messages en masse while meeting compliance restrictions. Mid-level and enterprise companies that often send texts at scale can face deliverability issues and frustrating red tape that prevent them from easily communicating with their audience. 

Fortunately, there’s an easy solution: 10DLC. 

A 10-digit long code, or 10DLC, is a type of phone number used in business text messaging to send large volumes of SMS/MMS messages directly to customers. 10DLC numbers meet the telecom industry’s constantly evolving demand for solutions that are efficient, compliant, and cost-effective. 

In this guide, we’ll share more about how to register for a 10DLC number, the costs associated with it, how they can benefit your business, and some key considerations for using 10DLC in your next campaign. 

What is 10DLC? 

10 DLC (10-digit long code) numbers are local long code numbers that mobile network operators specifically approve for business messaging. When sent, 10DLC SMS messages show up as standard 10-digit numbers from the sender to the recipients.

10 DLC is used for application-to-peer (A2P) messaging. Here’s how this works: 

In comparison to other types of SMS codes, 10DLC offers a relatively more convenient and inexpensive way for businesses to text consumers with stronger credibility and deliverability. 

From a customer’s point of view, they get more relevant, trustworthy messages on their devices, and from the brand’s perspective, they benefit from a higher quality messaging service with better throughput levels in 10DLC. 

Learn the cost of setting up 10DLC numbers for your business here. 

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How to register and implement A2P 10DLC?

To implement 10DLC, you must register your 10DLC number with The Campaign Registry (TCR). It’s a central hub for A2P 10DLC messaging campaigns by North America’s major mobile carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and others to help businesses communicate with their consumers more efficiently and securely. 

At Plivo, we’re focused on making it as simple as possible for businesses to complete their 10DLC registration process promptly. Our 10DLC console experience delivers more visibility into your entire brand and campaign registration process. 

If you're a reseller planning to register a messaging campaign for a third party, you need to provide information about who will receive the messages. This includes details about their company and the messaging plans they have chosen.

To help you further, we created a step-by-step 10 DLC registration with all the important things you need to complete your 10DLC registration. 

Step 1: TCR vetting process

When a brand wants to send messages through a carrier, the maximum amount of messages they can send is determined by their vetting score. 

Third-party vetting partners, such as Aegis Mobile, Campaign Verify, and WMC Global, use undisclosed algorithms to compute vetting scores that verify brands based on the type of organization account and other company details.

To vet a brand and its campaigns, TCR charges a one-time fee of $40 for the brand's license plate number. This cost is passed on to customers by Plivo. If a brand's messaging volume exceeds 6,000 per day, Plivo recommends they pay for additional vetting.

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Step 2: 10DLC Costs 

For standard brands, there is a one-time registration fee of $4. Additionally, there is an optional fee of $40 for vetting, which allows for higher throughput. You will be charged a monthly fee of $10 per campaign, with a limit of 100 campaigns and 49 long code numbers per campaign.

Depending on the brand and campaign’s score, the throughput varies up to a maximum of 4,500 TPM. 

Step 3: Messaging throughputs 

US operators have set specific tiers for messaging throughput in terms of transactions per minute (TPM) and transactions per day (TPD). Based on your vetting score assigned by TCR, your messaging rate limits and throughput are determined. 

If you want to learn more, check out our 10DLC support page. 

What are the benefits of A2P 10DLC?

10DLC is one of the best ways for businesses to communicate with their consumers. It establishes a credible, authentic, direct line of contact between a business owner (you) and a 10DLC recipient (your audience). 

Here are some of the key benefits of 10DLC: 

1. Get higher messaging deliverability and low latency 

Since 10DLC numbers are authorized and vetted by TCR, messages sent via these numbers have a higher chance to pass through carrier spam filters as compared to messages sent via traditional long code numbers. 

As a result, 10DLC campaigns tend to have higher SMS open rates, better customer engagement, and higher conversion rates. 

For example, at Fluent, whose business revolves around customer acquisition, using Plivo as one of their cloud communications platforms for 10DLC helped their business meet its messaging goals. 

Additionally, 10DLC has low latency, meaning there’s minimal delay between sending a message and its delivery to the targeted recipient. This is critical for time-sensitive communications, ensuring that messages are received almost in real-time, enhancing the effectiveness of customer interactions and services. 

2. Reduce costs and drive higher ROI

10DLC provides a more affordable entry point for businesses to engage in A2P messaging. The lower cost barrier allows small and medium-sized businesses to effectively utilize SMS marketing and business communication. 

Besides, 10DLC can be used for both A2P and P2P (Person-to-Person) messaging, so businesses can consolidate their messaging activities under one number, reducing the need for multiple numbers and the associated costs.

3. Ensure better compliance

10DLC minimizes the risk of non-compliance penalties, which can be costly. By adhering to carrier and regulatory guidelines, businesses can protect their reputation and avoid potential fines. 

Additionally, using a compliant and carrier-approved messaging channel like 10DLC enhances a business’s reputation among consumers, which in turn, impacts brand affinity and customer retention. 

4. Provide a more localized experience 

Given 10DLC numbers maintain the standard 10-digit format familiar to users, they are perceived as local or regional numbers. Since a local phone number feels more familiar, it can increase the likelihood of message engagement, as recipients may be more inclined to trust and respond to messages from numbers that appear local. 

It also presents a great opportunity for businesses to tailor their messaging campaigns to local audiences, increasing the relevance of their campaigns. 

What are the limitations of A2P 10DLC?

While 10DLC comes with plenty of benefits, it also has a few limitations that could impact your business and specific needs. 

1. Lack of support for lengthy messages

If you frequently send long SMS messages to your audience, you might find 10DLC limiting. That’s because 10DLC systems may impose restrictions on the length of messages that can be sent. 

These restrictions may be challenging for companies trying to convey complex information or multiple calls to action within a single message. 

2. Appears like a regular phone number

One of the strengths of 10DLC — its appearance as a standard, local phone number — can also be a double-edged sword. This feature may also result in a lower perceived authority or prestige compared to messaging from short codes, which are often associated with large-scale brands or nationwide campaigns. 

For businesses seeking to establish a commanding brand presence, this might be seen as a drawback.

Business messaging: who should consider using 10DLC?

10DLC is an incredible solution packed with benefits, but certain businesses may find it more useful than others. Specifically —

1. Brands that need better control and flexibility over their messaging campaigns 

10DLC lets you manage campaigns with a high degree of specificity, from targeting and personalization to timing and frequency. You can create more meaningful, relevant campaigns that speak directly to your audience and leave a stronger impact. 

2. Brands seeking improved delivery rates and higher messaging throughput

For businesses that rely on SMS for time-sensitive communications—including financial institutions, healthcare providers, and emergency services—reaching your audience promptly is a critical, non-negotiable aspect of your communication strategy. 

10DLC’s improved deliverability and throughput rates ensure that messages promptly reach their intended recipients. 

3. Brands that need to meet compliance standards

10DLC provides a compliant messaging solution that can mitigate risk for businesses. 

The registration process for 10DLC involves vetting by carriers and adherence to industry standards, offering businesses peace of mind that their messaging practices are in line with legal and regulatory requirements. 

This is particularly important for businesses in highly regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, and education, where non-compliance can result in significant financial penalties.

Ready to improve your sender reputation with 10DLC? 

10DLC checks all the right boxes when it comes to SMS messaging campaigns. It ensures fast delivery speeds, higher throughput, stronger security, and compliance — all while being a scalable solution and an affordable option for businesses. 

As consumers’ demands change and businesses compete for their attention and engagement, being able to communicate in real-time securely will become more crucial; this is where 10DLC fits in. 

You can use the Plivo console or our SDKs (now in public beta) to register your brands or campaigns. Make sure you provide accurate information, as the TCR and carriers review it during the registration process. 

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10DLC FAQs

1. Who needs to register for a 10DLC?

If you're a business looking to use A2P messaging services in the United States, it's important to register for a 10DLC number. It is crucial to comply with the carrier regulations to ensure that your messages get delivered to your intended audience efficiently.

2. What happens if I don’t register a 10DLC?

When you fail to properly register your 10DLC, there is a risk that messages may be blocked or flagged as spam. It can result in extra expenses and harm to your reputation as a sender. Ensure your messages are registered correctly to avoid such negative consequences.

3. How do I get a 10DLC number?

Businesses can obtain a 10DLC number through service providers like Plivo, which assist in the registration and setup process.

4. What is the difference between 10DLC and short codes?

Short codes are designed for high-volume messaging campaigns and offer faster delivery rates but come with a higher cost. 10DLC, on the other hand, provides a more affordable solution with improved deliverability and compliance. 

5. What is the difference between 10DLC and toll-free numbers?

While toll-free numbers offer high-volume, two-way SMS messaging at a relatively low cost and enhance brand perception, they may not provide the same level of deliverability and compliance with carrier network’s messaging guidelines as 10DLC numbers. The latter are optimized by carrier networks for efficient, large-scale SMS campaigns and are compliant with mobile carriers' A2P messaging regulations.

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