{"id":39119,"date":"2021-04-06T11:39:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T11:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developers.messagemedia.com\/?p=1519"},"modified":"2024-03-16T23:36:59","modified_gmt":"2024-03-16T23:36:59","slug":"send-sms-from-a-name-rather-than-a-number","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/messagemedia.com\/au\/blog\/send-sms-from-a-name-rather-than-a-number\/","title":{"rendered":"Alpha tag SMS: Send SMS with name instead of number"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever wondered how some businesses are able to send a text message with a name instead of a random number, even though you don\u2019t have them saved in the phone? This certainly makes the message seem more professional and less like random \u2018spam\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the companies that use this feature, it enables them to control branding and imbue their messages with an element of trustworthiness. When a customer receives a text from a sender with a name rather than a random number, they are going to be much more inclined to trust its messaging. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a capability offered by MessageMedia Rest APIs via a mechanism we call \u201calpha tags<\/em>\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an alpha tag<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Alpha tags are a way for you to give your SMS messages a unique \u2018sender\u2019 name, which can include digits, text, and some special characters. With MessageMedia alpha tags you have a total of 11 characters to uniquely identify your business. You can choose to let the recipient know who the SMS is from, what it\u2019s about, or any other information you\u2019d like to convey within the space of 11 characters.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why you should start using alpha tags<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of marketing reasons to consider using alpha tags. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example marketing use case is specifying a brand or campaign name. With your brand or campaign name as the message sender, your customers know immediately whom the SMS is from and what it\u2019s about, greatly reducing their frustration with SMS communications because they know straight away whether they need to look at the message right away or whether it can wait for later.

There are also operational benefits to using alpha tags that you may not have considered. For example, having a sender name can increase authenticity for SMS 2FA systems. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most banks are currently using SMS-based 2FA methods in order to confirm new transaction recipients and, sometimes, individual transactions. Adding an alpha tag to these SMS messages increases their authenticity and the customer\u2019s sense of security regarding your service. For an example of how to do 2FA with MessageMedia, view our Auth0 solution here<\/a>.

Another operational use case involves urgent messaging in customer service \u2013 for example, a delivery notification from a courier or mailing business. Using alpha tags in this situation immediately highlights to the customer what the message is so that they read and act on it straight away. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another customer service value-add is being able to specify different alpha tags for your messages allows you to let your customers know which messages are promotional, which are service messages, and which are personal communications. They know straight away what\u2019s important, greatly increasing engagement with your SMS.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How are alpha tags limited<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

However, when working with alpha tags or considering using them, there are some limitations that you should be aware of:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n