02 · Engage › Customer messaging › SMS & notifications

The message that has to arrive.

OTPs, confirmations, delivery updates, reminders and campaign messages sent from your systems, not pasted into a portal. Two-way SMS on a short code or long number, delivery reports in your dashboard, and WASPA and POPIA compliance built in.

Talk to us about SMS Count your segments

SMS at a glance

  • 160characters per message in the standard alphabet. 70 if you use emoji or special characters. Every segment is billed.
  • Every phoneNo app, no data, no smartphone. If it rings, it receives SMS.
  • SecondsDelivery in seconds on all four networks, with a report that tells you it got there.
  • Two-wayA short code or long number turns SMS into a reply channel: keywords, votes, entries and rescheduling.

What we build

SMS that comes from your systems.

The difference between a bulk-SMS portal and what we do: our messages are triggered by something that happened in your business, and the replies go back into it.

OTPs and security

One-time PINs, login alerts and transaction confirmations on a dedicated route that marketing traffic can never delay.

Transactional notifications

Order placed, payment received, booking confirmed, parcel out for delivery. Sent the moment it happens, from the system where it happened.

Reminders and collections

Appointments, renewals, payments due and arrears, timed to the customer and tracked, with a reply option to reschedule or arrange.

Campaign and promotional SMS

Offers and announcements to an opted-in list, inside WASPA sending hours, with STOP handled automatically and the list kept clean.

Two-way SMS and keywords

Text WIN to a short code, vote 1 or 2, reply YES to confirm. Competitions, surveys and lead capture for people who will not dial a code or open an app.

Operational alerts

Outages, shift changes, stock arrivals and field instructions to staff and customers who need to know now, with delivery confirmed.

If your systems should be texting, they can. Tell us what needs to be sent, and what should trigger it.

Talk to us about SMS

How we work

Four steps from trigger to delivery report.

SMS is the fastest channel to launch. The work is in connecting it to the right events and keeping it compliant.

  1. Map the triggers

    Which events in your business should send a message, to whom, saying what, and which ones need a reply route. Written as a message catalogue.

  2. Connect the gateway

    A licensed SMS gateway with routes on all four networks, your sender ID registered, a short code or long number for replies, and separate routes for OTPs and marketing.

  3. Integrate

    Your CRM, booking system, e-commerce platform or custom software sends through our API. Replies and delivery reports come back the same way.

  4. Monitor cost and delivery

    A dashboard of sent, delivered, failed and replied, by message type, with the segment count and cost of each campaign before you press send.

The rules for SMS in South Africa

SMS is regulated by the networks, the WASPA code of conduct and POPIA. Getting it wrong means blocked sender IDs or a complaint. We build inside the rules. Check your own message in our free segment counter.

  • Consent for marketing. Promotional SMS needs opt-in under POPIA, and the consent must be recorded. Transactional messages do not need it.
  • A working STOP route. Every marketing message carries an opt-out and the opt-out is honoured immediately, across every list.
  • Sending hours. The WASPA code restricts when commercial messages may be sent. We schedule around it.
  • Sender identification. An alphanumeric sender ID looks professional but cannot receive replies. Two-way needs a short code or long number.
  • Segments and cost. 160 characters in the standard alphabet, 70 with emoji or curly quotes, and every segment is billed. We write to fit.
  • Separate routes. OTPs on a high-priority route of their own, so a campaign to a hundred thousand customers never delays a login.

What you get

From the sender ID to the delivery report.

The gateway, the integration, the reply channel and the reporting, from one team.

  • Gateway and sender IDs

    A licensed gateway with routes on Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom, your sender ID registered, and the paperwork done.

  • Transactional API

    A simple, documented API your systems call to send OTPs, confirmations and alerts, with delivery reports returned.

  • Two-way and short codes

    A short code or long number, keyword flows, auto-replies and the replies pushed into your systems or a shared inbox.

  • Campaign tool

    Lists, scheduling inside WASPA hours, personalisation, segment and cost preview, automatic STOP handling.

  • Delivery reporting

    Sent, delivered, failed and replied, by message type and campaign, with cost, in the same dashboard as your other channels.

  • Fallback orchestration

    Try WhatsApp first for opted-in smartphone customers, fall back to SMS when it is not delivered. One message, the right channel.

Sender ID, routes and delivery reports in one quote. No per-project surprises.

Get a quote

Try before you brief

Tools for the messaging team.

We do not have a public SMS case study to show you yet, so here is something more useful: the tools we use ourselves, free.

SMS segment counter
Free tool

SMS segment counter

Paste a message, see the encoding, the segments and what it will cost to send, and fix the characters that double it.

 USSD menu simulator
Free tool

USSD menu simulator

Prototype a *120# menu and walk through it on a phone screen.

 WhatsApp competition bot for Tiger Brands
WhatsApp

AI-validated competition bot

Our messaging work in production, at FMCG scale for Tiger Brands.

Questions we get asked

Before you send.

Can we keep our current SMS provider?

Usually. If you already have a gateway account we can integrate your systems with it. We move clients only when the current provider is costing reach, delivery or money.

Ask us about SMS

What does an SMS cost?

A few cents to a few tens of cents per segment depending on volume and route, charged by the gateway, plus our build and support. We will model it on your message catalogue and volumes before you commit.

Ask us about SMS

Why does an emoji make my message cost double?

Standard SMS uses a 160-character alphabet. One emoji, curly quote or unusual symbol switches the whole message to a 70-character encoding, so a 150-character message becomes three segments. Our segment counter shows you and fixes the common culprits.

Ask us about SMS

Can customers reply?

Yes, if the message comes from a short code or a long number rather than an alphanumeric sender ID. We build keyword flows so a reply does something: confirms, reschedules, enters, votes or opts out.

Ask us about SMS

Is marketing SMS still allowed?

Yes, to people who have opted in, with a working STOP route, inside the sending hours set by the WASPA code and with consent recorded under POPIA. We build all of that in, and we will tell you if a list is not safe to send to.

Ask us about SMS

Sender ID, long number or short code?

A sender ID shows your brand name and is best for one-way notifications. A long number looks like a mobile number and can receive replies. A short code is memorable for campaigns and can be reverse-billed. Most clients use a sender ID for notifications and a short code for anything that needs a reply.

Ask us about SMS

Part of customer messaging

SMS is the message that always arrives. It is rarely the whole conversation.

We build SMS alongside WhatsApp and USSD on one backend, so the OTP, the competition entry and the support chat are all one customer in your data.

All messaging channels WhatsApp automation USSD services

Ready when you are

Tell us what needs to be sent.

Send us the messages you send today, or the ones you wish you could. We will come back with a message catalogue, a route plan and a cost per month.

Get in Touch Count your segments first

Built on the same backend as our WhatsApp work for Tiger Brands. See who we work with.