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Looking for mobile SMS web app

by TimPiazza
20 replies
I want to offer my local clients Twilio SMS messaging for their loyal customers. Getting customers to subscribe is no problem through their mobile website, but I need a super-easy way for my clients to send messages.

I really like the look of the mobile app offered by this WSO but that's a lot of dough to lay out and I have no confidence in the seller.

http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...rm-mobile.html

Does anybody know a similar offer at a more reasonable price point, that would allow me to give my clients a way to message their Twilio sms groups in a web app that makes things dead-simple?
#app #mobile #sms #web #web app
  • Profile picture of the author WeavingThoughts
    I would like to know as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author javarog
    I have no affiliation to this product but Jason at Mobuzz has a great system with everything you need including a sms kiosk,, training and the works,, here is the WSO http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...l-updated.html
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  • Profile picture of the author ChrisAke
    I just wanted to throw something out there. Instead of SMS services, why not offer them Push Notification services with a mobile app?

    Push notifications could save your company money. Sending an SMS can cost from $0.02 to $0.20 each. Push messages can be sent for as little as $0.000399 each.

    Look into it & save your clients money. If you do, they'll be clients for life
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    • Profile picture of the author WillR
      Originally Posted by ChrisAke View Post

      I just wanted to throw something out there. Instead of SMS services, why not offer them Push Notification services with a mobile app?
      Because a lot of people turn of push notifications by default nowadays. As people install more and more apps this will only become an even bigger problem.

      Free messaging is no good if none of your customers ever get them.
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    • Profile picture of the author katkat999
      Originally Posted by ChrisAke View Post

      I just wanted to throw something out there. Instead of SMS services, why not offer them Push Notification services with a mobile app?

      Push notifications could save your company money. Sending an SMS can cost from $0.02 to $0.20 each. Push messages can be sent for as little as $0.000399 each.

      Look into it & save your clients money. If you do, they'll be clients for life
      I agree with him..php push notification is more convenient and people are now turning into this app nowadays! You can check some details here!
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  • Profile picture of the author xlfutur1
    I use OpenVBX and set it up so that clients can send out offers from their cell phone. You have to train them a little first, and make sure they know basic things like: don't send more than 2-3 offers per month, 160 character limit, must have "reply stop to stop" at the end, etc. Clients love it though, and it doesn't get any easier than sending out an offer directly from their own cell phone. don't let them "log in" to anything. Keep it as simple as possible.
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    • Profile picture of the author TimPiazza
      Originally Posted by xlfutur1 View Post

      I use OpenVBX and set it up so that clients can send out offers from their cell phone... ...don't let them "log in" to anything. Keep it as simple as possible.
      xlfutur1, I also use OpenVBX, and my first thought was to look for a way that someone could text to launch a flow that would send out to their group. I couldn't see a way to do that. Can you explain how?
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      • Profile picture of the author xlfutur1
        Originally Posted by TimPiazza View Post

        xlfutur1, I also use OpenVBX, and my first thought was to look for a way that someone could text to launch a flow that would send out to their group. I couldn't see a way to do that. Can you explain how?
        Do you mean one person sends out a broadcast from their phone and is broadcast to an existing SMS list?

        If so, that is easily done using the match plugin along with the dispatch plugin. My sig link has training on lots of apps I've built over the last couple years using openvbx. Its not that hard if you have the correct plugins and construct the flows to do exactly what you want them to do.
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  • Profile picture of the author zoro
    You don't need to build expensive Native Apps to achieve what you want, you just need a simple Mobile Web App. A Mobile Web App is a Mobile Website that looks like, and incorporate some App like features, but without you needing to go to an App Store to install it. It works on all Smartphones including iPhone and Android, and you can save save it on your phone through a prompt popup message.
    You can incorporate into it, SMS systems, or setup Push, and send out 10,000 Free Push Messages per month.
    Hope this helps. If you want to know more just PM me.
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  • Profile picture of the author annaharris
    I went through the link that javarog shared, but is there any other app available for free ?
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  • Profile picture of the author Valdor Kiebach
    Using the instructions for the Twilio API you could do this easily:

    Twilio Docs - Quickstart Php SMS Sending Via REST

    http://www.twilio.com/docs/api/rest/sending-sms

    No need for 'mobile app' or even 'web app' just a simple php script.
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  • Profile picture of the author mmichuda
    If you always go with the least expensive option without considering other imperative variables. Count on FAILURE!

    What is the very end metric? Conversion rate right? So what are some of the variables leading to that metric? How about read rate?

    Twitter is free, but the read rate is very low...1%
    SMS is expensive but the read rate is better than any other technology on the planet....almost 100%

    If you can get people to opt-in via SMS. Do it! Your subscriber list will be gold. Its also a better way to serve your customer.

    You have to do the math and make a decision. Its not about your favorite technology or what app you and your friends use often. Its about doing some simple math and going with the numbers....then never lie.

    Regards,
    TextHub CEO
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  • Profile picture of the author TimPiazza
    Interesting responses, all of 'em. I won't pick apart anybody's suggestions, but I ultimately concluded that the single thing I really wanted was for my clients to be able to schedule a SMS message to their customer list from their mobile phone.

    I ended up creating a solution that leverages OpenVBX for authentication and assignment of lists to an account. It's a mobile web app that allows the client to log in, choose the list they want to send to from an available drop-down, and set the date and time they want the message to go out.

    Super easy, works on desktop, too. They don't have to log into my OpenVBX system, but their lists are password protected, so nobody else can send to them.

    I'm probably going to add a resettable message counter next, so they always know how many people are on their list and how many messages they have sent during a subscription period. That will allow me to assign them a fixed number of messages per month, with an overage charge if they don't show restraint.
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  • Profile picture of the author xlfutur1
    Your solution sounds good, but why would you have a client have to log in to a mobile web app when you can set it up so that they can just send a text message from their cell phone at anytime and it will go to their entire list as soon as they send it?

    Do your clients have more than one SMS list?

    You really don't have to password protect the list because only messages from their own cell phone number that has permission will be dispatched to the list anyway. If any other cell phone number tries to broadcast out on a number and does not match a keyword, I just have a reply going back saying "You do not have permission to broadcast on this number".

    However its done, I guess the key is to make it super simple for clients. I don't allow all of mine to broadcast out, because some are just not capable of putting together a good SMS message/offer in 160 characters. Good rule of thumb is to use your discretion when you give a client the power to broadcast out on their own cell phone.
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    • Profile picture of the author TimPiazza
      The advantage of my solution is the scheduling, and yes, select from multiple lists. Customers can choose what kind of messages/offers they want to receive and how often.

      If I had known about the dispatch applet, I might not have bothered with the mobile web app. But now that I have gone that route, I think it can lead to more benefits.
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      • Profile picture of the author TimPiazza
        Oh, another benefit is that I can give multiple people within an organization access to some of their lists, not all. My next phase will be a schedule manager so that everyone can see which messages are set to go out to their lists, and when.
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      • Profile picture of the author xlfutur1
        Originally Posted by TimPiazza View Post

        The advantage of my solution is the scheduling, and yes, select from multiple lists. Customers can choose what kind of messages/offers they want to receive and how often.

        If I had known about the dispatch applet, I might not have bothered with the mobile web app. But now that I have gone that route, I think it can lead to more benefits.
        What types of your clients have multiple lists? I think a dream client would be one that actually gets list segmentation and marketing accordingly. Building different SMS lists for different types of customers.

        Its hard enough to explain the benefits of building ONE SMS list, let alone having a client that actually understands segmenting a list for more targeted messages.

        By the way, the dispatch applet is not a stand alone plugin, its part of Chad Smith's subscription plugin.
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  • Profile picture of the author Amanda786
    Originally Posted by TimPiazza View Post

    I want to offer my local clients Twilio SMS messaging for their loyal customers. Getting customers to subscribe is no problem through their mobile website, but I need a super-easy way for my clients to send messages.

    I really like the look of the mobile app offered by this WSO but that's a lot of dough to lay out and I have no confidence in the seller.

    http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...rm-mobile.html

    Does anybody know a similar offer at a more reasonable price point, that would allow me to give my clients a way to message their Twilio sms groups in a web app that makes things dead-simple?

    I agree with tha fact that mobile apps are quite useful if they are good. Another option is if you can ask the developers to create an app at afforadable rate that would be more convenient and will be helpful in your business too.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aweinerws
    Mobile SMS web app is popular as such an app can help you send even free SMS. One time installation cost is what you need. Am I right?
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