How can I be sure that my contact databases are kept safe?

To keep your account as secure as possible, we recommend a combination of protective measures: Use long, unique passwords that you do not reuse on other sites. When sending messages via the API, restrict the list of IP addresses that are allowed to connect. You can do this in your personal account — the Settings section — the API tab — "IP address allowed to access the API and SMPP". When sending messages via the API, use the POST method and the https protocol so that your authorization data is not transmitted in plain text. When sending messages via the API, we strongly recommend using an API key rather than your login and password, because the set of actions that can be performed with an API key is limited.

What message statuses are there and what do they mean?

Delivered — this status means that the message was successfully delivered to the subscriber's SIM card and received by the subscriber; Sent — this status means that the message was sent to the subscriber's SIM card but was not received; Number error — an invalid number, an actual mistake in the number; Number not in service — this status means that the number is no longer served; Not available — this status means that the operator was unable to deliver the message within 24 hours. This usually happens when the number has not been switched on for a long time (it does not appear on the network); Message failed moderation — we most often get this status when the number has appeared in bulk campaigns and is either on the customer's blacklist or has restrictions on receiving business SMS campaigns.

I created a campaign but noticed a mistake. How do I stop it so that I can edit the text?

Contact us by phone or write to us in the chat and we will check the options available for solving this.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – mailing services from Alfa SMS

Questions about using the SMS service
My account
Service errors
Creating and sending a campaign
Contact management
Sending messages
Sending messages to Viber
Working with the API and SMPP
Address book
Other questions

To keep your account as secure as possible, we recommend a combination of protective measures:

Use long, unique passwords that you do not reuse on other sites.
When sending messages via the API, restrict the list of IP addresses that are allowed to connect. You can do this in your personal account — the Settings section — the API tab — "IP address allowed to access the API and SMPP".
When sending messages via the API, use the POST method and the https protocol so that your authorization data is not transmitted in plain text.
When sending messages via the API, we strongly recommend using an API key rather than your login and password, because the set of actions that can be performed with an API key is limited.

You can use variables to personalize your campaigns. For example, variable {1} will correspond to the customer name and variable {2} to the order number, and so on. To do this, enter the data in an Excel file in the matching layout: column 1 — phone numbers, column 2 — customer names, column 3 — order number.

When you add a file of contact numbers to the address book, the system automatically removes duplicates.

More than a thousand SMS messages can be sent per minute.

A single SMS message holds 70 Cyrillic characters or 160 Latin characters. If your text is longer than that, it is split into parts and each part counts as a separate SMS message — up to 153 characters when the Latin alphabet is used, or up to 67 characters when Cyrillic is used. We do not recommend sending more than 5 parts in one message.

Reports are available in your personal account, in the Reports section (Single SMS, Bulk campaigns, API). The "Delivered" status means that the subscriber received the message. You can also download reports for any period you need.

Yes — just add your address book in any convenient format (Excel, CSV, TXT, or simply as a list).

Yes. We have integrations with many CRM systems, so you can send SMS automatically.

An alpha name is the sender ID that messages are sent to your customers from. It can be your company name or the name of your brand. It may be 3 to 11 Latin characters long; digits, spaces and dashes are also allowed, in upper or lower case.

A blacklist is a list of numbers that you do not want messages to be sent to. See the instructions on how to set up a contact blacklist

Of course. First, register on our website. Choose the account type that suits you (company or sole trader), submit a sender ID request (Messaging — Sender; all fields are required, and if you do not have a website but do have an Instagram or Facebook page, leave a link to that page), top up your balance, and you can start sending.

This is a campaign built from mobile operator databases using various targeting attributes. Send us your search criteria (gender, age, location and so on); based on that data we build the general characteristics and put together a "portrait" of your customers. Availability depends on the destination country and operator, so please check with us first.

In your personal account, select Database cleaning (HLR) in the side menu and open the Database cleaning tab. To remove invalid numbers from your address book, click + Add. Then add the numbers in whichever of the available ways is most convenient.

It depends on whether the subscriber is on the network and whether the phone is switched on. The operator will keep trying to deliver the SMS for up to 24 hours.

Go to the Finance section and choose whichever payment method suits you — invoice, card, or another payment system.

There is no subscription fee for using the service, so funds cannot be written off automatically.

Please send your registration documents to the address listed on our Contacts page. We can sign the agreement either on paper or electronically.

Yes, but an agreement is required for bank transfer payments (by invoice). Without one, you can pay by card.

You can change your password in your personal account, in the Settings section, Security tab. If you do not remember it, you can use the password recovery function.

For individuals: to change your login, write to us from the email address specified in your account, using the address listed on our Contacts page, and ask us to change the login (please state the reason). For companies: to change the login, send an official letter about the login change on company letterhead, signed and stamped (if a stamp is used), to the same address.

We work on a prepaid basis, and we can only extend credit before the funds arrive if you provide a payment receipt.

You can use an integration from a partner that already has a Facebook connection, or provide a link to the API and the client will set it up themselves.

If you need to delete your account, let us know and we will process the request within an hour.

On the sign-in page, enter your phone number and password in the relevant fields. If you do not remember your password, you can recover it using the PASSWORD RECOVERY function

Make sure that no browser extensions or applications are interfering with the site. Try using incognito mode (a private tab).

Please tell us exactly what you are having trouble with. A screenshot helps us a great deal in understanding the problem.

You can send SMS to mobile numbers around the world. Coverage and rates depend on the destination country and operator — see the Prices page, or tell us the countries you need and your approximate monthly volumes and we will confirm the details.

Yes. Many countries restrict the hours during which promotional SMS may be delivered. Such restrictions usually cover messages with advertising characteristics — announcements, promotions and prize draws, greetings, news, and messages from transport (other than taxi services), debt collection and insurance companies. The exact time windows are set by the regulations of the destination country and by operator rules, so please check them with us before scheduling a campaign.

We do not recommend sending more than 5 parts in one message, because the operator does not guarantee delivery in that case and the message may simply not reach the subscriber's phone.

Delivered — this status means that the message was successfully delivered to the subscriber's SIM card and received by the subscriber;
Sent — this status means that the message was sent to the subscriber's SIM card but was not received;
Number error — an invalid number, an actual mistake in the number;
Number not in service — this status means that the number is no longer served;
Not available — this status means that the operator was unable to deliver the message within 24 hours. This usually happens when the number has not been switched on for a long time (it does not appear on the network);
Message failed moderation — we most often get this status when the number has appeared in bulk campaigns and is either on the customer's blacklist or has restrictions on receiving business SMS campaigns.

Restart the phone, delete old messages and check the network connection. Then send the message again.

Refresh the page to see the final report for this campaign.

Yes. To export contacts, go to the Address Book menu, select the book you need and click the ↑ arrow (on the right-hand side).

You can add contacts to your personal account through the Address Book menu. There are two ways to add them: manually and by uploading a file.

Yes, but only 2-byte emoji are supported. You can check how many bytes a particular emoji takes on this site

To delete contacts from the address book, go to the Address Book menu, select the book you need, tick the checkbox next to one or more numbers and click the Delete button icon.

All numbers are stored in international format and start with the country code of the destination. Filter the list by the country code you need and delete the rest — either in your personal account (Address Book menu) or in the file you are going to import the contacts from.

When you upload contacts with names for a personalized campaign, you can edit the names and numbers of the contacts you need.

All numbers are stored in international format. Landline and mobile numbers use different prefixes, and those prefixes are defined by the national numbering plan of each country — filter the list by the mobile prefixes of the destination country and remove the rest.

A custom data field can be added in the second or third column of the Excel file. It can hold additional information about the customer, an order number, a discount code and so on. Some of the CRM systems we integrate with also support custom data fields.

Yes, messages will be sent for every mailing list.

In some cases messages cannot be delivered. The most common reasons are: the subscriber's phone is switched off, the phone is out of coverage, the phone number contains a mistake, the number is on the blacklist and so on.

You can create a template in your AlphaSMS personal account, in the Messaging section, Templates tab

Register with the service, send a Viber connection request from your personal account, sign an agreement, and fill in the application form and the letter of guarantee. Registering the sender name (Viber business account) takes 1 to 5 business days. After that you will be able to send Viber messages both from your personal account on our platform and via the API.

A Viber sender name is the name that is shown to the user instead of a phone number when they receive a business message via Viber. It lets companies personalize their communication and increases brand recognition.

Tell your manager the subject matter and the approximate number of messages you plan to send per month, and we will suggest the options available to you.

You can send both promotional and technical (transactional) messages. A promotional message can contain up to 1000 characters, emoji, a square image and a button. A technical message is text of up to 300 characters.

Cryptocurrency, forex, gambling and investment subjects (where there is no license) are strictly prohibited on Viber.

We recommend setting up a fallback so that the message is sent by SMS if it cannot be delivered to the subscriber on Viber.

Besides text, on Viber you can send emoji, an image and a button with a link.

An API (application programming interface) is a way for computer programs to interact with each other.

You can generate an API key in your personal account, in the Settings section, API tab

The following protocols are supported: JSON, HTTP, POST XML, Email2SMS, SOAP, SMPP.

In the Address Book menu, click ADD, enter a name, choose Load from file, find the CSV file you prepared in advance and click RUN. To clean the list, select the CSV file you added earlier and click RUN.

The numbers must be in the first column of the table, each one on a new row, in international format. The second column holds subscriber names (optional).

To build your own database of active subscribers, go to the Database cleaning (HLR) menu, click ADD, select the list you previously added to the Address Book, enter the phone numbers row by row or upload them from a TXT file, and click RUN. The check separates active numbers from invalid ones and from numbers the operator has no data on. Numbers are checked against operator campaign records. See Database cleaning for details.

To import contacts, go to the Address Book menu, click + ADD, select Load from file and choose the format of the file you want to import from.

Delivered — this status means that the message was successfully delivered to the subscriber's SIM card and received by the subscriber;
Sent — this status means that the message was sent to the subscriber's SIM card but was not received;
Number error — an invalid number, an actual mistake in the number;
Number not in service — this status means that the number is no longer served;
Not available — this status means that the operator was unable to deliver the message within 24 hours. This usually happens when the number has not been switched on for a long time (it does not appear on the network);
Message failed moderation — we most often get this status when the number has appeared in bulk campaigns and is either on the customer's blacklist or has restrictions on receiving business SMS campaigns.

In the Conditions for dealers section, click the "Become a partner" button, fill in the application and send us a cooperation request.

Yes. Before sending a message, tick the "Track clicks on links starting with https://" checkbox.

You can see campaign conversion in your personal account, in the Analytics section

Please send us your payment receipt by email or in the chat and we will check why the funds were not credited to your balance.

For the data to synchronize, disable the AlphaSMS integration in your Altegio account, then find it in the search and connect it again, granting consent to transfer information via the API.