0800 cost free sms service? Is this available?

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red

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#112710 17-Dec-2012 23:34

I am looking for a service that would allow my staff and others to text (sms) me without it costing them. So like my 0800 cell phone number, I would wear the cost of each text message.

I enquired about this with a couple of different vodafone csr's, but both told me no such service exists. I would take their word for it, but they have been known to be wrong before and I really want this service if possible?

Thanks for any info anyone might have

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tonyhughes

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#734027 18-Dec-2012 00:38

What are you trying to achieve. Anything high volume enough to make you want free texting for the sender is probably better off with a different delivery method.

johnr

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#734046 18-Dec-2012 04:52

The staff at Vodafone are correct, You need to contact a 3rd party vendor for SMS Short codes,

Run the Red, Bulletin wireless

Bet you will change your mind very quick when you hear the cost of setup and cost of each SMS sent to the Short code,

John

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#734050 18-Dec-2012 05:56

Telco's don't offer this. As John said you will need to contact a 3rd party provider.

I also bet you'll change your mind very quickly when you hear the charges a short code will cost you.

red

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#734064 18-Dec-2012 07:55

thanks for the replys guys. yeah I only wanted low volume, so sounds like its possible but only with high costs.

Ill have to find a workaround then I guess.

thanks again

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tonyhughes

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#734083 18-Dec-2012 08:24

If its low volume, why cant senders absorb it?

People who are used to texting tend to have a large or unlimited text bundle, rendering cost moot.

People who arent used to texting will soon get frustrated with having to do it for you even if it seems like a cool novelty now.

red

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#734649 18-Dec-2012 23:42

its nothing to do with novelty, its due to the essential need for my staff to record and confirm their shifts, handovers, etc. they are all very familiar with txting but not always within their credit limits.

This is not some sort of marketing whimsical foray.

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tonyhughes

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#734651 18-Dec-2012 23:56

I meant novelty of using texting for the staff members themselves, if perhaps they were not already 'texters'.

:)

What about a mobile-themed web page?

Reimbursement for texts if they are over their included texts? (or simply multiply their expected or actual # of texts by 20c and pay that as an extra to them each month)?

sbiddle

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#734677 19-Dec-2012 05:55

red: its nothing to do with novelty, its due to the essential need for my staff to record and confirm their shifts, handovers, etc. they are all very familiar with txting but not always within their credit limits.

This is not some sort of marketing whimsical foray.

The real problem is what you want is available, but as pointed out comes at a significant cost.

IIf you want a cheaper option deploy an 0800 based IVR for logging this. Dead simple, used very extensively by many companies, and you could deploy an Asterisk system to do this cheaply.