Send Text Messages to Your Clients without Using Your Cell Phone

Send Text Messages to Your Clients without Using Your Cell Phone

Have you ever wanted to text an appointment reminder or a quick message to your clients without having to use your cell phone? Many clients are faster at reading and responding to their text messages than to their emails. There is an easy and free way to do this. It’s called Email-to-SMS Gateway. You just use your email program on your computer to send a short text message to your clients. No need to use a third-party service that you don’t know and trust. No need to install an application. 

What is SMS Gateway?

 An SMS gateway allows your computer to send Short Message Service (SMS), which is generally known as a “text message,” to a cell phone. However, the text message cannot be more than 160 characters and cannot include media.
 
If you want to send a longer text message with an image, video or audio, you’d need to use the MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) gateway. MMS is a type of messaging that has no character limit and allows media files. Most cell phones support both SMS and MMS. But keep in mind that if your client's phone plan doesn't have MMS, he or she won't receive the message.

The SMS gateway texting method requires you to know three things:
  1. Your client’s cell phone number.
     
  2. The name of the client’s phone carrier. You can look up the carrier at this website.
     
  3. The SMS gateway address that corresponds with the carrier. The gateway addresses for major U.S. phone service providers are listed below for your convenience:
U.S. Carriers
SMS Gateway (text only)
MMS Gateway (text and media)
AT&T
@txt.att.net
@mms.att.net
Boost Mobile
@sms.myboostmobile.com
@myboostmobile.com
Sprint
@messaging.sprintpcs.com
@pm.sprint.com
T-Mobile
@tmomail.net
(Include “1” before the phone number)
@tmomail.net
(Include “1” before the phone number)
U.S. Cellular
@email.uscc.net
@mms.uscc.net
Verizon
@vtext.com
@vzwpix.com
Virgin Mobile
@vmobl.com
@vmpix.com
                 

Follow these steps to send text messages from your email program:
  1. Compose a new email.
     
  2. In the “To” field, insert the client’s 10-digit phone number followed by the appropriate @gateway address. Do not include hyphens or dashes in the phone number.
     
    For example, if your client’s phone number is 503-123-4567 and the carrier is AT&T, this is the SMS gateway address: 5031234567@txt.att.net.
     
    If the carrier is T-Mobile, make sure you include the number “1” before the 10-digit phone number.
     
  3. Write your message. Keep the message to fewer than 160 characters. If you need to write a longer message or want to include media, use the MMS gateway address or regular email.
     
  4. Hit “Send.”

Your client will receive your email in the form of a text message on his or her cell phone. If the client responds to your text, the message will be sent to your email inbox.

There are other options to send text messages from your computer, including using Google Voice and third-party online services. But SMS gateway is simple, reliable and free. You can test it right now by sending a text from your email to your cell phone.
 
 
 

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