Frequently Asked Questions

Top Five FAQs

1. How much does 1 message cost?
2. Is there a time limit for using credits?
3. Can messages appear to come from my business?
4. How do I buy more credits?
5. How secure is the system?

1.0 Cost

1.1 What are the set-up costs?
1.2 Is there a time limit for using text credits?
1.3 Do you offer a trial of the system?
1.4 How do I top up/ buy more credits?
1.5 How much does 1 message cost?
1.6 Will messages still be sent if I run out of credits?
1.7 What happens if a message is undeliverable?
1.8 Where do I find out how many credits I have left?
1.9 How much does it cost me to receive a message?

2.0 Messaging

2.1 Can I send international texts?
2.2 How long can a single message be?
2.3 How do people reply to my messages?
2.4 Can I track whether messages have been received?
2.5 Can I send the same message to more than one person?
2.6 How do I schedule messages to go out?
2.7 Where do inbound messages go?
2.8 How many messages can be sent at any one time?
2.9 Can the messages be seen to be coming from my company name?
2.10 Can I send emails to mobile phone numbers?
2.11 Can I send texts to a landline number?

3.0 Support

3.1 What if I need help or support?
3.2 Where can I find my login details and password?
3.3 Can I become a Reseller of FASTSMS?
3.4 Do you have a User Guide?
3.5 Do you have a support team? What is their number?
3.6 How do I upload my contacts into the system?

4.0 System

4.1 What software do I need in order to use the system?
4.2 How do I get inbound messages to my mobile phone?
4.3 How quickly will my messages be delivered?
4.4 Is there a way of seeing how many messages I have sent in the last week/month?
4.5 We currently have our own POS/ back office system. Is there a way of integrating FASTSMS into this?
4.6 How many people can log into the system at any one time?
4.7 Is there a way of creating templates for messages?
4.8 Can I access the system from different PC's?
4.9 Do I have to be connected to the internet in order to access the system?
4.10 Can I set up sub-users in my account?
4.11 How secure is the system?
4.12 On the reports what do the different status codes mean?

1.0 Cost

1.1 What are the set-up costs?
There are no set-up costs or ongoing monthly fees, you simply purchase blocks of outbound text credits.

1.2 Is there a time limit for using text credits?
The credits do not have an expiry date and will stay on your account until used.

1.3 Do you offer a trial of the system?
We currently offer 3 levels of trial account. Our Personal Trial offers 10 credits, whereas our Business Trial and Developer Trial both offer 100 credits. Call us on 0800 954 5305 to see which is right for you.

1.4 How do I top up / buy more credits?
You can purchase more credits by logging into your account and clicking the 'top up' button, or feel free to call us on 0800 954 5305 to top up over the phone.

1.5 How much does 1 message cost?
Each message to a UK mobile number will use 1 text credit. Some international messages and messages to UK landlines may cost more than 1 credit but this will be made clear in your account. The more texts you purchase the cheaper they will be - please refer to our price list.

1.6 Will messages still be sent if I run out of credits?
Once your credits have run out, no more messages can be sent until you top up - to stop this from happening you can set a credit reminder level to prompt you by email when credits are getting low.

1.7 What happens if a message is undeliverable?
If your message is undeliverable you will still be charged for this - our networks will try and send the message every 10 seconds for up to 24 hours.

1.8 Where do I find out how many credits I have left?
When logging into your account, in the top right hand corner it shows you how many text credits you have left.

1.9 How much does it cost me to receive a message?
It doesn’t cost you to receive messages and charges the sender their standard network rate to send.

2.0 Messaging

2.1 Can I send international texts?
International texts can be sent out - please see our Network Coverage (PDF) for more information. Some destinations may cost more than one message credit.

2.2 How long can a single message be?
1 message can be up to 160 characters long. It is however possible to concatenate multiple messages for longer messages (up to 459 characters). Most handsets will display these as a single message.

2.3 How do people reply to my messages?
If you want 2 way messaging, you would need to purchase a Virtual Mobile Number. These cost £99 per year.

2.4 Can I track whether messages have been received?
Yes you can. Within the system you have a Reports function which shows you what messages have been sent to whom and when and the status of the message.

2.5 Can I send the same message to more than one person?
Yes you can. FASTSMS has the ability to send out the same message to multiple recipients. You can also personalise each message similar to a "mail merge" operation.

2.6 How do I schedule messages to go out?
By default the message will be sent immediately. To schedule a message, click the Calendar button to open a calendar - select a time and date, press Enter and then click Send. You will receive confirmation that your message has been sent and credits will be deducted. Click continue to return to the SMS window.

2.7 Where do inbound messages go?
Inbound messages will come into your inbox within the system. You can get these messages forwarded to an email address, mobile phone number or URL link.

2.8 How many messages can be sent at any one time?
There is no limit as the NetMessenger system will queue the messages and process them at a speed of 25 SMS messages per second.

2.9 Can the messages be seen to be coming from my company name?
You have the option to type in a text label - this can be up to 11 alpha-numeric characters long.

2.10 Can I send emails to mobile phone numbers?
Using our Outlook Mobile Service or Email to SMS features you can send text messages to any phone from within any email client.

2.11 Can I send texts to a landline number?
Texts to landline numbers can be sent as long as they come from a Virtual Mobile Number - texts with a character text label will not be received.

3.0 Support

3.1 What if I need help or support?
We have several user guides available in our Information Section or you can speak to one of our helpful advisers on 0800 954 5305.

3.2 Where can I find my login details and password?
If you are not sure of your login details, please call the FASTSMS team on 0800 954 5305.

3.3 Can I become a Reseller of FASTSMS?
You have the option to Become a Reseller with a fully rebranded SMS system, or you may find it more convenient to join our Affiliate Programme where you can earn money by referring new customers to us.

3.4 Do you have a User Guide?
Yes we do. Click here for our Full User Manual. You may also find more helpful guides in our Information Section.

3.5 Do you have a support team? What is the number?
To contact a member of the FASTSMS team please call 0800 954 5305.

3.6 How do I upload my contacts into the system?
Contacts need to be uploaded in an Excel csv file. Please make sure there are no spaces within the numbers and that the numbers are in international format e.g 4477. Field names are not needed. For assistance speak to our advisors on 0800 954 5305.

4.0 System

4.1 What software do I need in order to use the system?
No software is needed. FASTSMS is a web based application that works through your browser.

4.2 How do I get inbound messages to my mobile phone?
By configuring your Virtual Mobile Number you can forward messages to a mobile phone number.

4.3 How quickly will my messages be delivered?
FASTSMS has a 99.9% guarantee that messages will be delivered within 10 seconds. In reality virtually all messages arrive in about 6 seconds.

4.4 Is there a way of seeing how many messages I have sent in the last week/month?
You can run reports from within your account for that day, week, month etc. These can be exported as an Excel spreadsheet.

4.5 We currently have our own POS/ back office system. is there a way of integrating FASTSMS into this?
We can provide you with our API which details everything you need in order to be able to integrate our system with yours. For more detail and sample code please speak to our advisors on 0800 954 5305.

4.6 How many people can log into the system at any one time?
Any number of people can access the system at any one time.

4.7 Is there a way of creating templates for messages?
You can create templates for your messages - please refer to our Full User Manual.

4.8 Can I access the system from different PC's?
As long as you have internet access you can login to the system from anywhere in the world.

4.9 Do I have to be connected to the internet in order to access the system?
Yes, an internet connection is needed in order to access the system.

4.10 Can I set up sub-users in my account?
You can request a multi-user account at no cost that enables you to create as many sub-users as you want. You can buy message credits in bulk and allocate them between the sub-users and see reports on usage for each sub-user.

4.11 How secure is the system?
Our entire network is secured in the top data centres in London Docklands - Globalswitch and Telehouse Europe. All hardware is twin-processor with multiple disk drives and is backed by 24/7 technical support. All data is secured behind firewalls and full password protection.

4.12 On the reports what do the different status messages mean?

DELIVERED - we have received confirmation from the handset that the message has been received.

UNKNOWN - we have been given no information from the network regarding the delivery or failure from the network.

SENT - the message has been sent to the network and we are now awaiting a receipt of delivery or failure from the network

EXPIRED - The message did not deliver to the handset within the time frame.

COMMAND_REJECTED - the number that the message was sent to does not exist or is incorrect.

COMMAND_FAILED - the same as undeliverable but for international routes

UNDELIVERABLE - the message has been unable to reach the handset. This may be due to the number no longer being in service or the number being incorrect.