#inbound sms

[textdrip]

Inbound vs. Outbound SMS: Understanding the Key Differences

Understand inbound vs outbound SMS, their benefits, and how businesses can use these strategies to improve customer communication, engagemen

[nexmo-blog]

Why NGOs are struggling with SMS?

 Why SMS is important in the work of NGOs?

We have seen in recent years the proliferation of NGO backed mobile projects mostly in emerging markets. 

For instance, in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, SMS was used to deliver first-response emergency aid to people trapped in the rubble or with critical medical conditions. Furthermore, it was used to share information about shelter, food supplies and sanitation advice.

Projects like FrontlineSMS, that enables two-way SMS communication at large scale, or Ushahidi, an non-profit open source platform that also accepts SMS, are famous examples these platforms. Many more exist.

The Egyptian project Harrasmap, which enables people to report sexual harassment by SMS, is an example of a mashup between these two platforms.

SMS is very important for NGOs in emerging market because it is 1) massively wide spread unlike internet, 2) simple to adopt even by illiterate and 3) cheap!

What are the challenges that NGOs face when dealing with SMS?

However, many obstacles still face these technology platforms and NGOs to roll out SMS applications. Some of these are:

Well, as easy as it seems, SMS is still currently a complex technology when you want to integrated it into applications. You need to have servers, master protocols such as SMPP and contract with providers that have unclear conditions or expensive pricing. Let alone the quality control on delivery.

Outbound SMS is useful in awareness campaigns and alerts, but one of the most needed service is to get inbound SMS from people on the ground into applications. Example of useful applications are many: report a danger, share crop prices or simply provide an opinion from the ground. 

Finding Outbound SMS in emerging markets is not an easy task. Most mobile operators and existing SMS providers don't see the business opportunity in providing such service. An NGO can not built its own local infrastructure due to lack of ressource but more importantly of unstable IT infrastructure. So putting a modem GSM into a SIM card is just not reliable. 

Is Nexmo part of the solution?

We are thinking creatively how to address these hurdles. Easy access to Nexmo via a Restful API and simple/wholesale pricing model is a small part of the solution.

The biggest challenge is to set-up reliable inbound SMS numbers in most of these countries in need. More on that soon!

Tony