A Glossary for Text Industry Standard Terminology

The texting industry may be a newly discovered outlet for you. Before you get started, here are some basic terms to help you understand how EZ Texting works.

Short Code: This is a five or six digit authorized number that allows you to send out mass text messages without getting blocked as spam. Short code numbers are shared amongst other accounts since they are recognized by major phone carriers. 

When you send out a mass text from a short code, this number will appear on the recipients phone. It is not sent as a threaded or group message with several people included in a chain. So if you send a text from a short code number, contacts will have 12 hours to respond in order for their response to be captured within your specific account. If you are concerned about this time frame, try using a textable number or a keyword.

Keyword: A keyword works as a code that allows contacts to subscribe to your contact list. If someone isn't receiving your texts, it is a great tool that can be used to make sure that can receive messages from you. Go to Keywords & Numbers on the left panel to see what your keyword is or add a custom word.

Textable Number: This refers to a 10-digit number that can be rented through EZ Texting if you wish to engage in more personable one-to-one, on going conversations. These numbers can be texted at any time and can be used in our EZ Chat feature or the EZ Texting mobile app.

Auto-Reply: When someone texts in a keyword to subscribe to your contact list, they should receive an auto-reply regarding joining your text list. This auto-reply can be personalized as well or include a link to your web pages.

Text-to-Landline (TTL): is a feature allows you to send and receive text messages online using your existing business phone number. This is a great tool that let's you have personable one-to-one conversations at any time of the day. If you want to provide great customer service, this is an excellent option to use.

Bounced: These are numbers that will appear in your delivery report after you have sent a message meaning that they didn't receive the text. This could be due to those numbers being landlines or invalid numbers that are unable to receive texts. You can view the delivery report for sent messages in your Outbox.

Compliance: The texting industry follows basic guidelines that are regulated by the FCC in order to prevent spammers from violating consumer rights. This means that all users that use EZ Texting or any mass text messaging platform must have consent from their contacts to be allowed to text them. But don't worry, gaining consent is easy.

MMS: A multimedia message meaning that it contains up to 1600 characters and or includes an image or video. These kinds of messages are popular in that it allows you to get creative and provides your contacts with visuals.

SMS: A standardized text that includes 160 characters or less. These kinds of messages are recommended to send if you are trying to get your message out as quickly as possible.