What is an SMS from the business number?

What business SMS is

SMS stands for Short Message Service. It is the regular text message that reaches every mobile phone, including a kosher phone with no internet, with no app and no registration. That is why it is still one of the most reliable ways to reach a person: they do not need an account on a particular app, and they do not need to be connected to a data network.

Business SMS is the same message, but sent from the organization and not from an employee's private mobile phone. It goes out from the business number, is sent from a system on a computer, and is saved in the organization's history. That way the customer recognizes who sent it, and the organization knows what was sent, to whom and when — even if the employee who wrote the message no longer works there.

Worldwide this is sometimes called A2P — Application to Person, "from a system to a person" — as opposed to a regular message between two people (P2P).

A bit of history

The first SMS message was sent in Britain in December 1992, from a computer to a mobile phone, and it said "Merry Christmas." So even the first message in history was, in a sense, a "message from a system."

The famous 160-character limit was set in the original standard of the cellular networks. It applies to Latin letters. In Hebrew, which is written in a different encoding, a message is limited to about 70 characters. A longer message is split into several parts that the phone joins back into a single message — but sometimes each part is counted and charged separately.

Over the years messaging apps arrived, and many thought SMS would disappear. It did not happen: verification codes, messages from the bank, appointment reminders and delivery updates all continue to go by SMS, precisely because it reaches every phone.

Common uses

• A reminder for a meeting or appointment — a day before, with the time and address. Saves missed appointments.
• Confirmation of an inquiry — "We received your inquiry, we will get back to you by tomorrow."
• A reply to an unanswered call — a customer called and was not answered? A short message saying that you will call back shows that someone noticed.
• Updates to the public — a change in opening hours, a closure for a holiday, a prayer time or a class that was changed.
• RSVP for an event — a conference, a fundraising evening, a celebration of the institution.
• Alerts to staff — a call abandoned in the queue, a customer who waited and hung up, a fax that arrived.

An example from a yeshiva: a change in the Friday schedule, one message to all the parents. Many of them have a kosher phone, and an SMS is the only way to reach them with text.

An example from a call center: a customer called at a busy hour, waited in the queue and hung up before being answered. The call center manager gets an alert, and an agent sends a short message: "We saw that you called, we will get back to you within an hour." The customer does not call again angrily, and the callback starts off on the right foot. An example from a nonprofit: the day before the fundraising evening, a reminder to all the volunteers with the time and address — and whoever cannot come lets you know in advance.

How it works

Behind the scenes, the message is written in a system (the control panel, a CRM system or other software), goes out through a provider connected to the cellular networks, and reaches the recipient's phone. The sender field shows the business number, so the customer knows who the message is from.

A message can go out manually — an employee writes and sends — or automatically, as a response to an event: an unanswered call, an appointment set in a booking system, a customer who waited and hung up. The automatic connection from other systems is usually made through an API or a Webhook.

It is important to remember that a landline number cannot always receive SMS replies the way a mobile phone can. If you expect customers to answer the message, it is worth stating explicitly how to get back to you — "For questions: 03-1234567" — and not assuming that a text reply will arrive.

SMS versus messaging apps and email

The conclusion: SMS suits a short, important message that must reach everyone, even someone who has no internet on their phone. For a document, a picture or a long explanation, email is better, and you can send a short SMS saying that it was sent.

What is allowed and what is not

In Israel, the Communications Law (known as the "Spam Law") prohibits sending advertising material in a text message without the recipient's explicit prior consent, and requires giving them a way to opt out. Service messages — a queue reminder, an order confirmation, an update on an inquiry — are usually treated differently, but the line is not always clear. Before running a marketing campaign by text message, it is a good idea to consult someone who knows the law.

• Send only to people who gave you their number and expect to hear from you.
• Identify yourself at the start of the message.
• In a marketing message, say how to be removed from the list.
• Do not send late at night, on Shabbat or on Yom Tov.

How to write a good message

• Short — in Hebrew, 70 characters is about a sentence and a half. The shorter it is, the more likely it is to be read.
• Who is sending — "Yeshiva ...:" or "Clinic ...:" at the start of the message.
• One action — what do you want the recipient to do: come, call, confirm.
• Exact details — date, time, address. No "next week".
• Check first — send it to yourself first and read it on a phone.

Template library: ready-to-use messages

The templates here are short on purpose — most fit in a single message in Hebrew. Replace the square brackets and send. The names are made up.

Reminders

• "[Name] Clinic: reminder of your appointment tomorrow, Tuesday, at 10:30. To cancel: 03-1234567"
• "[Business name]: the technician will arrive tomorrow between 9 and 12. Please make sure someone is home."
• "Yeshiva [name]: on Friday, classes end at 11:00. The bus leaves at 11:30."

Confirmations

• "[Business name]: we received your order no. 4127. We will update you when it ships."
• "[Organization name]: Thank you! Your donation of 180 NIS was received. A receipt will be sent by email."
• "Appointment set: Monday 14:00, [address]. Please arrive 10 min early."

Reply to a missed call

• "[Business name]: we saw that you called and we were unable to answer. We will get back to you by 16:00."
• "Hello, this is [name]. We missed your call. You can write here what it is about, or call again at 03-1234567."

Alerts for staff

• "Call center: customer 052-XXXXXXX waited 4 min and hung up. Call them back."
• "Unanswered call on the main line from 03-XXXXXXX at 12:40."
• "On duty today: [name]. Calls after 18:00 are forwarded to your mobile."

Events and updates

• "[Organization name]: the fundraising evening is tomorrow at 20:00, [name] hall. We would be glad to see you."
• "[Business name]: the office is closed on Chol HaMoed. We reopen on Sunday."
• "[Name] Synagogue: this week the class will take place on Wednesday instead of Tuesday."

Notice what they all have in common: the name at the start, one exact detail (a time, an amount, an order number), and one way to act. There are no unclear links, and no attempt to tell the whole story in a single message.

Rules of thumb before you press "Send"

• Hours — service messages between 8:00 and 20:00. A reminder for the next day is sent in the afternoon, not at night.
• One message per event — one reminder for an appointment, not three. People who get too many stop reading.
• No sensitive information — no test results, no detailed debt amounts, no passwords. A message can be read by whoever is holding the phone at that moment.
• A number to call back — always include a phone number in the message, because it is not certain that people can reply by text.
• A link only if you must — and then from an address the recipient knows. A shortened, anonymous link looks like a scam.
• A clean list — before sending to many people, remove duplicates and invalid numbers.
• Who answers — if replies come back to you, someone needs to see them the same day.

As for the law: the general rule in Israel is that advertising requires prior consent and an option to opt out, while a service message about something the recipient themselves asked for — an appointment, an order, an inquiry — is usually treated as something else. The line is drawn at whether the message is trying to sell something. "Your appointment is tomorrow" is a service; "Your appointment is tomorrow, and by the way, there is a sale on glasses" is no longer. This is a general explanation and not legal advice.

A full example: a clinic that stops losing appointments

A dental clinic in Bnei Brak, about 60 appointments a day. Before the change, around ten appointments a day were missed without notice — a whole hour of a doctor's time sitting empty. The staff tried calling the day before, but it took the secretary an hour a day, and most patients did not answer.

The change: every appointment that is booked gets two messages from the clinic's number. A confirmation right when it is booked ("Appointment set: Monday 14:00"), and a reminder at 16:00 the day before, with a number to call to cancel. Whoever cancels calls in, and the secretary offers the slot to someone on the waiting list.

After two months: about three appointments a day are missed instead of ten, and a third of the freed-up slots are filled from the waiting list. The secretary got her working hour back. The cost — a few dozen messages a day. The numbers here are an example, but the ratio is familiar from anywhere that sends appointment reminders by text.

When the message does not arrive

• The number is invalid — a missing digit, or a landline number. Check the list.
• The phone is off or has no reception — the message waits in the network and arrives when the phone is back, usually within hours.
• The message was cut off — it was longer than 70 characters and was sent in parts; one part did not arrive. Shorten it.
• The recipient blocked messages from unknown numbers — some kosher phones have filtering. Ask them to add the number to their contacts.
• Sent to the wrong number of the same customer — they have two numbers on their card. Mark which one is the mobile.