TextPower is a VERY powerful system. There are many things you can do but when you first get started there will probably be some basic questions that you'll want to ask. We've tried to answer them here, but if you have others leave them in the comments at the bottom of this post.
How do I add a phone number to our opt-in list so that they can receive messages or send outage reports?
There are several different ways of getting a mobile number opted into a keyword. Some are actions that are taken by the mobile user and others are actions that you can take on behalf of the mobile user ("customer actions"). More details HERE.
How do I remove a number from the TextPower database?
Numbers can be removed easily using several available tools. Regardless of which of these tools is used to opt-out a number it is important to note that once a number is opted out it cannot be opted back in by you through any method. The only way that the mobile number can be opted back in is for the user to text the keyword from their phone to our system. This protects you from TCPA violations by eliminating the possibility of inadvertently opting a number back in after it has been opted out. More details HERE.
How can I modify the tags on a number in my TextPower database?
TextPower's system works on the basis of numbers being opted-in to receive messages. We follow this procedure in accordance with carrier regulations, TCPA laws and common sense. Using opt-ins lists and procedures avoids sending text messages to mobile numbers that have not requested them, have not signed up for them or have specifically requested that we stop sending them.
There are many ways, outlined below, that you, our customer, can add/remove/modify numbers and tags Any numbers that are opted in by the mobile user by texting a keyword will automatically be in our system. If they opt-in that way it records on our system as an opt-in and adds the number to your database. More details HERE and HERE.
How do I send a message - both to an individual number and "broadcast" or "blast" or "bulk" message to many numbers?
Messages sent to one number, such as "We expect power to be restored at 123 Main Street" is an individual message. A message sent to many numbers, such as "Hurricane alert! Take cover and make sure to prepare - see our website for more information" is called a "bulk" send on the TextPower system, but can also be referred to as a "blast" or "broadcast."
Sending bulk messages is easy with TextPower's AlertManager web-based application and you can find out more information about how to do that HERE. You can send individual messages several different ways but the most popular would be by using our APIs (these are automated computer-to-computer instructions) and we have a complete set of them HERE.
If, on the other hand, you want to send messages to individuals such as internal personnel or people out in the field, TextPower has a special app designed to do that. AlertDispatcher allows you to put people's names and mobile numbers into a phone book and then choose one or more of them to receive your messages. They can even reply back to you via their standard text message application on their phone so that you can have a two-way "chat" via text. More details about AlertDispatcher are HERE.
How do I see (or where do I find) the history of messages we've sent to one specific phone number?
There may be times when you want to see all of the activity that has occurred on a particular number that's been on the TextPower system. A page in our new MessageReports app shows the "history" of that number. It's easy to use and contains a lot of helpful information.
Where can I see our usage statistics, such as how many messages were sent in a particular month or even by day? I might also want to see how many opt-ins or opt-outs we had. Where is all of that data?
Whether you are giving a presentation or compiling a report about the effectiveness of your TextPower messaging campaigns you'll need information. We provide them to you in two different ways,
- The Comprehensive Phone Number Report - This report is emailed to you automatically every month, or more frequently if you have requested it. You can also download the report whenever you want the most updated information. The report contains all of the phone numbers that have opted in and opted out, landline numbers that were attempted to be opted in but failed, email addresses that have been opted in to receive text messages, etc.
- On our customer portal - you'll find many different sources of information here. The most commonly used statistics and reports are current and past month opt-ins and opt-outs and message counts by day and month. More information about the portal and all of the data on it can be found HERE.
There are many more answers to questions we haven't addressed here in a library of 100+ FAQs with illustrations, screenshots, videos and a great search section (look for the field with the magnifying glass at the top of every page). The main library can be found HERE.