What are Alphanumeric Sender IDs?

You’re in the middle of something, and your phone pings. Which message are you most likely to read? One from an unspecified number, or one from an easily identified business you know and engage with

Alphanumeric Sender IDs, also known as a custom sender ID, caller ID, Alpha tags, or from number, are distinctive sender names you can customise to your branding using digits and text. Your recipients can quickly recognise that the incoming message is from your business.

Already, you’re making a more personal connection.

Burst SMS offers numerous options when it comes to making you known. You can use a custom sender ID with your business number, a shared virtual number, or a dedicated virtual number.

Benefits of using Alphanumeric Sender IDs

There are many marketing advantages of using a custom sender ID, but the biggest is that it creates a branded experience for your campaign.

With a total of eleven characters to make yourself known, make it your mission to use them wisely. Whether you let your recipient know who the SMS is from or the subject of your outreach, your message will be more memorable.

As soon as your message is received, your customer knows who it’s from and what it’s regarding. This helps them feel in control, and they can choose whether to look at it now or later.

An alphanumeric sender ID is also handy in the operational space. When it comes to SMS two-factor authentication (2FA), adding a custom sender ID boosts authenticity and a sense of security around using your service. This is especially significant for banks and businesses dealing with sensitive data.

Custom sender IDs also helps create urgency and immediacy around customer service contact. For example, by sending a delivery notification using a custom sender ID, your customer is immediately aware of the message and is more likely to act on it.

When you’re crafting campaigns, using a custom sender ID is helpful because it lets recipients know if your contact is promotional, service-based or general outreach. This kind of transparency increases engagement and builds trust.

See the difference for yourself…

Using a dedicated virtual mobile number without a custom sender ID

Using a dedicated virtual mobile number with a custom sender ID

Limitations of Alphanumeric Sender IDs

Using a customised SMS sender name is a flexible and personalisable option, however, there are some traits associated with Alphanumeric Sender IDs that you’re best to be aware of.

Firstly, it’s not free. Burst SMS needs to enable this feature, but once this is done, you’re ready to roll.

The most significant characteristic is that your customers can’t reply to your custom sender ID (remember, it’s not a number). Instead, they have to text your number directly. This is why it is most suitable for one-way communication. And without the option of direct replies, Alphanumeric Sender IDs are inconvenient for opt-outs.

The next consideration is geography. If you’re sending your message internationally, bear in mind that Alphanumeric Sender IDs aren’t supported in all countries, and throughput will vary from country to country. Make sure you confirm the country you’re messaging is on our global SMS delivery list.

Speaking of character count, you’ve only got eleven characters to work with, so you may need to use abbreviations to make your custom sender ID work. But remember, there’s a fine bal btwn abbr and nonsense.

Lastly – within Australia, you can only use letters, numbers, spaces, hyphens, and underscores. Having said that – iPhones won’t support special characters, which means your hyphens or underscores will be removed.

Setting up your Custom Sender ID

Getting your custom sender ID is easy with Burst SMS. Here’s how to do it.

1. Purchase your dedicated number

2. Click on the ‘SEND SMS’ button

   

3. Select ‘Define a new Sender ID Sender ID’ from the dropdown list

   

4. Enter your Business Name and click on ‘ACTIVATE**’** button

If you want to set your Sender ID as your personal mobile number, change Type to ‘My mobile number.’ Enter your personal mobile number in the international format, without the + sign, then click on the ‘ACTIVATE’ button.

This is only available in Australia, the United Kingdom and Singapore.

Set your business up for success

With Burst SMS, you can create a custom sender ID to better identify your business or campaign. Eleven characters are all it takes to help increase engagement and get optimum recognition for your brand. Discover some more Burst SMS features that can take your SMS marketing to the next level.