A Year in Review: Burst SMS in 2020

A Year in Review: Burst SMS in 2020

Can you believe that 2021 is just around the corner? This year has been a quick and unprecedented one, but as we wrap up 2020, it’s an exciting time to review some of the new platform upgrades and releases which you may have missed.

Many of us started to work from home. In part, we decided to write this review for this very reason. It’s a way to bring us all together and to celebrate our growing team (and what we’ve been up to) and the hard work we’ve put into bringing you more services, innovations, and content.

Transparency is one of our company values, which is why we create summaries like this every year. We want you to see what’s going on behind-the-scenes here at Burst!

We invite you to read on and celebrate with us as we explore a few of our favourite moments, milestones, and memories in 2020.

Burst SMS Milestones

We reached two massive milestones that we could only dream about when we first started Burst SMS in 2008.

One Billion Messages Sent

In March 2020, we hit a monumental record of one billion messages sent. We’re proud of accomplishing this milestone, and we want to thank you and the 30,000+ businesses and professional organisations around the world for choosing us as your bulk SMS platform.

Full Australian Data Sovereignty & ISO 27001 Certification

Then in April 2020, we became the first Australian messaging platform to become ISO 27001 certified and offer full Australian data sovereignty. Achieving this is no easy feat, but the continued security and protection of your data is our utmost priority, and this is our way of showing you our commitment to it.

Upgrades and Integrations Summary

Looking back, security was a big focus this year but it wasn’t the only thing. We created more integrations and better features to help you save time and improve your user experience. Here are some of them.

February 2020

  • SMS API send-sms functionality upgrade: When the ‘from’ parameter is undefined, the SMS platform will now deliver your messages from a shared virtual mobile number

March 2020

  • ISO 27001 Certification (as mentioned above)
  • Full Australian Data Sovereignty (as mentioned above)

April 2020

  • New Password Security Requirements 🔒: We implemented new password security guidelines, helping our customers protect their accounts and sensitive data with passwords that adhere to the most current security standards. Accounts are also temporarily locked for 30 minutes after 5 consecutive failed login attempts to prevent brute force password attacks
  • Blog Design changes 👀: We made some changes to help searchability with our categories and resources pages. [Read more]

July 2020

  • New Direct Integration - Autopilot: We partnered with Autopilot, a popular marketing automation platform, to enable text messaging via Burst SMS within their platform. [Read more]
  • New SMS API Documentation Layout: Our SMS API documentation got a brand new look, improving its usability. [View API Documentation]

August 2020

  • New Feature - White Label Reseller Custom Support Link: For our WLRs clients, we added an option to customise your own support portal URL, giving you the option to create a branded customer service experience. [Read more]

September 2020

  • New Direct Integration - Oracle Responsys: Another enterprise-level integration we’re proud to release, helping our users deliver personalised SMS campaigns at scale. [Read more]
  • UI Platform Reporting Update: We added the Sender ID in the Campaign Report and CSV export for better tracking

October 2020

  • New Feature - Omit Custom Data inside Tracked Links: We added a new feature to allow our you to omit your recipient’s custom variable data in the Tracked Link URL. [Read more]
  • Toll-free numbers for Canadian Customers: Our Canadian customers (or those sending to Canadian mobile numbers) got access to toll-free numbers for better flexibility and brand recognition.
  • Upgrade to Alphanumeric ID for International Recipients: You can now send SMS to international recipients using an Alphanumeric Sender ID, provided that the carriers in the destination country support them.

November 2020

  • New Direct Integration - Integromat ⚡: Like Zapier, Integromat is a workflow automation tool, helping you integrate with hundreds of other applications. Some of the main benefits are its visual editor, file usage, data transformation and manipulation, and developer-friendly tools. [Read more]
  • New Feature - White Label Reseller Notifications: We added the ability for WLRs to receive notifications about their accounts and sub-accounts.

December 2020

  • New Direct Integration - Oracle Eloqua: We created a direct integration with Oracle Eloqua. You can now use Campaign Canvas or Program Builder to send SMS campaigns, receive SMS replies, process opt-outs, and manage contacts. Check it out: [Read more]

Content Highlights

Every year, we strive to provide you with the most relevant, inspirational, and actionable SMS and mobile marketing content.

Including guides, use cases, case studies, and SMS templates, we procured over 50 new pieces of content this year. Here’s a snapshot of some of the most popular ones:

February 2020

  • State of SMS 2019-20 📚: This is our 5th annual State of SMS report. As always, we put a lot of effort into providing you with valuable insights, trends, and statistics about the SMS and mobile industry. [Read State of SMS]

March 2020

  • Burst SMS Story ❤️: It was a long time coming, but we finally wrote our Burst SMS Story, giving you a look into our humble beginnings, where we are now, and all the memories and moments in between. [Read our story]
  • Burst SMS Work From Home Series Parts 1-4: Many of us around the world started to work from home. It offers each of us more flexibility, but it comes with its own set of challenges. Here’s how we remain productive, communicative, and supportive, all while working from home. [Read more]

April 2020

  • Updated our blog layout! 😊: Our blog was given a completely new look to help improve your reading experience and content searchability. [Read more]

November 2020

  • BLYS Case Study: We take a look at how a remote massage business uses SMS to remind, communicate, and provide customer service. [Read more]

SMS Templates

Our industry-focused SMS templates are always popular, helping you save time and engage your audience in a meaningful way. They’re carefully selected and fine-tuned, being written with your customers in mind.

90+ Events and Holidays to add to your Marketing Calendar
Here’s a popular list of marketing events and holidays that you can add to your marketing calendar. From Black Friday and Cyber Monday to World Book Day and Star Wars Day, here are over 90 days you can add.

We hope that it sparked new ideas and strategies for your mobile marketing campaigns. If there are any specific content topics that you’d like us to write about, please get in touch here at marketing[at]burstsms.com.

Did you know?

  • Web visitors spend less time (-6.5%) on websites but are now willing to spend more [source]
  • When focused on memorisation, short term memory can only recall 5-9 items within 20-30 seconds [source]
  • Centennials consider a company’s stance on social responsibility and ethics before doing business with them [source]
  • As a messaging app, SMS has held its ground and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon [source]
  • The size and arrange of the subject line, copy, and multimedia file for MMS campaigns render differently on an iOS and Android [source]
  • Our team consumed 1,643 beers 🍺 (and counting) in the office and virtually this year
  • We’ve given over 6,200 tacos 🌮 (recognitions) amongst our peers for their above-and-beyond work!
  • We increased our headcount by 125% last year. This year we increased it over 50%! We’re constantly looking for more talented individuals to join our diverse team.

Team Photos

With offices around the globe and our colleagues working from home, we still find time to celebrate milestones, birthdays, and much more. We know that we don’t share enough photos with you, but we promise that there will be much more next year. For the time being:

Celebrations and other wholesomeness

From marriages and birthdays to work anniversaries and virtual team bonders, our team still kept the team spirit up even if it was from a distance.

Christmas Party

The main Sydney HQ got to throw a small and safe Christmas Party this year to celebrate the wins, as things begin to open up in Australia.

Our Final Thoughts for 2020

It’s been a bewildering year, and we hope that you and your family are staying safe and healthy. There’s no doubt that it has had a profound impact on us globally, and it can sometimes be quite challenging for all of us to navigate. Thank you for your continued support and loyalty throughout these times and for trusting us as your business messaging platform.

Happy Holidays from everyone here at Burst SMS. We hope your holidays will be filled with joy, presents, and laughter. Most importantly, stay safe and we’ll see you in the New Year.