FAQ - Frequently Answered Questions about SMS and Voice Messaging

How does the Free (Test) account work?

Once you sign up for a free account (there is no sign-up nor monthly fee), you can test SMS Matrix system.
We will send you an email, to confirm your email address. Once your address is confirmed, you will receive (one time) 5 free credits towards SMS or Voice messages.
Additional credits can be purchased at any time (see pricing), making it effectively pay-as-you-go kind of account.
Free accounts were designed for testing the system for GUI users, and for SMS/Voice/TTS Gateway users only. For GUI users, free accounts are not meant to be used for anything else than testing, and they should be upgraded to regular accounts within few months, otherwise they will be cancelled.
Some exceptions apply.
Only SMS/Voice/TTS Gateway users are allowed to stay on free, pay-as-you-go plan. Some exceptions apply.

What is a 'credit'?

1 SMS (USA) message	=	1.0 credit
1 SMS (CAN) message	=	1.0 credit
1 Voice message	=	0.5 credit (per 30s message)
1 TTS message	=	1.0 credit (per 30s message)
1 fax message	=	1.5 credit
1 email message	=	0.1 credit

Certain number of credits is included in your monthly plan (please refer to our current pricing to see exactly how many; also, additional credits can be purchased at any time (with any plan) - see credit pricing for details.
Also available detailed pricing for worldwide message delivery (non-USA/CAN).
Purchased credits never expire as long as your account subscription stays active, and are non-refundable and non-transferable once purchased.

Are there any hidden fees?

None. All you pay is the flat rate monthly fee. If you want, you may decide to purchase additional credits for more messages than your monthly plan provides by default, but it's your choice.
Residents of New York state will be charged NY sale tax on top of all payments.

Can I cancel my account?

Yes - you can cancel your monthly subscription at any time - via Paypal, no questions asked. The credit balance in your account will be set to 0 if you do so.

How to pay with credit card?

If credit card payment option is not enabled when you sign up, you will need to contact us, and provide a scan of your card and some kind of ID,
so we can verify your identity.
Once your identity is confirmed, you will be able to make payments (monthly subscription and extra credits) using your credit card.
Otherwise, Paypal is the only payment option available.

Am I charged for messages that were not delivered?

No. For all SMS and voice messages we only charge for delivered messaged.
Note: we rely on 'carrier receipt' information, we have no control over message routing once we deliver the message to the phone carrier.
By 'delivered message' we mean a message delivered to the phone carrier.
As for emails - you will be charged for all emails sent, regardless delivered or not. We can't control external email filtering systems.

What countries are supported?

We deliver SMS and Voice/TTS messages to any country in the world.

Any restrictions on the content of the messages?

Yes. This system is not meant to be used for spam nor unwanted calls/messages. It is user's responsibility to comply with local laws and regulations.
For example: The Telephone Consumer Protection Act or The Telemarketing Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act or Mobile Marketing Best Practice.
Also, you must comply with our Terms and Conditions.

How can I see the outcome of my broadcasts?

You can see the results in the 'History' in real time. Each message's status is updated in real time, as soon as transmission is completed. If you click on the specific message, you can see more detailed information.

How can I import my recipients?

You can import your recipient using a comma delimited CSV file.
CSV (Comma-Separated Values) format is a simple data exchange format. In this format respectible data values are separated by commas. Since it is a common and simple file format, CSV files are often used for moving tabular data between computer systems or programs. For example, data can be imported to this system from a spreadsheet or a database program.

Our format information:
The following fields are supported (order is important):

• name
• phone
• type
• notes

Only 'name' and 'phone' are required, other fields are optional. If 'type' is not specified, and 'phone' is a valid phone number, the system will automatically do the phone number lookup, and determine if the number is Mobile or not. If 'type' is not specified, and 'phone' is a valid email address, the type will be assumed to be Email.

Allowed 'type' values: 'Cell Phone', 'Landline', 'Email'. All data is case sensitive. Names do not have to be unique. Phone numbers must consist of ten or more digits.
Examples:

Danny Nash,12501231234
Steve Casey,16301231233,Landline
"Samantha Wolf","14031238922","Cell Phone"
Paul Clayton, pclaytond@freemail.com
Captain Watson,16041212121,Cell Phone,Our favourite captain

Can you help me to integrate SMS/Voice messaging with my own system or website ?

Yes. Please contact us directly and we will be happy to help.

Is your system linked to public "Do Not Call" list?

No. Since SMS Matrix is not supposed to be used for spam, we are not linked with State nor National "Do Not Call" databases. It is user's responsibility to make sure all your recipients opted-in.
We provide our own "Do Not Call" list, available for all recipients to be included in at this URL: www.smsmatrix.com/removenumber.

Do we need to have a 'short code' to use your service?

No, you don't need to have your own 'short code'. Your SMS messages can be sent via our own code, or you can also have a virtual mobile phone number, and use for 2-way SMS messaging. SMS messages (e.g. replies) sent to you number will be received, shown in the History of your messages via the GUI, and also can be automatically forwarded to your email address or submitted to your web server.

Do you have any limits on sending messages?

All new accounts have 100 (or less) messages daily limit on sending messages. After 5 days, this limit is increased to 200. If you need your daily limit to be increased, please contact us.
Also, new accounts will have ability to send messages to USA/CAN only. Please contact us to have international messaging option enabled.

How do I configure 'virtual mobile number'?

Virtual mobile number feature is available for Silver or Gold SMS Matrix account subscribers.
Once your account is operational, just contact us and request the number. Please provide US/CAN area code for your number.
It will take 1 business to have new number allocated and configured - we will notify you by email once it's ready.
Also, please contact us if you need to configure SMS autoresponder and/or SMS forwarding (email/phone/url) for your virtual number.

Please note that virtual mobile number, while working perfect with regular SMS messaging, may not be usable with Banks or other financial institutions, or with certain computer or web based messaging applications (e.g. Google Voice).
Most of banks, for security reasons will deliver SMS messages only to actual mobile phones.

Do you offer virtual phone numbers in my country?

Virtual mobile numbers are available for many countries, please email us for details.

I just signed-up for new account and/or virtual number, but my account still has daily limit on

Certain payments/accounts are kept on-hold for a few days, to confirm with Paypal if transaction went through. This usually apply to customers using Proxy Servers to hide their IP address, payments made by un-verified Paypal members, or accounts with invalid mailing address. Please contact us if you need your order processed faster.

Do you have a regular EXE application?

No. There used to be one, but it has been discontinued.