Version 2.0.25
Remove duplicate numbers
A new option to remove duplicate cell numbers when sending messages was added to Ad-hoc (single) SMS messages and Bulk SMS messages.
The option is enabled by placing a check in the box ‘Send only one message to a number’. When compiling the batch of messages the system will ensure that only one SMS is sent to each cellphone number. This is very useful where multiple contacts may share a cell number, or where cell numbers are imported from a CSV or XLS file and you want to ensure nobody receives duplicate messages.
Send only one message to a number
Import cell numbers for Bulk SMS
Cell numbers can be imported from CSV files or Excel 2003 (XLS) files.
Requirements
1. For CSV files: The first column should be the cell number, the second column should contain the recipient’s name. All other columns are ignored.
Example:
0825551234,John Doe
0825551122,Jane Doe
2. For XLS files: Only the first sheet in the document will be imported. The first column should be the cell number, the second column should contain the recipient’s name. All other columns are ignored.
Reading of the data will stop on the first row with a blank cell number field. Therefore, ensure that all the rows in the XLS file (spreadsheet) contain data.
Alternative source for bulk SMS messages
Version 2.0.8
Connection Status
Connection status is now visible at the bottom of the screen.
Connection Status
Offline Mode
 Access the Outbox from the menu |
The option is now available to work off-line. All messages will be queued on the workstation and will appear in the Outbox. The messages in the outbox will automatically send once the connection to the internet is established.
Set the preferred Delivery Options in the Configuration section. We recommend the default setting of ‘Deliver directly or queue on local server if delivery fails’. Additionally, on all messages the ‘Do not send after’ option allows you to set an expiry date and time for the message. This will prevent a message from being delivered after the expiry date. For example: Consider the situation where you send an SMS message to a client to remind him of an appointment on Friday morning at ten. If the SMS message was waiting in the queue on the workstation and you connect to the internet after the appointment time, then the SMS will not be sent if the ‘Do not send after’ option was set to expire the message before Friday morning. The default expiry days can be set in the Configuration section.  Set the message expiry date and time |
Delivery Status
It is now possible to view the delivery status of the SMS messages. The delivery status can be accessed from SMS History.
Delivery Status option
The Delivery Status will only be available on messages sent using SMSClient 2.0.0 or above.
Click on the Delivery Status button to see the status of the message.
Delivery Status Window
The status of the messages will be:
- SUBMITTED – The SMS was sent to the recipient, but we have not received confirmation of the delivery
- DELIVRD – The recipient’s provider confirmed the message delivery to the phone
- numto invalid – The number is not a valid cellular number, or the number is not valid for the area. Messages can only be sent to numbers in the country of origen.
- UNDELIV – The message was not delivered
Note that messages past the ‘Do not send after’ date will not appear on the Delivery Status report as the delivery was canceled before sending
Customer Options
An additional field , ‘Salutation’, was added to the customers. This field is available as a merge field when sending messages or when creating templates. The purpose of the Salutation field is to allow a more personalized message.
Consider the example where a message is sent to a couple of customers: ABC (Pty) Ltd, DEF Limited and Jennifer Doe. It will be difficult to personalize the messages to the first two, and it may also be a problem with Jennifer Doe if she is commonly known as Jenny. The Salutation field for the two companies may contain the name of the contact person, and for Jennifer Doe it will contain Jenny.
| Customer | Salutation |
|---|---|
| ABC (Pty) Ltd | Fred |
| DEF Limited | Mary |
| Jennifer Doe | Jenny |
The messages can now be personalized by using the Salutation field.
Keep in mind that the use of the Salutation field is an all-or-nothing choice. If you want to use it, then all customers will require an entry in the ‘Salutation’ field even if the name and the salutation is the same. If this is not done, then the merge will create blank entry for each customer with a blank Salutation.
Version 3.0.1
Multiple users sharing the same database
Mutiple users can now access the same SMS database (see http://www.caw.co.za/?p=102)
To ensure that replies to SMS messages are routed to the correct sender there are 2 configurations required.
Set the default reply settings
Set the users reply settings
Additional send options
Three additional options were added:
- Print confirmation – This option will print a report of the SMS message for your own records
- Send only one message to a number – Select this option to ensure that duplicate cell numbers are ignored
- Do not send before/Do not send after – Use this option to limit the time during which the SMS may be delivered. Outside the selected range the SMS will not be sent.
Ad-Hoc Messages
Bulk Messages