Connecting with Travellers Through the SMS Gateway

Which API should travel companies use to connect with travellers when using the SMS gateway? We explore the options…

Travel companies are increasingly connecting with customers through the SMS gateway. It’s indicative of a trend whereby travel companies are increasingly trying to provide their customers with information “right there in their pocket” that would make their lives easier and their journeys more pleasant. To that end, we look at the various APIs that can be employed by businesses considering and SMS solution.

SMS Gateway APIs

For the sake of clarity we’ll group the APIs together into those that support two-way messaging, and those that only provide one-way messaging through the SMS gateway.

Two-Way APIs

The following API’s provide two-way messaging functionality through the SMS gateway:

• HTTP/S
• SMPP
• FTP

Both HTTP/S and FTP are protocols commonly used on the internet. As such they are well known and well documented, therefore minimising the need for expert knowledge or skill. Subsequently the business will benefit through ease of implementation, reduced cost and efficient maintenance.

The SMPP, or Short Message Peer-to-Peer, protocol requires a fair measure of technical skill and expertise, but provide corporate enterprises with the benefit of a fast message transport medium. This protocol is in use by most big carriers, and allows for reliable connectivity to the SMS Gateway with both synchronous and asynchronous messaging being an option.

One-Way APIs

The one-way APIs can essentially be grouped into three distinctive groups that allow for connectivity to the SMS gateway. These groups include:

• Protocols (SOAP, SMTP – also known as email to SMS)
• Languages (XML)
• Objects (COM objects)

Remember that the choice in API shouldn’t necessarily be directed to those that offer two-way functionality. It is always possible to combine two APIs to ensure that travellers are communicated with through the SMS gateway, with the least amount of expense possible.

Read more about the APIs by visit our SMS gateway page now.

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Tags: API, application programming interface, sms gateway, sms gateways, two-way SMS