Additional Sending Options

Broadcasting in MEP is designed to be simple yet powerful, with flexible sending options that enable you to:

• Customize message text to each end user through user and upload variables
• Preview SMS messages on an individual end user level
• Spread broadcast activity between a start and end time
• Set an expiry time after which the message should not be delivered to the end user
• Limit the number of users to send to
• Route the responses to your broadcast through to a service, without requiring a keyword setup

Spread the broadcast over time

You can optionally choose to spread broadcast process evenly over a set time period. This option is available for SMS, MMS, and service broadcasts.

This option is often used to control message volumes. For example, if a broadcast message to 60 people is spread over one hour, MEP will only send one message per minute. This is an especially useful feature if you are sending a call-to-action message that will direct end users to your business or call center.

If you are sending high message volumes over a short period of time, some messages may not have been sent by the set end time. In these situations, MEP will continue sending the remaining messages until completed. If you want to guarantee that no messages are sent after a specific time, you can set an expiry date. You might want to do this if you are sending information about a one-off or time limited event.

To set the time period for spreading messages:

1. Click the Broadcasts tab.
2. Click Create Broadcast, and then select a Broadcast Type.
3. On the Create Broadcast page for a broadcast, set the Start Time you require.
4. Expand the Advanced Settings at the bottom of the screen.
5. For Spread sending of messages, click change.
6. Set the end time that you would like messages spread between.
7. Configure the rest of the broadcast message and click Send Now or Schedule in the bottom right of the screen to finish.

Set an expiry date for broadcast messages

In some instances you may want to set a time and date after which you do not want a message to reach the end user. This is useful for time sensitive messaging as it stops any delayed messages from reaching users after the expiry date.

The expiry date is delivered to the mobile operator as part of each message. If the mobile operator cannot reach the end user and the expiry date is reached, then the mobile operator may still send the message. However, most mobile operators will abide by the expiry date.

To set an expiry date:

1. Click the Broadcasts tab.
2. Click Create Broadcast, and then select a Broadcast Type.
3. On the Create Broadcast page for a broadcast, expand Advanced Settings at the bottom of the page.
4. For Expiry date, click enable.
5. Set the time and date after which you do not want the message to be delivered.
6. Configure the rest of the broadcast message and click Send Now or Schedule in the bottom right of the page finish.

Response routing inbound messages after a broadcast

Response routing enables you to route responses to a broadcast message to a service for a limited time. The routing is linked to a specific routing code and only affects the end users who received the broadcast. You can choose to route only messages that respond with a specific term or any response, regardless of their message text. Only the first response (in the limited time period) from the end user is routed using response routing. Your service routing returns to normal after the time period expires, and for any additional messages sent by the user.

This feature is ideal for collecting free-form user text without requiring a keyword to route to the service; for example, feedback on your business or campaigns. Because routing changes only for end users who received the broadcast, you can also target selected users without impacting your normal campaign routing.

To set up response routing for a broadcast:

1. Click the Broadcasts tab.
2. Click Create Broadcast, and then select a Broadcast Type.
3. Expand the Advanced Settings at the bottom of the page.
4. For Response routing, click enable routing.
5. Select the service you want to route responses to.
6. From the Capture responses on drop-down list box, select the routing code you expect replies to come from — in most cases, this will be the same number that you are sending the broadcast from.
7. Select the time period you want to capture responses for. Remember that, during this time period, only the first response from each end user is routed using response routing.
8. Choose the responses you'd like routed; for example, whether to route all messages excluding STOP messages, or only those that send back a message beginning with specific text.
9. Configure the rest of the broadcast message and click Send Now or Schedule in the bottom right of the screen to finish.

Customize messages with uploaded values

You can customize messages sent to your end users using MEP's Expression Language. If you need more information about expressions and variables, see Overview.

Upload variables are available in the Broadcasts tab when uploading end user numbers from a file. You can use the variables in the Message field of broadcasts that include that field.

The file types you can upload are:

• XLS/XLSX — character encoding can be windows-1252, ASCII and UTF-8
• CSV — character encoding can be windows-1252 or ASCII, but not UTF-8

To upload the file and create a message that uses upload variables:

1. Click the Broadcasts tab.
2. Click Create Broadcast, and then select the Broadcast Type.

3. Upload the file by selecting Upload File.

4. Click Browse to find your file, and then click Upload.

   A pop-up appears, where you can configure your upload variables:

   

5. Check the details on this pop-up. If needed, you can change the:
   • Name of your variables
   • Number of rows at the start of the file that do not have end user data (for example, row 1 is normally skipped as it is the header row)
6. Click Done.
7. Write your broadcast message in the Message section ( in the image below).

8. Within the message itself, add a previously uploaded variable to the message text by clicking the icon by the variable ( in the image below).

   

9. When you add your first variable, you will be asked to confirm whether you want a message sent if it is longer than one SMS, and what should happen if the variable contains non-GSM characters (such as a Chinese character). MEP evaluates the expressions in a message (such as the expression's length or character set) only when it is about to send the message. Note that you can preview messages before saving the broadcast, which will show how each message would look, if sent.

   

10. Make any additional changes required for the broadcast, such as the SMS account used, and time it will be sent.
11. Select the Preview the broadcast... check box on the bottom right of the page.

12. Click Preview and Send (or Preview and Schedule). The broadcast preview pop-up appears. Here you can check that variables in your message text are as you want them.

    Note that you will see a warning instead of the message text when an individual message will not be sent; for example, if the message extends past one SMS part and you have chosen not to send multipart messages.