According to Business News Daily, quality website traffic and visitor conversion are some of the top challenges of ecommerce businesses. The global conversion rate remains less than 3%. Therefore, achieving visibility from purchase-driven consumers is an uphill journey. 

To solve this problem,  you need ecommerce marketing channels that are best suited to attract the right customers at the right time. 

But there are already countless marketing channels. Does that mean you have to surf through each of them to find the right fit? 

Absolutely not! We have already tried out the best options available to create a list of the top ecommerce marketing channels you can readily leverage. 

Let’s dive in. 

What are ecommerce marketing channels? 

Ecommerce marketing channels are tools or platforms that can help you promote your brand and communicate with your target audience. 

These channels could be social media, email marketing, SMS marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and pay-per-click advertising, among others. Through these, you can share content and nurture potential customers at various stages of their journey.

Needless to say, each channel comes with its distinct edge and respective potential to enhance visibility, drive traffic, and boost sales. For example, SMS is one of the best channels to send time-sensitive messages to your customers, whereas SEO builds online credibility over time. 

Now consider this: if you use a tool that offers access to various high-volume marketing channels, along with its extensive messaging network, it could be a valuable asset for your company. 

Could this be the missing piece for your business? We'll uncover the answer soon.

Before moving forward, let's examine some of the most impactful ecommerce marketing channels and tools that yield tangible results.

Top ecommerce marketing channels

SMS marketing

52% of customers have purchased a product from a brand after being influenced by their text messages. Because of text messages’ almost 100% open rate, SMS marketing is perfect for delivering time-sensitive alerts like sales offers, flash sales, and urgent updates to nudge people to purchase. 

Here’s how you can leverage SMS as an ecommerce marketing channel:

• Take consent: Use opt-in forms, keyword campaigns (e.g., texting a specific word to a number), or checkboxes during the checkout process to gain consent of your customers.

• Identify your brand: Each message must include your brand name at the beginning so recipients immediately recognize who the message is from.

• Add clear CTAs: Add CTAs, such as “Shop now” or “Get 20% off today,” to direct customers toward specific actions. These CTAs help you drive traffic to your website and encourage purchases.

• Personalized messaging: Send highly-tailored messages to engage customers. For example, share special offers on their birthdays and anniversaries to build personal connections. Additionally, you can segment customers using SMS marketing tools and then trigger specific messages based on key events.

• Comply with regulations: Customers have control over their SMS subscriptions. To ensure compliance with privacy laws and regulations such as TCPA, CAN-SPAM, and GDPR, include opt-in and opt-out options, avoid misleading content and identify your brand in all messages.

Here’s a perfect example of a brand SMS by Lashify. It’s short, conversational, and includes a CTA and an option to unsubscribe. 

Now that we've seen an example of an effective brand SMS, let's explore a tool that can help businesses create and manage such messaging campaigns at scale.

Plivo CX is a web-based omnichannel marketing engagement platform suited for midmarket and ecommerce companies. It provides a single platform to manage all SMS marketing activities. You can deploy an SMS marketing campaign in four simple steps: 

1. Select your audience
2. Schedule SMS
3. Create messages with AI assistance
4. Track performance with analytics

Besides offering an AI copywriter so that you can craft engaging messaging on the go, the Plivo CX platform comes packed with audience management features so you can segment your customers based on their buying habits. Following this, you can quickly share personalized messages to each segment. 

You also get access to Journeys, which lets you capture events from your storefront to trigger personalized messages for customers at the most relevant times. 
Also, Plivo’s premium carrier network comes with global coverage that lets you deliver messages globally with high reliability.

WhatsApp marketing 

With over 3 billion active users worldwide, WhatsApp is the world's most popular messaging app—and it's likely your customers are already using it. This platform is ideal for building direct relationships, delivering timely updates, and promoting your products or services to your target audience.

Here’s how you can use WhatsApp as an ecommerce marketing channel:

• Obtain customer consent: Customer consent is important when sharing messages on WhatsApp. Use opt-in forms on your website, social media, or during the checkout page to seek permission.
• Create a business profile: Set up a WhatsApp Business account to access features tailored for businesses. Customize your profile with your logo, business description, contact information, and website link to establish credibility.
• Personalized messaging: Use customer data to address them by name and tailor messages based on their purchase history and preferences. You can also share personalized greetings on special occasions.
• Broadcast lists and groups: Utilize broadcast lists to send messages to multiple contacts at once. You can create groups to engage customers in discussions and receive support.
• Use quick replies and automated messages: Set up quick replies for common questions and automated messages for welcome greetings or out-of-office notifications. 

You can get started with WhatsApp marketing with Plivo CX. It lets you segment your audience, schedule WhatsApp messages, craft compelling copy with AI, and monitor your campaign’s performance—all in one platform. 

This way, you can stay top-of-mind with your customers and reach them through their most-used channels.

Email marketing

The 2023 Square Future of Commerce report found that 60% of consumers listed email as their preferred method. 

Compared to SMS, emails allow for more comprehensive communication. You can add infographics, images and videos to creatively educate your customers and solve their problems. 

Here’s how you can use email as an ecommerce marketing channel:

• Build a quality email list: Use sign-up forms on your website, pop-ups, and social media campaigns to encourage visitors to subscribe. Offer incentives like discounts or free resources to entice people to join your list.

• Segment your audience: Divide your email list into segments based on demographics, purchase history, and engagement levels to send more targeted messages to each group.
  ‍
  For this, Plivo CX comes with a powerful code-free segment builder that lets you segment your contacts with as many rules as you’d like.
  

• Create compelling subject lines: 47% of recipients open emails based on subject lines alone. Your subject line is the first thing recipients see, so make it catchy and intriguing. Use action words and personalization to increase open rates. For example, "Exclusive 20% Off Just for You, [Name]!"

• Share personalized content: Include the recipient’s name and tailor content to their preferences and past purchase behaviors. You can also use dynamic content, such as triggering an abandoned cart email whenever someone leaves a product in the cart or greeting them with special offers on their birthdays and anniversaries.

• Design for Mobile: Ensure your emails are mobile-friendly, as a significant portion of users check their emails on smartphones. Use responsive design, concise text, and large, tappable buttons to enhance the mobile experience.

• Automate Your Campaigns: Use email marketing tools to automate your campaigns. Set up welcome series, abandoned cart reminders, and post-purchase follow-ups to keep customers engaged without manual effort. 

Here’s a perfect example of a brand email:

You can kickstart your email campaigns with Plivo CX by segmenting customers and building automated workflow sequences for welcome emails, abandoned cart emails, re-engagement emails and much more. Also, the  AI writing assistant can help you here as well, as you can write and develop personalized emails within the platform.

Retargeting

98% of first-time visitors leave your website without making a purchase. 

Retargeting is perfect for bringing back these potential customers. You remind them of the products they've shown interest in. 

Here’s how you can use retargeting as an ecommerce marketing channel:

• Set up retargeting pixels: Install retargeting pixels (small snippets of code) on your website to track visitors. These pixels help collect data on visitors’ behaviors, which you can use to create targeted ads later.

• Segment your audience: Create visitor segments based on their behavior, such as pages viewed, items added to the cart, or time spent on the site. With these segments, you deliver highly relevant ads to different groups of potential customers.

• Create engaging dynamic ads: Design ads that feature the products or categories your website visitors viewed. Use eye-catching images, compelling copy, and strong CTAs like "complete your purchase" or "your cart misses you" to encourage clicks.

• Frequency capping: To avoid overwhelming potential customers, set frequency caps on your ads. These caps let you limit the number of times an ad is shown to the same person to prevent ad fatigue.

• A/B testing: Use the insights from Meta or Google to test different ad creatives, copy, and CTAs for click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and return on ad spend (ROAS) to determine what resonates best with your target audience.

Influencer and affiliate marketing

As per a Statista survey, 32% of marketers say that influencer marketing results in increased engagement, while 19% say that it results in increase in social media traffic. Influencer or affiliate marketing is perfect for leveraging word of mouth to expand your reach and drive sales.

Here’s how you can use influencer and affiliate marketing as ecommerce marketing channels:

• Identify relevant influencers: Look for influencers whose audience and values align with your target market. You can use tools like BuzzSumo or Social Blade to find influencers based on engagement, reach, and relevance to your brand. 
• Create mutually beneficial partnerships: Offer influencers incentives such as free products, commission on sales, or flat fees for promoting your products. You can also offer tiered commissions, which reward top-performing affiliates with higher percentage commissions.
• Set clear objectives and guidelines: Communicate your goals such as increasing brand awareness or driving sales. Also, provide influencers with creative briefs along with banners, product images, and pre-written copy to ensure consistency. 
• Track performance: Use unique discount codes or affiliate links to track the performance of each influencer. You can track metrics like engagement rates, CTR, and conversions to evaluate effectiveness.

Here’s a perfect example of a successful influencer collaboration by Glossier. This reel shared by Emily Weiss on her Instagram, in collaboration with Glossier, has 468k views and 4686 likes. 

Source: Instagram

Google ads

As per Databox’s recent survey, most businesses get 3.1-6% ROI from Google Ads. Google Ads are perfect for reaching your potential customers right at the moment they are searching for products or services like yours. 

Here’s how you can use Google Ads as an ecommerce marketing channel:

• Conduct keyword research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to identify relevant keywords for which your target audience is searching. Focus on a mix of broad, exact, and long-tail keywords to capture various search intents.

• Create compelling ad copy: Write clear, concise, and compelling ad copy that highlights your unique selling propositions (USPs). Include your keywords in the ad copy and use strong CTAs to increase conversions.
• Use ad extensions: Ad extensions let you add contact details, site links, CTAs, and more to increase their visibility and CTR. For instance, you can link to specific product pages or highlight special offers to increase conversions.
• Leverage shopping ads: Use shopping ads to display product images, prices, and merchant names directly in the search results so users can find and shop your products right when they search for them on Google. 
• Set up conversion tracking: Track key actions such as purchases, sign-ups, and other valuable interactions to understand what’s driving results and where to optimize.

Here’s an example of Google ads for a “night cream:”

Social media ads

A US-based social media buyer spends $779 on average. This amount is projected to reach $937 in 2025. It's clear that consumers are increasingly purchasing directly through social media channels. This makes it an opportune time to invest in social media advertising. 

Here's how to get started:

• Choose the right platforms: Identify which social media platforms your target audience uses most. Each platform has unique ad formats and targeting capabilities. 

For example, here’s a dataset showing the percentage of US adults on different social media platforms: 

Source: pewresearch

• Define your campaign goals: Establish clear objectives for your social media ad campaigns, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales. Your goals will guide your ad strategy and copy.

• Leverage targeting options: Utilize the advanced targeting features of social media platforms, such as demographic targeting, interest targeting, behavior targeting, and custom audiences. 

As a case in point, you can use demographic targeting to reach women aged 25-34 in urban areas, interest targeting to connect with users who are passionate about fitness and wellness, behavior targeting to focus on individuals who frequently purchase health supplements online, and create custom audiences by uploading your email list to target existing customers with special promotions. 

• Experiment with ad formats: Take advantage of various ad formats such as carousel ads, video ads, story ads, and collection ads to keep your audience engaged. Different formats can help showcase your products in unique and interactive ways.

• Monitor and optimize performance with A/B testing: Track metrics such as CTR, conversion rates, and ROAS. You can also A/B test different ad elements, such as visuals, copy, CTAs, and targeting options, to find the best-performing ads and maximize your ROI.

Here’s an example of a social media ad from Instagram:

SEO

68.7% of all clicks on Google go to the top three ranking pages. That’s why optimizing your ecommerce website for SEO is super important. It’s perfect for increasing your website’s visibility in search engine results and driving organic traffic.

Here’s how you can use SEO as an ecommerce marketing channel:

• Conduct keyword research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to identify relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for. Focus on a mix of high-volume, low-competition, and long-tail keywords to capture various search intents.

• Optimize on-page elements: On-page elements include title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and URL structures. Make sure each page has a unique and descriptive title tag and meta description, and optimize them for relevant keywords. 

• Enhance user experience (UX): Optimize site speed, ensure mobile responsiveness, and create a clear and intuitive site structure to improve user experience and reduce bounce rates.

• Build quality backlinks: High-quality backlinks from reputable websites improve your site’s authority and search engine ranking. You can reach out to industry influencers, guest blog on relevant sites, and create shareable content to earn backlinks.

• Utilize internal linking: You can link to relevant pages and posts within your site to help search engines understand your site’s structure and content hierarchy.

• Implement technical SEO: Address technical aspects such as XML sitemaps, robots.txt files, and schema markup and fix any broken links or errors that may impact your rankings.

• Leverage local SEO: To rank for local searches, claim your Google My Business listing, include local keywords, and encourage your customers to share reviews on Google to boost your local SEO efforts.

Here’s an example of top-ranking blogs for the keyword “wall decor:”

How do you choose the best ecommerce marketing channels?

1.Understand your target audience

Figure out where your target audience spends their time online. Use tools like Google Analytics and social media insights to gather demographic data and create detailed customer personas.

2.Analyze the channel costs and fees

Each channel has its costs associated with ads and content. Consider how much you can spend on ads, subscriptions, and other transactions. 

3.Assess marketing and reach

Evaluate the potential reach of each channel to attract and engage your target audience. For broad reach, consider Facebook Ads, which offer extensive targeting options and a large user base.

4.Consider integration and management tools

Check if the marketing channels can integrate with your existing ecommerce platform and tools for easier management. For example, Plivo CX lets you sync data from Shopify to kickstart SMS, email and WhatsApp marketing. 

5.Analyze competitor strategies

See where your competitors are marketing and how successful they are on those channels. You can use tools like SEMrush to analyze competitors' ad campaigns and see which channels they are most active on.

Run omnichannel ecommerce marketing campaigns with Plivo CX

Each marketing channel mentioned above has a positive ROI, but using them separately is time-consuming and impractical. So, you need a single platform to automate marketing for at least 2-3 channels so you can focus on content strategy and results. 

Plivo CX holistically automates end-to-end marketing so you can sit back and enjoy results. As a true omnichannel ecommerce marketing platform, it supports diverse channels such as WhatsApp, SMS, and email marketing. It also comes with features like:

• Audiences: To segment customers based on several rules
• Journey: To identify events and trigger marketing messages to automatically send to the right customer at the right time
• Copywriter AI: To write compelling copy that captivates your customers’ attention 
• Campaigns: To launch, manage and monitor marketing campaigns

‍Try Plivo CX and kickstart multiple marketing campaigns together today!

So, what is the problem? Often, it’s the lack of customer engagement.

In a hyper-competitive marketplace, simply having a presence is no longer enough, as 79% of customers expect consistent interactions across all departments. So, without strong customer engagement, even the most promising Shopify stores can struggle to convert browsers into loyal buyers.

Therefore, you must develop a comprehensive relationship-building plan with customers by reaching them at different stages in their journey. With the right strategies, you can transform your Shopify store from a simple online catalog into a dynamic shopping destination that keeps customers coming back for more.

To help you improve customer engagement in your Shopify store, we’ve compiled the top 10 strategies with some applied examples. Let’s begin!

Tips to improve customer engagement on your Shopify store

Here are some impactful strategies and tips to increase customer engagement in your Shopify store:

1.Add shoppable videos

70% of businesses say that video converts better than any other form of content they use. Shoppable videos harness the power of video content to sell directly on your website. 

These interactive videos let your customers buy your product during the video. Like a subtle version of the product page, these videos open up a side screen where you can enlist the product shown in the video. 

See how Rifruf, a dog shoe designer brand, uses shoppable videos throughout its online store.

These videos bring your product to life and offer instant gratification while enticing customers to stay engaged for longer. 

To embed shoppable videos in your Shopify store, go to the Shopify App Centre and look for a shoppable video platform, such as Videowise or Videojet. These platforms help you create shoppable videos to add to your online store.

2.Create membership or loyalty programs

72% of consumers say they shop more at companies with loyalty or membership programs. These programs offer perks, exclusive rewards, and incentives when customers buy from your store. Apart from sales, they can increase customer engagement, strengthen brand loyalty, and bring in referrals.

Here are some of the membership programs you can use include on your Shopify store:

• Point-based loyalty program: Customers earn points for every purchase, which they can redeem for freebies, discounts, or special offers.
• Tiered loyalty programs: They also receive different perks based on their rank. Rankings are determined by customer’s purchase frequency, amount spent, and engagement. Those with higher ranks get more and better rewards.
• Paid loyalty programs: Customers can pay a one-time or recurring fee to access exclusive offers.

3.Include augmented reality experiences and virtual try-on

A whopping 64% of consumers demand augmented reality (AR) and virtual try-ons to have an interactive shopping experience. AR gives them the option to try out a product before they buy. When they see the product in action, they feel more confident in their purchase.

On top of this, augmented reality engages your customers, so they spend more time in your store.

Here’s how to implement AR and virtual try-ons into your online store.

4.Add “How It's Made” page

Consumers crave transparency. That's why a "How It's Made" page is key. It builds trust by showcasing your sourcing and production process. You can even take it a step further with behind-the-scenes videos–let them see your commitment firsthand. Here’s how:

• Show the people behind your brand
• Share your processes in brief
• Give a sneak peek into your product’s sourcing or manufacturing

For example, check out how Scott Brands shows its customers how they make toilet paper in their warehouse: https://youtu.be/JFB2goawgVU?si=PmnFtzzd_Yllromy

5.Add interactive quizzes

Interactive quizzes on your Shopify store can set you apart and increase customer engagement. With quizzes, you collect zero-party data about each user as they themselves share their preferences, needs, and behavior. This data can be of great help for personalizing the customer’s experience, leading to increased engagement and more sales.Gainful, a health supplement brand, has a Take a Quiz button on its homepage. Through this quiz, Gainful prepares a personalized supplement formula for its customers.

Some other types of quizzes you can use on your Shopify stores include:

• Product recommendation quiz: Frame engaging questions to ask their preferences and recommend products based on their answers.
• Loyalty and reward quiz: Propel customers to answer a few questions to unlock exclusive offers.
• Feedback quiz: Collect customer feedback about products, shopping experience, and preferences.

6.Send time-sensitive SMS

57% of customers have admitted that they intentionally wait for brand messages, hoping for incentives. SMS is a cost-effective marketing channel that lets you send the right message to the right customer at the right time. To generate higher customer engagement, here are some SMS marketing tips:

• Get consent with opt-in and opt-out messages
• Add your brand’s name upfront to help your customers instantly recognize your brand

          Source: Fantastic Texts‍

• Always end with a compelling CTA with exclusive offers and discounts that can further nudge them to take the desired action
• Keep your messages concise, relatable, and engaging 

If you want to get started with SMS marketing, try Pilvo CX. This web-based customer engagement platform integrates with your Shopify store and helps you send personalized high-converting text messages to the right audience all over the world. Besides offering its premium carrier network across 200+ countries, Plivo also provides various functionalities such as two-factor authentication, alerts and notifications, and appointment reminders. To double down on engagement, you can use Plivo CX’s extensive audience segmentation feature to create specific customer groups. Then, use the Journey feature to create triggers that share time-sensitive messages at the right time and measure the campaign's impact thoroughly.That’s not all; Plivo CX comes packed with an AI copywriting assistant, so you can start your SMS marketing campaign on the go. 

7.Share store links in email marketing campaigns

Emails allow you to share more detailed versions of your offers. You can send numerous types of emails throughout a customer's buying journey, each achieving a specific goal. As noted before, Plivo CX offers comprehensive email automation and lets you create, schedule, and send emails to specific customers based on their actions. For example, an abandoned cart email helps you re-engage customers who didn’t complete their purchase, and upsell/cross-sell emails help bring in more repeat purchases.To add, no matter which type of email you send, adding a link to your store can increase customer visits to your Shopify store. You can add links to your store home page or create a navigation menu outlining different product listings, as Yeti did in their email.

8.Create Shopify events

You can schedule key activities and operations in advance with Shopify launchpad events. Shopify Launchpad allows you to schedule key activities and operations in advance. So, you can plan and automate a variety of events to enhance customer engagement. There are plenty of options to improve engagement with Shopify events:

• Trigger countdown timers on your store
• Send real-time updates via SMS or emails
• Adjust inventory to avoid out-of-stock issues.

For example, you can run a 24-hour flash sale to clear old inventory and attract new customers. Add countdown timers to your store to create a sense of urgency and encourage customers to make quick purchases. You can send SMS and email notifications to your subscribers an hour before the sale starts to get them into the store. You can also automatically adjust your inventory levels to prevent overselling and ensure popular items are restocked in real time.How to add events on Shopify?‍

• Step 1: Go to Shopify admin, click Settings > Apps and sales channels
• Step 2: Click Launchpad and Open the app
• Step 3: Click on Create event
• Step 4: Go to the Title section and enter a name for the event.
• Step 5: Enter a start date and time in the Start date section.
• Step 6: You’ll see a list of options. Pick the right one, and click Save

9.Use chatbots on your website

73% of customers expect websites to have digital assistants like chatbots for better convenience. Chatbots can help ecommerce businesses meet ever-increasing demands. They’re quick and can provide personalized responses in seconds. With Plivo CX, you can use OpenAI-powered intelligent chatbots. You can also build your chatbot in minutes with drag-and-drop functionality without any coding. You can train chatbots with specific data sets to deliver the most relevant and accurate responses.Here’s a really good example of a chatbot on Cowboy, an electric bike maker’s store.

10. Use pop-ups

‍62% of Shopify store owners use pop-ups as their go-to customer engagement tactics for all the good reasons. With pop-ups, you can collect customers’ email addresses, announce upcoming offers, share new product launches, and offer lucrative discounts. All of these incentivize customers to stay in your Shopify store and check out the products. Here are three ways to add pop-ups to your Shopify store:

1. Third-party apps: Shopify App Center offers over 500 popup apps like Wisepops, Omnisend, and Ampede for designing and adding pop-ups.
2. Built-In pop-ups: Shopify provides built-in functionality for basic pop-ups, such as announcement bars.
3. Manual coding: You can design and add advanced pop-ups by manually adding code, though this requires coding knowledge.

Drive more customer engagement on your Shopify store with Plivo CX

Improving customer engagement in the ecommerce sector involves quickly responding to customer queries and reaching out to them with “an offer they can’t refuse.”
‍
If you are looking for a comprehensive customer engagement solution, look no further than Plivo CX. With its diverse features, it can help you to: 

• Boost conversions: Target the right customers with the right message at the right time through segmentation and multi-channel communication
• Save time and resources: Create and launch campaigns quickly and easily without coding and with the help of AI-powered assistance
• Deliver personalized experiences: Generate compelling messages that resonate with individual needs
• Gauge the overall impact: You can also track key performance indicators (KPIs) associated with your campaigns.

‍Start a free trial and improve customer engagement in your Shopify store today!

For SaaS companies offering services through subscriptions, customer retention significantly controls the bottom line. Customers generally pay only a fraction of their lifetime value upfront. Therefore, retaining them is crucial for driving recurring revenue. According to HubSpot, increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can boost profits by 25% to 95%. 

However, retention alone isn't enough—businesses must balance acquiring new customers and keeping existing ones to sustain growth. Effective customer retention also opens up more opportunities for revenue growth through cross-sells, upsells, upgrades, and referrals. This also drives sustainable growth for many SaaS companies.

As Forbes points out, a company cannot grow without attracting new buyers. The key is finding the right customers with a high lifetime value (LTV) that justifies their customer acquisition costs (CAC) and retention costs.

Also, great products and services are the baselines—to thrive truly, SaaS sellers must develop tailored retention strategies that keep current customers subscribing. This is especially critical given the continual nature of SaaS tools and the potential for multi-year contracts with add-on upsell opportunities. 

In this article, we will explore how, with the right approach and tools balancing acquisition and retention, SaaS companies can acquire more valuable customers while preventing churn of existing higher-value ones.

Why is SaaS Customer Retention Important?

Here’s why SaaS customer retention is important:

Faster growth and increased revenue

According to a recent ChartMogul report, companies that prioritize customer retention grow 1.5 to 3 times faster than others.  If these numbers tell us one thing alone, it’s that customer retention is the centerpiece when looking to scale your business and drive revenue growth.

Indicates a strong product-market fit

Product-market fit is a nuanced concept. Despite conducting pre-launch feasibility studies, many businesses fall into a real vs perceived demand fallacy, realizing one or both of these a little too late:

• Their product is not needed
• Customers are unwilling to pay for it.

One surefire way to confirm product-market fit early and pivot, as needed, is to look at customer retention rates over time. A steady stream of return buyers shows that you’re solving a real problem and providing adequate value to customers.

Reduced CAC

Acquiring new customers is often expensive, so retaining existing ones can enhance cash flow and reduce marketing costs. The happier your customers are, the less you'll spend on acquiring new ones. 

As a SaaS company, Zendesk's success demonstrates this, as their focus on customer satisfaction lowered acquisition costs and improved loyalty.

Increased loyalty

Satisfied customers who consistently choose your product and have positive experiences tend to become more loyal. This fosters trust, making them less likely to switch to competitors, even if offered similar features or lower prices.

Repeat customers are more likely to recommend 

Satisfied customers who regularly use your product are more likely to become loyal brand advocates and refer others. This translates to a lower CAC and higher customer lifetime value (CLTV) for your SaaS business. 

By prioritizing a consistently positive customer experience, you're not just building a loyal following; you're creating a sustainable growth engine.

How Do You Measure Customer Retention?

Your customer retention rate (CRR) shows how you retained customers over a specific period. 

Calculate customer retention by first subtracting the number of new customers you acquired within a period from the total number of customers you have at the end of the period. Next, divide that figure by your number of customers at the start of the period and multiply your answer by 100.

Here’s the simple formula for calculating your SaaS retention rate over a specific period:

Customer retention rate (CRR) = [(No of customers at the end of the period - No of new customers acquired during the period))/No of customers at the start of the period] x 100

SaaS Customer Retention Metrics and Benchmarks

SaaS customer retention metrics are KPIs that measure how effectively a company retains customers over time, providing insights into customer loyalty, satisfaction, and overall business health.

Here are some key B2C and B2B SaaS retention benchmarks to note as you grow your business:

• Customer Retention Rate: Some experts say best-in-class SaaS businesses have customer retention rates between 85% and 87%. Meanwhile, UserPilot asserts that a good SaaS retention rate to aim for is 90%. Either way, this number can fluctuate over time due to factors like product updates, economic instability, average uptime percentage, and more.
• Customer Retention Rate by ACV: According to 2023 SaaS Capital benchmarks, products with higher annual contract values (ACV) record higher net and gross retention rates (GRR). Companies with ACVs over $250,000 had a median NRR of 110% and a GRR of 95%, while those under $12,000 had a median NRR of 100% and a more variable GRR.

• ARR Per FTE Benchmark: Founder and angel investor Bartek Pucek suggests that at scale, companies should target a high revenue per employee, aiming for $200k+ in ARR per FTE. This range indicates efficient use of human resources relative to revenue generation, suggesting operational effectiveness. 

Understanding and tracking key metrics

Consider tracking these additional SaaS customer retention metrics for deeper insights:

Customer churn rate

Customer churn rate is the percentage of customers who stop using your product or service during a specific period, the opposite of customer retention rate.

Churn Rate = (No of customers lost during a period/No of customers at start of period) x 100

Customer lifetime value (LTV)

Customer lifetime value estimates the total revenue your company can expect from a single customer throughout their relationship with you, reflecting the long-term impact of your acquisition and retention efforts.

Customer LTV = Average purchase value x Average purchase frequency x Customer lifespan

Repeat purchase rate

Repeat purchase rate shows the percentage of your customers who make more than one purchase from you over a specified period. It is a key customer loyalty indicator.

Repeat purchase rate = (No of repeat customers/Total no of customers) x 100

Net promoter score (NPS)

Net promoter score (NPS) measures customer loyalty and satisfaction by asking how likely they are to recommend your product or service on a scale of 0 to 10. 

It categorizes customers into promoters, detractors, and passives, then calculates the score by subtracting the percentage of detractors from promoters.

Net Promoter Score = % Promoters - % Detractors

Where: 

• Promoters are respondents who rate your company 9 - 10
• Passives are respondents who score 7 - 8.
• Detractors are respondents who rate your company 0 - 6 

Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)

Customer satisfaction score measures customers’ satisfaction with your company by asking them to rate their experience on a predefined scale, typically from 1 to 5 or 1 to 10. This helps you assess customers' immediate sentiment about your business and identify areas for improvement.

Customer Satisfaction Score = (No of satisfied customers/No of survey responses) x 100

Where:

• Satisfied customers are respondents who rate their experience with your brand positively (usually 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale or between 8 and 10 on a 10-point scale).

Active users

Active users are the number of unique users engaging with your product or service over a specific period. They indicate product stickiness, user-friendliness, and utility. 

Calculate active users daily, weekly, or monthly to gain insights into engagement patterns and the impact of marketing campaigns, new features, or other changes.

• Daily active users (DAU) refers to the number of unique users who engage with your product or service in a single day.
• Weekly active users (WAU) refers to the number of unique users who engage with your product or service within one week.
• Monthly active users (MAU) refers to the number of unique users who engage with your product or service over the span of a month.

For deeper insights, segment users by demographics or behavior and analyze activity patterns. 

However, first, define what “active users” or “user activity” means for your business. This could include specific user actions like logging in, engaging with content, making purchases, or other key activities. Analytics tools like Google Analytics or Amplitude can then be used to monitor and optimize user activity.

SaaS Customer Retention Strategies in 2024 with Examples

SaaS retention strategies, shaped by personalization and the right CX software, can significantly boost customer satisfaction and loyalty. Different CX providers offer varying features that support customer retention, from live chat functionality to chatbots, in-depth reporting dashboards, and more. 

We will also explore how the Service module of Plivo CX, as an all-in-one omnichannel customer service platform, can help amplify the impact of your customer retention strategies. 

To help you get started, here are five proven strategies to retain SaaS customers, reduce churn, and drive growth:

1. Create personalized onboarding experiences

Personalizing onboarding experiences for customer segments is more effective than generic onboarding. It improves customer stickiness and retention by tailoring the process to their needs. 

Utilize data gathered during sign-up, purchase, or account creation to personalize the experience.

Example

Take Notion’s onboarding flow, for instance. After signing up, the app asks you how you’d like to use it to tailor your user experience accordingly.

Next, Notion asks you to share some more details about yourself so it can show you the most relevant content and features.

The app will then prompt you to name your workspace and add an icon, like using your company name or branding, so any added collaborators can easily recognize the invite.

SaaS buying software Vendr reports that Notion’s customer retention rate is 65.83% so they’re definitely doing something right. This rate indicates long-term usability and strong user satisfaction, especially in the SaaS industry where apps with 35% retention are considered elite.

2.Offer omnichannel customer support

Excellent customer support on the channel customers prefer can significantly drive customer retention. In fact, one of the top four brand loyalty drivers worldwide is top-notch customer service.

Focus on providing a true omnichannel support experience so your service agents can promptly address customer issues or requests. 

Example

With Plivo CX's Unified Agent Desktop, agents can seamlessly switch between AI-powered live chat, voice, SMS, email, and WhatsApp. As for customers, here’s how they benefit: 

1. Faster resolution times: They experience quicker responses and resolutions to their inquiries. Since agents have immediate access to all necessary information and tools in one interface, they can address customer needs more efficiently.
   
   
2. The same quality of service on any channel: Customers enjoy a seamless experience as they move across different communication modes without having to repeat their issues or re-provide information.
3. Personalized interactions: As agents can tailor their interactions based on past engagements and known preferences, customers feel more valued and understood. This promotes their overall satisfaction and loyalty to the brand.
4. Reduced errors and miscommunications: The aggregation of communication channels and customer data in one place eliminates scopes of miscommunications and errors in handling high volume customer requests. This leads to more accurate support and a better customer experience.

3. Monitor product usage

Track product usage to identify engagement patterns and potential churn risks. At-risk customers often show signs like decreased usage or unresolved support tickets. 

Also, analyzing customer data by user segments helps you promptly identify and address churn potential.

Example

Before adopting Hotjar, the social media planning and approval brand HeyOrca needed a clearer way to measure user engagement and satisfaction. 

With the website and app analytics tools, HeyOrca has been able to assess its user experience, monitor how users interact with their app, and adjust site elements as needed.

4. Use customer journey maps

Customer journey maps help you understand the different stages users interact with your product and identify pain points or opportunities to enhance their experiences.

For example, analyzing your customer journey maps may uncover delayed verification email delivery during the signup process, which frustrates new users and leads them to churn. 

With this information, you can then troubleshoot the issue and ease the account creation process, subsequently driving up retention.

5. Make self-service more accessible

Research from 2018 showed that 88% of customers expect companies to have online self-service support portals. 

Want to keep us with modern customer requirements? Leverage live chat technology, chatbots, interactive voice response (IVR), and comprehensive help centers to help customers self-serve even when agents are unavailable or otherwise occupied.

Example

Plivo CX partners with OpenAI, keeping your customer support at the forefront of innovation. The OpenAI-driven self-service chatbot helps you offer 24/7 support to your customers. You can also train the chatbot to use only your selected content, ensuring accuracy and relevance. 

Easily build custom knowledge bases to empower both bots and human agents. When issues require human intervention, easily escalate them to your agents for faster resolution. 

With a customizable IVR, you can automate your first customer touchpoint. Guide callers through self-selected options for faster routing, shorter wait times, and quicker issue resolution. You can also further personalize the experience by incorporating customer data into greetings and voice prompts.

Boost SaaS Customer Retention with Plivo CX

Plivo CX’s intuitive customer service features can help you boost customer retention and drive revenue. From self-service tools to SMS support, the web-based platform lets you deliver exceptional service across various touchpoints.

Book a demo to get started with Plivo CX and watch it transform your SaaS customer retention rates for the better!

Customer retention is often influenced by a multitude of factors, including the quality of the website experience, response times, and the level of personalization offered. 

However, maintaining customers, especially new ones, for an extended period is a challenging and unpredictable process. 

In 2023, the retention rate for banks improved the most (4.3 percentage points) among other industries globally. On the other hand, the electronics industries witnessed negligible improvement (0.4 percentage points).

In this scenario, the right customer retention software can help you maintain existing customers and even re-engage those you may have lost along the way.

Now, let’s check out the 11 best customer retention software available today.

What is Customer Retention Software?

Customer retention software gathers valuable insights about customers’ pain points to facilitate targeted action. It is designed to reduce churn and increase repeat purchases through various features, such as lead tracking, data analysis, email marketing campaigns, and multi-channel engagement.

These features help companies collect and analyze customer data in a way that reveals patterns and trends in consumer behavior. They can leverage this knowledge to pinpoint the junctures where customers drop off and find out the key reasons behind churn.

Top 11 Customer Retention Software You Need to Know

1. Plivo CX 

Ideal for mid-market e-commerce, B2C, and healthcare companies, Plivo CX is a cloud-based omnichannel customer support and retention platform that brings all customer data into a single-pane-of-glass solution. 

The unified platform ensures that no matter which channels a customer uses to contact support—be it chat, email, SMS, or voice—the service quality remains consistent. Agents no longer need to switch between channels to find the context of the problem, leading to faster resolutions. On the other hand, customers can quickly resolve their queries, in their preferred channels—which promotes a convenient experience.  

To up the game, you can train and deploy OpenAI-powered self-service chatbots to reduce reliance on live agents further,  by over 50%. 

Moreover, you can track your customer support team’s performance through live metrics and detailed reports. 

Features

• Use the Unified Agent Desktop to provide effortless and omnichannel customer service across email, voice, SMS, WhatsApp, and live chat
• Deploy OpenAI-powered self-service chatbots to answer complex customer queries around the clock
• By offering self-service options and personalized greetings, the customizable IVR reduces wait times and improves customer experience.
• Seamlessly integrate Plivo CX with your existing tech stack, including homegrown systems, ERP, CRM, and helpdesk tools for a holistic view of customer data
• Drag-and-drop workflows can further simplify intricate customer journeys. By visually connecting components, you can automate tasks and trigger actions based on data.
• Analyze customer interactions and collect feedback in real time via Metrics and Reporting features to tailor your responses accordingly
• With features like call recording, barge and whisper, you can coach your agents effectively 
• Create an integrated knowledge base so your agents can provide complete, quick, and up-to-date responses. 

Limitations

• Lacks features for quality assurance and workforce management
• No mobile version is available for support agents on the go

Pricing

Omnichannel (annual plans):

• Growth: $29 per user per month
• Business: $69 per user per month
• Enterprise: Available on request

Voice-only annual plans

• Growth: $25 per user per month
• Business: $40 per user per month
• Enterprise: Available on request

Chat-only annual plans

• Growth: $15 per user per month
• Business: $30 per user per month
• Enterprise: Available on request

Ratings from G2 and Capterra

• G2: 4.5/5 (700+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (80+ reviews)

2. Salesforce Service 

Salesforce Service assists companies in addressing data silos by consolidating all customer data into one centralized location. Additionally, it includes the “Last Activity” field to keep businesses informed about their most recent customer interactions, allowing them to filter communications based on the timing of their last interaction. 

Salesforce facilitates tracking customer engagement, simplifying the identification of proactive customers. 

It is more suitable for large enterprises. Examples of its current customers include Spotify, Amazon Web Services, Walmart, etc.

Features

• Get real-time customer call summary and data through cloud telephony integration
• Automate omnichannel routing to resolve customer issues faster
• Set up visual remote assistants and AI-powered chatbots for better customer support 

Limitations

• Implementation and customization options are complex, especially for smaller businesses (G2) 

Pricing 

• Starter Suite: $25/user/month
• Professional: $80/user/month
• Enterprise: $165/user/month
• Unlimited: $330/user/month 
• Einstein 1 Service: $500/user/month

Ratings from G2 and Capterra

• G2: 4.3/5 (3700+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5 (750+ reviews)
  

3. HubSpot Service Hub

Service Hub by HubSpot changes how customer experience impacts your business by leveraging AI technology, offering omnichannel support, and integrating with marketing and sales data to drive scalable customer support.

Service Hub offers proactive tools to improve customer health, identify upsell opportunities, and drive customer retention.

Features

• Use a unified help desk to track customer tickets
• Instantly direct customers to the right agents via AI-powered chats
• Utilize customer health scores and product usage insights to retain customers actively 

Limitations

• The ticketing system is new and not so advanced compared to other tools (Capterra)  

Pricing 

• Free: $0
• Starter: $20/seat/month
• Professional: $100/seat/month
• Enterprise: $150/seat/month

Ratings from G2 and Capterra

• G2: 4.4/5 (2240+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5 (130+ reviews)

4. Zendesk

Zendesk Support Suite allows you to centralize customer conversations, interact with users using chatbots, connect with over 1,500 third-party apps, and analyze customer service performance through intuitive reports and graphs.

Its round-the-clock AI-powered bots provide customer insights by detecting sentiment and intent, helping agents predict and understand customer needs and emotions.

From enterprises and startups to small and medium-sized businesses, Zendesk mainly serves the retail, financial services, education, manufacturing, healthcare, telecommunications, and media industries.

Features

• Collect customer data and track support tickets using Agent Workspace
• Personalize omnichannel communication with your customers 
• Compile valuable feedback through automated customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys to identify areas for improvement more accurately

Limitations

• Users have complained about slow and delayed customer support (Capterra)

Pricing 

• Suite Team: $55agent/month
• Suite Growth: $89/agent/month
• Suite Professional: $115/agent/month
• Suite Enterprise: Custom pricing

Ratings from G2 and Capterra

• G2: 4.3/5 (5840+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.4/5 (3800+ reviews)

5. Keap

Keap is a CRM tool and automation builder for small businesses, particularly service-oriented ones (such as coaching and consulting businesses). It helps with multiple aspects of customer service, from managing customer lists to creating sales pipelines.

Keap’s strategic reporting feature tells you which customers have clicked an email or purchased a product. Pre-designed email and text templates and advanced predictive algorithms ensure that leads and clients receive timely communications tailored to their needs and preferences.

Features

• Track customers as they move through your sales pipeline with lead scoring
• Automate email and text marketing campaigns 
• Integrate different payment methods and promo codes to target customers with varying preferences

Limitations

• The reporting measures are limited, with users being unable to generate complex reports (G2)

Pricing 

• Ignite: $249/month
• Grow: $329/month
• Scale: $499/month

Ratings from G2 and Capterra

• G2: 4.2/5 (1520+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.1/5 (1270+ reviews)

6. Freshworks

Freshworks Customer Service Suite helps businesses of all sizes centralize customer interactions across various platforms, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, email, and live chat.

With advanced automation webhooks, you can automatically update customers on their inquiries, initiate conversations using pre-designed chatbot sequences, and support agents in resolving customer problems.

Features

• Deploy AI-powered chatbots on any channel to help customers 24/7
• Respond quickly on multiple channels through the omnichannel agent dashboard
• Solve complex customer issues using smart assist tools 

Limitations

• Users have been left frustrated with unresponsive customer service, with sometimes issues not getting resolved at all (G2)

Pricing 

• Growth: $27/agent/month
• Pro: $65/agent/month
• Enterprise: $106/agent/month

Ratings from G2 and Capterra

• G2: 4.4/5 (3680+ reviews)
• Capterra: Not enough reviews

7. Hotjar

Hotjar is a one-stop solution offering tools like heatmaps, recordings, feedback, live interviews, and surveys for user insights. Observe how each customer moves through your website and see what catches their eye. This also allows you to detect where they lose interest.

The tool also offers easy-to-fill surveys to collect customer feedback. The sentiment analysis feature automatically categorizes the responses as positive, negative, or neutral, saving you time and helping you improve engagement with your clientele.

Hotjar caters to any business seeking insights into customer behavior, from small websites and e-commerce brands to SaaS, retail, financial services, subscription businesses, etc.

Features

• Watch complete recordings of user sessions on your website to track clicks, mouse movements, and rage clicks
• Automate the recruitment, scheduling, and hosting of moderated user interviews to learn what they think about your business
• Use live feedback widgets and send post-delivery emails to customers to calculate CSAT and Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Limitations

• The dashboard is cluttered and confusing to navigate (G2)

Pricing 

• Basic: $0 
• Plus: $32/month
• Business: $80/month
• Scale: $171/month

Ratings from G2 and Capterra

• G2: 4.3/5 (300+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (500+ reviews)

8. Qualaroo 

Qualaroo is a cloud-based research tool that allows you to ask customers specific questions based on their user activity. These targeted surveys provide accurate information about your customer experience, enabling you to improve and optimize it. The tool targets micro-businesses, startups, and larger websites like LinkedIn, Udemy, and Glassdoor.

Features

• Conduct exit surveys to understand why customers aren’t converting and gather feedback on their experience with UX design across various platforms
• Utilize the Nudge™ technology to prompt relevant inquiries at the right moment without being pushy
• Get AI-powered analytics for your survey questions

Limitations

• The reporting dashboard lacks features and needs upgradations (Capterra)

Pricing 

• Free Plan: $0 for 50 responses
• Business: $239.88 for 100 responses/month

Ratings from G2 and Capterra

• G2: 4.3/5 (45 reviews)
• Capterra: Not enough reviews

9. ClickUp 

ClickUp provides different views (List, Board, Table) to track projects, client communication, and retention efforts in a visually intuitive manner. 

Customize ClickUp’s task management system to suit client retention activities, including follow-up calls, satisfaction surveys, and special client engagement initiatives.

Its built-in reporting features provide valuable data on customer retention, sales effectiveness, and team efficiency, which can be used to make informed decisions. ClickUp caters to enterprise-level companies, startups, non-profit agencies, etc.

Features

• Implement your customer retention strategy with pre-built CRM templates
• Track important customer retention metrics like average order value and customer lifetime value
• Use automated lead scoring to prioritize high-value customers 

Limitations

• The mobile app is not intuitive and user-friendly (Capterra)  

Pricing 

• Personal: Free Forever
• Unlimited: $7/user/month
• Business: $12/user/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Ratings from G2 and Capterra

• G2: 4.7 /5 (9500+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/ 5 (4100+ reviews)

10. ProfitWell 

ProfitWell by Paddle provides services to more than 5,000 subscription-based businesses (both B2B and B2C organizations). It reduces customer churn by automatically recovering declined payments. 

ProfitWell also captures customer metadata to attempt payment retries strategically. The interface offers comprehensive reports and visual representations, providing valuable insights into customer and revenue growth.

Features

• Monitor and compare user engagement across different plans
• Design custom churn reduction strategies to decrease customer turnover and re-engage with your client base
• Receive alerts for at-risk customer relationships

Limitations

• Most of your customers need to pay via Stripe if you want to benefit fully from ProfitWell (Capterra)

Pricing 

• Pay-as-you-go: 5% + 50¢ per checkout transaction
• Custom pricing

Ratings from G2 and Capterra

• G2: 4.9/5 (120+ reviews)
• Capterra: Not enough reviews
  

11. Zoho CRM 

Zoho serves enterprises and small businesses in the automotive, retail, financial services, and education sectors.

Zoho integration gathers information from landing pages and stores customer data in dashboards. It generates personalized reports for each customer, containing their contact information, current projects, product needs, previous orders, etc. Use this information to segment customers and target them with customized offers. 

Features

• Talk to leads and existing customers using the omnichannel communication tool
• Automate Zoho workflows for targeted customer communication for specific offers and special occasions, like sending birthday wishes
• Enable collaboration with support teams to resolve customer tickets by integrating with help desk software

Limitations

• The platform configuration is complicated, and customizing the setup is complex (Capterra)

Pricing 

• Standard: $9/user/month
• Professional: $16/user/month
• Enterprise: $28/user/month
• Ultimate: $31/user/month

Ratings from G2 and Capterra

• G2: 4.1/5 (2600+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (6720+ reviews)

Key Features of Retention Software to Consider

Real-time data collection and reports 

This feature enables customer retention software to gain insights into valuable metrics, such as sales call metrics, lead drop-out rates, marketing video performance, link click-through rates, email engagement, and average wait and handle times. 

Look for a tool that presents the collected data as organized reports with tables and graphs. 

Customer segmentation

Personalization is the key to retaining clients. Customer segmentation can group different customers based on their demographics, purchase behavior, engagement levels, or other specified criteria and then develop and deliver a personalized customer experience (such as discount codes for cart items or promotions) to build strong connections.

Omnichannel engagement

Customers today interact with brands across multiple channels, including social media, email, live chat, and phone calls. Look for a tool that helps you connect with customers and maintain a high service quality across all communication channels.

Transform Your Business With the Best Customer Retention Software 

As a true omnichannel customer service platform, Plivo CX comes with its robust suite of features, including a Unified Agent Desktop, drag-and-drop workflows, custom APIs, extensive integrations, agent coaching features, real-time metrics and analytics, etc.

These can help companies enhance agent performance and gain valuable insights into customer interactions. The outcome is faster issue resolution, personalized customer experiences, and ultimately, increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Are you ready to use Plivo CX to retain customers and elevate their customers’ experience?

Book a demo now!

In the rapidly evolving landscape of cloud communication, ensuring smooth and reliable call connectivity stands paramount for businesses leveraging Plivo's communication solutions. Recognizing this critical need, we're thrilled to introduce Zentrunk Debug Logs, a robust tool meticulously crafted to enhance your troubleshooting capabilities and streamline the process of diagnosing and resolving call connectivity issues.

Understanding Zentrunk Debug Logs

Zentrunk Debug Logs is an advanced feature designed to provide Plivo customers with deep insights and detailed logs for effective debugging of call connectivity challenges. This tool is part of our ongoing commitment to empower users with the resources they need to maintain seamless communication channels, thus ensuring uninterrupted business operations.

When to Use Zentrunk Debug Logs

Zentrunk Debug Logs become indispensable when facing call connectivity issues, such as calls not connecting, dropped calls, or poor call quality. These situations could stem from a multitude of factors ranging from network configurations, SIP signaling problems, to codec mismatches. Identifying the root cause quickly is critical to minimizing downtime and maintaining high standards of communication.

Key Features of Zentrunk Debug Logs

• Call Details: This feature presents essential information about each call, including caller and call recipient details, timestamps, and call duration. It serves as the first step in understanding the context and flow of affected communications, allowing users to quickly pinpoint potential issues.
• Call Stats: Dive into origination, termination, and trunk-related details. This data is invaluable for identifying performance trends, anomalies, or bottlenecks that might be impacting the quality of your calls.‍
• SIP Logs: A cornerstone feature of Zentrunk Debug Logs, the SIP Logs section enables the download of SIP PCAP files, showcasing the last SIP response and Codec information. This in-depth analysis of SIP signaling data is key to uncovering the root cause of connectivity issues, facilitating swift and effective resolution.

Call Details

Call stats

SIP Logs

How to Access and Utilize Zentrunk Debug Logs

Accessing Zentrunk Debug Logs is straightforward:

1. Log into your Plivo console.
2. Navigate to "Zentrunk" and select "Logs" from the menu.

Here, you'll find an intuitive interface that displays all the necessary tools and information at your fingertips. For a more effective troubleshooting process, start by reviewing the Call Details to get a sense of the communication flow. Next, analyze the Call Stats to detect any patterns or anomalies. Finally, delve into the SIP Logs for a technical deep dive to identify the specific issue.

Leveraging Zentrunk Debug Logs for Success

To get the most out of Zentrunk Debug Logs, we recommend incorporating it into your regular troubleshooting and maintenance routines. By proactively reviewing and analyzing your call data, you're positioned to quickly identify and resolve issues, minimizing their potential impact on your communication workflows.

Zentrunk Debug Logs are more than just a diagnostic tool; they're a means to ensure that your communication infrastructure is robust, reliable, and capable of supporting your business needs. We invite you to explore this feature and discover how it can enhance your Plivo experience.

If you have any feedback or require assistance, our support team is here to help. Happy debugging!

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Plivo is introducing PIN-based authentication to its robust Number Masking API. This feature is designed to expand the utility and coverage of our number masking capabilities, catering to a broader range of use cases, including scenarios where calls originate from numbers that are not part of the number-masking session.

What is PIN-based Number Masking?

PIN-based number masking builds on our existing number masking solution, which anonymizes the phone numbers of parties in a call by using an intermediate virtual number. The new feature introduces a PIN authentication layer, enabling seamless connection even when calls originate from numbers that are not part of the number-masking session. This is particularly useful for situations where users may have multiple phone numbers or when calls are made from a number not previously associated with the application.

For example, imagine a user who signed up on a ride-sharing app with their primary phone number (let's call it Number X). One day, they need to call their driver but find that their primary phone is out of battery. They decide to use a different phone (Number Y) and call from a number that is not part of the number-masking session. Thanks to PIN-based Number Masking, they can still make the call. In such scenarios Plivo will ask for a PIN, and once the caller enters it correctly, the call connects to the driver, all the while keeping both parties' actual numbers hidden.

Who Benefits from PIN-based Number Masking?

This solution is tailor-made for businesses that operate in dynamic environments where end users or service providers use multiple SIMs or phone numbers. Whether it's a delivery service connecting drivers and customers, or a healthcare provider ensuring patient confidentiality, PIN-based number masking ensures that every call is securely connected, regardless of the phone number used.

How Does It Work?

When a call is initiated from an unregistered number, the caller is prompted to enter a PIN. This PIN, either set by the user or automatically generated by Plivo, verifies the caller's identity and connects them to the intended party, all while maintaining the anonymity of both parties' phone numbers.

Getting Started with PIN-based Number Masking

The adoption of PIN-based Number Masking involves a straightforward process, ensuring businesses can easily integrate this feature into their existing systems. Here's how to get started:

• Account Setup: Ensure you have an active Plivo account. If not, sign up with your business email and acquire a voice-enabled Plivo phone number, essential for creating number masking sessions. You can rent numbers from the Numbers page of the Plivo console, or by using the Numbers API.
• Creating a PIN-Based Session: Use a simple cURL request to kickstart your number masking session with PIN authentication enabled. This request should include both parties' phone numbers, a flag to enable PIN authentication (is_pin_authentication_required), and the PINs for both parties. You can also specify audio prompts for PIN entry and incorrect PIN attempts. 

 Here’s a basic template:

Ensure that is_pin_authentication_required is set to true for sessions requiring PIN verification. This step is vital for authenticating calls from unknown numbers.

• Configuration and Customization: Tailor the session to your specific needs by configuring optional parameters. These include setting custom PIN prompts and actions for incorrect PIN entries, thus offering a personalized experience for your users. Further details about these attributes can be found in the session object description.
• Session and PIN Management: Upon session creation, both parties receive the same virtual number. The PIN generated by Plivo will be unique for each party. Customers also have the option to generate unique pins for the parties involved. Plivo's system seamlessly handles the authentication, connecting calls upon successful PIN verification.
• Monitoring and Feedback: Plivo's infrastructure provides callbacks for real-time updates on PIN authentication status and session interactions. This feature is invaluable for maintaining oversight and optimizing the call experience based on actual usage.

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Why Choose PIN-Based Number Masking?

PIN-based number masking enhances security and flexibility, ensuring calls are authenticated even from unregistered numbers. This level of authentication is crucial for businesses that prioritize customer confidentiality and security, such as healthcare providers, ride-sharing services, and delivery platforms. By integrating this feature, businesses can reassure their users that their privacy is protected, and their interactions are secure, no matter which phone number they use.

Conclusion

Incorporating PIN-based number masking into your communication strategy not only enhances security but also provides a seamless user experience across various scenarios. Whether your users need to switch between multiple devices or numbers, this feature ensures uninterrupted and confidential communication.

To implement PIN-based number masking and leverage its full potential, explore our comprehensive developer documentation. Here, you'll find detailed guides, examples, and best practices to help you integrate this feature effortlessly.

Discover how Plivo's API can transform your communication processes by visiting our developer documentation. Empower your business with advanced security features and ensure your users' privacy and satisfaction.

Enhance your call security today with Plivo!

SMS has long been the workhorse of business messaging—but there’s a new show pony in town. 

Rich Communication Services, or RCS messaging, offers a powerful upgrade that goes beyond plain text to transform business-to-customer communications.

In this guide, we’ll detail how RCS is different from OTT, SMS, and MMS, the advantages RCS can offer your business, and some tips to help you leverage its full potential for your business.

What is RCS messaging?

RCS, which stands for rich communication services, is a revolutionary protocol that upgrades traditional SMS and MMS text messages with a host of advanced features. These features include images, read receipts, suggested replies, group chats, and e-commerce integrations, making RCS messaging more engaging and informative. 

Many of these features are already familiar to consumers who use chat tools like OTT services like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. The big difference is that RCS messaging builds these features directly into Android and iOS; it will inevitably replace SMS altogether. 

Does RCS work on Android and Apple devices? 

Most major carriers in the US offer RCS messaging on Android devices. However, Apple only recently announced that it will adopt RCS with the release of iOS 18 in the fall of 2024.

"We believe RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS. This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users,” said an Apple spokesperson. 

Apple has started testing RCS messaging with iOS 18 developer beta 2, suggesting a wider release is imminent. 

Where is RCS messaging used?

The use of RCS messaging is contingent on two factors: carrier support and device compatibility. Currently, RCS messages are only compatible with newer Android phones, such as the latest devices from Samsung and Google. 

Carrier support is comparatively more common. Most major carriers in North America support RCS messaging, including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. The map below shows where RCS messaging is available and in use in more detail. 

While RCS isn't universally available yet, it's being adopted by more and more carriers and becoming increasingly common on newer devices.

How does RCS messaging compare to MMS, SMS, and OTT?

RCS, MMS, SMS, OTT — these acronyms can quickly become confusing. SMS and MMS are legacy systems from which RCS has evolved. Let’s go through the key differences between different messaging protocols to understand why RCS messaging is so promising.

SMS (Short Message Service)

SMS messages are the most basic types of text messages. These texts can be up to 160 characters and text-only, meaning you can’t send images or video over SMS. SMS messages are compatible with virtually every mobile phone on the market and do not require an internet connection.

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)

MMS messages are an extension of SMS designed to send multimedia content, including images, video, audio, and text. MMS allows for more text than SMS, up to 1,600 characters. These messages are compatible with most mobile phones, but there are sometimes issues with formatting between different devices and carriers. MMS messages work over cellular networks but often benefit from an internet connection to transmit media content. 

OTT (Over-the-Top Services)

OTT messages use your phone's internet data connection rather than your mobile carrier's traditional SMS/MMS network. Apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, and WeChat are all OTT messaging services. OTT messaging apps tend to offer more features than SMS, such as sending photos and videos, voice and video calls, group chats, and read receipts. These apps aren’t native to iOS or Android devices and must be downloaded by the user before OTT services can be accessed. 

RCS (Rich Communication Services)

RCS messages are an upgrade to MMS. These texts support text, high-resolution images, videos, audio messages, file transfers, location sharing, and more interactive elements like group chats and read receipts. However, RCS requires both the sender and recipient to have RCS-enabled devices and carriers that support RCS. 

RCS messaging offers the best set of features and security compared to legacy text messaging protocols. The only drawback is the lack of market penetration — something we expect will change with Apple’s new iOS launch. 

The future of RCS messaging for your business

The potential of RCS messaging hasn’t been fully realized, but early analysis has forecasters excited about what RCS texting can do for businesses of all sizes. “New feature-rich messaging apps, such as those built on the RCS platform, offer businesses powerful new opportunities for successfully interacting with consumers,” wrote the experts at Harvard Business Review. 

Brands such as Citi, UnoTV, Overstock, and Subway are early adopters of RCS. These companies provide case studies of how other businesses can make the most of RCS messaging. For example, Overstock uses RCS texting to send purchase, shipping, and delivery confirmations. Subway used RCS messages to send promotions with high-quality images; the campaign saw a 144% increase in its coupon redemption rate compared to the same promotion sent via SMS.

The analysts at Juniper forecast significant growth in RCS usage, expecting the user base to surpass 2 billion by 2028 — a prediction that seems well within reach given Apple’s planned release to its customers. Here’s what the mobile market could look like over the next few years. 

Given that RCS is poised to make MMS and SMS campaigns obsolete, let’s dive into why RCS can make such a big difference for your business. 

The advantages of RCS chat for your company and customers

The adoption and popularity of OTT apps signal how RCS will work for your company. Let’s break down in more detail how RCS messaging can strengthen your customer relationships. 

Deliver a better customer experience

Like WhatsApp and other OTT messages, RCS is packed with features that improve the user experience. Here are a few media capabilities built into RCS chat that can upgrade the customer experience. 

• Quality images, video messages, and GIFs
• Delivery and read receipts
• Video-calling capabilities
• Suggested replies
• Suggested actions
• Location sharing
• In-message payment options
• Sender verification
• QR codes

“With RCS, which has the richness of OTTs but is universal, consumers will get graphically branded messages from a verified sender, which may include suggested action buttons quick button replies, along with high-definition images and video,” wrote Harvard Business Review. “Survey respondents emphasize the importance of these messaging capabilities, with 81% saying that the ability to offer verified sender information is highly important.” 

Boost trust with sender verification

Brands that use RCS texting can be verified by a Verification Authority—a specialized entity, Mobile Network Operator, Chatbot Platform provider, etc. Once verified, your brand’s logo will appear at the top of the conversation along with your brand name and status badge (such as a checkmark).  

Verified sender information is among the most promising features of RCS messaging. By becoming a verified sender, your brand avoids being marked as spam and can build customer trust. Today, 70% of consumers have worried brand texts pose a data security risk; sender verification helps mitigate that anxiety.

Build strong customer communication

The many features available in RCS messaging enable brands to boost engagement and create a meaningful channel for two-way communication with customers. Interactive messaging lets customers take action directly, reducing admin for your brand while making it as easy as checking a text for customers to engage.

Imagine sending messages enriched with buttons that trigger specific actions. Customers can click a button to view product details, book an appointment, or initiate any relevant action – all within the same message thread. This ability saves customers time and frustration by eliminating the need to navigate through separate platforms.

Learn more from your data 

RCS messages generate better data and analytics from which your brand can learn. UnoTV’s RCS pilot gave the brand useful information that can trigger smarter, more targeted future campaigns. 

“With SMS, we don’t even know if the message was delivered to the user, but with RCS

we can see if it was delivered, if it was opened, and if it was interacted with,” said Violeta Rosales, UnoTV digital development lead. “It gives us a much better understanding of interactions.”

Leverage a more targeted UX 

RCS's rich multimedia experience lets your brand leverage chat history, analytics, and other customer data to build rich customer profiles. These detailed profiles become the key to crafting highly targeted messages – whether for automated responses or marketing campaigns. Tailoring compelling content that resonates with individual customers becomes much easier with this protocol. 

Use RCS messaging to grow your business

RCS messaging can supercharge your sales, marketing, and customer service. Here are a few ways to make the most of RCS’s advanced features to grow your business. 

Send captivating promos and specials

RCS messages allow brands to create eye-catching promos with image carousels, media cards, and GIFs. Many brands are already using WhatsApp to do this. Showcase multiple products at once with a call-to-action that takes the viewer straight to the shopping page, streamlining checkout. 

Early data suggests that media-rich promos significantly outperform traditional mobile campaigns. BodemerAuto, a car dealer, launched a Black Friday campaign using RCS to increase customer engagement. The campaign delivered a 17-fold clickthrough rate (CTR) improvement compared to a concurrent, text-only SMS campaign.

Manage appointments and reservations

Healthcare and hospitality companies can use RCS texting to manage appointments, send reminders, and sell event tickets. Live support, suggested actions, and AI chatbots can all be used in RCS texting to help customers manage their relationships with your business without tangling up customer service channels. 

How does this work? A salon could prompt a customer to set up an appointment with a “schedule now” button. The client would schedule their appointment directly through the text conversation. Suggested actions could also include a “reschedule” autoresponse. 

Automate account alerts 

Citi has traditionally used SMS to ask customers to verify account information, receive alerts on their spending, and get notified immediately of suspicious transactions. With RCS messaging, Citi can do more. 

“This RCS functionality allows customers to message Citi through the standard Android Messages app on their device and to access information such as their current balance and payment due date,” Wooters notes. “Our customers can also escalate their inquiry to a live agent, to address additional servicing needs.” 

Not only can Citi customers get real-time account alerts, but they can also take action directly in the message. 

Beat the competition with a great RCS strategy: 3 tips

Now is the time to start developing an RCS strategy. As this messaging protocol grows, brands that are prepared will have a competitive advantage over those that continue to rely on SMS or MMS. 

Treat your RCS text campaigns like e-mail. 

The features of RCS messaging allow you to be more sophisticated in your mobile marketing strategy. RCS messages can deliver powerful, specific CTAs, so customer segmentation is imperative. Set campaign goals, segment your contact list, and measure results the same way you would an email campaign. 

Please note that we do not suggest writing RCS messages that are as long or detailed as your e-mail campaigns. RCS messages should be used to augment your other communications channels in a more targeted, impactful way.

Start developing content on OTT apps.

More brands are signing on to use this messaging protocol every day. But, in the meantime, develop an OTT strategy that can help hone in on what content works and doesn’t. Plivo’s WhatsApp Business API allows users to effortlessly deploy WhatsApp for customer engagement while keeping costs low. 

WhatsApp for Business allows brands to send images, videos, and documents, making the messaging experience richer and more engaging. Plivo makes it easy to use the WhatsApp Business Platform to showcase a new product through a video, share a brochure as a PDF, or simply update customers on their latest transactions.

[Read more: Get Started with Plivo's WhatsApp API – Quick Onboarding Guide]  

WhatsApp for Business gives you a way to test different content and see what resonates. Try different campaigns to learn best practices and understand how customers respond to these richer messages. 

Utilize your customer data. 

Finally, remember that RCS messaging is simply another channel in an omnichannel approach to the customer experience. Like any tool, it’s best utilized with customer data from across your company — sales, customer service, marketing, and operations. Integrate RCS messaging with your other systems and channels to get the best results.  

Conclusion

RCS messaging is poised for explosive growth. Preparing your business for this messaging protocol now is a smart way to build customer loyalty and trust in the future. Learn more about RCS and how Plivo can help your business engage customers by getting in touch with sales.

The high risk of a security breach makes protective measures, such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and two-step verification (2SV), non-negotiable for businesses. 

An all-in-one solution like Plivo’s Verify API enables you to use 2FA and 2SV to confirm a user’s identity, yet these options operate in distinct ways that can impact your customer experience.

In this guide, we will share in-depth information about two-step verification vs two-factor authentication: their processes, semantic differences, security advantages, and how to determine which option is right for your company. 

What is two-factor authentication (2FA)?

Consumers often use two-factor authentication (2FA) in their day-to-day transactions, such as online banking, digital payments, accessing apps on their mobile devices, and others. 

Two-factor authentication uses two separate factors from different categories to authenticate a user and complete the login process. These categories could be something you know (like a password), something you have (like a smartphone or hardware token), or something you are (like a fingerprint or facial recognition). 

For instance, 2FA could require the user to know a password as well as a code from an authentication app, a fingerprint, or facial recognition. Typically, the user will type in their username and password on a device,  and then the website sends a separate one-time code (OTP) via text, voice call, or mobile app to enter the login page. Or, the user inputs their password and then uses a fingerprint or facial recognition on a separate device, like a phone or tablet, for authentication. 

This combination of using different factors from separate categories makes it significantly harder for a hacker to breach an account, even if they have the user’s password. They will still lack access to the second method (another device or biometric data). 

Examples of two-factor authentication

Here are some real-world examples of 2FA.

• Password and facial recognition on a laptop: After entering the credentials, users must complete the login by scanning their face using their laptop's built-in camera.
• Password and security token: A user inputs their password and then enters a code generated by a physical security token, such as a YubiKey.
• Password and push notification approval: A user enters their credentials on the desktop and then approves a push notification sent to their mobile device to confirm their login.

Benefits of two-factor authentication

• Provides better security: This multi-layered approach is especially effective in thwarting cyber attacks by requiring multiple forms of identification.
• Provides enhanced protection against phishing: Phishing attempts rely on social engineering to trick individuals into revealing passwords. However, biometric info or physical tokens can't easily be compromised through these methods. Even if a password is stolen, the second factor, such as a fingerprint or a security token, remains secure. 
• Designed to enhance customer trust: 2FA boosts user confidence and trust in account security. This leads to higher user satisfaction, engagement, and loyalty as customers feel more secure in their online interactions. 

Challenges of two-factor authentication

• Costs can easily escalate: Implementing 2FA can be costly and complex, requiring significant investment in new technologies, training, and ongoing maintenance and support. These costs can be a barrier for smaller businesses or those with limited budgets.
• Adoption by consumers may take time: Additional steps to log in can be seen as inconvenient, leading to potential resistance from users who prefer simpler, single-step logins. 
• Managing two devices adds complications: Losing the device used for 2FA can lock users out of their accounts, making it complex and time-consuming to recover access. Likewise, the need for two devices can be inconvenient or inaccessible for some customers. 

What is two-step verification (2SV)?

2SV also involves two verification stages, but unlike 2FA, which relies on two different methods, two-step verification relies on two knowledge factors. 

Compared to a simple one-step login process, 2SV is considered more secure. A user needs to know two separate pieces of information to access their account. However, 2SV is considered less secure compared to 2FA. 

How does 2SV work?

2SV generally involves the following steps:

1. The user enters their password to initiate the login process.
2. The user provides a one-time code sent to a registered device or answers a preset security question. The code is often sent via SMS, email, or generated by an authenticator app.

By requiring these two steps, 2SV ensures that even if an attacker obtains the user's password, they would still need access to the second verification method to gain entry.

Examples of two-step verification 

Here are some examples of 2SV in action:

• A one-time PIN in email or text: After entering their username and password, the user receives a single-use PIN or link to enter to access an account. Unlike push notifications, texts and emails are protected by their own passwords, making this method part of the same authentication category (knowledge factor) as the initial password.
• Security questions: Users are required to answer one or more security questions before they can complete the login process. This additional step ensures that only individuals who know the correct answers can gain access.
• Recovery codes: These are unique, system-generated codes provided when a password is forgotten, allowing users to regain access to their accounts. Often referred to as temporary passwords, recovery codes serve as a backup method for account recovery.

Benefits of two-step verification 

• Provides enhanced security: 2SV adds an extra layer of protection beyond just a password. This dual-step process makes accessing an account more challenging for unauthorized users.
• Easy to implement: Implementing 2SV is generally straightforward and can often be integrated with existing systems without major modifications. This makes it an accessible option for many organizations, regardless of size and budget.
• Better accessibility and experience for users: Users don’t need to switch between different devices or methods while logging in. They can access their accounts from anywhere with just a single device.

Challenges of two-step verification 

• More susceptible to phishing: While 2SV is more secure than using a password alone, it can still be vulnerable to phishing attacks, especially if the second verification step involves SMS verification or email codes. 
• Security questions weakness: Using security questions as a second factor can be weak, as answers can be guessed or found through social engineering. For instance, many people use security questions like their mother’s maiden name, which hackers can easily discover on social media. 
• Recovery process complexity: If users lose access to their registered device, they may be unable to complete the second verification step, which locks them out of their accounts. Recovery processes can be complicated and time-consuming, adding inconvenience.

What’s the difference: two-step verification vs two-factor authentication

Here’s a simple chart to illustrate the difference between two-factor authentication vs two two-step authentication. 

Picture the safety features of a car. All airbags are safety features, but not all safety features are airbags. 

Similarly, every two-factor authentication is a form of two-step verification, but not all two-step verification methods qualify as two-factor authentication.

The key difference between two-step verification vs. two-factor authentication? 2FA requires two factors from separate categories. On the other hand, 2SV has two knowledge factors, such as a password followed by a code sent via SMS text message or email​. 

For example, logging into your bank account using 2FA might involve entering your password (something you know) and then scanning your fingerprint (something you are). This approach uses two distinct types of factors, significantly enhancing security. 

In contrast, 2SV for logging into an email account might involve entering your password (something you know) and then entering a code sent to your email or phone (also something you know). 

Why 2FA is considered better than 2SV

2FA is inherently more secure and trusted in industries such as banking, government, and healthcare due to its use of varied authentication factors. 

Other security tips for verifying access

To enhance the security of your accounts and systems, consider implementing the following additional measures.

1. Use strong, unique passwords: Use passwords that are long, complex, and unique for each account. Avoid using easily guessable information like common words, birthdays, or names.
2. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA): Whenever possible, use MFA, which combines several types of authentication factors, such as something you know (password), something you have (hardware token), and something you are (biometric data).
3. Use authenticator apps: Authenticator apps are less susceptible to interception and SIM-swapping attacks. Authenticator apps generate time-based one-time passwords (TOTPs) that can only be accessed on the registered device​.
4. Secure your devices: Lock your devices using passwords, PINs, or biometrics. Also, regularly update your devices to the latest software versions to protect against vulnerabilities​.
5. Monitor account activity: Regularly check your account activity for unauthorized access attempts. Many services will notify you of suspicious login attempts so you can quickly respond to potential threats​.
6. Educate yourself and your users: Stay informed about the latest security threats and best practices for online security. Awareness and education are key to defending against the evolving threat landscape.

By combining these security measures with 2SV or 2FA, you can significantly enhance the protection of your accounts and sensitive information, making it much harder for unauthorized users to gain access.

How Plivo uses 2FA to strengthen your privacy and security

Plivo is designed to build strong defenses for businesses and operators. We assume that a cyber attack is always imminent and focus on providing the best user experience with intuitive and easy-to-use authentication technologies.

1. Increase conversion rates using multiple channels

All 2FA voice and SMS OTP messages must be delivered to the user’s device quickly. Plivo’s powerful platform ensures those messages arrive within a few seconds to avoid disrupting the customer experience. 

Plivo flags invalid phone numbers, identifies the fastest and most reliable route for message delivery, and supports high-volume messaging to guarantee that OTPs reach users promptly. This seamlessly increases conversion rates by ensuring that users can access services without delays or security concerns.

2. Reduce errors with phone number lookup

Plivo’s new Lookup API can automatically determine the format, type, country, and carrier for any phone number worldwide. This detailed information helps you assess risk, prevent fraud, block fake accounts, and increase customer acquisition without additional user input.

3. Reduce the total cost of ownership 

Plivo provides a direct route to end users with a maximum of one hop, ensuring there is no route dilution or blending. This capability allows users to make calls and send SMS text messages globally without delays or the cost of repeated undelivered messages.

Pricing for Plivo's Lookup API starts at $0.004 per request. Bundled packages are available with monthly fees for further savings.

After using the allocated API requests in each plan, additional requests cost $0.004 for each additional request. 

Plivo’s 2FA fraud protection features 

• Geo permission management: Plivo lets you control the list of destination countries for SMS text messages and voice calls from your account. This feature allows you to disable communications to high-risk countries where you do not have users.
• ‍International toll fraud protection: Manage connectivity to global high-risk premium numbers prone to international toll fraud. You can also maintain your own destination number blacklists for greater control and security.‍
• Pattern-based alerts: Set up alerts for unusual SMS or voice activity on your account. Trigger alerts when there is a significant drop in delivery rates, indicating potential messaging to invalid or unallocated phone numbers.

Conclusion

While both two-step authentication and two-step verification are great at safeguarding your customer’s data, 2FA offers greater security by using different types of authentication factors. 

Ultimately, choosing the right authentication method depends on your business needs and the level of security you require. Implementing 2FA can significantly enhance your security posture, providing peace of mind for both you and your customers.

Ready to implement a 2FA solution for your business? Get started with Plivo.

Governments worldwide have started mandating 10DLC registrations in response to the rise in SMS fraud. The US government has declared that all SMS/MMS messages sent to US phone numbers from unregistered 10DLC numbers will be fully blocked from September 1, 2023. Elsewhere, the consequences of not registering your number include increased carrier fees and other penalties. 

10DLC registration helps differentiate legitimate messages from spam. Here’s everything you need to know about registering your 10DLC phone number to make sure your messaging campaigns reach their intended customers and don’t get flagged as fraudulent. 

What is 10DLC registration?

10DLC registration is the process of registering your 10-digit long code (10DLC) phone number with a specific campaign (known as the messaging use case, or the reason for sending your message). Registration shows that your number and messages associated with it are approved by a mobile carrier. This approval helps verify your organization’s legitimacy and the purpose of your messages.  

Some common campaign types for 10DLC phone numbers are:

• Marketing: Promotional offers, loyalty program updates, and more
• Transactional: Order confirmations, delivery notifications, or password reset codes.
• Customer support: Real-time support through SMS chat.

Registration is especially important for application-to-person (A2P) 10DLC phone numbers. Most phones filter and sort messages based on the campaign type. For example, transactional messages and OTPs will be prioritized, whereas other marketing messages might be delivered late. 

Ultimately, registering your 10DLC phone number can build your brand’s credibility, prevent compliance issues, and ensure campaign success.

How does the 10DLC process differ for direct customers vs. resellers?

The 10DLC registration process can vary depending on your business type. A brand that directly communicates with customers can register its business entity directly.  

However, if you’re an independent software vendor (ISV) who sends SMS and MMS messages on your customer's behalf, you must register separately for each customer. 

For example, consider a hypothetical messaging platform for businesses in the United States Ovilp Corp. It should register its own brand and each of its customers' brands as individual brands. 

How does the 10DLC registration process work?

You can register your 10DLC phone number via campaign service providers (CSP) who liaise between your business and carrier. This CSP is usually the A2P provider or messaging service you use to send your messaging campaigns.

Here’s a general overview of the registration process. 

1. Submit your details  

The first step is sharing your business and campaign details with your CSP or A2P provider. This includes information like:

• Business type
• Business registration number
• Phone number
• Physical address
• Tax ID
• Website details 
• Campaign type and purpose
• Opt-in and opt-out methodology
• Sample messages

You might also have to submit extra information depending on your A2P provider. Some A2P providers offer pre-defined campaign categories to choose from, while others might ask you to create custom campaigns.

2. Register your campaign

Once you share all the relevant details with the A2P provider, they will send your 10DLC application to The Campaign Registry (TCR). TCR is a central database that stores information about registered 10DLC phone numbers and their associated campaigns and is managed collaboratively by phone carriers in the United States. 

3.  Vet your campaign

Once the A2P provider submits your campaign to TCR, mobile carriers will thoroughly vet it. This process verifies the legitimacy of your business and ensures your intended use aligns with the chosen campaign category. 

As all campaigns are manually verified by carriers, it can take anywhere from one to two weeks for your registration to be processed. 

You can track the status of your 10DLC registration through your A2P provider. You can send SMS or MMS messages immediately if your registration is approved. 

However, if your registration is rejected, you’ll have to share additional information depending on the feedback provided by the phone carrier and go through another round of vetting.

How much does it cost to register your 10DLC number?

There are three main costs associated with registering your 10DLC number, as shown in the table below. 

Here’s what each of these fees goes toward. 

Brand registration fee

This is a one-time fee to register your brand with the registry. It costs $4 for sole proprietors and low volume standard brands (those that have less than 6,000 messages per day). 

If your business sends over 6,000 messages, you must register as a standard brand, which costs $44 and includes extra vetting.  

Campaign vetting fee

This is another one-time payment, typically around $15 per campaign. It pays for the manual vetting process required to analyze each campaign's purpose and deliverability factors.

Monthly campaign fees

These are recurring fees you pay based on the type of campaign you're running, ranging from $1.50 to $10 per month. The first payment will be for three months and must be paid when your campaign is approved. After that, you’ll be charged either monthly or quarterly, depending on your A2P provider’s protocols. 

Here’s the fee breakdown for different campaign types. 

• Regular campaigns: $10 per month
• Low-volume mixed campaigns: $2 per month
• Political campaigns: $10 per month
• Charity campaigns: $3 per month
• Sole proprietor campaigns: $0.75 per month

Additional fees

In addition to the fees mentioned above, mobile carriers charge a fee for every message sent. This fee depends on the message type and your brand’s registration status. 

Unregistered brands must pay a higher surcharge, varying from $0.01 (AT&T and Verizon) to $0.006 (T-Mobile).

Standard brands might also sometimes opt to pay a Trust Score Appeal fee.  Every time a brand undergoes the vetting process, it’ll be given a Trust Score—this reflects your business’s legitimacy and potential for spam. You can apply for an appeal if you get a low trust score. 

Here are the rates:

• $10 if the score is less than 45 days old
• $40 if the score is more than 45 days old 

Also, Low-volume Standard and Standard brands pay an additional $40 when resubmitting a brand registration application. 

Note: These are the rates when publishing this blog and may vary in the future. We recommend checking with your A2P provider or mobile carrier. 

10DLC vs. Toll-free phone numbers

While most organizations prefer using a 10DLC number for A2P messaging and a toll-free number for voice calls, that’s not always the case. You can register your toll-free number via your service provider and they’ll send it to the Toll-Free Number Administration (TFNA) for approval. 

Unlike 10DLC registration, there’s no extra fee for registering your toll-free number. Plus, you can use it while your application is being processed.

However, toll-free numbers take longer to process (typically four to six weeks) and only support one-way broadcast messages. 

Depending on your preferences, you can use 10DLC or toll-free numbers for SMS/MMS messaging campaigns. Make sure you register either number type with the relevant authorities and comply with the SMS/MMS messaging regulations. 

Registering your 10DLC number with Plivo

If you’re looking for an A2P provider to manage your 10DLC phone numbers and campaigns, then Plivo can help you streamline the entire process in four simple steps.

1. Create a profile

Start by creating a profile for your brand on Plivo. Your profile will include details like your legal name, authorized contact, physical address, and business registration details. This is also where you’ll specify the type of business you run—private, public, nonprofit, government, or sole proprietor.

If you’re a reseller, you can use Plivo’s Profile API keys to set up individual profiles for each customer.

2. Register your brand 

The next step is registering your brand (or brands, in the case of resellers) with TCR. Standard brands (those who send more than 6000 messages per day) can opt for additional vetting at this point. 

Track the status of your brand registration application via the Plivo Console.

‍

3. Register your campaigns

Once your brand is registered, you can register each of your campaigns. Here’s where you add details like campaign description, type, sample messages, and opt-in workflows for each campaign to the form shown below.

Add your campaign details to the Plivo console and initiate the campaign registration process.

‍

In the console, you can track the status of your campaign registrations—active, processing, or failed. If a campaign is rejected, you can review the feedback provided and reapply.

4. Link campaigns to phone numbers

The final step is linking each active campaign to a phone number. Also, while there’s no limit on the number of campaigns a 10DLC phone number can be linked to, we recommend segmenting your numbers based on the campaign type—separating things like appointments, promotional offers, and customer support, for example. 

This makes it easy to keep track of numbers and helps you avoid snowshoeing—sending the same message from different numbers, which is considered a violation by most mobile carriers.

Why partner with Plivo?

Plivo offers enterprise-grade communication solutions that are secure, reliable, and scalable. We’re SOC 2 certified and compliant with major privacy and security regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA/HITECH, PCI DSS, and ISO 27001:2022. 

Plivo guarantees a 99.99% uptime owing to direct relationships with over 1,600 Tier 1 and local carriers. We’re backed by seven global POPs and two NOCs for continuous, round-the-clock coverage.

Curious to learn more about how Plivo can help you register your 10DLC phone numbers and manage your A2P messages? Request a trial account and explore our platform commitment-free.