Explore volume pricing tailored to your needs
First name is required
Last name is required
Work email is required.
tick greenred cross
Valid phone number is required
Detailed Requirement is required.
Primary Usecase is required
Thank you icon
Thank you for your submission.

Volume pricing starts at 200,000 units/ month. For lower volumes, check our standard pricing

Thank you for your interest in Plivo.
Unfortunately, based on the information you provided, we are unable to provide service at this time.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

Thanks for your interest in Plivo. We have two account options available to meet customers’ varying needs:

  • Self-service: no commitment, standard pricing, free basic support.
  • Committed spend agreement: guided implementation, premium support options, and discounted rates. These packages involve an annual contract starting at $750 a month.
Based on the information that you provided, a self-service account seems like the right fit for your business. Use the links below to get started:
If you’d like to discuss a committed spend agreement, please provide us a bit more information by filling out this form.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Fill out Calender form
checks
You’re all set!
Thanks for submitting the form! Our team will reach out to you soon.
Featured

Top 7 SMS OTP service providers to secure your customers | How to choose the right one?

May 22, 2024
7 mins

Choosing the right OTP provider requires defining your requirements and goals, vetting various providers, and understanding how well each solution works with your existing tech stack. 

At the most practical level, your SMS OTP service provider should give you all the features you need to deliver OTPs to your customers. 

Every SMS one-time passcode (OTP) service provider is different. 

Some providers offer a more extensive network of carrier partnerships, enabling you to send OTPs worldwide with better deliverability. Others focus on building a strong infrastructure to manage domestic OTP deliveries. 

OTP providers also vary in the availability and flexibility of APIs and SDKs for integration into existing systems, impacting the ability to customize and implement the OTP experience in your existing tech stack. 

Choosing the right OTP provider requires defining your requirements and goals, vetting various providers, and understanding how well each solution works with your existing tech stack. 

In this guide, we’ll explain the features you need to look for in an SMS OTP service provider, the top seven most popular SMS OTP service providers in the market, and how to choose the right one for your needs. 

What features should I look for in an SMS OTP service provider?

Consider eight features when choosing an SMS OTP service provider. 

  • Time-to-deploy 
  • SMS OTP conversion rates
  • Fraud detection
  • Security and compliance
  • Analytics and tracking
  • Integrations
  • Customer support
  • Price

1. Time-to-deploy 

Developers already have enough on their plates— and adding a complicated tool t that requires intensive onboarding and implementation is counterproductive to achieving your other development needs. 

When selecting an OTP provider, look for services that require minimal setup. This will allow your team to start sending OTPs with little to no downtime. 

Your SMS OTP service provider should also provide clear documentation and SDKs that make it straightforward for developers to integrate OTP with your platforms, significantly reducing the time and resources needed for deployment.

2. SMS OTP conversion rates 

One of the most frustrating experiences a customer can have is receiving a delayed OTP, or worse, not receiving an OTP at all. Delayed or undelivered OTPs can cause anxiety, potentially leading the customer to abandon the transaction or lose trust in your brand. 

Verify that an SMS OTP provider has high delivery rates to ensure that your customers can receive and act upon OTP messages.

3. Fraud detection

In international markets, OTPs in SMS and voice channels are particularly susceptible to SMS Pumping fraud. 

Advanced fraud detection should include dynamic risk assessment algorithms that adapt to emerging threats and unusual patterns. 

4. Security and compliance

When assessing the security and compliance of an OTP service provider, there are two key aspects you need to consider: data encryption and regulatory compliance. 

End-to-end encryption ensures that an OTP is encrypted at the origin and only decrypts at the receiver’s device. This protects the OTP message from being intercepted or read by hackers. To verify the robustness of the encryption, look for an OTP service provider that uses recognized standards like AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with a suitable key length (e.g., 256-bit).  

Additionally, look for OTP service providers that adhere to data protection regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as they are mandatory for different countries. 

5. Analytics and tracking

Choose an SMS OTP service provider that offers detailed analytics and tracking. Real-time insights into OTP delivery rates and failures help identify issues as they arise. 

Custom reports with a trend analysis of KPIs, such as success rates of OTP deliveries across different regions, can highlight areas for improvement, whether in technology or carrier partnerships. You can also leverage these reports to make strategic decisions and draw behavioral insights. 

6. Integrations

Even the most robust OTP provider must play well with your existing tech stack. Think about which platforms you need your OTP tool to communicate with. Does this OTP solution fit your long-term technological needs? 

Plivo, for example, integrates with most popular tools including Zapier, Microsoft Power Automate, Integromat, Pipedream, Integrately, GitHub Actions, EngageBay, and more. 

7. Customer support

Look for an SMS OTP service provider that is available 24/7. This level or service translates to immediate assistance, minimized downtime, and enhanced reliability. Having multiple support channels, such as email, phone, web-based chatbots, and SMS, will also provide more convenience, accessibility, and personalization for your company. 

8. Price

There’s no getting around pricing. Look for an OTP service provider with clear, straightforward pricing. Most OTP providers offer multiple pricing plans; look for one designed to scale with your business as you grow. Check out Plivo’s pricing.

The 7 best SMS OTP service providers for security and reliability

Here are our top seven picks for the best OTP service providers. Read a detailed analysis of why we chose these platforms below. 

1. Plivo 

Key features

  • Turnkey single-API solution: All you need to do is integrate using a single API with Plivo and it’ll take care of the heavy lifting. For instance, Plivo keeps numbers ready for usage, so customers do not need to purchase any numbers separately. Bottom line: Plivo customers can conveniently use a secure solution without worrying about compliance issues. 
  • Multichannel support: Plivo supports both SMS and voice OTP to ensure businesses have the flexibility they need to authenticate users. 
  • High deliverability: Verify API enjoys specialized routes from carriers that are not available with the SMS API. It also uses intelligent routing to identify optimal routes and number types for enhanced conversions. Plivo also ensures sender ID and template compliance to ensure carriers do not fail them due to compliance issues.   
  • Built-in fraud control: Plivo’s Fraud Shield includes an autopilot mode to help you monitor your messaging patterns, build thresholds for each country, and automatically send alerts with irregular patterns. 

You can fine-tune and override messaging throughput thresholds for each country and access an in-built reporting to evaluate your cost savings from preventing fraud attacks using Fraud Shield. 

  • Support: Premium 24-hour support, comprehensive documentation, seven global points of presence, and 99.99% uptime SLAs are available. 
  • No additional costs: Plivo has straightforward pricing plans where you only pay for what you use. There are no charges for authentication, regulatory compliance, fraud shield, and SMS verification, making it an ideal solution for those on a modest budget. 

{{cta-style-1}}

Pros 

  • Supports SMS OTP delivery in 220+ countries 
  • High deliverability rates, minimizing SMS failures
  • Customizable OTP templates for a personalized user experience
  • Detailed analytics for tracking OTP success rates
  • Robust security features protect data integrity
  • Comprehensive API and documentation support ease of integration
  • Scalable solutions cater to businesses of all sizes
  • 99.99% uptime SLAs available with 24-hour support 

Cons

  • The vast array of features can be overwhelming for new users.

Most suitable for Companies that need a scalable, customizable SMS OTP solution with extensive integration capabilities, security, and reliability. G2 rating: 4.5 stars, 724 reviews 

2. Twilio

G2 rating: 4.2 stars, 467 reviews

Key features

  • Multichannel authentication support: Twilio provides APIs that enable you to send OTPs through SMS, passkeys, WhatsApp, email, voice, and TOTP (authenticator apps like Authy and Google Authenticator), going beyond traditional email and website communication.
  • Fraud monitoring: Twilio uses one API endpoint to validate users and detect fraud. It also lets you customize geo-permissions, rate limits, and other fraud controls. 

Pros 

  • Wide range of additional communication channels available
  • Extensive API for custom integrations and workflow automation
  • Fraud detection and security features to protect customer data
  • Real-time analytics dashboard to monitor and optimize OTP deliveries
  • Global reach with localized number support

Cons

  • Steeper learning curve due to platform complexity
  • Pricing can become expensive as usage scales.

Most suitable forTech-savvy businesses and developers seeking a robust, customizable OTP solution.

3. Authkey.io 

G2 rating: 4.8 stars, 6 reviews  

Key features

  • Multichannel support: Authkey.io supports SMS, email, and voice OTP. 
  • Live analytics: It gives detailed analytics about OTP delivery, failure, and latency reports. 

Pros 

  • Cost-effective solution for businesses on a tight budget
  • User-friendly platform ideal for those new to OTP services
  • API support for straightforward integration
  • Quick and easy setup with minimal configuration required
  • Responsive customer support team

Cons

  • Limited advanced features for complex implementations
  • Somewhat restricted global coverage compared to larger providers

Most suitable forStartups and small to medium businesses looking for an affordable, reliable OTP service with basic features.

4. Exotel

G2 rating: 4.3 stars, 80 reviews

Key features

  • Real-time analytics: Exotel provides real-time analytics and delivery reports, allowing businesses to track the status of each OTP code sent. 
  • Customizable OTP timers and lengths: Exotel allows users to customize the length of the OTPs and set timers for how long an OTP is valid. 

Pros 

  • Simple and intuitive user interface
  • A reporting dashboard with conversational AI 
  • An extensive reach in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Southeast Asia (SEA) 
  • High delivery speed for OTPs

Cons

  • Limited global presence 

Most suitable forBusinesses primarily operating in APAC & SEA, as they have an extensive network in this region.

5. SMSCountry

G2 rating: 4.8 stars, 2 reviews  

Key features

  • Quick integration: SMSCountry allows you to send OTPs directly from anywhere with an easily integrable SMS API that supports several applications through SDK, XML, Web, and HTTP-API plug-ins.
  • Compliance and security: The OTP provider is powered by 100+ direct-to-carrier connections in 180+ countries, enabling users to send OTPs internationally. 

Pros 

  • Easy to use and integrate, reducing time to market
  • Supports 180+ countries
  • Cost-effective for businesses mindful of budget constraints
  • Real-time delivery reports for tracking OTP status
  • Dedicated account management and 24/7 customer support

Cons

  • Limited functionality for advanced customization needs
  • Fewer global direct carrier connections may affect delivery in certain regions.
  • No option to add team members from the dashboard

Most suitable for SMBs seeking a reliable, no-frills basic OTP service that's both affordable and easy to implement.

6. MSG91

G2 rating: 3.9 stars, 47 reviews  

Key features

  • Built-in IP security: The OTP service provider comes with in-built IP data security that ensures the flow is halted when an unusual login is attempted to prevent potential fraud activities. 
  • Multichannel support: MSG91 supports multiple channels including SMS, email, Voice, and Whatsapp. 

Pros 

  • Robust APIs for flexible OTP service integration
  • Comprehensive analytics for insights into OTP performance
  • Global coverage ensuring worldwide OTP delivery
  • Advanced data security protocols for customer data protection
  • Scalable pricing model that accommodates growing businesses
  • Exceptional uptime and reliability track record

Cons

  • Pricing transparency could be improved for clearer budget planning.
  • The platform's extensive features present a learning curve.
  • Limited reports—only offers a pre-selected timeframe for accessing reports. 

Most suitable forBusinesses that need multichannel support with other basic functionalities of an OTP provider.

7. TeleSign

G2 rating: 4.5 stars, 4 reviews 

Key features

  • Global coverage: Telesign’s verification API can authenticate customers across 230 countries and over 80 languages. 
  • Dynamic routing: The OTP provider’s API intelligently routes messages using the most effective routing available to provide high-speed delivery. 

Pros 

  • Extensive global network for reliable OTP delivery across different regions
  • Support for a wide range of languages and localizations
  • Developer-friendly APIs and SDKs for easy integration

Cons

  • Inflexible pricing plans with plenty of friction in free trials 
  • Significant delay in receiving OTPs 
  • Lacks accurate number validation 
  • Doesn’t support its entire list of countries and numbers 

Most suitable for Startups and small businesses needing a simple, budget-friendly OTP solution.

How to choose an SMS OTP service provider?

There is a wide range of SMS OTP service providers on the market right now—but how do you decide which one meets your needs best? 

If choosing an OTP provider feels daunting, here are six steps to help: 

Step 1: Determine your OTP requirements and goals

Before diving into the selection process, get clear on your specific needs for an OTP service. Consider things like the data security level of your application, the volume of OTPs you'll need to dispatch, and whether you anticipate significant growth as this will require a scalable solution. 

Step 2: Look at key features

Jot down a list of the must-have and nice-to-have features you need from your OTP provider, like high deliverability rates, speed of OTP delivery, the ability to customize your OTP messages, and authentication flows. 

Step 3: Research the best OTP service providers

Begin your search by compiling a list of potential OTP providers. Read online reviews, testimonials, and case studies to explore each provider's reputation. 

Step 4: Set your OTP provider budget

Seek out pricing plans that offer transparency and don't hide fees in the fine print. Consider how the pricing structure fits your expected volume of OTP messages and whether the provider offers the scalability you need without increasing costs.

Step 5: Check for integration support

Look for providers that offer robust support for integration, including SDKs, APIs, and comprehensive documentation. These tools and resources will significantly smooth the integration process and reduce the time to deployment.

Step 6: Test, analyze, and report on ROI

Once you’ve set up your new OTP system, take measures to determine its return on investment. The goal is to have an efficient tool with a positive ROI. 

The bottom line is that regardless of which OTP service provider you choose, it must deliver on your goals. It should give you complete control and flexibility over how, when, and where you want to send OTPs.  

Get started with Plivo today

Choosing the right SMS OTP service provider involves considering key factors. Start by understanding your business’s needs and goals, listing out specific of your must-have and nice-to-have features like customization, global presence, and customer support. 

Think Plivo might be the perfect OTP SMS service provider for your needs? Find out today with a trial

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Apr 14, 2025
5 mins

Support Agents: Who Are They, and What Do They Do?

Support agents serve as a middle ground between your company and its customers. Let’s see some steps to hire the best and build a functional team.

Needless to say, ​customer support is a vital organ for business success, directly affecting customer satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue. In fact, a study notes that in 2024, poor customer experiences cost organizations worldwide an estimated $3.7 trillion, marking a 19% increase from the previous year.

Customers often switch companies if they don't receive good customer service, regardless of product satisfaction. Conversely, they are often willing to go out of their way to do business with a company that offers better service. 

Support agents for eCommerce companies

Support agents are at the forefront of delivering these sensitive experiences, making their role crucial in fostering customer relationships and driving business growth.​

In this article, we’ll explain who they are, what they do, the essential skills needed to become one, and some steps to build your support team with the best support agents.

Who are support agents (and who are they not)?

A support agent is a trained representative of your company primarily tasked with resolving customers' complaints, answering inquiries, and providing usage guidance on your company’s products and services.

Beyond handling tickets, they also provide emotional support by ensuring customers feel heard, valued, and reassured throughout the interaction. This, in turn, strengthens customer trust and loyalty.

Support agents play a vital role in enhancing customer satisfaction—which indirectly drives ROI through repeat purchases—but they are not sales representatives or marketers. Marketers and sales reps acquire customers and sell. 

On the other hand, support agents retain these customers and boost repeat purchases through efficient assistance.

4 primary responsibilities of a support agent

A support agent's primary responsibilities include serving as the first point of contact, handling queries, providing proactive support, and gathering essential feedback.

1. Serving as a brand's first-line contact

When things go wrong, customers become frustrated and demand to speak with anyone—even the CEO. Your support agents step in to act as the first line of defense, de-escalate situations, and provide solutions professionally. 

They also represent your brand through every empathic response, ensuring customers leave with a positive experience and a lasting impression of excellent service.

2. Handling customer inquiries

Customer support agents handle all customer inquiries. Depending on the technicality of the query, they might sometimes involve a specialist or higher executive. 

For instance, if a customer has a dispute over billing that involves policy exceptions, your agent might need to coordinate with or escalate to a higher executive for approval.

3. Providing proactive support

Support agents detect customer needs ahead of time and promptly contact them even before they log a complaint. This helps reduce inbound tickets and boosts customer satisfaction. 

As an omnichannel customer support platform, Plivo CX’s proactive service enables your support team to provide a more refined and automated proactive support.

Image showing Plivo CX's proactive service tool
Reduce inbound tickets by proactively addressing customers’ needs

4. Gathering feedback to optimize product offerings and marketing

Your support agents are the most valuable source of feedback since they interact with customers daily. They can help you gather recurring concerns, pain points, and suggestions that drive meaningful product improvements. 

Plivo CX’s metrics tool automates this feedback collection process and ensures your agents focus on core tasks instead.

Image showing Plivo CX's Metrics and Reporting tool
Automate CSAT feedback collection to optimize product offerings

Essential soft skills of a good support agent

Being a support agent involves not only resolving queries but also understanding and communicating with customers on a personal level. This is why certain soft skills, beyond technical competency, are essential when recruiting one.

Active listening and empathy

Active listening involves paying close attention to every word and emotion communicated rather than focusing solely on the problem. 

Unsurprisingly, active listeners excel at expressing empathy since they’re more likely to understand how customers feel better. This deeper connection allows them to communicate effectively, provide reassurance, and de-escalate tense situations.

Good communication skills

A good support agent must convey their points concisely while considering the appropriate tone. 

They know when to avoid passive-aggressive words such as “actually, ought to,” colloquialisms, and slang to maintain clarity.

Comparison between negative and positive communication tone
Good support agents adopt a positive communication tone to address customer complaints

Adaptability

Different customers present with different complaints, personalities, and communication styles. Some are patient and easy to communicate with, whereas some are aggressive and impatient. 

So, a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work, and that’s why an ideal support agent must be able to adapt to each high and low while maintaining efficient support delivery.

Problem-solving skills

Customer support playbooks are valuable, but not every customer complaint will fit neatly into predefined solutions. Situations like this require your support agent to think outside the box while staying within your company’s guardrails. 

A good support agent must be able to devise quick solutions to new problems and escalate as soon as possible when necessary.

6 steps to hire the right support agent and build a functional support team

Your support team can either make or mar your business. Hiring the right agent and building a functional team is, therefore, essential. Let’s see how to do that.

1. Define your staffing needs and ideal agent

You can figure out how many support agents to hire based on your historical ticket volume, scale of business expansion, and anticipated growth in the next quarters. This ensures you don’t over-hire and bloat your expenses or under-hire and cripple your support delivery. 

Plivo CX’s reporting and metrics tool provides a comprehensive ticket summary, which helps you determine your historical ticket volume.

Image showing Plivo CX's Metrics and Reporting tool
Use your historical ticket volume to determine staffing needs

Simultaneously, you need to define who your ideal agent is—that is, the skills they should preferably possess, availability, technical proficiency, lingual capacities, and experience. You can diversify your recruitment process if you’re catering to multilingual audiences.

Once you’ve identified your staffing needs and ideal candidate profile, you can post your job listing on your company’s career page and on popular job boards like LinkedIn to attract qualified applicants.

2. Prioritize agents with empathy and problem-solving skills

You need a team of agents who can dialogue with different kinds of customers, resonate with them emotionally, and make them feel heard while providing adequate support. That’s why you should prioritize agents with empathy.

Also, look for agents with strong problem-solving skills—someone who can think quickly on their feet and provide solutions to out-of-the-script problems.

Tools like TestGorilla and Testify help you assess your applicant’s skills and ability to address different scenarios. For a more tailored assessment, present candidates with real scenarios or past customer complaints from your database and ask them to resolve the issue.

3. Test for relevant technical competency

Technical competency is your support agent’s ability to resolve customers’ technical queries. This could include troubleshooting software issues and providing answers to product-specific technical queries.

Usually, your agents don’t need to be tech geeks or specialists for L1 tickets. An entry-level customer support agent with the necessary soft skills can do a great job here.

However, it’s a different ball game for agents managing L2 and L3 tickets. They should have the necessary expertise to manage complex and product-related technical issues like specialists. 

This primarily hinges on their hard skills portfolio, which you need to consider when hiring. Provide real-world scenarios to assess these skills and ensure they genuinely have what it takes to be your ideal agents.

4. Provide comprehensive agent training

From the onboarding stage, you need to identify the gaps in your hires’ competencies and design individualized or group training to boost their efficiency. Training can include soft skills, lingual capacity, and upskilling hard skills for more proficiency.

Agent training is not a one-time process. Plivo CX’s coaching tools help your agents leverage past interactions with customers to continuously refine their delivery—how to respond or handle similar situations when they arise again.

Image showing Plivo CX's coaching tools
Provide continuous training with Plivo CX’s coaching tools

5. Equip your support agents with AI-powered tools

Gartner notes that more than 80% are either using or planning to integrate AI-powered chatbots in 2025. Advanced chatbots are essential because they can handle the majority of L1 tickets, thus freeing up your agents to do other complex tasks.

An example is Plivo CX’s openAI-powered AI chatbot, which can leverage your database in real time to make decisions, autonomously handle refund requests, modify orders, and make personalized recommendations.

Image showing Plivo CX's AI chatbot in action
Enhance customer support with AI-driven multilingual chatbots

Your team also needs an omnichannel platform that centralizes all communication channels into a single dashboard. This allows agents to access everything they need without constantly switching tabs, ultimately improving response time and efficiency.

An example is Plivo CX’s unified agent desktop designed to eliminate data silos, unify all incoming customer requests, and integrate with homegrown systems, CRM, ERP, helpdesk, and more.

Image showing Plivo CX's UAD in action
Centralize customer support with unified agent desktop

6. Establish KPIs and reasonable expectations

Establish KPIs, such as first response time, average resolution time, and first contact resolution, to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of your support agents. 

Customer Satisfaction Scores (CSATs) will help determine whether customers are getting the help they need and how they need it.

Plivo CX’s agent metrics and reporting tool enables you to monitor and measure your support agent’s performance while exposing gaps that need filling.

Image showing Plivo CX's Metrics and Reporting tool in action
Monitor and measure agent’s performance to identify areas for improvement

You also need to set individualized, SMART expectations and goals for your support agents. Ensure each agent does not handle more tickets—whether in quantity or complexity—than they can. This will reduce the incidence of customer service burnout and enhance the quality of your support delivery.

Scale your customer support operations with Plivo CX

Hiring the right support agent is just one part of building a functional customer support team. You also need to provide them with the right tools to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness.

That’s where Plivo CX comes in. 

As an omnichannel platform designed to streamline support delivery, Plivo CX offers a unified agent desktop to centralize your support channels, multilingual AI-powered voice support, and OpenAI-powered chatbots to slash your ticket queue.

We also offer: 

  • Seamless integrations: Connect Plivo CX with your existing tools, including CRM, ERP, helpdesk, and more.
  • Data-driven optimization: Track real-time analytics and generate custom reports to gain insights into customer interactions and agent performance.
  • AI-enhanced efficiency: Prioritize urgent tickets, ensure brand consistency, and adapt quickly to changes with AI-powered support.
  • Rich communication: Enhance interactions with multimedia support, including images, videos, and documents.
  • Increased productivity: Streamline workflows with message templates, internal notes, and skills-based routing.
  • Comprehensive features: Leverage call recording, IVR, multi-language support, and robust security features for a complete solution.

Book a demo today and start building a world-class support team with Plivo CX.

Apr 3, 2025
5 mins

The Power of Multilingual Customer Support: 7 Must-Know Strategies

Multilingual customer support enhances user experience and expands global reach. Let’s explore its benefits and best practices for implementation.

It’s ten minutes past 2 pm. A new high-value customer submits a technical complaint—but, in Spanish. The problem? None of your service reps speak Spanish. 

Now, you have only two options.

First, you say, “Thank you for reaching out. We currently accept queries only in English. Please resend your message in English so we can assist you. Thank you for your understanding!

Or, you scramble from Google’s translator to other free versions of online interpreters, which might give you an inaccurate response. 

Whichever you choose, your customer will likely not find it encouraging. Your inability to efficiently serve customers in their native language passes a message; that they’re not a valued part of your brand. 

According to Hyken’s report, 65% of consumers want to be treated valuably. Failure to deliver this expectation results in a poor support experience, increased churn rates, and a negative brand reputation.

To avoid such outcomes, you need to implement multilingual customer support, and this article will show you how to do that.

What is multilingual customer support?

Multilingual customer support is the ability to provide consistent, high-quality assistance in multiple languages to your customers while accounting for geographical, cultural, and contextual differences that influence communication.

As your business scales, there is also an increasing need to serve a diverse market audience. This mandates your support team to be capable of sustaining interactions with individuals of different languages outside your native business borders.

Even within your business borders, you’re bound to interact with customers of different linguistic needs. According to the United States Census record, the number of residents who utilize other languages besides English has nearly tripled in the last decade. 

So, you must be ready to cater to this diversity once necessary.

Benefits of multilingual customer support

Multilingual support increases customer satisfaction, boosts retention, and ensures you can tap into diverse markets for more opportunities. Here’s how it does that:

Improved customer satisfaction

According to Unbabel’s 2021 multilingual CX report, one in three global consumers cite a lack of multilingual support as their top concern in localized customer experience. 

Uni- or bilingual provisions lead to frustration since your customers can’t express themselves the way they want, and this culminates in a bad customer experience. 

On the other hand, providing multilingual support can enhance customer satisfaction and boost your customers’ LTV. This explains why 64% say they will pay more for a service or product if the brand offers a multilingual support service.

Higher customer retention

57% of global consumers see it as a bias when a brand fails to offer multilingual support. Two in three will also switch to another brand if their current brand does not offer broader language support.

But what happens if you fill up this communication gap? 73% of respondents in Unbabel’s survey say they will remain loyal. 

This means multilingual provisions can help you retain your existing customers and also gain an edge over your competitors in attracting new ones. 

Interestingly, 40% of consumers will likely overlook poor customer service many times if it is offered in their native language. This gives you enough time to address issues plaguing your support delivery before customers bounce.

Broader reach and competitive advantage

Scaling your business often requires crossing borders and serving new audiences. Multilingual support ensures you can easily resolve the issues coming up in these regions, eliminate communication barriers, and rapidly build a robust brand reputation.

Also, multilingual support can serve as the spearhead of your competitive advantage in new markets. That’s because your potential customers will likely choose you over competitors who do not offer multilingual support, all things being equal. So, you can make it a focus of your marketing strategy.

7 must-know strategies to implement multilingual support

One in four consumers say they will not spend more than $500 on brands offering limited language support. You can avoid this by implementing a sturdy multilingual support system. 

Let’s go through how you can do that. 

1. Be upfront about your available language options

First, inform your customers and audience about your current capacity. Include the languages you support on your website, applications, social media profiles, and customer support pages. 

Image showing OpenPlanet’s response to a customer query
Be upfront with the languages you support

This helps to manage customer expectations and reduce frustrations pending the time you make provisions for multiple languages.

2. Embrace diversity in recruitment

The most direct approach to creating a multilingual support system is to recruit multilingual customer service reps. These reps are especially crucial for managing L2 and L3 tiers of requests that AI might not be able to handle.

Ensure you have at least one native or non-native representative for each region you serve. You can also organize language training for your existing service reps instead of overhauling the entire team. 

This reduces your employee acquisition cost and helps you work with people already in tandem with your support operations.

3. Use AI chatbots to provide multilingual support

Advanced AI chatbots use ML and NLP to analyze user inputs such as complaints and provide appropriate responses while leveraging customer data. This is like having an inbuilt translation system, making them a good fit for handling multilingual L1 requests regardless of the language.

As an omnichannel platform designed to scale your support team, Plivo CX offers an OpenAI-powered chatbot capable of handling multilingual tickets and addressing your customers in the language they choose.

Image showing Plivo CX's AI chatbot in action
Enhance customer support with AI-driven multilingual chatbots

4. Integrate multilingual voice support 

According to a 2024 report from Statista, 54% of customers prefer to resolve issues via phone calls over other digital channels and email. To cater to this group, you need to integrate multilingual voice support technology.

An example is Plivo CX’s voice software, which prompts your customers to choose their preferred language from over 27 supported languages right on the call.

With an integrated programmable IVR, your callers can self-select options for quicker routing, shorter wait times, and faster resolution.

Image showing Plivo CX's voice software
Eliminate communication barrier with multilingual voice support

5. Offer language preferences in self-service options

Self-service options include FAQs, knowledge bases, chatbots, AI-powered virtual assistants, and community forums. Your customers must be able to choose their preferred language of interaction on all of these platforms in order to cater to their needs.

Additionally, ensure that automated responses, IVR systems, and in-app customer support are available in multiple languages.

 Image showing Plivo CX's IVR software in action
Offer language preferences on voice IVRs

6. Train support agents in cultural sensitivity

Multilingual support should cater to lingua-cultural nuances that affect communication. Otherwise, you risk irking your customers. 

For instance, there are certain words or expressions that might be normal in American English but seen as aggressive in British English.

One example is the word “sure.” To an American, it’s simply a means of acknowledgment. But it could come off as passive-aggressive to a non-American. 

Train your support reps to understand these nuances and avoid them when speaking with individuals of different cultural backgrounds.

7. Localize knowledge base and FAQs  

Language location refers to adapting your website content to a visitor’s regional language based on factors like their browser settings, IP address, or geographical location. 

o do this, you first need to translate your knowledge base and FAQs into the different languages you support. You can do this manually or with AI. Then let your web development team handle the transitioning.

This method spares customers the hassle of manually selecting their preferred language. However, you should still offer a visible option on your support pages for them to adjust language preferences if needed.

Deliver modern multilingual support with Plivo CX

Language differences stifle quality support delivery and effective communication. 

To help you, Plivo CX offers a multilingual omnichannel support system through its Unified Agent Desktop, OpenAI-powered agentic chatbot, and inclusive voice support to help you overcome these challenges.

We also offer: 

  • Seamless integrations: Connect Plivo CX with your existing tools, including CRM, ERP, helpdesk, and more.
  • Data-driven optimization: Track real-time analytics and generate custom reports to gain insights into customer interactions and agent performance.
  • AI-enhanced efficiency: Prioritize urgent tickets, ensure brand consistency, and adapt quickly to changes with AI-powered support.
  • Rich communication: Enhance interactions with multimedia support, including images, videos, and documents.
  • Increased productivity: Streamline workflows with message templates, internal notes, and skills-based routing.
  • Comprehensive features: Leverage call recording, IVR, multi-language support, and robust security features for a complete solution.

Book a demo now!

Apr 3, 2025
5 mins

SMS Lead Generation: Everything You Need to Get Started

Struggling with SMS lead generation? Learn how Plivo CX's AI-powered SMS marketing helps e-commerce brands drive conversions, automate campaigns & boost ROI.

Let’s be real—getting leads isn’t the problem. Getting them to engage? That’s the real challenge. You can have the best offer, but if your message is not seen, it won’t get results.

The good news is that SMS is breaking through the noise. In fact, 76.2% of consumers say SMS is more effective at generating actions that lead to a purchase than email.

Why? Because texts land directly in your customer’s hands—no spam filters, no distractions, just instant, personal communication.

SMS lead generation is quickly becoming a cornerstone of modern marketing. In this article, we’ll dive into why SMS lead generation is rapidly becoming a must-have for businesses looking to engage, convert, and grow their customer base.

Why SMS is an effective lead generation tool

SMS marketing is a powerful tool for lead generation. It helps businesses build and nurture a qualified audience directly through SMS. Here are some key advantages that make SMS so effective for lead generation: 

High open rates & immediate attention

Text messages are almost always read – often within minutes. Studies confirm SMS open rates around 98%, higher than email​. The immediate visibility means your lead-gen offers (coupons, event invites, etc.) get seen right away, capturing customer attention in real time.

💡 Pro tip: Time your SMS campaigns strategically—sending messages when customers are most active can increase engagement and conversions.

Direct & personal communication

SMS creates a direct and personal connection between brands and potential customers. With the ability to personalize messages based on customer preferences, past interactions, or purchase history, SMS helps brands build stronger relationships and trust. 

Example: "Hi [Name], your favorite moisturizer is back in stock! Shop now before it’s gone: [link]."

💡Pro tip: Use first names, purchase history, or location-based offers to make SMS messages feel even more relevant and personal. 

Real-time engagement 

SMS enables businesses to engage with customers instantly. This makes SMS a preferred medium for promotions, updates, and limited-time offers. It allows for two-way conversations, where businesses can answer questions and send timely reminders when a lead is most interested. 

💡 Pro tip: Use SMS for flash sales or time-sensitive deals—customers are more likely to act quickly when they receive an offer with a clear deadline.

Cost-effective marketing

SMS campaigns are a cost-effective way to engage potential customers and increase sales. With message costs ranging from $0.015 to $0.050 per SMS, businesses can reach large audiences without significant money spent. 

Despite the low cost, SMS generates high response rates and a strong return on investment, making it an excellent text message lead generation tool for lead nurturing, promotions, and customer retention. For budget-conscious marketers, SMS offers maximum impact with minimal expense.

Example 1: A boutique clothing store replaces printed discount flyers with SMS promo codes, saving on printing costs while directly reaching active shoppers.

Example 2: Instead of investing in costly retargeting ads, a home décor brand uses SMS flash sale alerts to attract customers for exclusive discounts and limited-time offers

Automation & scalability 

With SMS automation, businesses can send messages to thousands of customers efficiently. Automated workflows allow brands to set up welcome messages, abandoned cart reminders, or follow-ups without manual effort. 

Whether you’re targeting a small segment or a nationwide audience, SMS can scale to meet your needs​

💡 Pro tip: Set up an automated drip campaign to send SMS messages over time. This helps to guide potential customers toward a purchase.

Together, these advantages explain why more businesses are leveraging SMS for lead generation. 

Proven SMS techniques for lead generation

You know SMS works—but how do you use it to drive more leads? Here are some tested strategies that top brands rely on to turn texts into conversions.

Offer exclusive content or discounts

People love getting something extra, especially when it feels exclusive. By offering discounts, special deals, or early access to new products via SMS, you create an immediate incentive for customers to respond.

Make sure your offer is time-sensitive to create urgency, which further motivates recipients to act quickly. Phrases like “For you only,” or “Exclusive offer just for our subscribers” can make recipients feel valued and increase the chances of conversion.

Image showing an SMS message offering an exclusive discount with a limited-time offer.
Source

Create compelling CTAs for immediate action 

Create your SMS messages with a clear, strong call-to-action (CTA) that urges instant response. Since texts are typically read quickly and have a character limit, use that brief moment to spark action.

Pro tip: Use action-oriented language like “Claim your offer now,” “Get started today,” or “Shop while stocks last” to prompt immediate responses.

SMS message with a strong call-to-action prompting immediate action.
Source

Lead generation through SMS thrives when your CTA is clear, direct, and compels the recipient to act fast.

Use opt-in keywords and shortcodes 

Simplify the process of joining your SMS list through keywords and shortcodes. For instance, you might advert JOIN to 12345 for updates. This text-to-subscribe approach makes opt-ins instant. A customer sends a one-word text and is automatically added to your campaign. 

Example:

A fitness apparel brand wants to grow its SMS list. They advertise:
“Text FIT to 56789 for 15% off your first order and exclusive updates!”

By texting “FIT” to 56789, customers are instantly added to the SMS list. This quick, frictionless opt-in process allows leads to sign up easily with just one text.

Pro tip: Make sure to choose an easy-to-remember keyword related to your campaign (e.g., text SALE, VIP, DEMO, etc.).

Segment your audience for targeted campaigns

One-size-fits-all messaging yields mediocre results. Instead, segment your SMS leads based on factors like demographics, purchasing behavior, and engagement history.

Example:

An online clothing store wants to send targeted offers. They segment their audience into two groups: frequent shoppers and seasonal browsers.

  • Frequent shoppers: Receive exclusive offers like “Thanks for being a loyal customer! Enjoy 25% off your next order.”
  • Seasonal browsers: Receive a message like “Welcome back! Get 15% off your next purchase, just for you.”

Businesses that segment their SMS campaigns see higher conversion because the messaging is more personalized and on-point​. 

Utilize SMS automation for timely follow-ups 

Don’t rely on manual texting, set up automated SMS workflows that send follow-up messages, reminders, or abandoned cart notifications. These automated texts can remind customers about products they’ve left behind, share additional offers, or provide updates on the status of their orders. 

SMS automation ensures no customer is left unattended and helps move prospects down the funnel with well-timed nudges.

Example:

An online home goods store uses SMS automation to follow up with leads.

  • Welcome message: As soon as a customer subscribes, they receive an immediate “Welcome! Get 10% off your first order. Shop now!”
  • Follow-up offer: If the customer hasn’t made a purchase within two days, they receive a reminder: “Still thinking it over? Here’s 15% off your first order!”

By implementing these techniques, you can steadily grow your list of SMS leads and keep them actively engaged. 

Best practices for SMS lead generation

While SMS is powerful, success largely depends on how you use it. Here are some best practices to ensure your SMS lead generation campaigns are effective and well-received:

Personalize and be relevant 

Treat SMS leads like individuals, not numbers on a list. Use personalization wherever possible—greet recipients by name and tailor messages to their interests or past interactions. 

For example, if you know a customer’s preferred product category, mention it. Personalization shows that your texts are for them, which improves response rates. 

In this SMS (image below), they address the customer by name (Elizabeth) and highlight their status as a “Platinum Comfort Crew member.” Personal touches like this make the recipient feel special and valued.

Screenshot showing a personalized SMS, offering first access to a sale.
Source

Optimal timing and frequency 

A staggering 90% of consumers respond to a text within 30 minutes, which underscores the importance of reaching your audience at the right moment. 

To maximize engagement, aim to send texts between 10 AM and 8 PM, avoiding early mornings before 8 AM, late evenings after 9 PM, Mondays, and rush hours. Mid-afternoon often works best. 

When it comes to frequency, it’s all about balance. Nearly 60% of smartphone users opt out of a brand’s messages when they feel overwhelmed by too many updates. 

Pro tip: Space out your messages and keep them meaningful—aim for one or two valuable texts per week to avoid overwhelming your audience and maintain engagement.

Keep messages concise and clear 

SMS has a character limit, which means you must communicate your message clearly and concisely. Your text should get to the point quickly, without any unnecessary fluff. 

Focus on one core message in each SMS, whether it's an offer, update, or reminder. Use short, direct language, and avoid long sentences or paragraphs.

Screenshot showing a clear SMS with a direct call to action
Source

For example, instead of saying, “We have a new collection of products that we think you might like, and it’s available on our website,” say, “New collection just dropped! Shop now and get 10% off!”

If more detail is needed, include a link to a mobile-friendly landing page for the lead to learn more. 

Track and analyze performance 

Treat SMS campaigns like any other marketing effort – track the results and adjust the strategy accordingly. Monitor key metrics such as open rate, click-through rate, response rate, and conversion rate. 

Also, pay attention to unsubscribe rates after each SMS campaign. Analyzing these data points will tell you what’s working and what isn’t. You can experiment with A/B testing for different CTAs, message lengths, or timing to see what drives the best results

For instance, you may find that messages sent on Friday evenings receive higher engagement or that one offer generates more conversions than another. Use this insight to refine your approach, perhaps adjusting send times, wording, or segment targeting. 

The role of SMS marketing automation in lead generation

Automation simplifies lead generation by handling manual tasks, ensuring no lead slips through the cracks. With SMS marketing automation, businesses can send the right message to the right lead at the right time—without manual effort for each interaction. This makes capturing and nurturing leads easier, faster, and more efficient.

Here’s why SMS automation is so important and how it works:

Key benefits of SMS marketing automation

Instant follow-ups: Automatically send a welcome message as soon as a lead opts in, keeping them engaged from the start.

Personalized offers: Use customer data to send relevant offers, product recommendations, and reminders tailored to their interests.

Higher conversion rates: Schedule automated follow-ups to nurture leads, recover abandoned carts, or re-engage inactive customers.

Timely touchpoints: Ensure leads receive timely updates, promotions, and reminders without manual effort.

Scalable communication: With the right SMS lead generation tool, you can manage high volumes of leads with automated workflows. This frees up your team while maintaining consistent outreach.

As a robust omnichannel customer engagement tool, Plivo CX checks all the boxes for a reliable and efficient SMS lead generation platform. 

With its user-friendly interface and powerful analytics tools, Plivo CX optimizes your SMS marketing for maximum impact and streamlines your lead generation and conversion process with automation.

As a testament to its efficiency, Deckers Brands found Plivo's queuing system to be a game-changer. Jacob Martine, project manager at Deckers Brands, states, 

"With fewer worries about rate limits and batch sizes, our developers face less burden. If we need to send 50,000 messages, we simply send them all—Plivo handles the rest, delivering without us worrying about the process."

Drive more leads with SMS marketing powered by Plivo CX

E-commerce managers face a tough challenge—reaching customers at the right time is harder than ever. Manual campaign management takes too long, and generic messages don’t drive conversions. Without automation and personalization, it’s easy to miss opportunities to connect with potential buyers

Plivo CX is an all-in-one customer engagement platform designed to maximize SMS lead generation results. It brings together real-time delivery, intelligent automation, and data-driven insights so businesses can capture and convert more leads via SMS. 

Here’s how Plivo CX can get more leads by elevating your SMS marketing:

  • Powerful audience targeting: Build highly focused campaigns by syncing your e-commerce platform data or importing contacts. With the Audiences feature, segment audiences based on purchase behavior, engagement data, and demographics to send highly personalized SMS campaigns.
Image showing Plivo CX’s customer segmentation dashboard
Target customers with precision using Plivo CX’s advanced segmentation tools.
  • Multi-channel engagement:  Connect with your customers on their preferred channels—whether it's SMS, MMS, or Email. This increases the chances of meaningful interactions and conversions.
  • AI-powered SMS personalization: Use the Copywriter AI to generate compelling, data-driven SMS messages instantly. Fine-tune your messages to resonate with your audience instantly.
 Image showing AI-generated SMS message template.
Create high-impact personalized SMS with AI-powered suggestions.
  • Send messages at the ideal time: Automate and schedule messages to align with optimal timings across different time zones, ensuring they reach customers when they are most likely to engage, maximizing impact.
Image displaying an SMS at different times.
Automate and schedule SMS to deliver across different time zones.
  • E-commerce integrations: Effortlessly connect with e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento to personalize and send SMS directly from your e-commerce platforms.
  • Track conversions & optimize ROI: Gain valuable insights into what resonates with your audience and continuously optimize your campaigns for maximum ROI. 
Image showing campaign performance dashboard with tracking metrics.
Track campaign performance and optimize for better ROI.

With Plivo CX’s robust global messaging network covering 220+ countries, businesses can scale their SMS marketing effortlessly, reducing costs by up to 70% while tripling ROI.

Plivo CX users generate an average of $71 for every $1 spent, making it a must-have for data-driven, high-impact SMS campaigns.

Don’t let missed opportunities hold your business back—start driving more leads and conversions today with Plivo CX. 

Schedule a free demo now!

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Plivo’s cloud communications platform is backed by a robust, reliable, fault-tolerant.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Jun 17, 2022
5 mins

How To Increase Revenue By Improving Agent Satisfaction

Agent satisfaction is often overlooked by modern businesses when it comes to increasing their revenue. Learn how agent satisfaction can impact a business.

Customer Experience
Customer Satisfaction

Businesses are so often focused on satisfying the customer that they chip away agent satisfaction in the process. It’s no secret that customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction are very much connected, but what does this actually mean?

Glassdoor’s 2020 Economic Research report revealed that companies with highly satisfied employees are more likely to have high customer satisfaction scores, a stat that holds especially true in industries with higher levels of customer contact.

Taking the necessary steps to improve your contact center agents’ satisfaction levels within your company will increase their loyalty to the team, leading to more dedicated and successful agents and customers.

What is agent satisfaction?

Agent satisfaction is the measure of how satisfied or dissatisfied employees in an organization are. Businesses that actively measure employee job satisfaction are able to track employee motivation, productivity, and loyalty to their organization.

So why is agent satisfaction so important to understand, and what does this mean for modern B2C teams?

Importance of agent satisfaction in modern business

It’s often said that the customer is king, and rightfully so—prioritizing the needs of your customers is a surefire strategy to increase revenue. Which is exactly why agent satisfaction is important.

Agents that are not satisfied with their employer contribute to high agent absenteeism and turnover, and are unlikely to provide the same quality support to customers that a satisfied agent would.

Businesses that emphasize agent satisfaction by prioritizing the needs of their employees can drive positive improvements in customer satisfaction, while reducing agent turnover and agent absenteeism.

Taking into consideration the correlation between customer satisfaction and contact center agent job satisfaction, you can begin to see why agent satisfaction is important and how it can grow revenue for your business.

How to measure agent satisfaction

There are several ways to measure your team’s happiness in their work, but the easiest method is to use the Employee Satisfaction Index (ESI). This index is determined by assigning a numerical value (1-10) to three simple survey questions:

  • How satisfied are you with your current workplace?
  • How well does your current workplace meet your expectations?
  • How close is your current workplace to the ideal?

Once you have the answers to these questions, you can calculate your ESI with the following formula:

  • ESI= [((question mean value ÷ 3) – 1) ÷9]*100

The higher the number, the more satisfied your agents are in the workplace.

Surveying employees allows you to understand how your agents really feel about their job, and gives you the opportunity to meet them where they are.

Agent satisfaction isn’t a static metric, and is sure to change over time—it’s important that your organization keeps a consistent pulse on employee engagement and takes active measures to improve upon this engagement, as this will inevitably grow revenue.

Impact of agent satisfaction on revenue and profitability

Let’s take a look at a few statistics showing the impact of agent satisfaction on revenue, and how highly-satisfied agents can contribute to your business’ profitability:

  • A happy agent is a dedicated agent—business units made up of highly engaged employees are more present and provide a better experience to the customer. 94% of consumers who have a good support experience are “very likely” to repurchase from a company.
  • As we mentioned earlier, happy agents make for happy customers, and increasing customer retention rates by 5% canincrease profitability by up to 95%.
  • Prioritizing your contact center employee’s job satisfaction will reduce agent absenteeism and agent turnover. In 2020, the cost of replacing an agent (screening, recruiting, interviewing, and training) exceeded $12,000.
  • In 2019, Harvard Business Review calculated that a one-star improvement in Glassdoor employer ratings yielded anywhere between a 7-18% increase in long-term market valuation.

How to improve agent satisfaction

With the understanding of why agent satisfaction is important and how happier agents result in increased revenue, we next need to look at how your business can measure and improve upon your agent’s satisfaction.

Here we’ve outlined a few of the methods you can use to measure and improve your contact center team’s happiness:

  • A place to hang your hat (Agent retention)
  • Making an agent feel welcome isn’t something that should only be reserved for their first day on the job. Creating a continuous program to build a team that feels like a family will build agent loyalty and increase agent retention.
  • How can we help you? (Agent surveys)
  • Surveys aren’t only meant for customers! Surveying your agents on an annual or semi-annual basis can build an open and recurring feedback loop with management and identify friction points before they become a problem.
  • Walk before you run (Comprehensive training)
  • Another key driver in keeping contact center agents satisfied is the number of training and coaching hours that they receive. Equip your agents with all of the necessary tools to excel, and you’ll see a marked improvement in morale.
  • Reap the rewards of great service (Reward your agents for excellent performance)
  • Communicating with customers isn’t always easy—be sure to reward your agents that go above and beyond in customer communications with prizes, an extra vacation day, promotions, or some other incentive for a job well done.
  • Make yourself at home (Let your agents work from home)
  • Many working professionals have grown accustomed to working from home since COVID-19 reshaped the way businesses operated back in 2020, and contact center agents are no exception. A Pipkins research report showed that agents who work from home have a retention rate that is 55% higher than those working from an office.

Improve agent satisfaction and increase revenue with PlivoCX

PlivoCX is cloud contact center software for B2C teams built with agent satisfaction in mind. With Contacto, agent teams are supported by helpful automations, a unified desktop, and an omnichannel experience to exceed consumer needs and create happy customers and agents alike.

If you’re looking to keep up with the demands of the new era of support operations, we’re here to help.

Book a demo with our sales team, and we’ll help you find the right solution for your team’s needs.

Jun 14, 2022
5 mins

How to Handle SMS and Voice Communications Using Go

Send and receive SMS text messages and make and receive voice calls with Go, the Plivo Go SDK, and Plivo APIs.

Go SDK
Voice API
SMS API
How To

Plivo has a lot of great capabilities built into its cloud communications platform. If you’re a Go developer, this post is for you: Learn how easy it is to send and receive SMS text messages and make and receive voice calls with Go, the Plivo Go SDK, and Plivo APIs.

How to send and receive SMS messages

If you’re interested in messaging applications, Plivo’s cloud communications platform makes things easy for you. Sending an SMS message requires just 15 lines of code; receiving messages takes just 17, or you can create a Go application to receive and respond to SMS messages.

How to send and receive SMS messages

Sending MMS messages is equally simple, and we’ve written a guide to receiving and responding to MMS messages with Go.

How to get set up and make and receive phone calls

Start by reading how to make a phone call from a Go application using Plivo’s Voice API. That post covers how to install Plivo’s Go SDK, which makes it easier to build applications that use Plivo. The SDK provides objects, functions, and methods to handle common tasks associated with building voice and messaging applications.

Once you have that in place, you can use PHLO, Plivo’s visual workflow design studio, to set up the workflow of the call, then trigger the PHLO with a few lines of Go code.

Once you know how to use Go with Plivo to make and receive calls, you can move into specific use cases, such as call forwarding and interactive voice response systems.

More resources

From there, the sky’s the limit. We support you all the way with our Go SDK, Quickstart guide, and more than a dozen use case guides, and if those aren’t enough, you can contact our support team for white glove support.

A journey of a thousand miles Plivo use cases begins with a single step: sign up for a free trial account today.

Jun 13, 2022
5 mins

How to Handle SMS and Voice Communications Using Java

Send and receive SMS text messages and make and receive voice calls with Java, the Plivo Java SDK, and Plivo APIs.

Java SDK
Voice API
SMS API
How To

Plivo has a lot of great capabilities built into its cloud communications platform. If you’re a Java developer, this post is for you: Learn how easy it is to send and receive SMS text messages and make and receive voice calls with Java, the Plivo Java SDK, and Plivo APIs.

How to send and receive SMS messages

If you’re interested in messaging applications, Plivo’s cloud communications platform makes things easy for you. Sending an SMS message requires just 18 lines of code; receiving messages takes just 17, or you can create a Java application to receive and respond to SMS messages.

How to send and receive MMS messages

Sending MMS messages is equally simple, and we’ve written a guide to receiving and responding to MMS messages with Java.

How to get set up and make and receive phone calls

Start by reading how to make a phone call from a Java application using Plivo’s Voice API. That post covers how to install Plivo’s Java SDK, which makes it easier to build applications that use Plivo. The SDK provides objects, functions, and methods to handle common tasks associated with building voice and messaging applications.

Once you have that in place, you can use PHLO, Plivo’s visual workflow design studio, to set up the workflow of the call, then trigger the PHLO with a few lines of Java code.

Once you know how to use Java with Plivo to make and receive calls, you can move into specific use cases, such as call forwarding and interactive voice response systems.

More resources

From there, the sky’s the limit. We support you all the way with our Java SDK, Quickstart guides (which include help for developers who use the Spring and Spark frameworks), and more than a dozen use case guides, and if those aren’t enough, you can contact our support team for white glove support.

A journey of a thousand miles Plivo use cases begins with a single step: sign up for a free trial account today.

Jun 10, 2022
5 mins

CNAM Mapping Made Simple

CNAM Support: Learn how to specify a caller ID name for your business using the Plivo console.

Phone Numbers

Consumers like to know who’s calling them before they decide whether to answer a ringing phone. Calls from unfamiliar sources could be time-wasters — the verbal equivalent of spam email. Carriers help customers identify callers by providing caller ID, a published standard for identifying call origins.

Originating carriers include caller ID information when calls are initiated. It’s up to receiving carriers to associate a caller ID with a caller ID name, or CNAM. In the US, carriers can do this by querying a line information database (LIDB) — a public repository that associates phone numbers with names.

Plivo makes CNAM mapping easy

Plivo lets you specify a CNAM record for any and all of your phone numbers and publishes it for you to the LIDB, so all carriers can report your company name along with caller ID number information.

To map a CNAM for your organization to one or all of your Plivo phone numbers, go to the Phone Numbers page of the Plivo console. Tick the phone numbers you’re interested in providing a name for, then click on the Choose Action dropdown and choose Add CNAM. Enter a name (up to 15 characters) and click Submit CNAM. The numbers’ CNAM status on the console will change to “In Progress” while we submit the information to an LIDB. Within a short time the numbers’ status will change to show whether your submission was a success, partial success, or a failure.

Plivo makes the CNAM mapping process as quick and easy as possible; the less time you spend mapping, the more time you can spend bringing value to your customers.

Credibility through CNAM

Call recipients are more likely to answer a name they recognize. The CNAM you provide should fairly represent your organization and give credibility to the call. You can use your business or brand name, but CNAM can be no more than 15 characters long, including spaces, and special characters are not supported.

CNAM builds trust with the carriers as well. When you register your name you make sure it’s accurate, and carriers will be less likely to filter your calls as spam.

CNAM isn’t the only tool available for making sure people know who’s calling them. Within the last year the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has directed US carriers to implement STIR/SHAKEN, a framework that represents how confident a service provider is in that the number’s owner is truly the one placing the call. That means call recipients should receive caller IDs along with the word “verified” directly below it when calls from the numbers they purport to be. Unverified calls might have their caller IDs spoofed, meaning the caller is pretending to be someone they aren’t, usually for no good purpose.

Between CNAM registration and STIR/SHAKEN attestation, your call recipients can be confident that calls from your organization are really from you, and should be more willing to engage with your business.

Don’t wait

Head over to the console and start mapping your CNAM to your numbers now.

Jun 9, 2022
5 mins

How to Handle SMS and Voice Communications Using PHP

Send and receive SMS text messages and make and receive voice calls with PHP, the Plivo PHP SDK, and Plivo APIs.

PHP SDK
SMS API
Voice API
How To

Plivo has a lot of great capabilities built into its cloud communications platform. If you’re a PHP developer, this post is for you: Learn how easy it is to send and receive SMS text messages and make and receive voice calls with PHP, the Plivo PHP SDK, and Plivo APIs.

How to send and receive SMS messages

If you’re interested in messaging applications, Plivo’s cloud communications platform makes things easy for you. Sending an SMS message requires just 10 lines of code; receiving messages takes only nine.

How to send and receive MMS messages

Sending MMS messages is equally simple, and we’ve written a guide to receiving and responding to MMS messages with PHP.

How to get set up and make and receive phone calls

Start by reading how to make a phone call from a PHP application using Plivo’s Voice API. That post covers how to install Plivo’s PHP SDK, which makes it easier to build applications that use Plivo. The SDK provides objects, functions, and methods to handle common tasks associated with building voice and messaging applications.

Once you have that in place, you can use PHLO, Plivo’s visual workflow design studio, to set up the workflow of the call, then trigger the PHLO with a few lines of PHP code.

Once you know how to use PHP with Plivo to make and receive calls, you can move into specific use cases, such as call forwarding and interactive voice response systems.

More resources

From there, the sky’s the limit. We support you all the way with our PHP SDK, Quickstart guide (and one for Laravel), and more than a dozen use case guides, and if those aren’t enough, you can contact our support team for white glove support.

A journey of a thousand miles Plivo use cases begins with a single step: sign up for a free trial account today.

Jun 8, 2022
5 mins

How to Handle SMS and Voice Communications Using Python

Send and receive SMS text messages and make and receive voice calls with Python, the Plivo Python SDK, and Plivo APIs.

Python SDK
Voice API
SMS API
How To

Plivo has a lot of great capabilities built into its cloud communications platform. If you’re a Python developer, this post is for you: Learn how easy it is to send and receive SMS text messages and make and receive voice calls with Python, the Plivo Python SDK, and Plivo APIs.

How to send and receive SMS messages

If you’re interested in messaging applications, Plivo’s cloud communications platform makes things easy for you. Sending an SMS message requires just eight lines of code; receiving messages takes just 16, or you can create an application with Express to receive and respond to SMS messages.

How to send and receive MMS messages

Sending MMS messages is equally simple, and we’ve written a guide to receiving and responding to MMS messages with Python.

How to get set up and make and receive phone calls

Start by reading how to make a phone call from a Python application using Plivo’s Voice API. That post covers how to install Plivo’s Python SDK, which makes it easier to build applications that use Plivo. The SDK provides objects, functions, and methods to handle common tasks associated with building voice and messaging applications.

Once you have that in place, you can use PHLO, Plivo’s visual workflow design studio, to set up the workflow of the call, then trigger the PHLO with a few lines of Python code.

That blog post also talks about how to receive phone calls using PHLO, but if you’re not a fan of visual design tools that make coding tasks easier, you can create a simple Flask application to handle incoming calls on a Plivo number.

Once you know how to use Python with Plivo to make and receive calls, you can move into specific use cases, such as call forwarding and interactive voice response systems.

More resources

From there, the sky’s the limit. We support you all the way with our Python SDK, Quickstart guides, and more than a dozen use case guides, and if those aren’t enough, you can contact our support team for white glove support.

A journey of a thousand miles Plivo use cases begins with a single step: sign up for a free trial account today.

Jun 7, 2022
5 mins

How to Receive and Respond to Incoming MMS Messages in Go with Martini and Plivo

How to receive and respond to incoming MMS messages using Plivo's SMS API, Go, and the Martini framework.

Go SDK
SMS API
MMS API
How To

Overview

This guide shows how to receive and automatically respond to incoming MMS messages on a Plivo number, as you might want to do for someone who’s out of the office or who leaves the company.

Here’s how to use Plivo’s SMS APIs to build this use case.

Prerequisites

To get started, you need a Plivo account — sign up with your work email address if you don’t have one already. To receive incoming messages, you must have a Plivo phone number that supports SMS; you can rent numbers from the Numbers page of the Plivo console or by using the Numbers API. If this is your first time using Plivo APIs, follow our instructions to set up a Go development environment.

Create the autoresponder application

Create a file called autoresponder.go and paste into it this code.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
package main

import (
	"encoding/json"
	"fmt"
	"net/http"
	"strings"

	"github.com/go-martini/martini"
	"github.com/plivo/plivo-go/v7"
)

func main() {
	m := martini.Classic()

	m.Post("/autoresponder/", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) string {
		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/xml")
		from_number := r.FormValue("From")
		to_number := r.FormValue("To")
		text := r.FormValue("Text")
		var body string
		var media string
		if strings.ToLower(text) == "hi" {
			body = "Hello!"
			media = "https://media.giphy.com/media/888R35MJTmDxQfRzfS/giphy.gif"
		} else if strings.ToLower(text) == "bye" {
			body = "Bye and have a nice day!"
			media = "https://media.giphy.com/media/QM5lHSyFjz1XW/giphy.gif"
		} else {
			body = "I'm glad that we connected"
			media = "https://media.giphy.com/media/888R35MJTmDxQfRzfS/giphy.gif"
		}
	
		client, err := plivo.NewClient("<auth_id>", "<auth_token>",
			&plivo.ClientOptions{})
		if err != nil {
			panic(err)
		}
		response, err := client.Messages.Create(plivo.MessageCreateParams{
			Src:       to_number,
			Dst:       from_number,
			Text:      body,
			Type:      "mms",
			MediaUrls: []string{media},
		})
		if err != nil {
			panic(err)
		}
		res, err := json.Marshal(response)
		if err != nil {
			fmt.Println("error:", err)
		}
		fmt.Printf("Response: %#v\n", res)
		return string(res)
	})
	m.Run()
}

Save the file and run it.

go run autoresponder.go

You should see your basic server application in action at http://localhost:3000/autoresponder/.

Set up ngrok to expose your local server to the internet.

Create a Plivo application for the autoresponder

Associate the controller you created with Plivo by creating a Plivo application. Visiting Messaging > Applications and click Add New Application. You can also use Plivo’s Application API.

Give your application a name — we called ours Autoresponder. Enter the server URL you want to use (for example https://<yourdomain>.com/autoresponder/) in the Message URL field and set the method to POST. Click Create Application to save your application.

Note: If you’re using a Plivo Trial account, you can send messages only to phone numbers that have been verified with Plivo. You can verify (sandbox) a number by going to the console’s Phone Numbers > Sandbox Numbers page.

Navigate to the Numbers page and select the phone number you want to use for this application.

From the Application Type drop-down, select XML Application.

From the Plivo Application drop-down, select Autoresponder (the name we gave the application).

Click Update Number to save.

Test

Send a text message to the Plivo number you specified using any phone.

Note: If you’re using a Plivo Trial account, you can send messages only to phone numbers that have been verified with Plivo. You can verify (sandbox) a number by going to the console’s Phone Numbers > Sandbox Numbers page.


Haven’t tried Plivo yet? Getting started is easy and only takes minutes. Sign up today.

Jun 7, 2022
5 mins

How to Handle SMS and Voice Communications Using Node

Send and receive SMS text messages and make and receive voice calls with Node, the Plivo Node SDK, and Plivo APIs.

Node.Js SDK
SMS API
How To

Plivo has a lot of great capabilities built into its cloud communications platform. If you’re a Node.js developer, this post is for you: Learn how easy it is to send and receive SMS text messages and make and receive voice calls with Node, the Plivo Node.js SDK, and Plivo APIs.

How to send and receive SMS messages

If you’re interested in messaging applications, Plivo’s cloud communications platform makes things easy for you. Sending an SMS message requires just 10 lines of code; receiving messages takes just 22, or you can create a Node.js application to receive and respond to SMS messages.

How to send and receive MMS messages

Sending MMS messages is equally simple, and we’ve written a guide to receiving and responding to MMS messages with Node.js.

How to get set up and make and receive phone calls

Start by reading how to make a phone call from a Node application using Plivo’s Voice API. That post covers how to install Plivo’s Node.js SDK, which makes it easier to build applications that use Plivo. The SDK provides objects, functions, and methods to handle common tasks associated with building voice and messaging applications.

Once you have that in place, you can use PHLO, Plivo’s visual workflow design studio, to set up the workflow of the call, then trigger the PHLO with a few lines of Node code.

Once you know how to use Node with Plivo to make and receive calls, you can move into specific use cases, such as call forwarding and interactive voice response systems.

More resources

From there, the sky’s the limit. We support you all the way with our Node.js SDK, Quickstart guides that include using Express.js and NestJS, and more than a dozen use case guides, and if those aren’t enough, you can contact our support team for white glove support.

A journey of a thousand miles Plivo use cases begins with a single step: sign up for a free trial account today.

Jun 6, 2022
5 mins

How to Handle SMS and Voice Communications Using .NET

Send and receive SMS text messages and make and receive voice calls with .NET, the Plivo .NET SDK, and Plivo APIs.

Voice API
SMS API
How To

Plivo has a lot of great capabilities built into its cloud communications platform. If you’re a .NET developer, this post is for you: Learn how easy it is to send and receive SMS text messages and make and receive voice calls with .NET , the Plivo .NET SDK, and Plivo APIs.

How to send and receive SMS messages

If you’re interested in messaging applications, Plivo’s cloud communications platform makes things easy for you. Sending an SMS message requires just 20 lines of code; receiving messages takes just 23, or you can create a .NET application to receive and respond to SMS messages.

How to send and receive MMS messages

Sending MMS messages is equally simple, and we’ve written a guide to receiving and responding to MMS messages with .NET.

How to get set up and make and receive phone calls

Start by reading how to make a phone call from a Python application using Plivo’s Voice API. That post covers how to install Plivo’s Python SDK, which makes it easier to build applications that use Plivo. The SDK provides objects, functions, and methods to handle common tasks associated with building voice and messaging applications.

Once you have that in place, you can use PHLO, Plivo’s visual workflow design studio, to set up the workflow of the call, then trigger the PHLO with a few lines of Python code.

Once you know how to use Python with Plivo to make and receive calls, you can move into specific use cases, such as call forwarding and interactive voice response systems.

More resources

From there, the sky’s the limit. We support you all the way with our .NET SDK, Quickstart guides for .NET Core and .NET Framework, and more than a dozen use case guides, and if those aren’t enough, you can contact our support team for white glove support.

A journey of a thousand miles Plivo use cases begins with a single step: sign up for a free trial account today.

It’s easy to get started.
Sign up for free.

Create your account and receive trial credits or get in touch with us.

Grid
Grid