Nov 24, 2023 -  We have integrated with Twilio’s toll-free number registration API! See Details Here 

Support

We have compiled a short list of our most Frequently Asked Questions for your perusal. If you don’t find a question on here that you need answered, please let us know and we will get back to you.

 

General (21)

Can I install this platform on a sub-domain?

Yes, it can be installed on a sub-domain or folder off of the main domain.

How do I purchase the Level 4 & ULTRA version?

For the Level 4 and ULTRA packages of the platform, you will receive 100% of the source code. With the source code version, you must sign a source code license/non-resale agreement. The UltraSMSScript Source Code License/Non-Resale Agreement will be sent to your email via DocuSign.

There are 3 payment options with Level 4 & ULTRA

1. Wire transfer. After the source code agreement is signed, we will send you the bank details for wire transfer.

2. Credit card. After the source code agreement is signed, we will send you a payment link/invoice.

3. Flexible payments through Affirm for US customers and Afterpay/Clearpay for US, Canada, and UK customers! After the source code agreement is signed, we will send you a payment link/invoice.

Contact us at sales@ultrasmsscript.com to start the process.

Can I send MMS?

Yes, however MMS is only available when sending to US and Canadian numbers. If using Ytel, MMS is only available for US numbers. With Ytel, you must get these numbers approved and manually added to your Ytel account first, after which you can add them to the script inside the admin panel.

Please be aware as well that the mobile carriers are much more restrictive in letting someone send many MMS messages from 1 long code number in rapid succession since there is much more bandwidth to factor in when sending actual images versus just sending regular text. It is much more imperative to assign multiple numbers to a user account and then rotate through those numbers(using our rotate feature) when sending bulk MMS. It’s best to distribute the load of your MMS traffic, so that MMS messages are sent from as many different outgoing phone numbers as possible to share the workload.

In many cases, clients will use the platform to send new subscribers a MMS auto-reply after they join the list by texting in a keyword, and then send these subscribers regular SMS messages going forward. For example, we have realtors using MMS, but they are using the MMS feature when people text in a keyword to find out more about a property and the MMS images are returned in the auto-reply. They then use normal SMS when notifying their list about updates to the properties, etc…

How can I control what countries my clients can send SMS to?

It’s understandable that in most cases, you would want to control what countries your clients can send SMS messages to. Each country and carrier has it’s own pricing and it would be difficult to create your SMS credit packages and what to price them at if your clients were sending SMS messages all over the world.

If you wanted to control this, you can by selecting the countries to give access to from your Twilio account here: https://www.twilio.com/user/account/settings/international/sms

Only select the country or countries you want your customers sending SMS messages to and uncheck all others. If a user attempts to send SMS to a country not selected, you won’t be charged and their credits won’t be deducted. It will simply be treated as a ‘failed’ message.

Can the sender ID be changed to something else, like company name?

Yes, but only if your country supports sending from an alphanumeric sender ID. If so, you can create a sender ID you want to use in the user panel and it will notify the admin. The admin can then view that sender ID in the admin panel and approve it once they get the pre-registration requirements done through whatever SMS gateway provider they have an account with. Some countries require pre-registration and some do not. Once the sender ID is approved, you will be able to select it from the drop down on the bulk SMS module.

Keep in mind an alphanumeric sender ID is only used for one way communication. Recipients of messages with an alphanumeric sender ID will not be able to respond to you. Customers receiving text messages with your alphanumeric sender ID should have opted in to your service and been informed on how to opt out. You must offer your users the ability to opt out by writing to your support team, calling your support phone line, or adding an opt-out link to the outgoing message you are sending.

In our system, the below countries will be able to send from an alphanumeric sender ID. If you want more added, you can contact us.

AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, DENMARK, ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, HONG KONG, IRELAND, ISRAEL, ITALY, LITHUANIA, NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, POLAND, SPAIN, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, UNITED KINGDOM, KENYA, GREECE, NIGERIA, PHILIPPINES, PORTUGAL, SAUDI ARABIA, THAILAND, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, INDONESIA, GHANA,
FRENCH POLYNESIA, CYPRUS, CZECH REPUBLIC, CROATIA, CAMEROON, EGYPT, SLOVENIA

Are there limitations on sending SMS messages to Indian mobile devices?

Yes, sending SMS to mobile numbers in India have some restrictions. You can read more about these restrictions here India SMS Restrictions

SMS enabled number is not available in my country. How can I send SMS here?

If you chose the Twilio SMS gateway, you will need to select a number from one of these countries below. These countries can send global SMS.

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Norway, Poland, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.

Will I be eligible for future updates?

Yes, if you are a Level 1, 2, 3, or 4 client and as long as you are subscribed to one of the support plans(Basic or Premium), you are eligible for all future updates. If you are an ULTRA client, all future updates are free of charge. ULTRA clients automatically get the Premium support plan included with the package.

NOTE: If you have had customization work done to the script, we will need to re-integrate your custom work back in after the upgrade since those changes would be overwritten. Since this is time intensive, we will need to charge our customization rates(at a discount) to incorporate your custom work back into the new version of the software. Another alternative if you have had a lot of custom work done is you can pick and choose the features from the new release you want and we can incorporate those into your customized copy, for a fee. That way, you wouldn’t lose any of your custom work.

How do I accept payments if using this to start a white label subscription service(SaaS)?

Our platform is currently built on both the PayPal and Stripe payment gateways. You can use one or the other or both to accept payments. Your clients would select which method they want to use to pay you with when purchasing credit packages. You simply select which gateways you want to use in the admin panel. Your PayPal and/or Stripe information is entered into the admin panel as well so when someone buys a package from you using either of these 2 payment methods, the money goes straight to your own account.

What do I need to run this script?

UltraSMSScript utilizes a very light framework (CakePHP), meaning it will run fine on a Linux shared hosting account. However, if you plan to use the script heavily and send hundreds of bulk SMS at a time then a VPS is recommended since you have more server power, more control over timeout properties and execution times without worrying about the restrictions placed on you with a shared hosting account. This is a serious piece of software and to utilize it to its fullest extent, a VPS should be considered.

Recommended hosting company:

We are compensated for any hosting plans signed up through our links.

UltraSMSScript is built on 7 of the very best SMS API providers. Telnyx, Twilio, SignalWire, Plivo, Nexmo, Ytel, and Bandwidth. You simply choose from the admin panel which SMS gateway you want to use! Depending on which SMS gateway you want to use, you will need to create an account with them and deposit some initial funds into your SMS gateway account to get started. The platform gets linked up to your gateway account via API security tokens that you will need to plug in to the admin panel. Any SMS or voice costs are then simply deducted from your Telnyx/Twilio/SignalWire/Plivo/Nexmo/Ytel/Bandwidth account balance.

Twilio Pricing: Here | Ytel Pricing: Here | Nexmo Pricing: Here | Plivo Pricing: Here | SignalWire Pricing: Here |

Telnyx Pricing: Here | Bandwidth Pricing: Here

NOTE: Please use this link when signing up with Ytel: >> Ytel Signup <<

Who provides the SMS and voice services?

UltraSMSScript is built on 7 of the very best SMS API providers. Telnyx, Twilio, SignalWire, Plivo, Nexmo, Ytel, and Bandwidth. You simply choose from the admin panel which SMS gateway you want to use! Depending on which SMS gateway you want to use, you will need to create an account with them and deposit some initial funds into your SMS gateway account to get started. The platform gets linked up to your gateway account via API security tokens that you will need to plug in to the admin panel. Any SMS or voice costs are then simply deducted from your Telnyx/Twilio/SignalWire/Plivo/Nexmo/Ytel/Bandwidth account balance.

Twilio Pricing: Here | Ytel Pricing: Here | Nexmo Pricing: Here | Plivo Pricing: Here | SignalWire Pricing: Here |

Telnyx Pricing: Here | Bandwidth Pricing: Here

Please use this link when signing up with Ytel: >> Ytel Signup <<

NOTE Feb 4, 2022: Ytel has migrated over to their V4 API. Our platform is using their V3 API. We do have plans in the future to migrate to V4, however in the meantime it’s advisable to use another SMS provider we are integrated with – Twilio, Plivo, Nexmo, Telnyx, Bandwidth, Signalwire.

After purchasing the software, what do I need to do?

It’s basically broken down into 4 simple steps:

Step 1 – Install UltraSMSScript

* Install software according to instructions (15-20 minutes)
NOTE: We provide free installation service if you are unable to do so**
Step 2 – Create a Twilio, Plivo or Nexmo Account

NOTE: Any SMS and voicemail costs is simply taken from the balance of your Twilio, Plivo, or Nexmo account.
Step 3 – Script Activation
*Link your Twilio, Plivo, or Nexmo account to the script via 2 API keys you will see in your gateway dashboard.
Step 4 – For Service Providers
*Create your SMS and Voice packages in the admin panel
*These packages will then be available in the “Purchase Credits” section
Step 4 – For Businesses Managing Their Own SMS Marketing Campaigns
*Create a new user account for yourself from the software.
*Choose and assign a number for this account.
Step 5 – Done

How do I setup the SMS and voice credit packages?

If you are a service provider, simply create your packages in the admin panel under “Packages” and give the package a certain number of credits at a certain monetary amount. For example, you can create 1 package with 100 credits for $10. This package will then be available in the “Purchase Credits” section for your customers to purchase from you.

This sample SMS package would break down to 10 cents per SMS. The bigger packages you can give better deals, it’s really all up to you. If you are promoting your SMS marketing business in a particular region where you know your customers will be sending their SMS messages to, then you’ll have a pretty good idea about what each SMS will cost and how much to mark up your packages.

All add-on and monthly subscription packages you create in the admin panel are then dynamically built and displayed on your plans and pricing pages. If you deactivate a package or remove it, it will no longer displayed on the pricing page. Any changes in price or plan name are dynamically reflected. It was built with you having full control of everything.

Can I translate the script into more languages besides English?

Yes, you can translate the front-end files yourself after purchasing as we give you access to all the front-end files so you can make whatever changes to them as you see fit, whether it be language or look and feel changes, etc… You can also install any language translator widget on the platform and many are good at translating to many different languages.

Can I have a WordPress front-end or sales page?

Yes, in fact our site ultrasmsscript.com is WordPress and our demo, where the script is installed, is in a sub-folder. So you can have a WordPress sales site, and install the script in a sub-folder or sub-domain off that WordPress site, like we have done for the demo. Then from the WordPress site, just link to the register or login pages of the script so the users never see the front-end of the script.

What’s the difference between the pricing levels?

All differences and comparisons are laid out in the pricing table. You can hover over some of the links with the dotted lines to get more details on that item.

You can upgrade at any time to a higher level and the price you paid for your current level will be deducted from your payment.

Can subscribers opt-out from the list?

Yes, of course. UltraSMSScript is a permission-based software platform only. If the subscriber no longer wishes to receive SMS, they can text in the word STOP to be removed from the list.

Do I need SSL installed on my domain?

If you plan to use the Stripe payment gateway, you need SSL installed on your server/domain. Stripe requires SSL be installed on your domain. Using Stripe, sensitive credit card information is sent directly to Stripe, and does NOT touch your server. However, in order to protect yourself from certain forms of man-in-the-middle attacks, Stripe requires serving the page containing the payment form over HTTPS as well.

Additionally, your customers will be more comfortable sharing sensitive information on pages visibly served over HTTPS, which can help increase your customer conversion rate.

If I upgrade to a higher level, will I only pay the difference?

Yes, you can upgrade at any time to a higher level and the price you paid for your current level will be deducted from your payment.

Is it just 1 master gateway account or 1 account for each customer?

You can do either or both. You can do just 1 master gateway account(owned by you) which is linked to the software, so all user accounts will use your gateway account and your clients won’t need to bother with signing up for their own gateway accounts. This is how most of our clients use the platform.

You also have the flexibility so that each user account can use their own SMS gateway account instead of yours(admin). Some people prefer to have each of their users use their own gateway account and then simply charge them a small monthly fee to use the platform. If you wanted to do this, you can create their user account from the admin panel, select the gateway they want to use, and enter in their API details and that’s it. If you don’t have their API details entered, it will just use the admin’s gateway account.

Customization (4)

What are your customization rates?

We charge $30/hr for customization work with Level 4 and $20/hr for our ULTRA package.

Will I receive 100% source code?

For the Level 4 & ULTRA 1-time packages of the script, you will receive 100% of the source code. You must sign a source code non-resale agreement that states you will not resell the actual script. See here for details: How do I purchase Level 4 & ULTRA?.

Can I customize the script?

Yes.

We are aware users prefer individuality and to make a website their own. Customers are permitted to customize the script as they see fit visually. If you purchase the encoded version of the script, any back-end core development you need done, we provide customization services. To find out more, please use the “Contact Us” link to the left.

If you purchase the 100% source code of the script, you can customize any aspect of the script as you wish. You will have all the source code of the script so you can expand upon it or customize it however you wish.

Can I add another SMS gateway besides Twilio, Bandwidth, SignalWire, Plivo, Nexmo, or Ytel?

Yes, you can add any SMS gateway you want as long as they provide an API. If you want to add that gateway yourself, and have the technical knowledge to do so, then you must purchase our Level 4 or ULTRA package as those are our 100% source code packages.

If you want us to do that for you, we can do that as we provide customization services. See here for more info

Hosting (3)

Does my web host allow email piping, which is needed for the Email to SMS feature?

Most web hosts allow email piping to program since it is a very basic, but important feature. In fact, most help desk software out there relies on it since tickets automatically get created or updated in the system when someone simply emails the support email address. This is email piping and is common everywhere.

In our case, it’s needed for the Email to SMS feature since it takes the incoming email when someone replies to it and sends it as a SMS to the user who texted your number.

However, there are some web hosts that don’t allow it. Most controls panels offer a very easy way of doing it, which we outline in our installation instructions. All web hosts running cPanel allow it. If not, contact your host to help you setup email piping or to see if there is another way to get that setup.

What hosting companies do you recommend?

Knownhost – Flexibility and power of a dedicated server at a fraction of the cost! Knownhost provides very good and inexpensive VPS hosting plans.

We are compensated for any hosting plans signed up through our links.

We don’t recommend 1and1 since UltraSMSScript has pages that begin with “/logs” to access all the logs and that is reserved in the 1and1 servers and therefore incompatible. They are the only host we are aware of that UltraSMSScript conflicts with.

What are the hosting requirements?

LAMP(Linux,Apache,MySQL,PHP) – Almost all hosting companies already have all this installed by default.
PHP 7.4 – PHP 8.x
Fileinfo Extension enabled
Sockets Extension enabled (Only needed if sending via SMPP)
cURL – Most have this installed by default.
JSON Enabled – Most have this installed by default.
GD with FreeType – Most have this installed by default.
Multibyte String Extension (mbstring) – Most have this installed by default.
PHP short_open_tag enabled
PHP allow_url_fopen enabled
htaccess and mod_rewrites enabled – Most Apache installations will have this enabled.
MySQL Version 5.6 or higher (MySQL Strict Mode disabled)
ionCube Loader Version 10.2+ – Only needed with levels 1-3. Most hosting companies already have this installed and enabled by default since ionCube is widely used in encoding/decoding PHP source code.
Control Panel – Some sort of control panel like cPanel/WHM, Plesk, DirectAdmin, VirtualMin, etc…If you don’t have a control panel and we are performing the installation service, we require minimum FTP access and DB login URL/access with tool such as PHPMyAdmin.


Installation (2)

Can you install the script for me?

Yes, if you are a Level 1, 2, 3, or 4 client and as long as you are subscribed to one of the support plans(Basic or Premium), you are eligible for installation services. If you are an ULTRA client, all installation services are free of charge. ULTRA clients automatically get the Premium support plan included with the package.

How long does it take to get it installed after purchase?

Our installation procedure usually takes place within 24 – 48 hours after purchase, largely depending on factors such as time zones, if the purchase falls on a weekend, and how back-logged we are at the time.

Numbers (7)

How does a new user obtain a number to market with?

When a new user registers an account in the platform, or you add one through the admin panel, they will then see a “Get Number” link on the left sidebar menu and from the dashboard. From here is where they can search on and select a number to assign to their user account. Each new user that registers will get their own unique long code(s)/toll-free number(s). These phone numbers come directly from the SMS providers the platform is linked to. We are connected to the providers via their APIs, so when you search on a number, those numbers are coming from them through the API connection we are making.

You also have the ability to add additional numbers to a user account. Many local businesses will add numbers from a few different local area codes they communicate with to create a localized experiences so their subscribers always receive messages from a number of the same area code.

See here for more info: Local Numbers

Is it safe to rotate through numbers when sending messages?

This practice, known as “Snowshoeing” is defined as spreading similar or identical messages across many phone numbers with the intent or effect of evading unwanted messaging detection and prevention mechanisms. Carriers are beginning to crack down on this practice. It is not considered snowshoeing unless you are intentionally spreading the same or similar message across more numbers than you need to evade detection/filtering, or to dilute a numbers reputation, ie. to keep it from being marked as ‘spam’ by the carriers.

Our platform does have a number rotate/pooling feature, but with that feature is a Geomatch option. You could use Area Code Geomatch with multiple numbers to create localized experiences so that contacts are receiving messages only from a number of the same area code. This example would NOT be considered snowshoeing.

In our recent release on Nov 30, we have added a permission from the admin panel that will allow you to give access to your users the number pooling/rotate feature found inside the Bulk SMS module. You may choose to disable this feature unless there is a valid use case the client has for rotating numbers like Geomatch or if the client registers multiple local numbers to use for 10DLC.

Can I use my existing numbers I already own through my gateway account?

Yes, you can add your pre-existing numbers through the admin panel to any user account to be used in the platform.

What is the difference between long codes and toll-free numbers?

Long codes are your standard 10 digit numbers and toll-free numbers are the typical numbers with area codes 800,844,866,888, etc…In the United States and Canada, long codes are best used with 2-way communication when the SMS conversation is taking place both ways, think of customer support type of interaction and when sending to small groups. Toll-free numbers can also be used for 2-way communication, but are also intended for A2P traffic and great for business uses like marketing and notifications. They also allow a higher sending rate per number. When sending to larger lists, it’s always highly recommended to use toll-free numbers, especially now in light of the new 10DLC requirements in the US.

Can I use a short code in this script?

Yes, you can get your own short code to lease through one of the gateways we are built on. They are about $500-$1000/month through them and take about 8-12 weeks to get approved. However it is advisable that each user account in the platform has their own dedicated short code because each account is unique and identified by the number(s) assigned to their account. It’s how we know where to route any incoming SMS.

In addition to that, major mobile carriers, including Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, are moving away from different brands/businesses using the same short code(shared short code). In 2021, shared short codes will no longer be supported by the carriers and all brands will be required to use their own dedicated phone number for SMS marketing, either their own dedicated short code or toll-free number(s).

Our platform mainly uses standard 10 digit long codes and toll-free numbers. See here for more info: https://www.ultrasmsscript.com/support/who-provides-the-sms-services/ and https://www.ultrasmsscript.com/support/what-is-the-difference-between-long-codes-and-toll-free-numbers/

What are the benefits of using long codes & toll-free numbers vs a short code?

These Virtual Mobile Numbers(long codes) and toll-free numbers completely bypass the headache of getting your own dedicated short code number. Long codes and toll-free numbers cut through the numerous restrictions associated with purchasing your own short code and very lengthy approval process. Setting up a long code/toll-free campaign is fast and easy. They can deliver SMS messages where short codes can’t. For example, international mobile numbers, VOIP phone and Google voice are all within your reach.

Second, with shared short codes, in most cases you can only use 1 keyword and if you want to use additional keywords, other SMS marketing services will charge you extra for those on a monthly basis. Also, if the keyword you want is already used by someone else, you have to use another keyword since you are sharing your number. For example, if you want to use the keyword “PIZZA” but it is already in use, then you might have to try “PIZZA1” or “PIZZA4U” or whatever else might be available.

With long codes and toll-free numbers, they’re only associated with you and your account, so you can use as many keywords as you want and whatever keywords you want. Using many different keywords is beneficial because this allows you to test the effectiveness of each keyword and what has the better response rate without paying the extra fees for each additional keyword.

Your customers can also save your number in their phone and immediately recognize the text came from you. With shared short codes, they could be receiving text messages from other businesses (your competitors) using the same number that you are using.

We also have a detailed blog post on 5 Reasons Why Long Code Numbers are Better for Notifications and Reminders.

Why do I need a Two-way SMS Phone Number?

There are a few very important reasons why you need a two-way SMS-enabled phone number for marketing reasons.

  • One of the ways customers join or opt-in to your list is by texting in a keyword to your number. This is how they can also opt-out of receiving future messages from you.
  • Gather feedback from your customers instantly through marketing campaigns, polls, contests, and promotions.
  • Allow customers to text in anything to your number and you can engage them in a 2-way chat.
  • Collect your subscribers’ names, emails and birthdays so you can personalize future text messages, add their email addresses to your email autoresponders, and send them your customized birthday SMS wishes.