An Alternative to Skype’s SMS – Seven Issues and Advantages
March 02, 2010 by Alex GrechanowskiThe idea of sending a text
message without using the tiny keyboard on your mobile can be quite new to you. But the
truth is, many people have been using “out-of-the-box” online texting tools as an important piece of their communication pie for many years
now.
“Do you know how to send SMS to several people whose numbers are not in your contact list, all at the same time versus one by one?”
Skype is recognized as a provider of choice for not only making “free calls over the internet” but also for its paid services, which includes sending SMS messages. In its own words: “…with Skype Credit you can use Skype’s pay-to-use products like voicemail and text messaging feature.”
However, in the case of sending text via Skype, there are a few potential issues to be aware of:
1) In some countries it’s not possible to purchase Skype Credits using a credit card, even if it’s a Visa or MasterCard issued by a local bank. Instead, you’re forced to use MoneyBookers or other type of payment method. They call it “internal fraud checks”; however, it’s not clear why Skype makes it so complicated. Using the same card makes it easier to shop on other sites, like Amazon.
2) Once you’ve loaded your Skype account with some $$, it’s not possible to send a text message to a
phone number that is not in your contact list, even though their Help System tells you the opposite: “to
send a text message to a phone number that is not in your Skype contact list go
to Tools > Send SMS Message.”
But a closer look reveals that there is no such item as Send SMS Message in the Tools menu:
(The above screenshot is taken on the latest version of the Skype software: 4.1.0.179).
3) Using Skype, you cannot apply
any formatting or use a template to text messages as the dialog box for
sending text is a very basic one (but is definitely OK for sending a quick SMS).
4) It seems there is no way to send the same SMS to a group of people (a.k.a. bulk SMS). Even if they are in your Skype contacts, you need to manually repeat the same “Send SMS Message” procedure which, if used repeatedly, is quite time- consuming and nerve-wracking.
5) No option to conveniently check message delivery status. You need to keep the contact dialog box open to monitor the progress. Sometimes it reads “not yet delivered,” even though the sent message has already been delivered. Eventually, Skype will send you a notification on the next login.
6) No option to view saved/sent
messages. The only option is with the help of the bulky View Old Messages (a.k.a. History) option
where all communication with a given person is stored.
7) No option to save a message as a draft and send scheduled messages.
Seven Advantages
“Online text messaging often means coming together around a common passion or activity be it family, travel, sport, advertising or anything else that suits your fancy.”
TextMagic Online as a fully fledged program for sending SMS, gives you the following advantages:
1) Instant account activation, including the use of the following payment methods: MasterCard, Diners Club, Visa Electron, Visa, American Express, PayPal, Maestro. Just purchase your first block of message credits and an account will be created for you. No restriction by country, and no genetic tests, by the way ;-).
2) No need to have a contact list, (but of course, you can create it). Just enter numbers separated by commas. Include the country code with no leading zeroes e.g. 44797123456, 44797123455.
3) Create an SMS or even your marketing campaign using templates.
4) Bulk sending of hundreds and thousands of texts.
5) You can check the current delivery status of sent messages on-line. TextMagic Online displays 3 types of message delivery notifications: accepted, delivered or failed.
6) All messages are saved in a sent message folder.
7) Send scheduled messages when
you need.
Have you found an alternative to Skype’s SMS? Please share your ideas and lessons learned.
Comments
July 24, 2010 at 09:01 AM
I'd just like to point out that you CAN send SMS to any number using Skype - select "Call phones" in the menu to the left in Skype's main window, then type in the number and press "SMS" in the lower right corner of the keypad.