GoldSMS
Texting for GoldMine
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the price?
We knew you'd be asking! Please refer to our Pricing Page for more details, or to Order.
Casual, low-volume users can start with our economy plan, providing 200 texts per month at only $199 per year (that works out to 8.3 cents per text). High-volume users will see their price drop to as low as $0.02 per message. - That's for the service, right? How 'bout the software?
GoldSMS software is provided at no cost. - What is GoldSMS?
GoldSMS is a new add-on for GoldMine that allows you to send and receive true SMS text messages directly from within GoldMine. Outbound messages can be sent individually or in bulk, interactively through our Graphical User Interface or, automatically, via GoldMine's Automated Processes module. - What is "SMS" anyway?
SMS stands for "Short Message Service;" most of us just call it "texting." According to Wikipedia, "SMS is the most widely used data application, with an estimated 3.5 billion active users, or about 80% of all mobile phone subscribers at the end of 2010." - What do you mean by "true SMS?" And isn't texting already built in to GoldMine?
The "texting" that's built in to GoldMine is not true texting, rather, it is the sending of an email to your contact's cell phone carrier. For example, if you know my cell phone number is (888)111-2345 and my carrier is Sprint, you could send an email message to 8881112345@messaging.sprintpcs.com. In this example, Sprint converts your email to an SMS text message, then delivers the text message to my phone. If you didn't know my carrier was Sprint, this simply would not work!GoldSMS, by contrast, is carrier-neutral, as it connects directly to the national cell phone network, just like your own cell phone. And just like sending a text message with your phone, your contact's cell phone number is all you need.
- Where will the texts I send be from? Where will replies come to?
You'll be assigned a private number; think of it as your "corporate text number." Your contacts will see that messages are coming from this number. When they reply to this number, the replies are retrieved directly into your GoldMine by way of our high-performance cloud-basesd database server. - What if one of my contacts calls my new text number? After all, there's no "real" cell phone associated with it.
Someone calling your text number would hear a recorded message, instructing them to call your main number. As an alternative, for a nominal fee, you can have them hear your own custom-recorded message, encouraging them to check out your website, or call your sales line for more information. - Can other GoldSMS users outside my company see my messages?
No. Your messages are always completely private and secure. Every GoldSMS customer gets their own inbound cloud database. - What happens when someone replies to a text message?
Their message will be linked to their GoldMine contact record as a Pending activity, with an alarm. - Do I need to know which cell phone carrier (i.e. Sprint, Verizon, etc.) the recipient uses?
No. This is just like sending a text message from your phone. This is not an email message! - Can I change my annual plan when it's up for renewal?
Yes. Actually, you can upgrade your plan any time. - What if I exceed my monthly allotment?
Additional texts are billed as per the table above. The first time this happens you'll be given a one-time opportunity to upgrade to the next level with no penalty. - Is this priced "per user?"
No! You can have as many users as you'd like using the system. - Is this priced "per month?"
No! The prices above are per year!
- Will the system work when I don't have access to the Internet?
No. Internet connectivity is required for us to process your texts. - Will the system work automatically?
Yes; the system includes a "blast server" module that permits automating text messages through lookup.ini (near future), Automated Processes, and GoldMine's scheduling module. - How quickly do the texts go out?
Everything's done within a few seconds of hitting the Send button. - Does the message get logged into GoldMine's History tab?
Yes. - Is GoldSMS "sync aware?"
Yes. - Is there any "traceability" on the text messages?
We don't have end-to-end confirmation (yet), but each message you send generates a unique code which can be automatically logged into the contact's History record. - Which GoldMine phone number is used to send to?
It's semi-automatic, depending on which field you've labeled "Cell" or "Mobile." You can also tell the system which field(s) the cell phone number may be found in, like "uphonecell." The system also checks out the standard GoldMine extensions to see if any of them contain the words "Cell," "Mobile," "Sprint," "Verizn," etc. - Additional Contacts tab?
Certainly! Both numbers for each Additional Contact - How long can messages be?
The standard is 160 characters; however, GoldSMS automatically "chunks" longer messages into separate messages of up to 160 characters each, to ensure your recipient receives the entire message. - Does this work with MMS?
No, not yet. MMS stands for Multimedia Messaging Service. - Can I send texts to 3rd parties? i.e. outside sales reps, consultants, etc.?
Yes. If you have "regulars" who you'll be texting to, just list their names and numbers in the GoldSMS configuration utility; you can also type in a text number on the fly for "one-off's." - Where can I go to download the software?
Once you've signed up for a trial (or full) account we'll send you the link and instructions. - Is there a trial period?
Yes, 30 days. Unlimited users, 200 messasges. No cost for the texting... You pay only the non-refundable $50 provisioning fee, plus installation. Upon upgrade to a full system within 90 days your $50 is converted automatically (i.e. you don't pay twice for Provisioning). - How does GoldSMS decide which number to use to send the text to?
- If one of the main phone fields is labeled "Cell" or "Mobile" GoldSMS will pick up that field's contents as the default number.
- If one of the main phone extensions (ext1, ext2, ext4, ext3) contains the word "Cell" or "Mobile" GoldSMS will pick up that field's related phone number as the default number.
- GoldSMS will also offer, as options, the contents of the fields listed in the PhoneFields setting of the GoldSMS.ini file.
- GoldSMS will also offer, as options, the phone and/or mobile numbers of the related Additional Contacts.
- The user may, optionally, type in any valid cell phone number on the fly.
- What's the price?
Glad you asked! We aggressively strive to keep GoldSMS priced at a competitive, affordable level. Casual, low-volume users can start with our economy plan, providing 200 texts per month at only $199 per year (that works out to 8.3 cents per text). High-volume users will see their price drop to as low as $0.02 per message.Please refer to our Pricing Page for more details.
What's next? Try or buy? Learn more?
Many of our clients have more questions at this point... call your GoldMine Solutions Partner. Or call us at (888)55-PLAIN, ext. 121; ask for Steven.Ready to get started? The process for Trial or Purchase requires 3 steps:
- Register. This is where you'll agree to the Terms and Conditions, and let us know your preference for Area Code.
- Pay (through our convenient online store.)
We'll get your new "corporate" Texting number allocated and configure your account. - Download/Install/Configure the GoldSMS software. We'll send you the download link and instructions.
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