SMS not delivering
Symptoms
Section titled “Symptoms”- Customers say they never got their payment confirmation or expiry reminder.
- In Comms → SMS, messages show Delivered: No or have text in the Error column.
- Bulk sends finish with SMS send complete: X sent, Y failed.
- Messages arrive from a generic sender rather than your business name.
Start with the message log
Section titled “Start with the message log”Go to Comms → SMS. Each message lists the Phone number, the Message, the Sender ID, the Template used, the Unit Cost, Delivered (Yes/No) and an Error. Click a long error to expand it.
- No message in the log at all: the SMS was never created. See Messages that never get created.
- Message present with Delivered: No: read the Error and use the table below.
- Delivered: Yes, but the customer didn’t get it: check the phone number. Then ask the customer whether their phone blocks promotional SMS or whether their inbox is full.
Likely causes and fixes
Section titled “Likely causes and fixes”| Cause | Sign | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| SMS balance is empty | On Buy SMS, the balance shows Empty · sending is blocked. | Click Buy SMS and buy a bundle. Units are credited within seconds of payment and never expire. Turn on Auto top-up with a threshold so this doesn’t happen again. |
| Balance running low | Low · …% of last bundle. | Top up before it runs out. |
| Blocked by content policy | Error: Blocked by content policy: … | Reword the message or template. Avoid the content the reason names. |
| Sender ID not approved | Messages go out from the shared sender, or the sender ID you chose isn’t offered. | Check Comms → SMS → Sender IDs (see below). |
| Your own SMS provider rejects messages | Errors from your provider. You’ve turned off Use Default SMS Settings. | Check SMS API URL, API Key, API Key Location and Sender ID in Comms → SMS → Settings, and check your balance with that provider. |
| Wrong or missing phone number | Customer has no phone number when you send from a customer page, or an odd number in the log. | Edit the customer’s phone number. Hotspot customers: Change Phone on their page. |
Sender IDs
Section titled “Sender IDs”A sender ID is the name customers see as the sender, for example MYWIFI instead of the shared ISPMan sender.
- Go to Comms → SMS and click Reserve sender ID, or open Sender IDs directly.
- Reserve the name, choose the networks, and upload the documents asked for: a certificate of registration or incorporation and a signed Letter of Authorization (a trademark certificate is optional).
- Track the status in Your sender IDs: Requested, Pending, Approved, Rejected or Suspended. Documents are reviewed within 1 working day. If yours are sent back, use Resubmit.
Until a sender ID is approved, your messages go out from the shared ISPMan sender ID. Only transactional sender IDs can send payment and expiry messages. A promotional-only sender ID is never used for those.
Messages that never get created
Section titled “Messages that never get created”If the expected SMS isn’t in the log at all:
- The SMS type is turned off. In Comms → SMS → Settings, check the switches for Payment Confirmation, Hotspot Expiry SMS, PPPoE Payment Confirmation, PPPoE Expiry SMS, Static Payment Confirmation and Static Expiry SMS.
- Expiry reminders aren’t set on the package. Each package has its own reminder times (When Expired, 1 day before expiry, 1 week before expiry, and so on). Turn them on when you edit the package. A reminder longer than the package’s validity isn’t offered.
- No customers matched a bulk send. Send SMS shows No customers match the current filters. Loosen the filters (customer type, package, last seen).
- Template removed. If a template linked to an event was deleted, that event now sends the default message. Check Comms → SMS → Templates → Configure Event Bindings.
Good to know
Section titled “Good to know”- Long messages are sent in parts, and each part is billed as one SMS. Keep templates short.
- On the Templates page you can preview a template with a real customer’s details before you save it.
When to contact support
Section titled “When to contact support”Contact support if:
- Your balance is fine and you’re on the default SMS settings, but many messages show Delivered: No with a gateway error.
- A sender ID has stayed Pending for more than a working day after you uploaded documents.
- Units you paid for haven’t appeared in your balance.
Include a phone number, the time sent and the error text. See Communication.