Integrating Vodafone SMS API for Website Contact Forms Without Revealing Numbers

I recently contacted Vodafone to request an interest in Vodafone being able to provide services for mobile phone users such that business contacts within an business organization could be contacted directly via their business website

Example : I decide that I need the services of a plumber/ electrician / business I there for utilize Google and chance upon a site which I think will best suite my needs

On the portal website is a contact us form in which I can send an immediate message to the company or list of plumbers/ bussiness reps which are recommended by this site

I pull down a selection box and pick the local plumber/ electrician/ business representative or plural that are local to myself and can send this person an immediate sms asking him / her to contact me for a point of call

I don not see his / her number and would not know this

In the other boxs I enter my own mobile number followed by a password relavent details address and so on Choice selected to be implemented

This a password that gives me authorization to utilize this service such that the sms bill is sent directly to my mobile phone This is only authorised by my ervice provider for my own personal use It may send me a further confirmation code to verify

This means that the company concerned whom I’m requesting this service from do not pay for my sms messages and more obviously as a consumer I can send an immediate message to the company concerned without having to wait for a reply to an email which is generally alot longer It would also verify that this person who is employed by this company has definitely been contacted by me and as such I receive a verification code

Meaning that my messages have been sent , have been received and more importantly as a company I can tell if my staff are responding to those messages and see what my companies performance is why its working why its not working

In other words i dont land up with a group of employees , managers , directors who then say "Im sorry we didnt get your message" also I can then too defend my employees or repremand where needed to defend the customer as well

The sms cue to the said plumber/ electrician / business concerned doesn’t exceed 10 messages a day

My Question is

Is there any communications company that offer this service such that companies can utilize this service without having to pay the messaging charges or call costs
, consequently I have also put this suggestion to Vodafone but without much success and very little interest In fact i have sugested this on many an occasion over the loast 10 ,15 years or more and done significant research into this to no avail

I can only see this as being a massive advantage to business utilizing this or whishing to utilize this service with dramatic increase in business and customer satisfaction

Is there anyone out there who knows the answer to this and if there is would they like to contact me

How would you set this up

Who would you manage such data and how would you gain international agreement on this

Could anyone suggest any reasons why we cant achieve this

I can achieve this via a sms modem directly coupled to personal server but this would mean I would then pay for call cost sms messages to and from clients My argument to this is why cant this charge be levied on the person who wishes to use this service such that the billing is automatically routed to their own service provider

Anyone who does have any answers to this greatly appreciated

I am usually a hardware guy, but i have a general idea on what you are trying to achieve. The main Telco's do not provide services like what you are offering, this is left to other companies that wholesale from the Telcos and then write API's are make available API's to carry out the task your require.

About 5 years ago I investigated a number of solutions relating to SMS but never pursued it further but it enable me to write code either for a website or other method to carry out many different variations of SMS'ing.

I am not saying the solution I provide will help you but it is worth investigating. The link below is only 1 provider that look minimal but there are plenty of others that could be used. Also instead of numbers coming up on the SMS, names can be used instead.

http://www.sms-tech.com.au/products.php

Anyway Google SMS API's and should come with a number of searches, some are generic based, others are more programmable

Cheers Malcom will go check this out I take it you came up against the same problems as myself regards this then ?

I have just sent them a contact lets see what they come back with thanks very much anyway

Seems like there are two glaring flaws to this plan:

1. who, in their right mind, is going to send their password to some company?
2. who is going to be happy with having to pay to acquire sales info from a company?

Or did I misunderstand?

Like the 800/etc phone number model, the business covers the cost of contacting them for information.

Hi, I mostly found the market was too low for me to make a business model from this service. Overall the function of the sites were fine although I am not sure SMS is the way to go anymore for at least my applications although I have stopped dealing with some parts of my industry anyway.

I am now more concentrating on hardware systems.

I was only supplying options to consider, Once the API can be created there maybe other ways to implement the solutions without handing over passwords.

Question1 :: How do you log onto this site then Steve ?? or any other site You use a password There may be better methods of transporting that password Yes I agree however in general you use a password


Question2 :: How much do you pay for the internet ? how much do you pay for internet use over your mobile phone How many phone calls faxes do you send using the ordinaty landline How many quotes do you send from a company point of view with regards a quotation enquiry, via post , or any other transportation communications method ?

Why should any business have to pay for people to contact them when its the customer that wants their professional service That’s like saying to the world why should we pay for teachers to educate our youngsters and Why should we pay for engineers to design our systems , fix our washing machines , Why should we pay for a mobile phones Why should we pay for someone to sweep the roads , clean the toilets , wash the floors , make the coffee , do the gardening , cut the bush or what ever it is that you do in life otherwise no one can pay thier bills hence like all good people and not bums we go to work and we worke of r an exchange of monies in order to pay those bills

So when a company refuses to pay thier employies then what happens is the employee either leaves that firm or takes form then what is suely required in order to secure a payment

Why should i equally pay for the use of my on internet connection to make enquiries to and on the behalf of other clients unless this is going to be to my advantage After all sint this another form of bussiness therefore where for thow art I am entitled to levy a charge on persons whishing to use my knowledge , my electric , my pc , my internet connection to make those enquireies which is done on an agreement which is to thier and my advantage If I choose to to this free of charge that is my own personall choice but I may also charge for this It is a service nota right Steve A proffesional service Otherwise they would not come to me if they knew the answers and they had gone to college or school which is what they should have done years ago and possibky done some work so that they might aquire these skills


Equally A company whishing to use someone with those skills in order to run a bussiness has to pay for people with the required skills



Hence Im entitled to charge for this too Exactly the same as I charge a customer who confides in my bussiness for a quotation , visit , report , any other service that I may whish to offer



Or don’t you think so Steve ? Its a choice isn’t it in this case If I want to pay for that service for me to seek out other business the I would arrange to have that service as a consumer via my mobile phone airtime provider

As a company I would not want to pay for customers calls Why should I pay for their calls That’s like saying every time a customer phones my company I should pay for their calls

Well does this happen from an ordinary phone line ??? No , you pay for this and it never has unless a company offers a free phone number which they pay for but that’s thier choice

So why should this be any different for a mobile phone or an internet service that is for thier benefit It shouldn’t hence my request unless you choose to do this which is your choice , a choice that you might undertake to promote bussines or marketing stratergy

I think what I’ve asked makes perfect sense after all if you cant trust the company your phone is with ,might be time to change companies mightn't it

I happen to trust my airtime provider they act on my behalf with regards to security and other services I’m pleased with them in general

I’m also equally disappointed that they don’t always come back with answers sometimes but in general …. 99.9 % of the time they do but they could do much better which what Im hoping they will do in the meantime I’m looking to see who can offer that service


That’s what I classify as Research and Marketing studies I want to see what competitors have to offer and what their rates might be ! I want to see what the pitfalls might be I may want to know how best to set up an arrangement with these companies that may prove to be mutually advantageous and eneficial to all parties whishing to use that service

As a consumer I have the right to do that its freedom of choice

"Honestly Its like to talking to a adolescence sometimes !! " both companies , employees and clients and fellow web collegues

I’m not entirely surprised at that answer to be frank with you judging by the overall answers I’m receiving back from some of these companies

This was a transaction of conversation today with Talk Talk currently offering smart phones at would you believe incredibly low prices I wondered why and of course and as expected the answers are well ...... No comment 15 MB web space only Doesn’t know what server technologies they using Doesn’t know the At command set Doesn’t know hat you can do what you cant do with smart phone technologies and SMS ... what can I say to this one but very keen to sell you a phone on a binding contract for 2 to 3 years or more bearing in mind that 4G is on the way in and 3G on the way out

Very similar to this question i note doesent say an awfull lot for the Industry in general or the overall state of the country

http://www.eeweb.com/electronics-forum/using-...-to-power-a-12vdc-25amp-or-higher-amp-device/




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