Sent vs. delivered SMS: What’s the difference?
Understanding the difference between sent and delivered as SMS is crucial for any business using text messaging. While these terms might sound similar, they represent completely different stages in your message’s journey. Let’s break down exactly what these statuses mean.
What does ‘sent’ mean?
When you see a ‘sent’ status on your SMS, it means your message has been validated and sent to the mobile network for delivery. This is the default status once messages leave our platform.
However, this does not mean your message has been delivered – it simply confirms we’re yet to receive any delivery status notification from the network.
Think of ‘sent’ as your text entering the postal system. The journey has begun, but your message hasn’t reached your customer yet. Messages will remain in a sent state until we receive a further update from the network.
Why do some messages get stuck on ‘sent’?
As with any provider, several factors can cause your SMS to remain in sent status:
Recipient’s phone is off – If your customer’s mobile is switched off or out of battery, the message cannot be delivered. By default, The SMS Works asks mobile networks to continue to retry delivery over a 48-hour period.
Poor signal – If the recipient is in an area with no mobile coverage, such as underground or in a remote location, the message will wait until they return to an area with signal.
Recipient is on a call – Some older phones cannot receive SMS while on a voice call. The message will be delivered once the call ends.
What does ‘delivered’ mean?
A ‘delivered’ status is confirmation that your SMS has been successfully delivered to the recipient’s mobile phone. The message has done a ‘virtual handshake’ with the receiving phone, allowing you to confirm that it has arrived in the person’s SMS inbox.
This is a far more reliable indicator that your communication has succeeded. However, it’s important to understand that ‘delivered’ doesn’t mean your message has been read or opened. Unlike email where you can see if a message has been read, you can’t see if an SMS message has actually been read, only that it has arrived. But it’s a pretty safe assumption.
Why the difference between ‘sent’ and ‘delivered’ is important for businesses
Many businesses mistakenly assume ‘sent’ means their customer has received the message. This can lead to confusion when customers claim they never received important notifications about deliveries, appointments, or updates.
The value of delivery reports
Delivery reports let you know the status of each text message, which can help you:
Verify successful communication – Know for certain that important messages have reached customers.
Clean your contact database – Identify invalid numbers that are wasting your SMS credits.
Improve operational efficiency – Use our 16 different error codes to understand exactly why messages fail.
All delivery reports at The SMS Works are free – there’s no additional charge for them. New updates are received and updated in real time, so as soon as a new delivery status is received, the delivery report outcome is updated immediately.
Why we only charge for delivered messages
We believe in a fairer approach. At The SMS Works, you only pay for messages that are actually delivered to your customers. If a message fails to reach its destination, we credit it straight back to your account. Zero wastage.
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