Text messages are a source of controversy: some people find them annoying, others fear scam messages, others think they are too old-fashioned, while others find them useful and are happy to reply. In our work at Quriiri, we encounter a lot of prejudice and also a lot of misunderstanding about SMS. In this series of articles, we will explore SMS myths and also share tips on communicating via SMS.
This blog article is about links in SMS messages. Interviewed in the article Lasse Lohikoskea, with a long experience in mobile communications. Lasse is one of the co-founders of Quriiri and works daily with companies that use SMS as part of their corporate communications.
Is a link in a text message always a bad thing?
”Not at all - almost the opposite. Links in SMS messages are even more reliable than, for example, emails, because the final address of the link is always visible to the consumer. In a text message, the link cannot be hidden behind a clickable word or button, for example. This significantly reduces the chances of scammers succeeding,” says Lasse.
”A link in a text message is a great way to activate a customer to a web page, and I don't think you should be afraid to use links,” Lasse says.
It is said that you should not click on a link in a text message, what do you think about this?
”I don't think you can generalise. It's safe to click on a link when you recognise it as legitimate and are confident that it doesn't lead to a phishing or other scam page. If the link seems suspicious, for example because the domain name in the link is not familiar, it is definitely not worth clicking on it,” says Lasse.
If you want to put a link in the post, what tips would you give?
”I wouldn't use link capture services for SMS messages, as they allow you not to see the final link address. Recipients of messages may be suspicious of links they don't know where they lead to anyway. This reduces the click-through rate considerably. Link shortening services such as bit.ly, bl.ink, etc. can be used to shorten a long or hard-to-remember web address into something easier to remember/remunerate,” says Lasse.
”If a company wants to put a link in a text message, the address should always lead directly to the company's own server, which the customer can identify (for example https://quriiri.fi/sms). This way the customer can be sure that clicking on the link will take them to the real page. However, you should try to pay attention to the length of the link so that the text message does not contain unnecessarily long links,” Lasse adds.
How can you prevent/reduce scam messages?
”Many countries around the world already have mandatory registration of sender information. This means that if a company wants to send SMS messages with certain sender information, it must first register the sender information with the operators. If the sender's details are not registered, the messages will fail. This allows for centralised management of the sender information and the recipient of the message can be sure that the message is coming from a trustworthy source,” says Lasse.
”A similar approach should be introduced in Finland as soon as possible. Operators can do it and it would make SMS a more reliable and efficient way to communicate in today's multi-channel communications environment,” says Lasse.
Quriiri Messaging Suite is a native and versatile SMS service that allows you to send and receive SMS messages easily and reliably. We have a long experience in SMS and would be happy to provide you with more information about our SMS service. Contact us!
