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0 pointsf0rmatfunction4y ago0 comments

The 160 limit per message segment is absolutely still a thing, but when you receive a message >160 characters your phone stitches the segments back together for you so you don't notice.

Why this matters: SMS delivery is usually priced per message segment. Going over the 160 limit ~doubles the cost to deliver the text.

(Source: I am the CEO of a company which sends millions of text messages and avoiding 2 segment messages saves us thousands each month!)

All that said, the text from the above commenter's loan servicer is unprofessional nonsense regardless of its length.

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LeifCarrotson4y ago

> I am the CEO of a company which sends millions of text messages and avoiding 2 segment messages saves us thousands each month!

How much is each customer worth to you?

Which is worse for your business - all your customers getting a cringey needs 2know if U wish 2stay in Autopay text and thinking that your entire business is unprofessional, or spending an extra $0.001 per customer per month to send them a message that reads F0rmatFunction can automatically pay your bill each month, but we need your approval. Change your mind? Cancellation is easy, just text "No" to this number. Respond "OK" to enable auto-pay! I'd rather get the latter for sure!

Sure, it's good to let those generating the messages know where the threshold is. Concise communication is best, sometimes you can be equally professional and just pick a different synonym or structure, and save the company some money. But sacrificing quality of a $20/mo service to save $0.001 per customer seems unwise, even if it adds up to a thousand-dollar bill.

willcipriano4y ago

You are a executive, you could work really hard and find new lines of business, talk to customers and understand their needs to craft better offerings, or find another firm to form a strategic partnership with. But you won't, you'll just say "Start using 2day in the text messages, we will save 500k a year!" and move on to a new company in 18 months.

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