Transactional

Overview

Learn about SMS messaging and how Transactional helps you send reliable, trackable text messages at scale.

What is SMS Messaging?

SMS (Short Message Service) messaging allows you to send text messages directly to your users' mobile phones. Unlike email, SMS has near-instant delivery and exceptional open rates.

Common Use Cases

  • OTP/Verification - Two-factor authentication codes
  • Transactional Alerts - Order confirmations, shipping updates
  • Account Notifications - Password resets, security alerts
  • Appointment Reminders - Booking confirmations and reminders
  • Customer Updates - Status changes, support notifications

Why Transactional SMS?

Traditional SMS solutions are complex to set up and manage. Transactional simplifies this with:

Pool-Based Sending

We manage the phone numbers and carrier relationships. You just select from pre-approved templates and send:

  • No number procurement - Use our shared pool of numbers
  • Automatic routing - We select the best number for each recipient's country
  • Carrier compliance - Templates are pre-approved for carrier requirements

Template-Based System

All SMS messages use templates for quality and compliance:

  • Pre-approved templates - Browse our library of carrier-approved templates
  • Custom aliases - Give templates friendly names in your dashboard
  • Variable substitution - Personalize messages with {{variable}} placeholders

Global Reach

Send SMS to recipients in multiple countries:

  • United States (+1)
  • Canada (+1)
  • United Kingdom (+44)
  • India (+91)

Key Features

Reliable Delivery

Our SMS infrastructure ensures your messages reach recipients:

  • Automatic carrier routing
  • Delivery status tracking
  • Retry on temporary failures
  • Multi-carrier redundancy

Real-time Tracking

Track every message from send to delivery:

  • Delivery confirmations
  • Failure notifications
  • Inbound message handling
  • Webhook event notifications

Developer-First API

Send SMS with a simple API:

await client.sms.send({
  to: '+14155551234',
  templateAlias: 'otp-verification',
  templateModel: { code: '123456' },
});

Compliance Built-in

Stay compliant with carrier and regulatory requirements:

  • Automatic opt-out handling (STOP keywords)
  • Suppression list management
  • TCPA compliance for US
  • 10DLC support for A2P messaging

Architecture Overview

Your Application
API Request
↓
Transactional SMS API
Pool Templates
Pool Numbers
Carrier Delivery
↓
Mobile Recipients

How It Works

  1. Browse Templates - Select from pre-approved templates in your dashboard
  2. Add to Organization - Add templates you need to your organization
  3. Send via API - Call the API with recipient and template variables
  4. Automatic Routing - We select the best sender number based on recipient country
  5. Track Delivery - Monitor status via API or webhooks

Next Steps