If you have used Lyft, Airbnb, or Netflix, you have probably used Twilio. In fact, Twilio powers communications for over 40,000 businesses around the world.
Twilio provides an API and platform that can send SMS texts, and text-to-voice messages, and costs very little.
Twilio’s Programmable SMS API helps Twilio developers to add robust messaging capabilities to web and mobile applications.
Twilio has taken steps to build infrastructure around communication services. Before Twilio was introduced, if you wanted to send text messages or place phone calls from your web application, you would have had to get in touch with different carriers and operators and pay hefty sums of money.
Twilio takes care of this particular part so you as a business owner can concentrate on the business side of things – without worrying about the operation of the app and continue building your product. The many advantages that Twilio offers include email delivery, fax sending and receiving, and a programmable chat.
The company’s first public service was Twilio Voice, which allows Twilio developers to make and receive phone calls programmatically for a business.
Twilio Developers Throw Light on Twilio SMS
Programmable SMS is a platform that allows companies to use SMS in any way that their application needs. One can send and receive text messages, buy short-codes and even alphanumeric identifiers, so that the clients of the company can get details of who sent the message and recognize them by their name.
In terms of coverage, Twilio allows for a support service of sending messages to more than 200 different countries. A company is permitted to, and has the option to buy phone numbers in almost 50 countries to customize the sender. It is no secret that receiving an SMS from a local number gives the clients and customers of a business more confidence in its service and makes them feel that the company is easily accessible in case they need a service.
The benefits of this feature are endless. SMS allows reaching customers faster than email in certain circumstances. For example, if a customer of a business does not have its app (if they happen to have one), or they have a bad internet connection, SMS APIs can save the day. Companies can increase engagement by sending order confirmations or appointment reminders.
Twilio currently offers three of its APIs at Rapid API for Twilio Developers to Use:
- Lookup
- Phone Number Verification
- SMS
Twilio has taken the global telecom network and turned it into a cloud communications platform with these capabilities and more.
Twilio Lookup provides more information about a phone number. It allows users to get information about the number’s carrier and nature – if it is a mobile number or a landline number.
Caller information also identifies who the owner of the number is. It is advantageous to find out whether the number is a landline number of a mobile number in case someone wishes to know whether or not he can send a text on that number.
Twilio phone number verification provides information on exactly that – verification of phone number. A user can identify the contact information of the sender by either sending an SMS or by calling the number.
Thus, Twilio SMS provides a service that enables businesses to send an SMS or receive one to and from mobile phones.
How Twilio Developers Help Companies Handle Replies with an SMS Bot
With Twilio Autopilot, Twilio developers can build SMS Bots that use machine learning and natural language understanding to easily interact with the SMS application. For example, if a company is sending appointment reminders over SMS, an SMS bot can let users confirm, change or cancel their appointment by responding with messages like ‘That works’, ‘I need to change my appointment’ or ‘Please cancel my appointment’, instead of requiring them to respond with hard-coded responses like ‘Yes’, ‘Change’or ‘Cancel’.
Twilio API Pricing
One can get complete information about the pricing by checking Twilio’s pricing page.
Each offering by Twilio has a different price. SMS costs are calculated depending on the destination. Thus, checking the link will enable business owners to get complete information on the pricing. A Twilio developer can then incorporate the feature in the app for the company if they find the pricing suitable.
Advanced Applications That Can be Built by Twilio Developers on SMS APIs
Twilio developers can build a number of advanced applications on Twilio’s SMS API to provide advanced features to business owners who are looking for customised solutions for their unique requirements.
- Track delivery status of messages sent with the Twilio API
- Send an SMS message during a phone call with Python and Flask
- Build SMS-powered appointment reminders
- Send ETA notifications to keep users up to date
Thus, Twilio is a developer platform for communications. Software teams use Twilio APIs to add capabilities like voice, video, and messaging to their applications. This enables businesses to provide the right communications experience for their customers. With Twilio, companies can reach customers in the ways they prefer, and engage with them effectively using context related to that interaction.
Twilio’s SMS API is a flexible building block, which can take companies from sending their first text message all the way to sending and receiving millions of text messages. One reason why Twilio developers love it is that it helps them do difficult things with simple commands. The service is so easy to use that the company famously encourages all new employees to build something to demonstrate at an all hands meeting.
Due to the complex voice and SMS systems currently available to developers, it would have been reasonable to lock down access to only approved developers. Twilio, however, went the other way and gave developers what they wanted – immediate, self-serve, trial access that they can ease into and pay as they go.
From the start, Twilio was a compelling product. Developers are typically difficult to impress. They know how stuff works and can visualize the steps necessary to reproduce many APIs. Since Twilio deals with telephony technology beyond what most developers know, they’re more likely to prefer it over any other option available.
Twilio was also well-timed with several trends. For one, APIs had become more popular and widespread. Though voice was Twilio’s first product, it quickly followed with SMS, a fast-growing technology when Twilio’s service was announced.
If SMS API is a core requirement of your company, you will benefit greatly by hiring a Twilio developer. The team at SoftProdigy includes adept Twilio developers who can assist and guide you in creating the best solution for your organization.