How do I set up a text alert system?

We make setting up text alert systems extremely easy. You can even try it for free to ensure all is working properly before rolling it out to your audience. Once you have a SlickText account, simply create a textword which is a word or phrase that people will text to your number to opt in. Then you’ll need to advertise your textword so people know how to join. Once you have a list of subscribers, you can send text alerts anytime you need to get an important message out.

Can I send text alerts from my phone?

You should never send text alerts from the standard text messaging app on your phone. That limits your reach, doesn't give people a way to opt out, and replies go to everyone. If you need to reach the masses, you’ll need a text alert service. Most good services, like SlickText, offer a free mobile app that you can use to manage alerts on your phone.

How much does it cost to send SMS alerts?

SMS text alert pricing will vary based on how many subscribers you have and how often you send blasts to them. At just pennies per text, text alerts are a cost effective way to reach your audience and it normally gets cheaper as you send more.

How do people opt in for text alerts?

There are several ways that people can opt into a text alert system. The two most popular are text to join and through web forms. With text to join, people simply text a special keyword to a number which opts them in. Web forms are also easy as people can fill out their information and press a button to subscribe.

Can people respond to my alerts?

Yes, people can respond to your text alerts. Unlike group text messages, with an SMS alert service, when people text back, all messages flow into an inbox where you can privately manage those conversations one-on-one.

What types of numbers can I use for alerts?

There are a few different types of numbers you can use with a text alert system. There are short codes, toll-free, and 10DLC numbers. Each has their pros and cons. We recommend short codes or toll-free. If you’re looking to reach extremely large groups of people in a short period of time, short codes are the way to go. They send faster than any other type of number. They do, however, come with a monthly cost. Toll-free numbers are generally free and can still send to large groups of people; just not as fast as short codes.

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Woman receives and event reminder text alert sent through the SlickText platform

15,000+ brands rely on SlickText to power their SMS marketing.

Reach the Masses in Seconds

Our text alert service is built to scale. Whether you're trying to reach 10 or 10 million people, we've designed our system to assist groups of all sizes with their text alerts.

Master the Platform with Ease

Our user-friendly text alerts system takes only minutes to set up and get moving. Even if you don’t consider yourself tech savvy, you’ll get the hang of it in no time.

Experience 5-Star Support

We love to talk to our customers. If you have questions about text alerts, just reach out to our friendly and supportive team.

What Does a Text Alert Service Do?

Sending text alerts is an increasingly popular way to reach large groups of people with critical information using text messages. A text alert service provides a system for sending SMS messages from your computer or a mobile app. You can send urgent texts and notifications so that the people who need time-sensitive information will have it in the palm of their hands almost immediately.

A quality text alert system will have features that allow you to send messages instantly, schedule texts for later, and completely automate some or all of those recurring alerts.

A mass text is sent to employees to alert them of office closure due to bad weather

How to Send Text Alerts

No technical experience? No problem. Sending text alerts is easy to do, and our service makes the process simple. Here are the three basic steps you need to know.

Create an Account

Activate your SlickText account so you can set up your phone number and get a feel for the platform. If you’d like a free demo before you create your account, our team would be happy to connect with you. We keep our pricing affordable and flexible, so you can easily upgrade and downgrade according to your business needs.

Build Your List of Subscribers

If you've never sent text alerts before, you'll start by opting in subscribers. If you've used a different text alert service in the past, you can import an existing list into the SlickText system. In order to be legally compliant you need proof of consent for every person you want to send text alerts to. You can invite people to subscribe through text to join, website popups, QR codes, and tap-to-join links that can be posted on social media, email newsletters, blog posts, and any clickable location.

Compose & Send Your Text Alerts

After you've grown your list, you can start sending text alerts to everyone subscribed. All you have to do is select which list you'd like to send to, compose your text alert message, and press send. You can also choose to schedule it to be sent at a later date and time.

An IT alert lets software users know the system is down and will be back up soon

How Businesses Are Using Text Alert Services

People across all industries are adding text messaging into their communication strategies. Here are just a few examples of how organizations are using text alerts.

Text Alerts for Marketing

Marketing is becoming one of the top ways that companies use text alert services today. Since 98% of text messages are read within minutes, businesses have found that their customers respond far better to SMS over email and other types of marketing. When you compare the read and click-through rates with other channels, it's easy to understand why companies are adopting text alerts at such a fast rate. When sending unique offers, mobile coupons, and text to win contests, text message marketing delivers meaningful ROI.

Consumers receive personalized text alerts for restocks and product drops

Text Alerts for Schools

When schedules change and critical events are happening, you need a trustworthy way to notify all parties. Texting is the fastest and most reliable way to contact faculty or students with timely information. Many educational organizations are using text alert systems to send simple text messages to everyone at once. Text alerts are unbeatable at keeping everyone on the same page.

A severe weather alert is sent via SMS to alert students and parents of a snow day

Sending Emergency Alerts

It's no surprise that you need to get through to people instantly in an emergency. Maybe your worst case scenario involves an active shooter, maybe it's inclement weather, or perhaps it's a power outage. Whatever the case — don't wait until disaster strikes to set up your communication. Find a great text alert service now and it'll be as simple as a few clicks if you should ever have to send emergency messages.

A property manager sends an SMS safety alert for all individuals to evacuate the building

Text Alerts for Company & Employee Communications

Whether it's an IT problem, a power outage, or crucial reminders, using a text alert service to stay in touch with your employees is efficient and effective. Think of all the emails that sit in your inbox unopened. You don't want your important messages to employees to go unread. Instead of emailing, send a text. People read their texts—almost instantly.

More and more businesses are using text alerts to keep their employees engaged. And it's not just about pushing information out. You can capture feedback and other information using SMS workflows and reply one-on-one with our shared inbox.

Text alerts regarding severe weather, power outages, and company reminders are sent to employees using SlickText

Keeping Your Text Alerts Legal

Staying compliant with cellular carrier regulations and other laws is an important topic when using a text alert service. While it's relatively simple to understand, there can be hefty penalties for ignoring the basic best practices for text messaging at scale. The TCPA, which stands for "Telephone Consumer Privacy Act," is the set of laws that govern all mass texting services and are designed to protect consumers from unwanted text and phone spam. At the end of the day, the biggest thing to understand is that everyone you're messaging must give you explicit permission to be sent text messages.

We're sticklers for SMS compliance and have built our entire text alert system around keeping our users protected. We provide several compliant opt-in methods and have even published a guide on SMS compliance to help you understand things in greater detail. We've made things easy so you can focus more on your audience and less on the legal stuff.

Learn more about Compliance

Example of SlickText opt-out intelligence that unsubscribes a contact based on chat sentiment

Text Alert FAQs

It’s important to understand key details before selecting a text alert service. We’ve compiled some of the most commonly asked questions about sending SMS alerts, but if your question isn’t on this list, don’t hesitate to start a chat with our team.

How do I set up a text alert system?: We make setting up text alert systems extremely easy. You can even try it for free to ensure all is working properly before rolling it out to your audience. Once you have a SlickText account, simply create a textword which is a word or phrase that people will text to your number to opt in. Then you’ll need to advertise your textword so people know how to join. Once you have a list of subscribers, you can send text alerts anytime you need to get an important message out.

How much does it cost to send SMS alerts?: SMS text alert pricing will vary based on how many subscribers you have and how often you send blasts to them. At just pennies per text, text alerts are a cost effective way to reach your audience and it normally gets cheaper as you send more.

Can people respond to my alerts?: Yes, people can respond to your text alerts. Unlike group text messages, with an SMS alert service, when people text back, all messages flow into an inbox where you can privately manage those conversations one-on-one.

Can I send text alerts from my phone?: You should never send text alerts from the standard text messaging app on your phone. That limits your reach, doesn't give people a way to opt out, and replies go to everyone. If you need to reach the masses, you’ll need a text alert service. Most good services, like SlickText, offer a free mobile app that you can use to manage alerts on your phone.

How do people opt in for text alerts?: There are several ways that people can opt into a text alert system. The two most popular are text to join and through web forms. With text to join, people simply text a special keyword to a number which opts them in. Web forms are also easy as people can fill out their information and press a button to subscribe.

What types of numbers can I use for alerts?: There are a few different types of numbers you can use with a text alert system. There are short codes, toll-free, and 10DLC numbers. Each has their pros and cons. We recommend short codes or toll-free. If you’re looking to reach extremely large groups of people in a short period of time, short codes are the way to go. They send faster than any other type of number. They do, however, come with a monthly cost. Toll-free numbers are generally free and can still send to large groups of people; just not as fast as short codes.

WHY CHOOSE US

Why You Should Use SlickText as Your Text Alert Service

With over a decade of experience, we possess the tools and expertise to turn SMS into your most valuable communication channel—with 1,000+ five star reviews to show for it. Here are just a few reasons why we're the #1 rated text alert service.

Send Text Alerts From Anywhere

On the go? No problem. Our sleek mobile app allows you to send and manage all your text alerts from anywhere, and switching between our desktop interface and app is seamless.

Experience Trustworthy Deliverability

You need to know that your messages are actually getting through to your intended recipients. We're committed to using the best North American messaging routes to ensure your texts get through.

Schedule Your Text Alerts

Do you need to send certain notifications or reminders in the future? Our text alert service enables you to schedule text alerts for any day and time you need.

Invite Your Whole Team

A strong communication plan often takes a team. You can invite as many of your co-workers as you'd like and tweak their permissions individually so they only have access to what you want them to.

Get Fast & Friendly Support

We have an excellent customer support team that is extremely knowledgeable on our text alert service. We love to talk to our customers, and we're always ready to help with questions or provide a walkthrough of platform features.

Automate Your Alerts

We're always listening to our clients and are constantly adding new features to our text alert system. Whether you want to stick to basic capabilities or create advanced automations, we have the features to meet your needs.

Join the #1 rated text alert service.

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