App in the USA for sending SMSs?

I sometimes receive texts from the USA and to be honest I find this not very normal, my customers can use the easy website form, sending an email which is present on every page of the website together with my phone number, surely they can't expect having whole conversations via SMS when there is WhatsApp Viber Telegram Line..these days. I tried to reply to their enquiries via WhatsApp but they're not on it. I wonder, is there an app or something in the USA that facilitates old fashioned text messaging instead of more commonly used, and free, resources?

There is normally a standard SMS/MMS/text messaging app (from either OS manufacturer or from phone manufacturer) that comes default with every phone. How are you receiving these SMS messages? Presumably they are arriving to a phone number associated to a SIM card that is in a phone you are using?

Yes I receive them normally, through the messaging app of the phone, I just find it idiotic to have long international conversations via SMS these days, one because it's not free, two because it's complicated to attach images, three because the number of characters is limited... well it's just ridiculous in my opinion and wondered why they do it.

Originally Posted by crowning73

Yes I receive them normally, through the messaging app of the phone, I just find it idiotic to have long international conversations via SMS these days, one because it's not free, two because it's complicated to attach images, three because the number of characters is limited... well it's just ridiculous in my opinion and wondered why they do it.

The most dependable for me has been the "Messages" by Google app which is the Android default on many devices if the OEM doesn't have a proprietary app on the device. In the USA/North America, we still use SMS/MMS because it's free and we have no reason to use the other choices as much. I use WhatsApp for my limited international needs.

Originally Posted by crowning73

Yes I receive them normally, through the messaging app of the phone, I just find it idiotic to have long international conversations via SMS these days, one because it's not free, two because it's complicated to attach images, three because the number of characters is limited... well it's just ridiculous in my opinion and wondered why they do it.

By your sounds of it, your problems are your "idiotic customers", and the customer is always right (unless you can afford to ignore them). Not really sure what you are looking for to help your situation. A different SMS/MMS messaging app is going to still be sending/receiving via SMS/MMS. Even some of the apps that offer an "also desktop solution for SMS/MMS" I think still harness back to your device for the actual messages. Sounds to me that if you are willing to respond to these customers, you'd just want to try to gently wean them towards a different medium that works better for you.

I would suggest stating on your website that you do *NOT* respond to texts, only WhatsApp or email, and have a standard text response that says the same. Whilst you don't want to alienate a customer, any other text response will just cause the sender to continue texting.

My two cents. Spend freely. [emoji16]

Try getting a google voice number; you can send and receive texts for free. You can have SMS appear as emails which you can reply to as email to text the person back. Works quite well. And I just see the correspondence as an email thread. You can also go into Google Voice and access SMS there, but the email route works better/easier for me.

Ok that's a thought thanks. Unfortunately it says "Google Voice is not yet available in your country", weird, still, I'll look into similar alternatives.

Originally Posted by crowning73

Ok that's a thought thanks. Unfortunately it says "Google Voice is not yet available in your country", weird, still, I'll look into similar alternatives.

If you're willing to pay, something like RingCentral allows voice, fax, SMS to a single virtual number. I'm sure there are other solutions.

Even tho there are many options, none prove 100% ubiquitous. SMS frequently proves most ubiquitous. For initial contact, at least. If you have a contact's mobile# you can reply with a link to whatever msg app you prefer?

Today another one again. Seriously this happens only with Americans, I receive enquiries from all over the world, but only Americans expect to have long international written exchanges by SMS. I rest my case.

I'd suggest that maybe it's just another symptom of how society (or that one) has evolved, and not necessarily a good thing. However, that I don't think would be a fair statement.

Originally Posted by crowning73

Today another one again. Seriously this happens only with Americans, I receive enquiries from all over the world, but only Americans expect to have long international written exchanges by SMS. I rest my case.

It's because we're used to doing things our way. That American doesn't text internationally free if using a USA number. I'm like that, not about international texting, but in general, if you don't want to do business at my convenience or yours, it's OK to simply ignore me. Either of us is free to disagree as individuals.

Originally Posted by Chuck Finley69

It's because we're used to doing things our way... ...in general, if you don't want to do business at my convenience or yours, it's OK to simply ignore me.

No, yesterday's guy just sent me another text saying "I wonder if you had received my text", so ignoring may not work but that's not the point. The point is I have 2 perfectly functioning contact forms on my website, I also wrote there that instead of the form you can contact me via email directly, then I have my phone number with the symbols of WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Line. There is my Facebook page and Twitter page. If you insist on using SMS, with its clear limitations and costs, then there's something wrong.

Lots of people just don't pay attention.

Originally Posted by crowning73

No, yesterday's guy just sent me another text saying "I wonder if you had received my text", so ignoring may not work but that's not the point. The point is I have 2 perfectly functioning contact forms on my website, I also wrote there that instead of the form you can contact me via email directly, then I have my phone number with the symbols of WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Line. There is my Facebook page and Twitter page. If you insist on using SMS, with its clear limitations and costs, then there's something wrong.

Actually, I believe the answer is even simpler. All the newer USA plans for all three major carriers now include free international SMS/MMS texting for most customers.

It seems like one more reason why USA residents don't use WhatsApp to level of users in other countries. Keep in mind, in USA, the mantra is the customer is always right and the customer is king. For businesses that don't agree with that mantra, they just ignore the customer.

I frequently notice you are mentioning MMS. You use it?! In my country, I think no one uses or ever used MMS. I used it 2-3 times maybe 15 years ago when it became available as an evolution of sms and that was only to try it. It didn't work nicely and a lot of people had older phones that didn't support MMS.
I don't see any reason to still use it, because of those faster and cheaper methods (viber, whatsapp, etc).

Originally Posted by gdugic

I frequently notice you are mentioning MMS. You use it?! In my country, I think no one uses or ever used MMS. I used it 2-3 times maybe 15 years ago when it became available as an evolution of sms and that was only to try it. It didn't work nicely and a lot of people had older phones that didn't support MMS.
I don't see any reason to still use it, because of those faster and cheaper methods (viber, whatsapp, etc).

The trouble is getting people to sign up and use a particular instant messenger. In North America pretty much all iPhone users (which account for half of everyone) use iMessage, and at least 2/3 of the rest stick to SMS/RCS.

Originally Posted by gdugic

I frequently notice you are mentioning MMS. You use it?! In my country, I think no one uses or ever used MMS. I used it 2-3 times maybe 15 years ago when it became available as an evolution of sms and that was only to try it. It didn't work nicely and a lot of people had older phones that didn't support MMS.
I don't see any reason to still use it, because of those faster and cheaper methods (viber, whatsapp, etc).

If you're replying to me, using MMS is part of the integration with SMS and we use both for the same reason. It's default technology and SMS/MMS is compatible for everyone including with iMessage across generations.

The biggest obstacle for messaging apps is that not everyone uses the same app here. If SMS/MMS/iMessage goes away then something else will replace it then.

Originally Posted by gdugic

I frequently notice you are mentioning MMS. You use it?! In my country, I think no one uses or ever used MMS. I used it 2-3 times maybe 15 years ago when it became available as an evolution of sms and that was only to try it. It didn't work nicely and a lot of people had older phones that didn't support MMS.
I don't see any reason to still use it, because of those faster and cheaper methods (viber, whatsapp, etc).

Cheaper.... that's what drives so many to Instant Messengers like BBM and those that followed it. Because in many market SMS/MMS had a cost associated with it or a limit on the number of messages that could be sent.

In the USA, it's be well over a decade since carrier's charged for messaging, and thus the use of Instant Messengers never really grew that much. We use Slack at work for it's collaboration features, and I have a group that started using WhatsApp for it's group features... but many individuals from both still fall back on plain old texting, because it's so easy.... and free.

Originally Posted by Dunt Dunt Dunt

Cheaper.... that's what drives so many to Instant Messengers like BBM and those that followed it. Because in many market SMS/MMS had a cost associated with it or a limit on the number of messages that could be sent.

In the USA, it's be well over a decade since carrier's charged for messaging, and thus the use of Instant Messengers never really grew that much. We use Slack at work for it's collaboration features, and I have a group that started using WhatsApp for it's group features... but many individuals from both still fall back on plain old texting, because it's so easy.... and free.

True.

With the firm I work at, we use mostly MS Teams, and set up each project as a group so the staff working on any particular project can join in. But we also use the regular chat side and yet we still use straight SMS texts on occasion.

In my plan I have 100sms for free, but I rarely send any. Maybe on average I send 2-3 per month.
But we use mostly Viber and some use whatsapp also. I tried Telegram, Signal, ICQ, but only few people that I know use them so I stopped using them.

Originally Posted by gdugic

In my plan I have 100sms for free, but I rarely send any. Maybe on average I send 2-3 per month.
But we use mostly Viber and some use whatsapp also. I tried Telegram, Signal, ICQ, but only few people that I know use them so I stopped using them.

Yeah, that's exactly it. I just use whatever has the people I want to communicate with. I have WhatsApp because some car/kart/track people are on there and a lot of folks I know use that for coordinates drives and track days.

Other than that, all the people I really care to talk to are on Slack or Apple Messages. So there you go, that's what I use. They all 3 satisfy the security needs that I have.