Integration with Existing Phone Numbers
Overview
Quiq will set up one or more phone numbers for your SMS (text) and MMS (pictures and video) traffic. We will create a phone number for each business unit and connect them to the Quiq platform. Quiq will gather the required information from you prior to setting up your site.
Existing Phone Numbers
You have a few options for your existing numbers:
1. You can leave them as they are. All SMS and MMS traffic will need to be handled manually, outside of Quiq. This is not advised; however, SMS forwarding cannot be enabled for some phone numbers.
2. Forward all SMS traffic from your existing numbers to Quiq. All replies will come from your existing number. This does not impact your voice service. Occasionally these requests require the approval of your existing voice carrier. Recommended option if these numbers are advertised.
3. The same as above but enable Quiq’s hand-off feature. When using this feature, all messaging traffic to your existing phone number is routed to Quiq. Quiq immediately replies using an SMS message, informing the customer that future replies from your company will be sent using your other Quiq SMS/MMS number. When your agents reply to the customer, the reply will come from the Quiq SMS/MMS number and the agent will not notice the difference.
Quiq will always forward voice traffic from the Quiq SMS/MMS numbers to your existing phone numbers. Please do not promote the Quiq number as your primary voice number.
There is a cost to forwarding voice calls and Quiq does it as a courtesy, but excessive traffic is not covered under the Quiq pricing agreements.
Authorization for SMS Forwarding
Quiq assumes that your voice provider will be able to forward SMS traffic to our numbers. We will need to send you an authorization form so that our carrier can update your existing numbers to facilitate SMS forwarding. It will take one to four weeks for this authorization and setup. Please plan accordingly for your SMS launch.
If your voice provider is unable to forward SMS traffic to your new Quiq numbers then it will be necessary to manage that SMS traffic outside Quiq.
Advertising and Promoting Numbers
You will want to update your websites to promote the new SMS channel. Although Quiq can switch the SMS traffic from your voice number to the Quiq number (option #3 above), we recommend you promote the Quiq number for SMS traffic when possible. This provides a better, more seamless experience for your customers in most scenarios.
For example, if you have an existing toll free number, your website could instruct users to call or text this number. If the user texts the number, the customer will be switched to the SMS number as described in the above section. Although this works, it is probably not the experience you want for all of your customers. It is recommended that customers initially text the Quiq SMS/MMS number when possible.
You can update your website to detect if the customer is using a desktop or mobile device. Since desktops cannot usually text, the Quiq SMS/MMS number should be shown to the user. For mobile devices, you can replace the phone number with a “Text us” link. This hides the SMS phone number from your customers.
Sample link, or HTML anchor tag:
Text us!
10 Digit Long Code Registration (10 DLC)
In order to get up and running with SMS and Quiq, you'll need to complete your 10 Digit Long Code Registration (10DLC) see the 10 DLC Guide.
SMS Number Ownership
The numbers Quiq sets up for you are yours to keep. You can take them with you if you choose to leave Quiq.
Updated almost 2 years ago