SMS/Texting Module - FREE for 1st Year!

The optional SMS/Texting module provides an affordable option for your library to start offering SMS Reference service. The statistics and the workflow are fully integrated into the LibAnswers system.

If you are thinking that only teens use SMS, think again! The 2010 Pew Internet report found that 72% of cell phone users aged 18+ send and receive text messages. Also according to Pew, 87% of teen cell users text-message (and they average 50 messages a day). This means that whatever type of library you are (Academic, Public, School or Special) your users are texting, and you need to offer an easy way for patrons to ask quick questions. Enter our SMS/Texting module for LibAnswers - fun, easy, and the most affordable way to offer SMS reference. Compare our prices and our features with anybody else and you'll see for yourself!

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SMS Module Features:

  • Dedicated Local Phone Number. Each library is assigned a dedicated local phone number. No short codes or special keyword to remember. A dedicated number also provides the platform to build exciting mobile/voice apps on top of it.

  • Easy Integration. You can collaborate on answers, claim questions, release claims, pass notes, see who answered which SMS, etc.

  • SMS statistics. Our SMS stats are fully integrated with LibAnswers statistics. View monthly/daily/hourly SMS distribution of SMS questions. Compare your SMS stats with Twitter or Web reference stats. Furthermore, with LibAnswers Analytics, you can dig deeper and analyze the trends and staffing needs for each reference channel – an essential tool for evaluating and improving your reference service.

  • LibAnswers widgets. Advertise your SMS reference number on any website - a great marketing tool.

  • Auto-responders. For those times when you are not available.

  • Direct messages and SMS Keywords. Send direct SMS messages to patrons, and create exciting marketing campaigns with SMS keywords. Read more about this.

  • Unlimited Simultaneous Logins. All your librarians can have an account and answer SMS questions. There are no limits to the number of accounts or the number of users logged on at the same time.

  • Help With Advertising Your Service. We created the Best Practices for SMS Advertising Guide complete with downloadable templates for table tents, tear-away flyers and other cool signage. What do you have to do? Just download and add in your SMS number.

  • Patron Privacy. We never show the patron's phone number on any public pages, and we never do anything with the numbers (resell, publish, misuse, etc) - they are stored in the database only so that you can respond to the patron's query. In addition, the phone number is never associated with any name or patron information. At your option, you can purge the numbers periodically.

Pricing

SMS Module is FREE for the first year, save for a one-time setup fee of $149. You get 400 messages per month (incoming + outgoing) and you can carry over any unused credits from month-to-month, during your annual license term. This means you have 4,800 FREE messages for your first year.

Ongoing charges: After the free first year, choose between the following plans:

$30/month 600 messages/month, i.e. 7,200/year (incoming + outgoing)
$50/month 1,200 messages/month, i.e. 14,400/year (incoming + outgoing)


You can carry any unused credits from month to month for the full year. Need more message credits? Sure, buy a pack of 1,000 for just $50. If you anticipate needing more than 15K messages a year, talk to us and we will give you an even better deal!


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