What Does a Message Failure Notification Mean?
A message failure notification is an in-app MessageDesk notification that lets you know a text message was not delivered to a recipient.
This notification displays in the top right when you click the notification bell icon and it will display it under the message you send.
Clicking the notification will take you to the conversation and contact that failed to send.
When MessageDesk sends a text message, that message goes through a third-party. This third-party distributes the message out amongst the carriers. The carriers then deliver the actual message to the message recipient's phone.
A text message can fail to send at each of these points. More often than not, a message will fail to deliver for a few specific reasons.
The most common reasons why text messages fail to send
The number the text message was sent to is a landline.
The message contained something in the content that a carrier flagged as SPAM.
The message failed due to a carrier network error (typically associated with bulk message sends).
Texting a Landline
A text message sent from MessageDesk will fail if you're texting a phone number associated with a landline.
As a best practice, make sure the number you're texting is a verified mobile number capable of receiving text messages.
When you text a landline, typically nothing happens. In some instances, the landline service will interpret text messages, but this is not a given.
Texting Spammy Content
A text message sent from MessageDesk will fail if the message contains what carriers interpret as SPAM.
A carrier may not deliver a message because of specific keywords or because you've included a suspicious looking link.
When it comes to SPAM, you'll want to follow all TCPA guidelines and best practices.
Carrier Network Errors
Carrier network errors are relatively infrequent, but they can prevent your text message from reaching the recipient.
Typically, carrier network errors occur when there is a lot of message volume.
Certain phone numbers can only send a certain number of messages at one time.
Exceeding this limit can cause network errors and create problems with message delivery.
For higher volume message sends ask about switching your 10-digit MessageDesk number to a high volume 1-800 number.
