Help Center
This Help Area pertains to our SMS Platform - http://www.interconmobile.com
1. Your Account
Signing up
Creating an InterCon Mobile account is easy:
1. From the InterCon Mobile Website (www.interconmobile.com), click Register Now.
2. Enter your account information. Usernames must contain between 1-12 characters, and passwords must contain between 6-30 characters.
3. Click Register.
Why do I need to have a valid mobile number and email address?
You must enter a valid mobile telephone number and email address. This helps prevent
fraud, and also provides InterCon Mobile your contact information in case of an
emergency.
Important: InterCon Mobile will never send messages to your cell phone. For more
information, please refer to our privacy policy.
The username I want is not available
Usernames are not available for three reasons:
1. The username is already in use.
2. The username was in use, but the account has been deleted or become dormant.
3. We've reserved that username to prevent spam or abuse. To protect our users' privacy, we can't reveal any details about why a username is unavailable, nor can we restore or release usernames that have been deleted or become dormant.
My username and password are saved on the login page
You may sometimes be logged in or have your login information displayed automatically
because your username and password are stored in your browser's cache or settings. If
you don't want your username and password stored on the InterCon Mobile Login
section, please follow these steps:
For Internet Explorer 6
1. Click the Tools menu at the top of your browser, and select Internet Options.
2. Open the Content tab at the top of the dialogue box.
3. Click AutoComplete, and clear the User names and passwords on forms and Prompt
me to save passwords checkboxes.
4. Click OK.
For Internet Explorer 7
1. Click the Tools menu at the top of your browser, and select Internet Options.
2. Open the Content tab at the top of the dialogue box.
3. Click AutoComplete, then Settings, and clear the User names and passwords on forms
and Prompt me to save passwords checkboxes.
4. Click OK.
For Firefox 2
1. Click the Tools menu at the top of your browser, and select Options.
2. Select the Security tab.
3. Clear the Remember passwords for sites checkbox.
4. Click OK.
Why can’t my username contain spaces or special characters?
It is InterCon Mobile policy that usernames cannot contact spaces or special characters However, you can use an underscore (_) in place of a space. Usernames must contain between 1-12 characters.
Tip: Most people prefer short usernames, as they appear on all messages you send.
My account has been locked
InterCon Mobile locks accounts for the following reasons: suspicious activity, spam, credit card fraud, phishing, sending unsolicited messages, or high complaint rates.
If you think your account has been locked in error, contact support.
My account has been compromised
If you feel your account has been compromised, you should change your password immediately.
To change your InterCon Mobile password:
1. Click Edit Profile in the left navigation panel. The Change Profile page appears.
2. In the Change Password section at the bottom of the page, enter your new password in the New Password field, and again in the Confirm Password field. Passwords must contain between 6-30 characters.
3. Click Update Password. Your password has been changed.
I was signed out automatically
InterCon Mobile automatically signs you out if your account has been inactive for more than 20 minutes.
Creating multiple accounts
When you create an InterCon Mobile account, your IP address is logged for security purposes. If you try to create a new InterCon Mobile account using the same IP address, the InterCon Mobile system will prevent you from doing this.
If you want to create another InterCon Mobile account, you have three options:
1. If you simply want to create another group to send messages, you don't need to create a new account. For more information on creating groups, refer to the ‘Creating group section' below (link to section)
2. If you want to edit the username that appears at the beginning of your messages (for example, your username might be 'txtmsguser@[domain name]'), you can simply change your username. (see below)
3. Changing your username: To change your InterCon Mobile username:
1. Click Edit Profile in the left navigation panel.
2. The Change Profile page appears.
3. In the User field, enter your new username.
4. Click Save. Your username has been changed.
Make sure to note this username for the next time you login to the InterCon Mobile system. If these solutions still do not offer you a solution and you want to create a new account, you can contact support.
Be sure to include your IP address in your message. Don’t know what your IP address is? Go to http://whatismyip.com/ to find out.
Logging in
1. Go to http://www.interconmobile.com
2. In the Login section, enter your Username and Password.
3. Click Login. If you can't log in to InterCon Mobile, it means you are using the wrong username and/or password.
I forgot my username
If you forgot your username, contact support.
Important: When contacting support, be sure to include the email address you used to set up this account. If you need to reset your password, please use our reset password tool here.
Signing in with multiple InterCon Mobile accounts
If you've registered more than one account you'd like to switch accounts:
1. Click Logout in the left navigation panel.
2. In the Login section, enter the username and password for your other account, and then click Login. Your other account appears.
3. If you can't log in to your InterCon Mobile account it means you are using the wrong username and/or password. If you forgot your username, contact support.
Signing out
1. To log out of your InterCon Mobile account, just click Logout in the left navigation panel on any InterCon Mobile page.
Tip: We encourage you to log out of your InterCon Mobile account after you are finished to protect the security of your account. Logging out of your InterCon Mobile account is especially important if you share a public computer.
Changing your password
To change your InterCon Mobile password:
1. Click Edit Profile in the left navigation panel. The Change Profile page appears.
2. In the Change Password section at the bottom of the page, enter your new password in the New Password field, and again in the Confirm Password field. Passwords must contain between 6-30 characters.
3. Click Update Password. Your password has been changed.
Tip:
• Make sure you create a unique password to help keep someone from breaking in to your account. Here are a few tips for creating your password, and keeping it safe:
• Never tell anyone your password.
• Never write down your password.
• Even though your password will look random to others, think of a way to remember it so you don't have to write it down.
• Change your password periodically.
• Don't choose a dictionary word as your password. Be creative.
• Include punctuation marks. Mix capital and lowercase letters. Use numbers. A variety of characters makes it harder to guess a password.
Note: Passwords must be between 6-30 characters.
To change your InterCon Mobile username:
1. Click Edit Profile in the left navigation panel. The Change Profile page appears.
2. In the User field, enter your new username.
3. Click Save. Your username has been changed.
Changing contact information
To change your contact information:
1. Click Edit Profile in the left navigation panel. The Change Profile page appears.
2. Update your contact information as needed. You must enter a valid email address and mobile telephone number.
3. Click Save.
Editing your profile
To edit your profile:
1. Log in to InterCon Mobile account.
2. Click Edit Profile. The Change Profile page appears.
3. Enter information in the profile fields. You must enter a valid email address and mobile telephone.
4. Click Save.
Note: Click Reset to clear your profile fields.
Canceling your account
InterCon Mobile does not cancel any accounts. However, you can make your account inactive by simply not buying any more credits. This policy allows InterCon Mobile to store your contact information should you want to use our services in the future.
2. Keywords
What is a keyword and how do they work?
For clients who would like to offer their customers or friends the ability to join their group text messaging list, keywords are the answer. The process is simple: people can easily opt-in to your group text messaging list by texting your unique keyword to number 313131. The person will then receive an automated reply message (which you can easily customize) confirming their subscription to your group messaging list. For example, if you rent the unique keyword 'Specials', you could create a message that reads Text "Specials" to 313131 to be included on our special offers mailing list!"
Do keywords cost anything?
Yes, each keyword costs $25/month. Each auto-reply sent back to the user costs 1 credit.
The cost of a credit is dependent on your account plan rate. InterCon Mobile also offers bulk rates for keywords, if you are renting 100 keywords and up.
Can I buy keywords in bulk?
Yes, InterCon Mobile also offers bulk rates for keywords, if you are renting 100 keywords and up. Please contact our billing department for a quote.
What do responses to keywords cost?
Each keyword response costs 1 credit. The cost of a credit is dependent on your account Plan rates.
Adding a keyword
To rent a keyword:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Keyword(s).
2. Click Add a keyword.
3. Type your keyword in the text box, and then click Rent Keyword. If the keyword is not already rented, the Billing Information page appears.
4. Enter your billing information and then click Submit.
To customize keyword options:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Keyword(s).
2. Select the keyword from the Select Keyword to edit drop-down list.
3. Select the group in which to add the people who text the keyword to 313131) in the Select Group(s) list.
4. Enter Confirmation Return Text. Please note that this is required by the wireless carriers and must always include opt-out instructions.
5. Enter your Forward Email, if necessary.
6. Enter information in the Call This URL When Keyword is Received field, if necessary.
7. Click Save.
Canceling a keyword
You can cancel a keyword by contacting support.
Choosing your groups
After you rent a keyword, you can assign the group(s) to which people who text your keyword to 313131 will be added.
Confirmation auto-response
After renting a keyword, you can customize the auto-response that people who text your keyword to 313131will receive in the Confirmation Return Text field on the Keywords page.
Can I turn off the automatic response for keywords?
Unfortunately the confirmation auto-response cannot be turned off. According to wireless carrier guidelines, you must provide an auto-response when a keyword is sent in to a short code. You must provide opt-out information in that auto-response as well.
My confirmation auto-reply won't save
When creating your confirmation auto-reply, you cannot use quotations (' or "). Deleting these should solve the problem.
3. Your Credits/Messages
Buying credits
To buy credits:
1. Click Buy More Credits on the left navigation panel. The Billing Information page appears.
2. Enter how many credits you want to buy and the total amount due in the top section.
3. In the bottom section, enter your billing address and credit card information. If you don't know your billing address, click here. I don’t know my billing address –When purchasing credits, you must use your billing address. If you do not know your billing address, you cannot purchase credits. For information about your billing address, contact your credit card provider.
4. Click Submit. A charge will appear on your billing statement as “Text Billing.'
I don’t know how many credits to buy
If you use the InterCon Mobile system often, we recommend you buy a lot of credits so you don't run out.
For information about pricing, click here.
How do credits work?
InterCon Mobile credits work like a pre-paid telephone calling card. You can pay as you go, with no setup fees, no contracts, and no commitments. Credits never expire. The Basics; 1 credit = 1 text message sent to one recipient.
Creating messages
1. To create a message: Click Compose on the left navigation panel. The Compose page appears.
2. In the Select Groups section, select a group(s) to send the message to, if necessary.
3. Select the Personalized checkbox, if necessary. This feature allows you to include the
first name associated with each phone number into your text message.
Personalized™:
Optional
4. To send the message to a single telephone number, enter a number in the Single Number field.
5. Enter a Subject for the message, if necessary.
Subject:
(not required)
6. Select the Add unsubscribe info checkbox, if necessary. This feature includes
unsubscribe information in the message.
Add unsubscribe info:
((2end msgs reply STOP) at the end of the message)
7. Enter a Message. The counter field contains the number of characters you have left. If you go over this counter limit, your message will be truncated. 160 character limit.
8. To schedule the message to be sent at a future time, click Pick date and time and select the date and time you want the message to be sent. You should confirm that your time zone is correct first. You can do this by clicking Edit Profile. Time zone information appears in the Time Zone field.
9. Click Continue. The message preview appears. To edit the message, click Edit.
10. To send the message, click Send/Schedule. A message appears with message status information.
Scheduling messages
You schedule messages when creating them. You can schedule messages to be sent immediately or for another date or time. If your messages appear to be sent at the wrong time, it's possible that your time zone information is incorrect.
To change your time zone:
1. Click Edit Profile in the left navigation panel.
2. Select the correct Time Zone.
3. Click Save.
Deleted messages or contacts
Neither you nor InterCon Mobile can access any messages or contacts after you have deleted them. Please be careful to ensure you don't delete any messages or contacts accidentally.
Suspicious messages
Messages asking for personal information.
Spam comes in a variety of forms, including fraudulent messages. This mass-messaging is called 'spoofing' or 'password phishing.'
Such fraudulent practices involve messages that appear to be from a legitimate source, or the creation of an official-looking webpage that asks you to provide your username and password or other personal information. Such messages or pages could ask for your Social Security number, bank account number, PIN number, credit card number, mother's maiden name, or birthday.
Spammers often ask for this information in an attempt to steal your email address, your money, your credit, or your identity.
You should always be wary of any message that asks for your personal information, or messages that refer you to a webpage asking for personal information. If you receive this type of message, especially from a source claiming to be InterCon Mobile, please do not provide the information requested.
Important: InterCon Mobile does NOT send unsolicited mass messages asking for passwords or personal information. If you think your InterCon Mobile account has been compromised or taken over, please contact support so we can help resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Prohibited words
There are two types of prohibited words: illegal (profanity) and suspicious. You can’t use profanity or suspicious words when creating a message. If you do, you will receive an error or the following message: Your account has been disabled due to suspicious activity. If this occurs, please contact us to have your account evaluated and reactivated.
My sent messages do not appear correctly
InterCon Mobile only supports sending plain text, as certain characters are rendered differently on different mobile telephones. Any character copied from an outside source can appear incorrectly. If you are copying and pasting from an outside source (such as a Word file), retype it manually, because there can be hidden characters. You can test this by sending the message to your own phone. Also, handsets render characters differently, so you can try changing your phone settings. We allow the following characters: a-z, A-Z, 0-9 and these special characters: .,:;!?()~=+-_\/@$#&%
Messages are not going to my inbox or are delayed
There are four issues that can cause problems:
InterCon Mobile relies on third party systems to deliver messages to and from your InterCon Mobile account. Things like network delays, cell sites, and carrier delays can all contribute to problems with deliveries. Because we use these systems, we cannot make any guarantees on delivery times.
The user’s wireless carrier might have blocked short codes.
If this is an outgoing message from your InterCon Mobile account, the character limit of 160 has been exceeded.
If this is an incoming message from one of your contacts, the character limit of 160 has been exceeded.
The sender is listed as a four or five digit number
This is an internal number to your mobile telephone carrier. In the U.S., there is no way of having a message display your name unless the message is coming from a phone number that has your name inside its phonebook. There is also no way of faking a message to make it seem like it's coming from your phone number - if there were such a way it would be a huge security risk - anybody would be able to send messages to any phone using your phone number. This is the way that mass text messaging works across all carriers at the moment.
Message text is clipped or doesn't come in at all
If this is an outgoing message from your InterCon Mobile account, the character limit of 160 has been exceeded. If this is an incoming message from one of your contacts, the character limit of 160 has been exceeded.
What happens if I add contacts to a group after a message has been scheduled to send to that group, but before the message has been sent?
The system only sends messages to the contacts that are subscribed at the time you create the message. This is because the system deducts the corresponding amount of credits based on the number of contacts receiving that message when you create and schedule the message, not when the message is actually sent.
My messages are being sent at the wrong time
If your messages appear to be sent at the wrong time, it's possible that your time zone information is incorrect.
To change your time zone:
1. Click My Profile at the top right of your account.
2. Select the correct Time Zone.
3. Click Save.
Can I block recipients from replying to my messages?
Unfortunately, there is no way of preventing someone from replying to your message, as long as they have a texting plan. This is controlled by the cell phone carriers and their networks.
Changing the ‘From’ information on messages
In all messages, your username appears. You can change this by editing the username in your profile.
Text messages received will come 'From' the short code number 313131, and your username will appear at the beginning of the message (without domain information).
Messages I sent aren't arriving at their destination
There are four issues that can cause problems:
1. First, make sure your mobile telephone carrier is on this page.
2. InterCon Mobile relies on third party systems to deliver messages. Things like network delays, cell sites, and carrier delays can all contribute to problems with deliveries. Because we use these systems, we cannot make any guarantees on delivery times.
3. Your mobile telephone carrier might have blocked short codes. You can call your mobile telephone carrier and ask them to allow short codes.
4. Pre-paid phone plans typically do not allow sending to or receiving messages from short codes. Consult your mobile telephone carrier for more information.
Receiving someone else's messages
It's possible that you might receive messages directed to someone else, especially if you have a similar keyword (example: your keyword might be 'Pet', and another person might have 'Pets'). Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent this. You can simply respond to the email.
To reply to a message:
1. From your Inbox, click the message subject or the message icon next to the message. The message text appears.
2. Click Reply.
3. Enter your Message, and then click Continue.
4. After you have reviewed your message, click Send/Schedule and notify the sender of the error, or delete the message.
To delete inbox messages:
1. From your inbox, select the checkbox next to messages you want to delete.
2. Click Delete. A warning message appears.
3. Click OK.
To delete sent messages:
1. From the Sent Text page, select the checkbox next to the messages you want to delete.
2. Click Delete. A warning message appears.
3. Click OK.
Important: You cannot access messages once you delete them.
Someone is sending messages using my username
Your account has been compromised, and you should take immediate action.
If you feel your account has been compromised, you should change your password immediately. Refer to ‘How to change your password”
Can I send URL links to websites?
You can send text messages with links to website URLs and email addresses for users with compatible phones to visit. Be careful when typing the URL. We do not guarantee this will work on any or all mobile telephones.
How will I know when I have new messages?
You can check your inbox when you login to the system by clicking Inbox in the left navigation panel, or by checking the welcome information at the top of every page. The number of new messages appears at the top of the welcome message.
Forwarding messages to an email account
It is free to forward your messages to an email address. To forward all your messages to an email address:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Edit Forwarding.
2. Enter the email address you want to forward all your messages to in the Forward to Email field.
3. Click Save.
Forwarding messages to a mobile telephone
Note: It costs 1credit to forward a message to a mobile telephone.
To forward your messages to a mobile telephone:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Edit Forwarding.
2. Enter the mobile telephone number you want to forward all your messages to in the Forward to Phone field.
3. Click Save.
Forwarding messages to a URL
To forward all your messages to a URL:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Edit Forwarding.
2. Enter the URL you want to forward all your messages to in the Forward to URL field.
3. Click Save.
The InterCon Mobile SMS Server will push received SMS messages by making an HTTP GET to the URL you provide. We will send an HTTP GET request to your server, using the following parameters:
From: The ten digit telephone number from which the message originated.
Message: The text of the received message.
The following is an example sent request:
http://www.yourdomain.com/sms.php?from=5554443333&message=Hello%20World
Marking messages ‘read’ or ‘unread’
You cannot mark any messages as 'read' or 'unread' in the InterCon Mobile system.
Deleting inbox and sent messages
To delete inbox messages:
1. From your inbox, select the checkbox next to messages you want to delete.
2. Click Delete. A warning message appears.
3. Click OK.
To delete sent messages:
1. From the Sent Text page, select the checkbox next to the messages you want to delete.
2. Click Delete. A warning message appears.
3. Click OK.
Important: You cannot access messages once you delete them.
Your message storage limit
Your message storage limit is 2 GB.
Searching messages in your inbox
To search for messages in your inbox:
1. Click Inbox in the left navigation panel.
2. Enter your search text in the search field at the top of the screen.
3. Click Search. All messages containing the search text appear.
Viewing sent messages
To view your sent messages, click Sent Text in the left navigation panel. All your sent messages appear.
Viewing scheduled messages
To view all your scheduled messages that have not yet been sent, click Scheduled Text in the left navigation panel. All your scheduled messages appear. You can edit these messages by clicking the message subject.
To reply to a message:
1. From your Inbox, click the message subject or the message icon next to the message. The message text appears.
2. Click Reply.
3. Enter your Message, and then click Continue.
4. After you have reviewed your message, click Send/Schedule.
What are opt-out numbers?
These are mobile telephone numbers that have opted out on their own by replying 'STOP', 'REMOVE', 'OPT OUT' or 'CANCEL' to your messages. People can also opt-out by emailing our support team or reporting spam. The account holder can opt-out through his or her account as well. To view opt-out numbers, click Contacts on the left navigation panel, and then click the number next to Opt Out Contacts. Your opt-out numbers appear.
4. Contacts
To create a contact:
1. Click Contacts in the left navigation panel. The Contacts page appears.
2. At the bottom of the page, click New Contact.
3. Enter the contact's information, and then click Save Changes. The Groups page appears.
4. Select the checkbox next to any group you want to add the contact to, and then click Save Changes.
To edit contacts:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Contacts. The Contacts page appears.
2. Next to the contact you want to edit, click Edit.
3. Edit the contact information, and then click Save Changes.
To delete contacts:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Contacts. The Contacts page appears.
2. Click the checkbox next to the contact you want to delete, and then click Delete. A warning message appears.
3. Click OK.
Caution: You cannot retrieve contacts after you delete them.
To search for contacts:
1. Click Contacts in the left navigation panel.
2. Enter the contact's name or telephone number in the search field at the top of the screen.
3. Click Search. All contacts meeting your search criteria appear.
Importing contacts
To import contact information into the InterCon Mobile system:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Upload Contacts. The Upload Contacts page appears.
2. Select the group to which you want to import the contacts in the drop-down menu, or click Create New Group. For information on creating a new group, see below.
3. Add the contact information in the text box then click Add Phone Numbers.
4. A message appears asking if you agree to the terms and conditions of InterCon Mobile, and that all of your contacts are opt-in.
5. If you agree, click OK.
Note: The InterCon Mobile system automatically deletes any duplicate contact information.
Importing CSV files
To import contact information into the InterCon Mobile system using a CSV (comma separated value), or Excel, file:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Upload Contacts. The Upload Contacts page appears.
2. Select the group to which you want to import the contacts in the drop-down menu, or click Create New Group.
3. From the CSV file, copy and paste your contacts into the text box. You must order the columns in your CSV file in the following way: Number, First Name, Last Name, Email, Note. Only the telephone number is required.
4. Click Add Phone Numbers. A message appears asking if you agree to the terms and conditions of InterCon Mobile, and that all of your contacts are opt-in.
5. If you agree, click OK.
Exporting contacts to external sources
Note: To use the download feature, you must first contact support and request it.
To export your InterCon Mobile contacts to an external source:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Contacts. The Contact page appears.
2. Click Download Contacts.
I want to add an opt-out contact to a group
You cannot add an opt-out contact to a group. However, the person who has opted out can opt back in by texting one of your keywords to the short code 313131.
Signup Widgets
You can use the Web widget option to automatically collect phone numbers from your Website, Facebook, MySpace page or email campaigns. Your customers can input their information and it will be directly added to the group you choose in your InterCon Mobile account. You can create an unlimited number of Web widgets that join to different groups.
For more information about importing contacts via a web link, click Web Widgets from the
left navigation panel.
Unsubscribe / opt-out multiple numbers
If you are asked to remove a certain number from your account, you will need to opt-out the number. You may do this one-by-one on the contact page, or in bulk from the Upload Contacts page. To opt-out a list of numbers from your account:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Upload Contacts. The Upload Contacts page appears.
2. Click Unsubscribe Contacts at the top.
3. Copy and paste your list of numbers to opt-out into the provided box. Then click Unsubscribe Phone Numbers.
4. A message appears asking to confirm that you wish to opt-out these contacts.
5. If you agree, click OK.
Sending to multiple contacts
If you want to send a message to multiple contacts, you must create a group.
Error while importing contacts
If you receive an error while importing contacts, you should try importing them again.
Important: Your account will time out after 20 minutes of inactivity. If manually typing numbers, we suggest saving your list using an outside source (such as Word) before clicking Add Phone Numbers. If your contact still won't load, you can contact support.
Do I need to know the contact’s wireless carrier?
No, you do not need to know any contact's wireless carrier. For information on the wireless networks we cover, click here.
Selecting groups
A group is a list of mobile telephone numbers you create. You select groups while creating messages.
Default contact groups
There are three default contact groups: MySpace, My Website, and Test. You can use the MySpace and My Website groups when using a Web widget to automatically collect telephone numbers from your Website, MySpace page or email campaigns. Your customers can input their information and it will be directly added to the group you choose in your InterCon Mobile account. You can create an unlimited number of Web widgets that join to different groups.
Creating and editing groups
To create a group:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Groups. The Groups page appears.
2. Click Create Group.
3. Enter a group name, and any notes about the group.
4. Click Save.
Adding to or removing contacts from a group
To add contacts to a group:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Groups. The Groups page appears.
2. Next to the group to which you want to add contacts, click Contacts.
3. Select the checkbox next to each contact you want to add to the group.
4. Click Save.
Note: Click Add Entire List to add all your contacts to the group.
To remove contacts from a group:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Groups. The Groups page appears.
2. Next to the group to which you want to remove contacts, click Contacts.
3. Clear the checkbox next to each contact you want to remove from the group.
4. Click Save.
Note: Click Remove All Contacts to remove all contacts from the group.
To edit a group:
1. From the left navigation panel, click Groups. The Groups page appears.
2. Next to the group you want to edit, click Edit.
3. Make any necessary edits, then click Save.
Sending messages to a group
When creating messages, you can select the group(s) to which you want to send the message in the Select Groups section on the Compose page.
Editing Groups in a Contact Record
To edit the group(s) assigned to a contact:
1. Click Contacts in the left navigation panel. The Contacts page appears.
2. Click Groups next to the contact you want to edit.
3. Select or clear the group to which you want to add the contact.
4. Click Save Changes.
6. Billing
To access your invoices:
1. Click Buy More Credits on the left navigation panel.
2. At the bottom of the Billing Information page, click Click here for invoices.
Accessing invoices
Invoices record all credits and keywords you buy through the InterCon Mobile system.
To access your invoices:
1. Click Buy More Credits on the left navigation panel.
2. At the bottom of the Billing Information page, click Click here for invoices.
Does InterCon Mobile save my credit card information?
No, we do not save your credit card information. You can, however, save your billing address by selecting the Save address information checkbox on the Billing Information page. For keywords, your credit card information is stored for reoccurring billing purposes. InterCon Mobile uses Authorize.net to process credit card purchases. Your information is encrypted to ensure its safety and security.
I don’t know my billing address
When purchasing credits, you must use your billing address. If you do not know your billing address, you cannot purchase credits. For information about your billing address, contact your credit card provider.
I want to use my PayPal account
InterCon Mobile does not accept PayPal payments, nor do we accept checks. However, we accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
I have a gift card through a credit card
InterCon Mobile accepts gift cards through major credit cards such as American Express.
For information about buying credits using a gift card, click Buying credits.
To buy credits:
1. Click Buy More Credits on the left navigation panel. The Billing Information page appears.
2. Enter how many credits you want to buy and the total amount due in the top section.
3. In the bottom section, enter your billing address and credit card information. When purchasing credits, you must use your billing address. If you do not know your billing address, you cannot purchase credits. For information about your billing address, contact your credit card provider.
4. Click Submit. A charge will appear on your billing statement as 'TextBilling.net.'
InterCon Mobile will not accept my credit card
Please do not contact us as to why your credit card is being declined as we have no control over this. We suggest that you either use a different credit card or call your credit card company.
Note: A declined payment typically occurs when there are insufficient funds or an incorrect billing address is entered into the payment page. Sometimes declined payments will appear on your online statements from your credit card company for up to 3-5 business days; these are not actual charges but holds that will be released within 3-5 business days depending on your credit card company.
My credit card was double-charged
Your credit card might be double-charged if you refresh the web page while the transaction is processing. However, even if you are double-charged, you will get all the credits for which you paid. Refer to our refund policy below.
I made a mistake and want to be credited
Sometimes credit card companies will hold pending transactions for 3-5 days. These will appear on your online statements from your credit card company, but are not actual charges. Rather, they are holds that will be released within 3-5 business days depending on your credit card company. If you feel there has been a discrepancy on your bill, please consult your invoices. Invoices record all credits and keywords you buy through the InterCon Mobile system.
To access your invoices:
1. Click Buy More Credits on the left navigation panel.
2. At the bottom of the Billing Information page, click Click here for invoices.
Please note that InterCon Mobile does not give refunds.
Anti-spam policy
InterCon Mobile group text messaging system allows only verified opt-in subscriptions. Our system ensures that all subscribers can opt-out quickly, easily, and permanently from any unwanted SMS communications. This is done either from our website or by sending a text message to the short code 313131 with the word 'STOP', 'REMOVE', 'OPT OUT' or 'CANCEL'.
7. Added Features
Can I set up voting or contests?
You can set up voting and contests using keywords. People can text your keyword plus any other message and this will go to your inbox. You can do whatever you want to this data. If you want a more automated way of handing voting or contests, you can rent a keyword and then use our API to send the messages to your own server where they can be processed and handled accordingly. However, this would require custom programming on your own side.
Send-From-Phone Feature
This feature allows you to send bulk text messages to any group(s) in your account directly from your cell phone. You must have a keyword in order to use this feature.
To setup Send-From-Phone:
1. Click Edit Keyword(s) within your account.
2. Specify the "admin" phone number(s). This is the cell phone number(s) authorized to send mass text messages to the contacts on your account. You may have up to three admin numbers.
3. Select the list(s) that you wish to send to.
4. Click Save.
Example message sent from Admin phone to 313131
KEYWORD Hello team, all practices are canceled tonight due to thunderstorms.
All contacts on the specified list will receive a text message that says "Hello team, all practices are canceled tonight due to thunderstorms."
Note: You must have sufficient credits in your account to send messages from your phone.
8. API
How to use API
InterCon Mobile provides API via an HTTP/ Internet post. The API calls can be made from nearly all popular programming languages. You must first create an InterCon Mobile account to be able to use API. To activate the API for your account, please contact support. Be sure to include the username of your account.
Is there a fee for using API?
No, there is no fee for using API.
Is it possible to use API to send an SMS to an entire group instead of a single phone number?
You cannot send an SMS to more than one number in one request. You will need to loop through your numbers on your end and make a request for each number if you want to send to a group.
Does InterCon Mobile have an API to use for web-based applications?
Yes we do.
Can I use API to send to multiple telephone numbers?
If you want to send an SMS to multiple telephone numbers, you will need to loop through the numbers on your end and make a separate HTTP API call for each number.
If you wish to retrieve your keyword auto-reply from an outside source, you can set up your account to make an API call via HTTP to another server. You must provide us with your domain name and receiving script, and this information will be processed and an output response will be sent back to the handset through our gateways. Note: You must include opt- out instructions in the script.
For example: 'To opt-out anytime, replies STOP.’
9. Spam
Our Definition of Spam
We consider any unsolicited, unexpected, or unwanted text message as Spam. We do NOT allow use of 3rd party lists, whether consent has been gathered or not. We believe that any type of communication sent to a subscriber about an unrelated subject, that the subscriber did not request, to be Spam.
InterCon Mobile Anti-Spam policy:
InterCon Mobile follows an ANTI-SPAM policy for all of its communications protocols. This means that we do not condone UNSOLICITED TEXT MESSAGES; NOTIFICATIONS; ALERTS; OR ANY MESSAGES THAT YOU MAY RECEIVE FROM SOMEONE WHO SHOULD NOT HAVE YOUR MOBILE NUMBER. Please let us know about any abuse, including the sender ID, your Mobile Number (to be removed); the date and time you received it and the contents of the message. To report any abuse or violations of inappropriate use of our service, please contact us with your comments/complaints. Your report will be registered and the Client will be investigated for violations of our Anti-Spam Policy. The identity of any individual reporting abuse will be kept confidential.
SPAM and ABUSE REPORT: OPT-OUT / REMOVE / UNSUBSCRIBE
If you wish to remove yourself from any list, please email us (at mobile@intercongroup.com) with an "OPT-OUT", "UNSUBSCRIBE", "STOP" or "REMOVE" in the subject line. You also may reply to the text Message received by using any of the aforementioned keywords. Finally, you may send a text message containing the word "STOP" to the number 313131 from your phone.
Please let us know about any abuse, including your Mobile Number, the date and time you
received it and the contents of the message. You will be removed from that list and the Client
will be restricted from adding your mobile number to their list in the future.
10. Short Codes
What Are Short Codes and Keywords?
The Basics
Common Short Codes (CSCs), also called Short Codes, are short cellular phone numbers--often five or six digits in the US and Canada--that consumers can send SMS Text Messages to.
Common uses of Short Codes include alert services, contests, coupons, and opt-in marketing lists. Short Codes make it easy for consumers to respond to and engage with your advertising and marketing programs.
In addition to speed and ease of use, Common Short Codes provide consumers with an unparalleled level of control, as all CSC-based mobile marketing programs must be Opt-In.
Short Codes come in two flavors - shared and dedicated.
A shared short code is useful for small businesses and individuals, as a dedicated short code can be quite expensive.
When using a shared short code, multiple customers share the same short code, with their messages identified by their unique keyword:
A keyword is a unique term (letters and or numbers), that your customers and friends can text to our shared short code. When they text your unique keyword to our shared short code, our software adds their phone number to your subscriber list.
A keyword on our shared short code enables three powerful features within your InterCon Mobile:
• Mobile Opt-In - New subscribers can join your list from their mobile phones, by texting your keyword to our shared short code
• 2-Way Messaging - When you send out messages using our shared short code, your subscribers can send replies, which will be delivered to your InterCon Mobile inbox
• Messages - messages are sent through the phone lines. Delivery speed and reliability is comparable to sending a text message from one cell phone to another.
InterCon Mobile’s shared short code 313131 is available to all of our registered members. If you have not already joined InterCon Mobile register now!
