How can I sign-up for an SMS4Africa Account?
Signing up is dead easy! Simply fill in the online sign-up form supplying all your details.
Ensure the email address you supply is correct and valid because an automated email will be sent to that address.
Click on the link supplied in the email to activate your new SMS4Africa account thus completing the sign-up process.
After this, top-up your account and start sending SMSs
Easy as A-B-C!

What happens after I fill in the online sign-up form?
The moment you hit 'Submit', an email is sent to the address you supplied.
A link will be supplied in that email for you to click to activate your new SMS4Africa account.
After your account is active, you can immediately top it up with some SMS4Africa credit and start sending SMSs

How can I activate my account?
After you fill in the sign-up form, an email is sent to the address you supplied.
Follow the instructions in that email and click the supplied link to activate your new SMS4Africa account.
This will take you to a page that lets you know your new SMS4Africa account is active.Now you can top it up with some SMS4Africa credit and start sending SMSs

I have filled out the sign-up form but I cant buy credit nor send texts
This happens because your account is not yet activated. You need to activate your account. You can do this by following the instructions under "How can I activate my account?" above.

What privileges do I get when I sign-up?
When you sign up for an SMS4Africa account, you can:
~ send SMSs to mobile numbers in destination countries covered by SMS4Africa.
~ create contacts in your address book
~ import contacts from your mobile phone or from your email program
~ organise your contacts into groups so that you can text many people at once
~ set up labeled lists of numbers to text at once
~ run SMS campaigns or promotions

My SMS4Africa Account

What types of accounts are there on SMS4Africa?
When you sign up for your SMS4Africa account, you can choose between a Corporate Account and an Individual Account

What is a corporate account?
This is an account especially designed for organisations and businesses. This account allows you to create sub-users, allocate SMS credit to them and also share Phone Books and Groups with them. This is useful for any organisation that would like to empower team members to be able to communicate with clients and other stakeholders. The SMS4Africa Corporate Account makes it easy for you to monitor and control sub-accounts, allocation of credit and messages sent by the sub-accounts.

What is an individual account?
This is an account designed for the individual who would like to enjoy the convenience of sending SMSs at affordable prices from his/her computer. Sending SMSs using SMS4Africa is affordable to everyone, it's convenient and allows you to save draft messages, sent messages, contacts, groups and lists for a lifetime. They will never be deleted or lost.

Are the SMS4Africa tariffs the same for both corporate and individual accounts?
Yes, the tarrifs are same for both Corporate and Individual Accounts. The only difference is that the Individual Account is designed for a single user whereas the Corporate Account is designed for multiple users.

How can I manage my SMS4Africa account?
At any given time, you can manage your SMS4Africa account by clicking 'My Profile'. Here you can edit your details.

SMS4Africa Credit

How can I buy SMS4Africa credit?
If you are in Zimbabwe, you can make a deposit or bank transfer into the SMS4Africa bank account, then apply for credit online. When you make the deposit, ensure that you supply your SMS4Africa user id for reference. Once proof of payment is received, your account will be topped up with the appropriate SMS credit.
Alternatively, you can buy your credit in person at any registered SMS4Africa top-up centre. Once you have your receipt, simply supply the receipt number when you top up online. Once your payment is verified, your account will be topped up with the appropriate SMS credit.

I have bought credit but cannot send SMSs
If you have made a payment for SMS credit, ensure that you have supplied the proof of payment when topping up your account online. Once you have topped up online and proof of payment is received, your account will be topped up with your credit.

How much credit do I need to send an SMS?
To send an SMS, you need a minimum of 5 SMS credits. Each message requires 5 credits to send.

What does it cost to send an SMS?
1 SMS credit = 1cent (US). Currently, it costs 5cents (US), or 5 SMS credits to send an SMS.

Sending SMSs

How do I send an SMS?
To send an SMS, first build up your 'Sending List'. This is a list of numbers to which you will send the SMS. From your menus, add numbers to your sending list in any of the outlined ways. You can add one or more contacts from your address book. You can add an entire group or a selection of its members. You can add an entire SMS list or a selection of its members. You can pick out numbers from a particular network in a selected country. Or you can simply type in the number. You can also upload a text file that has numbers in the right format either separated by commas or on each on its own line. You can add as many numbers as you like to your Sending List; there are no limitations.

Once you are done adding numbers to your Sendign List, click 'Compose'. This will take you to the 'Compose Message' page where you compose your message and click 'Send'. Your message will now be sent to all the numbers in your Sending List.

What format do I need to use for mobile numbers?
The format for phone numbers follows the following guidelines:
Numbers mus always be written in full, including country code and network code.
Do not include '00' or the '+' sign. Simply put the country code (e.g. 263 for Zimbabwe)
For example to send an SMS to SMS4AFRICA, send to 263915763221

How many numbers can I send to at once?
There is no limit to the number of numbers you can send to at once. Simply ensure they are all in your Sending List, compose your SMS and hit 'Send' and the SMS will be sent to all your recepients.

I have phone numbers saved on my computer. How can I easily send and SMS to these using SMS4Africa?
From your menu, select 'Upload Text File' to upload a text file that contains all your numbers. Use notepad or another simple editor to save your phone numbers. Simply ensure the format is right for each entry and that each number is ether on its own line or in one line but all separated by commas. For example:
263915000000,
263915000001,
263915000002

or
263915000000,263915000001,263915000002

Can I receive SMSs on SMS4Africa?
When you send your text, you can put your mobile number in the 'Sender' box. you recepients will see the message as coming from you and they will reply to your mobile phone.

Alternatively, if you would not like your recepients to reply to your message, simply put a name (e.g. SMS4Africa) in 'Sender'. When your recipients receive the SMS, they will see the name with no number.

Can I put in my mobile number so that recipients see SMSs as coming from my number?
Yes. Give it a try and see who responds.

What is SMS Marketing?
Now we're talking! This is where it gets revolutionary! SMS4Africa allows you to market yourself to a Mass Market in an instant without having to leave your seat. Send an SMS to thousands of people. Make an announcement, run a promotion, tell people where you are. The sky is the limit!

What is Bulk SMS?
Bulk SMS simply refers to when you send the same message simultaneously to more than one person. Use the power of Groups and Lists to unlock this power. SMS4Africa makes it dead easy. Your group can have 10 thousand people. All you need to do is simply tick a box to select that group, type your message, hit 'Send' then sit back and reap the benefits.

What destinations can I send SMSs to?
Currently you can send to all networks in the following African countries: Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe. But watch this space because soon, you will be able to send to all African countries.

My SMS4Africa Phone Book

What is My SMS4Africa Phone Book?
Your Phone Book is where you can save your contacts with their mobile numbers. You can save up to 5 mobile numbers for each contact. In your Phone Book, you can also organise contacts into Groups. A group can have any number of Contacts in it and a contact can appear in many groups. Herein lies the power of SMS4Africa!

How can I make the most of my SMS4Africa Phone Book?
Well, glad you asked. Here are some tips:
~ Save up to 5 mobile numbers for each contact
~ Easily Import contacts from your mobile phone or email program (Gmail, Outlook, Thunderbird, Evolution, etc. or from a vcard [.vcf] or comma separated [.csv] file )
~ Create Groups and organise your contacts into Groups.
~ Ensure you always keep your Phone Book up-to-date. You never know when you will lose your mobile phone or your laptop. When the unfortunate happens, simply export your phone book and import the vcard (.vcf) or comma separated (.csv) file into your new phone or computer.

What are SMS4Africa Groups and how do they work?
In many ways, Groups are the hidden power of SMS4Africa. A Group is a labeled group of contacts to which you can send an SMS at once. Imagine you have a Group called 'All Clients'. Ensure that all contacts in your Phone Book who are your clients are members of that Group. By adding this group to your Sending List, you can send a blanket SMS to all your clients. Life just got better!

What are SMS4Africa Lists and how do they work?
Suppose you have a whole lot of mobile numbers that you would like to send a message to without necessarily saving them (or names) into your Phone Book as contacts. Add these numbers to your Sending List, hit 'Save' and sace the numbers as an SMS List. At any time, you can send an SMS to the list or edit the numbers in the list. Life just got even better!

Can I view all numbers in my SMS4Africa Phone Book belonging to a particular network, e.g. all Econet Wireless or all Vodacom numbers?
Yes you can. Simply select 'View by Network' from your menus.

Can SMS4Africa help me get the numbers from my mobile phone into my SMS4Africa Phone Book?
Of course. We want to make this experience as easy for you as possible! Export the numbers from your mobile to a vcard (.vcf) or a comma separated (.csv) file, then from your menus, select 'Import to Phone Book', select the file and upload it to your SMS4Africa Phone Book.

I have contacts and numbers in my email program like Gmail, Outlook, Evolution, Thunderbird, etc. How can I easily get these into my SMS4Africa Phone Book?
Export your contacts from your email program or Address Bok to a vcard (.vcf) or a comma separated (.csv) file, then from your menus, select 'Import to Phone Book', select the file and upload it to your SMS4Africa Phone Book.

Can I export my SMS4Africa Phone Book so that I can import it into my mobile phone or into an Email program like Gmail, Outlook, Evolution, Thunderbird, etc.?
Yes. From your menus, select any of the 'Export' options. This will allow you to save a vcard (.vcf) or a comma separated (.csv) file. Save this file onto your computer, then import it into your mobile phone or to the email program of your choice.

What is a vcard (.vcf) file?
A vcard (.vcf) file is a widely recognized way of storing and sharing contacts between devices and computer programs (like Outlook, Evolution, Thunderbird, Gmail, etc.). This file saves your contacts as a vcard, sometimes referred to an a Business card. Here is an example of what a single business card looks like:

BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:2.1
REV:20100116T184658Z
N:Bloggs;Joe;;;
TEL;WORK;VOICE;CELL;1:+263776241503
EMAIL;INTERNET;WORK:info@sms4africa.com
ORG:SMS4Africa;
END:VCARD

What is a comma-separated (.csv) file?
A comma separated or comma delimited (.csv) file is a simple and widely recognized way of storing and sharing contacts between devices and computer programs (like Outlook, Evolution, Thunderbird, Gmail, etc.). This file saves each of your contacts as a long string with each field seperated by a comma.

SMS4Africa Features & Capabilities

How can I make the most of SMS4Africa?
Don't just splash your feet in the shallow-end. Delve in and unlock the power of SMS4Africa. This power is at your fingertips. Take advantage of Bulk SMSing. Populate your Phone Book, import contacts from your mobile phone and your email programs, setup as many Groups as you like. Set up Lists. Send SMSs to your groups and lists at the click of a button. You can send to thousands of people at the same time.

What can I do on SMS4Africa?
You can do any of the following:
~ Top up your account online by supplying proof of payment or by using Moneybookers
~ Send an SMS to a single number, multiple numbers, a Group (of contacts) or a List (of numbers)
~ Put your mobile number under 'Sender' so that your recepients will see the SMS as coming from you and they reply to your mobile phone
~ Import contacts from your mobile phone or from an email program like Gmail, Outlook, Thunderbird, Evolution, etc.
Export your Phone Book to then subsequently import to your mobile phone or email program of your choice
~ Save draft messages to send at a later date/time
~ Recall your sent SMSs. SMS4Africa will remember them for years
~ Keep watching this space. We will keep the functionality and innovation coming! As you read this, we are working on the next exciting new feature!

How does sending SMSs from SMS4Africa differ from sending SMSs from my mobile phone?
Sending SMSs from SMS4Africa makes it dead easy to send Bulk SMSs, even up to thousands of recepients.
In most countries, it will be much cheaper to send a text using SMS4Africa than sending it directly from your mobile phone
SMS4Africa has no space limitations, so you can save your sent messages for many many years. When your grandchildren inherit your SMS4Africa account, they will read messages you sent in 2010.

Can I run my SMS Campaigns and Promotions using SMS4Africa?
Now we're talking. You are learning to tap into the power of SMS4Africa. Send your campaign, promotion or announcement to thousands of people at the same time. You can do this easily using groups or by uploading a text file that contains your numbers.

Can I use SMS4Africa to send SMSs the same way I do from my mobile phone?
Yes, SMS4Africa makes it easy. You can send simple text messages just like you would on a phone. And I bet it will cost you less as well!

Future of SMS4Africa

What can I look forward to in the future with SMS4Africa?
You can look forward to frequent releases of new and innovative features. Our Strategic team comprising of Software Engineers, Marketers, Designers and Implementers are always working hard to make SMS4Africa a better product and a more pleasant experience for you.

Support

How can I get in touch with SMS4Africa?
If you are having trouble using the system or with your account, you can contact us in any of the following ways:
~ Send an email to support@sms4africa.com
~ Send a text to any of these (text only) numbers: +263775547271 (Zim), +27722005528 (SA), +447546746181 (UK)
~ Create and submit a support ticket

For general enquiries you can email info@sms4africa.com