What are Shared Numbers
Shared numbers are phone numbers used by multiple businesses or users at the same time to send business messages. Instead of owning the number, you “share” access to one provided by ClickSend.
When to choose them
Quick setup: Shared numbers don’t need any verification and you can send from them immediately.
Cost-effective: Shared numbers don’t come with any fees. You only pay for the message you send, but not for the shared number itself.
One-way messaging: Shared numbers are best suited to one-way communications, such as marketing blasts or alerts.
Limitations
While two way messaging works for shared numbers, it’s not reliable. There is a chance that replies to you get routed to another customer in the case that somebody else sends to the same recipient as you just after you did. In this case, the recipient’s reply will not go to you, but the person who messaged the recipient last.
For reliable two-way messaging, we recommend that you get a dedicated number.
Shared numbers are ideal for small-sized businesses but should not be used when you have frequent, large messaging volumes. That’s because shared numbers aren’t exclusive to your brand. Your customers can’t recognise you from shared numbers, and other customers are also able to send from the same shared number.
As shared numbers require no verification they are trusted less by carriers. This means that your content is more likely to be flagged as spam or fraud, which results in delivery failure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I always send from the same shared number?
Do I always send from the same shared number?
No. You are randomly assigned a shared number from ClickSend’s pool of shared numbers.