Introducing the LINK Messaging Gateway – for those who don’t speak API
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API. Gateway. Backend systems. What does all of this mean? Educate yourself on these technical terms to open up the possibilities for mobile communications. Keep reading to learn the basics!
A gateway, such as our LINK Messaging Gateway, is a messaging service that allows you to send and receive text messages (SMS) or other types of messages from various channels from different background systems. The backend system refers to systems, software, or hardware that are already used by your company. There are many types of backend systems, but most of them are designed to support or promote the company’s business, such as a CRM platform, marketing automation system, or e-commerce software. The messaging or SMS gateway is therefore a system programmed to implement versatile and advanced two-way mobile communications.
The operation of this is based on the same structures on which the traditional transmission of messages between telephones is also built: communications are carried out through a mobile network operator and their message centers. In the case of a messaging or SMS gateway, the routing of messages is done through direct message center connections instead of communicating between phones.
Become fluent in the language of API
A messaging gateway must be integrated, meaning it has to be installed as part of your business’s own systems. The service could therefore be considered as an add-on that allows for a new feature or functionality for your company’s existing systems. Here is where the application programming interface, or API, comes in as it’s an essential part of the operation of the service.
In computer science, the interface is defined as a common area for the sharing of information by two or more components of the system. Information can be shared between systems, computer hardware, devices, and people. The API is basically an interface that involves interactions between several system applications. In the case of the messaging gateway, it’s an interaction – an exchange of requests and information – between the gateway and your company’s own system.
Due to the structure of the API, information shared and communicated among the systems is customizable so it can request the right data and fit different use cases. Among other things, it can be used to determine what kind of data requests can be executed, how they are activated, what form the data takes, and what function the whole process will use. Versatility is also one of the advantages of an API, as the entire interface can be programmed to perform certain functionalities or adapted to meet the standards of an entire industry. For example, an API in the banking industry needs to be able to have high security features. This makes the interface more compatible and responsive.
Applications and opportunities for APIs and Gateways
In many cases, companies integrate a messaging gateway with their e-commerce and customer systems, allowing those components to communicate with each other. In this example, a text message (SMS) with important information related to the purchase from the e-commerce site will be sent to the consumer who has made the purchase as soon as the “Thank You For Your Purchase” page loads. The service also enables automated sending of personalized messages.
Thanks to its customizability, versatility, and compatibility, a messaging gateway provides your business with a value-add solution regardless of your company size or industry and convenience for your end customers. With the work of a messaging gateway, API, backend system, and your business’s systems, you can communicate and add value at every stage of the customer journey.
Want to hear what opportunities our LINK Messaging Gateway service could offer to your company? Send us a message!