Hello, Gingr fam! We released an update that affects Gingr's SMS feature. Read on for what this means for your pet-care business.
How does this update affect Gingr customers?
Gingr will migrate all Gingr apps off of our shared short-code phone number (629-90) to individual toll-free numbers. This means that each Gingr location will need to select a new phone number for their app to send and receive SMS from.
This change applies to all Gingr customers, including those who have Gingr's 2-way SMS subscription add-on and customers who only use Gingr for sending automated messages.
Upon initial release, phone number selection can be done at the business' convenience—you simply need to select a new number and communicate that number to your pet parents via a marketing campaign sent from the new phone number. There will be no interruptions in service..
Why is this update important?
This update allows reminders and messages to be sent from a number unique to your facility. This also strengthens Gingr's existing 2-way SMS feature because it allows you to market a dedicated phone number without needing to send a text to the pet parent first.
When do I need to change my SMS number?
You will need to select a new number by November 2nd, 2021. At this time, any facilities that do not have a new number selected will have one selected for them by the system.
How do you use it?
This feature is automated, so all you need to do is head to Admin » System SMS to choose a new phone number for each location in your app. Here, you will see a number search tool to find toll-free numbers that are available for use. Once you select a number, the phone number will be automatically configured for you so that you can immediately send and receive SMS in your app to this number. Once selected, the number will display so that they can easily see their phone number.
Can I use the same phone number for all of the locations in my app?
Due to carrier restrictions, we are unable to support shared toll-free numbers across locations.
With the new number, will anyone be able to text us? For example, the “secondary owner” on accounts cannot currently text us to reach us. With the new personal number, can a secondary owner or prospective client send us a text?
Yes! This is a huge benefit of selecting your own toll-free number. Moving away from Gingr’s shared 629-90 shortcode phone number allows you to provide a dedicated number for your customers to use to communicate with you. Anybody can reach this number and it will show up in Gingr, even if the number is a secondary contact or a brand new prospective client.
As soon as I pick the new number, what response or error will clients see when texting the old number?
While we recommend sending out a quick marketing SMS to all owners once you’ve picked the new number to let them know that you have a new contact number for SMS, any replies in the conversation with the 629-90 number will continue to come into your Gingr app. This allows a more seamless transition if customers accidentally text the old number. This will be the case at least until 2022 when (and if) Gingr officially shuts down the 629-90 number, so we have you covered while you get your clients acclimated to the new number.
Questions? Reach out support@gingrapp.com via email, or log in to your app to access live chat.