SMS Messaging Basics

Types of SMS

Direct SMS

Kixie users can send and receive SMS messages via their direct Kixie agent number.

Team SMS

Teams of users can receive and reply to SMS messages sent to your main company numbers and respond accordingly.

SMS Best Practices

How to Prevent SMS Messages from Being Blocked by Mobile Carriers

Follow best practices to ensure your messages are successfully delivered and not flagged as spam.

Character Limits for SMS

When sending SMS messages, character limits depend on whether the message contains only standard GSM characters or includes Unicode characters. Messages exceeding the set limit are broken into smaller SMS Units before transmission.

What Are SMS Units?

SMS messages are sent in segments called SMS Units due to limitations in telephony architecture. While modern devices can reassemble multiple segments into a single readable message, they are still sent as separate units at the network level.

• GSM messages are sent in 160-character SMS Units.
• Unicode messages are sent in 70-character SMS Units.
  • If a single Unicode character is included, the entire message follows the 70-character segmentation rule.
• If a message exceeds these limits, it is split into multiple SMS Units before delivery.

GSM vs. Unicode: Key Differences

• GSM Text Messages (Standard Characters)
  • Character Limit: 1600 characters (if no Unicode characters are present).
  • Segmentation: Sent in 160-character SMS Units.
  • Example: A 1600-character GSM message is transmitted as 10 separate 160-character SMS Units.
• Unicode Text Messages (Special Characters or Non-Latin Scripts)
  • Character Limit: 737 characters (if at least one Unicode character is present).
  • Segmentation: Sent in 70-character SMS Units.
  • Example: A 737-character Unicode message is transmitted as 11 separate 70-character SMS Units.

SMS Pricing

• Sending an SMS to a US or Canada phone number costs an average of $0.01 - $0.013 per message, depending on the carrier and destination area code. International SMS rates are higher; please contact our Support team for details.

• Incoming SMS messages are free.

• The cost is billed per SMS Unit, not per message. Longer messages cost more as they are split into multiple SMS Units.

GSM vs. Unicode: Encoding Costs

• GSM Encoding (GSM 03.38 7-bit Standard Characters)

  • 160 characters = 1 SMS unit

  • 161-320 characters = 2 SMS units

  • Max: 1600 characters = 10 SMS units

• Unicode Encoding (UCS-2 16-bit Special Characters or Non-Latin Scripts)

  • 70 characters = 1 SMS unit

  • 71-140 characters = 2 SMS units

  • Max: 737 characters = 11 SMS units

👉 Tip: Keep messages concise and avoid special characters when possible to reduce costs.

📌 Note: This pricing applies to outbound manual texts, SMS templates, and Auto-SMS sent via Kixie.

Optimizing SMS Cost

Since you are billed per SMS Unit sent, follow these best practices to minimize costs:

✔ Keep messages concise—use the minimum characters necessary to convey your message.
✔ Avoid Unicode characters if not required, as they reduce the character limit per SMS Unit.
✔ Use a Unicode character checker to ensure your message does not unintentionally contain Unicode.

👉 Tip: Use this tool to check if your message contains Unicode characters.

Sending & Managing SMS in Kixie

Click-to-Text

Easily send text messages by clicking the SMS icon next to a phone number in your CRM or anywhere else in Chrome.

Kixie automatically injects this icon into web pages containing phone numbers, as long as they are non-editable fields. If the icon does not appear—for example, in an editable Google Sheet cell—you can resolve this by publishing the sheet so the cell becomes non-editable.

Sending an SMS, Reviewing SMS History, and Using Templates

Easily send SMS messages, review SMS history, and utilize SMS templates for efficiency.

Opt-Out/Opt-In SMS Options

Kixie complies with industry standards for SMS opt-in/out procedures. Opt-in/opt-out compliance is mandatory under industry regulations like TCPA, so ensure that all recipients are aware of these options.

Opt-Out (STOP, END, QUIT, etc.)

End users can opt out of receiving SMS messages from your account by replying with one of the following keywords:

• STOP

• END

• QUIT

• CANCEL

• UNSUBSCRIBE / UNSUB

• STOP ALL

Once opted out, all calls and texts to that number from your account (users and automations) will be blocked, and users will receive a notification that the number is blocked.

Opt-In (START, YES, RESUME, etc.)

End users who previously opted out can opt back in by replying with one of the following keywords:

• START

• YES

• RESUME

• RESUME ALL

• UNSTOP

• GO

HELP Message

If an end user replies with "HELP", they will receive the following automated response:

"Text “STOP” to stop receiving any messages from this number. Text “START” to start receiving messages again from this number."

👉 Important: Opt-in/opt-out applies to all numbers on your Kixie account, not just the one being texted.