See fmSMS v3 at the 2013 FileMaker Developer Conference
We’re excited to announce that we will be exhibiting at the 2013 FileMaker Developer Conference where we will be showcasing fmSMS v3, our 2 way SMS solution for FileMaker Pro. FileMaker Inc. have recently released the schedule for the 2013 FileMaker Developer Conference, to be held in San Diego, California from August 12-15.
We’ve completely rewritten fmSMS from the ground up for FileMaker Pro v12, with a number of new features including support for FileMaker Go. If you’re coming to the conference please stop by and say hello and we can demonstrate how you can send and receive SMS/TXT messages using FileMaker Pro.
We hope to see as many of you there as possible and look forward to answering your questions about FileMaker and SMS integration.
We’ve completely rewritten fmSMS from the ground up for FileMaker Pro v12, with a number of new features including support for FileMaker Go. If you’re coming to the conference please stop by and say hello and we can demonstrate how you can send and receive SMS/TXT messages using FileMaker Pro.
We hope to see as many of you there as possible and look forward to answering your questions about FileMaker and SMS integration.
fmSMS v3 Coming Soon
We’re putting together the final touches to v3 of fmSMS. With the release of FileMaker Pro v12 we decided to take this opportunity to rewrite fmSMS from the ground up, which has meant the v3 release has taken us a bit longer than we expected. Version 1 of fmSMS was originally created with FileMaker Pro v6, and v2 was developed with FileMaker Pro 7, 8, 8.5, 9, 10 and 11. With the new v12 file format, plugin installation updates and the ExecuteSQL function we decided that it was a good time to go back to the drawing board and start afresh.
We’re also changing the plug-in we use with fmSMS v3 to the free BaseElements plug-in. The BaseElements plug-in already had a number of HTTP functions which we were able to implement quickly, however it was lacking a function that a number of our customers rely: proxy support. We decided to sponsor the development of this function which was included in the recent v2 release of the BaseElements plugin. The function is called as follows:
BE_HTTP_Set_Proxy ( proxy {; port ; username ; password } )
You can supply the proxy server address, along with the three optional parameters for the port number, proxy server username and proxy server password.
We’ve also reduced the number of files down from 3 to a single file. Using the BaseElements plug-in also allows us to remove any licensing restrictions and to include support for FileMaker Server scripts as standard (previously this required customers to purchase an additional plug-in license). We’ve also included support for additional SMS Gateways around the world, including the USA.
We hope to have the new version ready in a few weeks. It will require FileMaker Pro v12 or higher.
Smartphone Marketing Article Discusses Advantages of SMS Marketing
We just noticed an interesting article on the dynamicbusiness.com.au website about “Targeting your audience via smartphones“. In discussing SMS Marketing it mentions some of the great advantages of SMS Marketing, particularly the open rate of SMS messages:
“While significant amounts of traditional direct marketing such as email and leaflets go unread or unnoticed, 97 percent of SMSs are opened typically within minutes of receiving the message.
With these results, it’s no wonder this form of marketing is a trend that businesses – including gyms, beauty salons, retail stores, cafes and dance schools – are tapping into to try to drive better results for their marketing efforts.”
The high open rate compared to email marketing has always been one of the great strengths of SMS Marketing. Most mobile phone owners carry their phones with them during the day and are more likely to respond to an SMS message vs an email (there’s no junk folder for SMS messages yet and no spam filtering either).
Short Codes and Long Codes
If you’re interested in learning more about short codes – those short 5/6 digit numbers that companies use as the from address, e.g. 13446 – Clickatell have an article on their website that discusses the different types of short codes (standard and premium) and when you might consider using a short code.
They have also posted a video to YouTube the explains the differences between short codes and long codes. If you would like to learn more information about short and long codes we recommend both of these. If you have any questions about using short or long codes with fmSMS please contact us.
New SMS Gateway – SMS Broadcast
We’ve just added a new Australian based SMS Gateway – SMS Broadcast – to our list of supported Gateways.
If you would like to see your favourite Gateway added to our list just contact us with the details. If you’re an SMS Gateway provider and would like to be supported by fmSMS please also let us know.
New SMS Gateway – Burst SMS
We’ve just added a new Australian based SMS Gateway – Burst SMS – to our list of supported Gateways.
If you would like to see your favourite Gateway added to our list just contact us with the details. If you’re an SMS Gateway provider and would like to be supported by fmSMS please also let us know.
New SMS Gateway – SMSBOX.BE
We’ve just added a new Belgium based SMS Gateway – SMSBOX.BE – to our list of supported Gateways.
If you would like to see your favourite Gateway added to our list just contact us with the details. If you’re an SMS Gateway provider and would like to be supported by fmSMS please also let us know.
fmSMS compatible with new FileMaker Pro v12
FileMaker Inc today released v12 of the FileMaker product line, which brings with it a new file format change (.fmp12). We’re happy to report that fmSMS is compatible with FileMaker Pro v12. We’ll be releasing an updated version that takes advantage of some of the new features in v12 but in the meantime you can simply convert the current .fp7 version of fmSMS to the .fmp12 format.
If you have any questions about using fmSMS with FileMaker Pro v12 please contact us.
FileMaker Asia Pacific Newsletter Feature on SMS/Text Messaging
The latest FileMaker Asia Pacific Newsletter (Jan – March 2012) has a feature on SMS integration and how you can use text messaging to increase your sales and productivity. fmSMS is also featured along with a testimonial from a customer that uses fmSMS to send job confirmation details to truck drivers. You can read the full article online at:
http://www.filemaker.com/au/newsletter/archives/2012/q2/FM_pages/page_03/FM-News_pg-03.html
New SMS Gateway Added – SMS Central
We’ve just added a new Australian based SMS Gateway – SMS Central – to our list of supported Gateways.
If you would like to see your favourite Gateway added to our list just contact us with the details. If you’re an SMS Gateway provider and would like to be supported by fmSMS please also let us know.