Frequently Asked Questions

SMS (short message service) and MMS (multimedia message service) are both types of text messages. SMS is the standard text style of text messages that includes up to 160 characters, and MMS can include pictures, video, sounds, and up to 800 characters.

To opt in is to join a list. This can be done by entering a phone number into your mobile web app or sending a text message containing a keyword to your number, then replying “YES” to the corresponding message. The “YES” text signifies that a customer has asked you to send them messages in the future.

We use industry standard encryption to ensure security within our systems and follow all Telephone Consumer Protection Act guidelines.

We work with all major carriers across the U.S. and Canada.

An SMS message is limited to 160 characters in the U.S. and Canada. MMS messages are limited to 800 characters each. This means you can include more details to make your marketing campaigns more informational and effective. A character includes letters, numbers, spaces, symbols, and punctuation.

Once a merchant signs up, a welcome email is immediately sent providing a unique QR code to start using, instructions on how to login to their account, and a Platform User Guide. They will also be contacted by our Customer Support team via email within 24 hours to arrange an onboarding meeting.

Merchants are able to add a kiosk any time after sign-up, including during the onboarding meeting with our Customer Support team or by emailing them at support@aurotext.com.

No credit card data is ever stored in our database, just the last 4 digits, type, and expiration date. AuroText is integrated with Stripe so the data is stored with Stripe in a payment profile.

There have been more than 10,000 merchants that have used the platform.

Yes! If a business doesn’t have the need for loyalty then they can use the AuroText platform to still interact, connect, and promote their business.

No, AuroText allows customers to cancel at any time, without contracts and without penalty.

Each plan is set up to provide the merchant with the most efficient and effective way to market and promote their business. For instance, if you have a lower number of customers each month, then it might be possible to utilize the Entry plan to reduce the total spend. However, if merchants have a high volume of customers, the Pro plan will be more cost efficient.

The free trial is good for 30 days and allows for merchants to start building their database of customers free of charge. We are confident by using our platform consistently merchants will increase revenue. After 30 days, the subscription will change to the paid plan originally selected at sign up on a prorated basis. Subscriptions are then charged on the first of the month.

Yes! Merchants can change plans at any time.

We provide a kiosk to our merchants who purchase one that is placed at the point of sale or hostess station. The kiosk is in a tamper-proof case, and our application runs over Verizon LTE, so no need to worry about finicky Wi-Fi. All a merchant has to do is plug it in.

Once a customer approaches the kiosk, they will see a scrolling offer set by the merchant at the top incentivizing the customer to start the sign-up process today (i.e., a sign-up offer). On the bottom left the customer will see the digital punch card and what they can earn for being loyal to the business. To start the process, the customer will simply click the large sign-up button, enter a cell phone number and first name, then a screen will appear letting them know a text is being sent to them.

After the customer signs up, on each subsequent visit, the customer enters their cell phone number to check in. They will see one of the following three screens: (1) A screen letting them know where they are in the digital punch card, (2) a screen with an available offer (more to come on this), or (3) a screen showing they have checked in enough times to earn their loyalty reward.

Yes! AuroText’s loyalty program is a digital punch card program that can be used with or without a kiosk.

There are two ways a customer can redeem offers: either at the kiosk or through the merchant’s mobile web app. There are various offers that a customer might have available for redemption. It could be a loyalty offer they earned, an automated text offer based on their habits such as not visiting in 20 days, or a text message the merchant sent out through the platform with an offer. Each of these offers will have default language in the message that directs the customer to redeem at kiosk or by clicking the mini-url that will take them directly to the merchant’s custom mobile web app. Once the customer enters their cell phone number either at the kiosk or on the mobile web app, an available offers screen pops up. They simply click redeem or the arrow, and then they will immediately receive a claim text that tells them to show the text at the merchant’s business. This claim text message is dated and time stamped, giving the consumer 15 minutes to show it. It also includes the offer and language that says not valid with other offers.

Once a merchant has signed up, they receive an email with a login ID for the AuroText platform (along with initial password). They will then be able to access their specific account and start to utilize the QR code, mobile web app, and keyword opt-in program to build a list of customers. Merchants will also receive a User Guide in the initial email, along with an auto-generated QR code.

Immediately after sign up, a User Guide will be sent via email along with credentials to login to AuroText. AuroText also has an embedded Help Center and Academy with tutorials on using the platform most effectively, including tips for success. We’ve also built a very simple and intuitive wizard for sending out text messages to customers. To create a message, a merchant simply chooses the audience, sets a delivery date and time, and then composes a message.

The first way is our in-store kiosk that we place at the point of sale or hostess station. It takes a customer seconds to sign-up and can be used with or without our loyalty program.

The second way is through our custom mobile web application that we will provide each merchant. This works like our kiosk, but instead of a customer entering their information at the kiosk, they will scan a QR code and will be directed to the merchant’s personalized application at which they can sign up, check in, or redeem offers.

The third way is through shareable and embedded online web forms. Merchants can create custom forms for each of their social media channels so AuroText can help not only track the effectiveness of those channels but also drive customers from social media into the store.

The last way is through our keyword opt-in tool. This tool allows merchants to promote a keyword — Example: Text “coffee” to 555-555-5555 to receive $2 off — on social media or other marketing initiatives. This tool helps merchants track how other marketing is doing while continuing to build their database.

Yes! AuroText provides the ability to build a custom automated customer journey that is based on their habits. This program automatically drives revenue, customer engagement, and loyalty. For example, you could have a text go out 3 hours after a customer signs-up with an offer and mini-urls to all your social media links. We have a built-in mini-url system so you can track the engagement. On the second visit, the system could automatically send them a link to your online Google review.

Our favorite is the ability to drive back lapsed customers. In 20 days, the system could automatically send out a We Miss You offer. On average, this one text will drive 5-8% of your lapsed customers back each month. If they still haven’t returned in 40 or 60 days, you can make the offer a little more aggressive to win them back. There are hundreds of ways to use automation. We have a birthday club, anniversary club, and you can even surprise your super loyal customers based on how many times they’ve visited your business.

You can grow text subscriber (customer) lists by making it easy for consumers that are already checking out your website, social media channels, and email subscriptions to opt in to receive text messages via shareable and embedded web forms. Web forms also provide an effective means for you to assess the impact of your marketing initiatives. By designing a web form with a specific offer linked to, let’s say, a Facebook post, you can track customer engagement, determining both the number of offer activations and the volume of traffic driven to your business from that post.

Yes! By providing the list to our Customer Support team, they can upload and send out the first opt-in message (if a customer hasn’t previously opted-in).

Yes! AuroText was built mobile-first and therefore provides an excellent mobile user experience. After logging in to your account, you can use the ‘Add to Home Screen’ functionality on your mobile device to create an icon with direct AuroText access.

Yes! Thousands trust our platform to drive their text campaigns with advanced tracking and insights. Our easy-to-navigate customizable dashboards and reports provide our merchants with visibility into their campaigns, redemptions, and increased revenue. We also send a weekly activity report that shows the results for the prior week along with all-time results.

AuroText is the only platform that combines both Loyalty and Text Marketing into a single solution. We also provide the most comprehensive way to identify new customers and retain existing ones by providing automated tools that you can customize specific to your brand (see How do I build my customer database?)