SMS Contact Management, Lists, and Segments
Keep recipient data in one place instead of scattered spreadsheets. Import contacts, build an SMS contact list you can segment, and make sure opt-outs stay suppressed when you send through your own Android device.
| Number | Name | Tags | Send |
|---|---|---|---|
| +8801712345678 | Rahim K. | invoice · trial | Active |
| +14155552671 | Sam P. | support | Active |
| +2348031234567 | Ada O. | STOP | Suppressed |
| +639171234567 | Lina M. | event-2026 | Active |
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Fields, limits, and how records behave
These are the rules the contact record follows once it is inside the gateway.
| Detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Unique key | Phone number in E.164 formatDuplicates collapse onto this key. Name alone is never used as identity. |
| Custom fields | Available as merge tags in message templatesAnything you map on import can appear in the body as {{field_name}}. |
| Tags and lists | Multiple tags and list memberships per contactA contact can sit in more than one SMS contact list and still be one record. |
| Opt-out flag | Survives re-import of the same numberAn unsubscribed contact stays suppressed even if an old spreadsheet is uploaded again. |
| Import formats | .xlsx and .csv saved as UTF-8UTF-8 keeps Bangla, Hindi, and other non-Latin names intact. |
| Export | Contacts plus status, tags, and opt-out stateUseful for audits and for writing status back into your source system. |
Custom fields matter most when you personalise campaigns or schedule SMS for later. A due date or order ID stored on the contact is available as a merge tag the moment you compose the template, so you are not re-pasting columns for every send.
Importing and de-duplicating contacts
A clean import is most of the work. Once numbers are normalised and duplicates are merged, every later campaign inherits that hygiene.
- 01
Export from your source system
Pull a clean export from your CRM, billing tool, or order database. One row per person, one phone column, and any fields you later want as merge tags. Drop empty rows and merged header cells before you leave the source system — they are the usual reason an import looks incomplete. - 02
Normalise numbers to E.164
Rewrite every number with a leading plus and country code, for example +8801712345678. Format the column as Text in the spreadsheet so Excel does not strip zeros or convert long numbers to scientific notation. - 03
Import and map fields
Upload the .xlsx or .csv file and map the phone column to the contact identity. Remaining headers become custom fields you can use as merge tags when you write templates. - 04
Merge duplicates on the phone number
The phone number is the identity key. Rows that share the same E.164 number are merged into one contact rather than creating three near-identical records that would each receive the same campaign. - 05
Tag on import so the list is segmentable later
Apply a source tag while you import — trial, invoice-reminder, event-2026, or whatever matches how you acquired the contact. Tags written at import time are what make SMS segmentation useful six months later. - 06
Verify a sample
Open a handful of contacts after import and check the number format, custom fields, and tags. A five-minute sample check catches mapping mistakes before they become a campaign problem.
If your source of truth is already an API-connected system, you can also push contacts through the REST SMS API rather than cycling files. Either way, the phone number remains the identity key.
What SMS contact management means here
SMS contact management is how you store and organise the people you message, without keeping recipient data in a pile of one-off spreadsheets. A contact is a single record keyed by phone number. A list is a named group of those contacts. A segment is a filtered view of a list — by tag, last activity, country code, or lifecycle. A suppression list is the set of numbers that must never be messaged again, usually because they opted out.
That structure replaces the common pattern of exporting from a CRM, editing in Excel, and hoping the "final_v3" file is the one someone used last week. It also sits beside bulk SMS from Excel or CSV : the spreadsheet becomes an import path into a durable address book, not the address book itself.
- 01
SMS contact management treats the phone number as the single identity key for every contact record.
- 02
A list is a named group of contacts; a segment is a filtered view of that group built from tags, activity, geography, or lifecycle.
- 03
Duplicates merge on the E.164 phone number so one person does not receive the same campaign three times.
- 04
An opt-out flag survives re-import, which stops an old spreadsheet from resurrecting unsubscribed numbers.
- 05
You supply the Android phone and operator SMS credit; service pricing follows device count and total SMS sent.
SMS segmentation that is actually useful
SMS segmentation is how you decide who hears from you on a given day. Tag-based segments are the simplest: everyone tagged trial, or everyone tagged invoice-reminder. Activity-based segments pull people who replied recently, or who have not been messaged in months. Geography follows the country code on the number. Lifecycle segments separate trial users from paying customers. Source segments remember whether someone opted in through a checkout form, a paper slip, or a keyword reply.
A small consented segment almost always outperforms a large scraped one. Carriers and regulators care about who asked to hear from you; recipients care about whether the message is relevant. Scraped lists look impressive in a spreadsheet and then produce complaints, STOP replies, and filtering. The bulk SMS use case covers campaign strategy; the contact layer is what makes that strategy enforceable.
Opt-outs and suppression
SMS opt-out handling is not a courtesy setting — it is the difference between a durable programme and a compliance incident. When someone replies STOP, auto-reply and STOP handling records the opt-out on the contact. That flag must outlive any later file upload. In the United States, industry guidance such as the CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices expects consent, clear identification, and prompt honouring of opt-outs; other markets add their own registries and quiet hours. Our acceptable use policy sets the baseline for what traffic is allowed on the platform.
✓ List hygiene that keeps consent intact
- Record how and when each contact opted in before the first promotional send
- Apply source tags at import so you can prove provenance later
- Let STOP replies write the opt-out flag automatically
- Export and audit suppression lists on a regular schedule
- Filter opted-out contacts out of any spreadsheet before you share it with another team
! Habits that recreate suppressed numbers
- Treating an old CRM export as fresher than the live suppression flag
- Building a new SMS contact list from a scraped public directory
- Clearing opt-outs manually to "get the list ready" for a campaign
- Mixing transactional recipients and marketing recipients without separate segments
- Assuming consent for one product covers every future promotional programme
How contact records behave at send time
Three structural rules matter more than any vanity metric. They decide whether personalisation works and whether suppression holds.
- The phone number
- 1 identity
- Available as a merge tag
- Every field
- Applied before every send
- Opt-outs
Service pricing follows device count and total SMS sent. You bring the Android phone, the SIM, and the operator SMS credit. Contact storage organises who you may message; it does not change that cost model. See pricing for how device and volume tiers map to plans.
Regional notes for contact lists
Consent rules, number formats, and engagement habits differ by market. Start with the local page for the countries you send into.
India
Promotional traffic must respect DND registries and TRAI rules. Keep SMS contact lists limited to people who opted in for this kind of message, and prefer transactional wording when the use case allows it.
Bangladesh
Bangla names and Unicode fields need UTF-8 CSV exports. Normalise local numbers to +880 before import rather than trusting mixed 01… and 880… formats from different source systems.
USA
Consent expectations are strict for marketing SMS. Record how and when each contact opted in, honour STOP immediately, and keep suppression lists attached to the segment — not in a forgotten side file.
Philippines
SMS engagement is high, which rewards clean, consented segments more than raw list size. Tag by acquisition source so you can thin low-intent contacts without rebuilding the whole database.
More markets are covered on the SMS gateway by region hub. Support replies within 24-48 hours if you need help mapping an unusual number format or export.
Related features on the same fleet
These run on the same phones, the same account, and the same REST SMS API— no extra product silos.
Scheduled SMS & Campaign Timing
Queue a send for a future date and time, with sensible windows for each recipient.View feature →SMS Auto-Reply & STOP Keywords
Answer common keywords automatically and record opt-outs the moment they land.View feature →USSD Gateway: Run USSD from an API
Trigger USSD codes such as balance checks and read the operator response back through the API.View feature →Common questions about Contacts & lists
Straight answers for teams evaluating this feature for production OTP, bulk, or two-way traffic.
Run contacts & lists on your own SIM
Install the Android app, pair a device with operator SMS credit, and test this feature in the panel or over the API. Paid plans are metered by devices and SMS send volume.